University of San Agustin

College of Liberal Arts, Sciences, and Education

FS 118 - US HISTORY AND GOVERNMENT

Second Semester, 2019-2020

Prelim Exam

I. Identification. 1 point for each number.

1. The statement in Article VI of the Constitution that federal law is superior to laws passed by state
legislatures.
2. An agreement between people and government in which citizens consent to be governed so long as
the government protects their natural rights.
3. Any powers not prohibited by the Constitution or delegated to the national government; powers re-
served to the states and denied to the federal government.
4. Goods that all people may use but that are of limited supply.
5. A form of government where political power rests in the hands of the people.
6. A form of government where people participate directly in making government decisions instead of
choosing representatives to do this for them.
7. A form of government in which political power rests in the hands of the people, not a monarch, and
is exercised by elected representatives.
8. A plan that called for a one-house national legislature; each state would receive one vote.
9. Claims political power rests in the hands of a small, elite group of people.
10. The means by which a society organizes itself and allocates authority in order to accomplish collec-
tive goals.
11. The right to life, liberty, and property; believed to be given by God; no government may take away.
12. A compromise between the Virginia Plan and the New Jersey Plan that created a two- house Con-
gress; representation based on population in the House of Representatives and equal representation
of states in the Senate.
13. Those who did not support ratification of the Constitution.
14. The first basis for the new nation’s government; adopted in 1781; created an alliance of sovereign
states held together by a weak central government.
15. A legislature with two houses, such as the U.S. Congress.
16. The first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution; most were designed to protect fundamental rights
and liberties.
17. A system that allows one branch of government to limit the exercise of power by another branch; re-
quires the different parts of government to work together.
18. The beliefs and ideals that help to shape political opinion and eventually policy.
19. Beliefs and preferences based on strong feelings regarding an issue that someone adheres to over
time.
20. A highly decentralized form of government; sovereign states form a union for purposes such as mu-
tual defense.
21. A document written in 1776 in which the American colonists proclaimed their independence from
Great Britain and listed their grievances against the British king.
22. Beliefs and preferences people are not deeply committed to and that change over time.
23. A fundamental principle of democracy; the majority should have the power to make decisions bind-
ing upon the whole .
24. Protections for those who are not part of the majority.
25. A form of government where one ruler, usually a hereditary one, holds political power.
26. A form of government where a handful of elite society members hold political power.
27. Strong support, or even blind allegiance, for a particular political party.
28. Claims political power rests in the hands of groups of people.
29. The powers given explicitly to the federal government by the Constitution (Article I, Section 8);
power to regulate interstate and foreign commerce, raise and support armies, declare war, coin
money, and conduct foreign affairs.
30. A form of government in which power is divided between state governments and a national govern-
ment.
31. Influence over a government’s institutions, leadership, or policies
32. The process by which we decide how resources will be allocated and which policies government will
pursue.
33. A compromise between northern and southern states that called for counting of all a state’s free pop-
ulation and 60 percent of its slave population for both federal taxation and representation in Con-
gress.

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34. A collection of eighty-five essays written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay in
support of ratification of the Constitution.
35. Those who supported ratification of the Constitution.
36. Goods provided by private businesses that can be used only by those who pay for them.
37. Goods provided by government that anyone can use and that are available to all without charge.
38. A form of government where voters elect representatives to make decisions and pass laws on behalf
of all the people instead of allowing people to vote directly on laws.
39. A plan for a two-house legislature; representatives would be elected to the lower house based on
each state’s population; representatives for the upper house would be chosen by the lower house.
40. Is the sharing of powers among three separate branches of government.
41. Is having connections with others and the willingness to interact and aid them.
42. A good that is available to many people but is used only by those who can pay the price to do so.
43. A form of government where government is all-powerful and citizens have no rights.
44. A legislature with only one house, like the Confederation Congress or the legislature proposed by the
New Jersey Plan.
45. The power of the president to reject a law proposed by Congress.

II. Multiple Choice. 2 points each.

1. What goods are available to all without direct payment?

a. private goods
b. public goods
c. common goods
d. toll goods

2. The elite theory of government maintains that ________.

a. special interest groups make government policy
b. politicians who have held office for a long time are favored by voters
c. poor people and people of color should not be allowed to vote
d. wealthy, politically powerful people control government, and government has no interest in
meeting the needs of ordinary people

3. In which form of government does a small group of elite people hold political power?
a. direct democracy
b. monarchy
c. oligarchy
d. totalitarian

4. According to the pluralist theory of government, ________.

a. government does what the majority of voters want it to do
b. government policy is formed as a result of the competition between groups with different goals
and interests
c. ordinary people acting on their own have a significant influence on government
d. wealthy people decide what government policy will be, and politicians have no interest in
pleasing anyone else

5. Supporting the actions of the Democratic Party simply because one identifies oneself as a member of
that party is an example of ________.
a. partisanship
b. ideology
c. latent preference
d. social capital

6. When a person is asked a question about a political issue that he or she has little interest in and has not
thought much about, that person’s answer will likely reflect ________.
a. ideology
b. partisanship
d. intense preferences
d. latent preferences

7. Which of the following is a good example of a tradeoff?

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a. The government pleases environmental activists by preserving public lands but also pleases
ranchers by allowing them to rent public lands for grazing purposes.
b. The government pleases environmental activists by reintroducing wolves to Yellowstone Na-
tional Park but angers ranchers by placing their cattle in danger.
c. The government pleases oil companies by allowing them to drill on lands set aside for conser-
vation but allows environmental activist groups to protest the drilling operations.
d. Groups that represent a variety of conflicting interests are all allowed to protest outside Con-
gress and the White House.

