Government Final Exam

Ideas of John Locke

• Rulers receive the right to govern from the people.
• Unjust rulers can be forced from power.

1. Based on the quotation above, which form of government would John Locke most
oppose?
A republic B dictatorship C representative democracy D constitutional monarchy

• natural rights
• separation of powers
• political equity

2. The teachings of Enlightenment thinking listed above provided the basis for the
A establishment of democratic government. C teaching of the Protestant Reformation.
B calling of the crusades. D development of feudalism.

3. What were both the Magna Carta and the English Bill of Rights designed to do?

A limit the power of the monarch C provide for religious freedom

B accept the theory of divine right D give commoners the right to vote

4. Shays’ Rebellion of 1786 resulted in increased support for

A creating a U.S. Bill of Rights.
B revising the Articles of Confederation.
C writing the Declaration of Independence
D approving the Missouri Compromise.

5. The Mayflower Compact (1620) was significant in the political development of the
American colonies because it introduced the principle of

A self-government. C separation of powers.

B freedom of expression. D federalism.

6. One goal of the Declaration of Independence was to

A establish a new monarchy for the independent states.

B convince the British Parliament to prevent the start of war.
C explain why the colonists felt the need to be free from British rule.
D outline an economic system to raise money for the revolution.
7. In designing the legislative branch, the writers of the Constitution mainly based their
ideas on the
A French Estates General. C Congress of Vienna
B Council of Trent. D English Parliament.

8. Which of these Founders favored a strong national government and a loose

interpretation of the United States Constitution?
A George Mason C Patrick Henry
B Roger Williams D Alexander Hamilton

9. Which of these parts of the United States Constitution contains fundamental liberties
of American citizens?
A Preamble C Article 5
B Article 3 D Bill of Rights

We regard an individual who takes no

interest in public affairs not as harmless,
but as useless.
—Pericles’ Funeral Oration

10. The quotation above illustrates the importance ancient Athenians placed on
individual participation in the

A education of young children.

B religious rituals of the community.
C political process of the city-state.
D economic activities of the household.

11. The origins of checks and balances in the U.S. political system can be traced to the

A French monarchy. C Roman Republic.

B Greek aristocracy. D Aztec Empire.

12 Which statement best illustrates the principle of federalism?

A The president has the power to veto bills.

B Congress is divided into two houses.
C The Supreme Court has the power to review laws.
D Power is divided between the states and the national government
13. The system of checks and balances was included in the Constitution to

A provide a method to change the document

B allow voters a voice in the legislative process
C ensure that one branch of government would not gain too much power
D allow for trial by jury in all civil and criminal cases

14. Which part of the federal government is most directly affected by the results of the
federal census?
A House of Representatives C Supreme Court
B president’s cabinet D United States Senate

15. Which ancient civilization made the greatest contribution to our form of
government?
A) Greece B) China C) India D) Rome

Consider the following political cartoon by Ben Franklin and then answer questions
# 16, 17, and 18.

16. Where did our Founding Fathers get the idea to form a confederation of the 13
colonies to resist and finally rebel against the tyranny of King George?

A) John Locke B) Roger Williams C) The Iroquois League D) The Magna Carta

17. In the cartoon above, what do the segments of the snake stand for?
A) the colonies C) Franklin's supporters
B) secret defense plans D) Native American tribes allied with France

18. Based on the cartoon, which of the following opinions did Franklin probably hold?

A) The colonies must unify for defense.

B) The colonies faced defeat unless they separated from Great Britain.
C) The colonies would be defeated unless Great Britain came to their defense.
D) The colonies needed to stop rebelling and unite with England
19. The Mayflower Compact and Virginia House of Burgesses were both early examples
and precedents for what democratic principle?

A) religious freedom
B) self government
C) limited government
D) support for the Natural Rights of Man

20. Roger William’s establishment of the Colony of Rhode Island set an important
precedent for the separation of church and state. Which amendment in the Bill of Rights
protects and supports the separation of church and state?