8. British colonists in North America in the late seventeenth century were greatly influenced by the politi-
cal thought of ________.
a. King James II
b. Thomas Jefferson
c. John Locke
d. James Madison

9. According to the Great Compromise, how would representation in Congress be apportioned?

a. Each state would have equal representation in both the House of Representatives and the Sen-
ate.
b. Congress would be a unicameral legislature with each state receiving equal representation.
c. Representation in the House of Representatives would be based on each state’s population and
every state would have two senators.
d. Representation in both the House of Representatives and the Senate would be based on a
state’s population.

10. What important power did the national government lack under the Articles of Confederation?
a. It could not coin money.
b. It could not declare war.
c. It could not impose taxes.
d.It could not conduct foreign affairs.

11. The agreement that citizens will consent to be governed so long as government protects their natural
rights is called ________.
a. the divine right of kings
b. the social contract
c. a bill of rights
d. due process

12. How did the delegates to the Constitutional Convention resolve their disagreement regarding slavery?
a. It was agreed that Congress would abolish slavery in 1850.
b. It was agreed that a state’s slave population would be counted for purposes of representation
but not for purposes of taxation.
c. It was agreed that a state’s slave population would be counted for purposes of taxation but not
for purposes of representation.
d. It was agreed that 60 percent of a state’s slave population would be counted for purposes of
both representation and taxation.

13. What argument did Alexander Hamilton use to convince people that it was not dangerous to place
power in the hands of one man?
a. That man would have to pass a religious test before he could become president; thus, citizens
could be sure that he was of good character.
b. One man could respond to crises more quickly than a group of men like Congress.
c. It was easier to control the actions of one man than the actions of a group.
d. both B and C

14. How many states must ratify an amendment before it becomes law?
a. all
b. three-fourths
c. two-thirds
d. one-half

15. Why were The Federalist Papers written?

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a. To encourage states to oppose the Constitution.
b. To encourage New York to ratify the Constitution.
c. To oppose the admission of slaveholding states to the federal union.
d. To encourage people to vote for George Washington as the nation’s first president.

16. What is the Bill of Rights?

a. first ten amendments to the Constitution that protect individual freedoms
b. powers given to Congress in Article I of the Constitution
c. twenty-seven amendments added to the Constitution over the years
d. document authored by Thomas Jefferson that details the rights of the citizens

17. What did the Fourteenth Amendment achieve?

a. The Fourteenth Amendment gave citizenship to African Americans and made all Americans
equal before the law regardless of race or color.
b. The Fourteenth Amendment gave men the right to vote regardless of race or color, but women
were still prohibited from voting in most states
c. The Fourteenth Amendment reduced the voting age from twenty-one to eighteen.
d. The Fourteenth Amendment allowed residents of Washington, DC to vote for the president.

18. What is the separation of powers?

a. Refers to the division of government responsibilities into distinct branches not to limit any one
branch from exercising the core functions of another.
b. Refers to the process of dividing government into different branches and giving different re-
sponsibilities and powers to each branch
c. Refers to the principle or system of enjoining the executive, legislative, and judicial powers of
a government.
d. Its intent is to allow the concentration of power and provide for checks and balances.

19. Which of the following is not correct.

a. President is commander-in-chief of the government; Supreme Court hears cases involving
federal law and is the nation’s final court of appeal; Congress has the power to pass legisla-
tion.
b. President appoints federal judges, ambassadors and heads of the executive department; Su-
preme Court presides over impeachment cases; Congress is most responsible for conducting
foreign affairs.
c. President may grant pardons to those who have broken federal laws; Supreme Court has the
power to declare laws and actions by the executive branch constitutional; Congress may de-
clare war.
d. President has the power to veto legislation passed by the congress; Supreme Court presides
over impeachment cases; Congress may impeach the president and remove him from office.

20. Which of the following is not a weakness of the Articles of Confederation.

a. The national government could not impose taxes on citizens. It could only request money from
the states.
b. The national government could not regulate foreign trade or interstate commerce.
c. The national government could raise an army. It need nor to request the states to send men.
d. The Articles could not be changed without a unanimous vote to do so.

III. Essay. 15 points.

Since the ratification in 1789, the Constitution has been amended only twenty-seven times.
The first ten amendments were added in 1791. Responding to charges by Anti-Federalists that the
Constitution made the national government too powerful and provided no protections for the rights
of individuals, the newly elected federal government tackled the issue of guaranteeing liberties for
American citizens. James Madison, a member of Congress from Virginia, took the lead in drafting
nineteen potential changes to the Constitution. Discuss the amendment process as outlined in Ar-
ticle V that says amendments can originate from one of two sources.

Prepared by: Reviewed by:

Erika May I. Draper Sonia D. Daquila, Ph.D
Instructor Academic Supervisor

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College of Liberal Arts, Sciences, and Education
Date: December 13, 2019 Date:

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