A) 1st Amendment B) 2nd Amendment C) 5th Amendment D) 4th Amendment

Consider the following excerpt from the preamble of The Declaration of

Independence to answer questions #21 and 22.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are
endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are Life,
Liberty, and pursuit of Happiness – That to secure these rights, Governments are
instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.

21. According to The Declaration of Independence, what is the purpose of government?

A) To make all people equal

B) To support economic stability
C) To secure all peoples’ inalienable rights
D) To make everyone happy

22. Where does our government get its power?

A) from a divine Creator

B) from the people
C) from our military power
D) from our inalienable rights

23. The purpose of the 3rd section of The Declaration of Independence was to:

A) List the colonists’ grievances against King George

B) Explain the purpose of the declaration
C) Assert the independence of the colonies
D) Present a logical argument about the purpose of government
24. In which form of government does the government control both the means and
production in the economy and have only one political party?

A) democracy B) anarchy C) communism D) dictatorship

25. In which form of government does a small, elite group of people control the
government?

A) republic B) fascism/ dictatorship C) democracy D) oligarchy

26. Which form of government derives its power from military strength or force?

A) republic B) fascism/ dictatorship C) democracy D) oligarchy

27. Which aspect of our government is an example of indirect democracy?

A) our election of our Legislative Branch representatives

B) our system of courts
C) our Bill of Rights
D) our Constitution

28. Which of the following was NOT a key weakness of The Articles of Confederation?

A) The ability to declare war and raise an army

B) The ability of the federal government to impose taxes
C) The ability to regulate interstate trade
D) The ability to coin money and establish a single monetary system

29. According to the Preamble of The Constitution, which is NOT one of the goals of
our form of government?

A) to form a more perfect union

B) to promote the general welfare
C) to ensure all peoples’ happiness
D) to secure the blessings of liberty for ourselves and our posterity
30. Which article of The Constitution supports the goal in the preamble: “to provide for
the common defense”?

A) Article 1: The Legislative Branch

B) Article 2: The Presidential role as Commander-in-Chief
C) Article 3: The Judicial Branch
D) Article 5: The Amendment Process

31. Which elected position in our federal government has the highest age, and greatest
citizenship and residency requirements?

A) Supreme Court Justice

B) Member of the House of Representative
C) President
D) Senator

32. Which Article of The Constitution supports federalism, the separation of

governmental power among levels of the government?

A) Article 1 B) Article 2 C) Article 4 D) Article 5

33. Which Article of The Constitution was used to create the Bill of Rights?

A) Article 1 B) Article 2 C) Article 4 D) Article 5

34. How many amendments are there in the Bill of Rights?

A) 5 B) 7 C) 10 D) 12

35. Which of the following is NOT an example of checks and balances?

A) The senate must approve the Presidential appointments of Supreme Court

nominees
B) Only the Congress can declare war and raise taxes to support the armed forces
C) States control all elections
D) Legislative bills can only become a law after the President signs them
36. Why did the Founding Fathers adopt a federalist system of government and separate
the national government into three branches of government?

A) They did not want any part of the government to become too powerful
B) They wanted to make the government more efficient
C) They did not any of the parts of the government to get in the way of other parts
D) They wanted to create a strong and independent Executive Branch

37. To persuade the Republicans to ratify The Constitution, the Federalists promised that
they would add what to The Constitution?

A) an amendment process C) A system of checks and balances

B) the Judicial Branch D) The Bill of Rights

38. According to Article 7 of The Constitution, how many colonies were needed to ratify
The Constitution?
A) 5 B) 7 C) 9 D) 13

39. Which of the following is NOT one of the six basic principles of the Constitution?

A) checks and balances

B) unlimited government
C) separation of powers
D) popular sovereignty

40. Which branch of federal government is not elected by the people?

A) Legislative Branch
B) Executive Branch
C) Judicial Branch

41. Which branch is responsible for supporting the Preamble goal: to establish justice.

A) Legislative Branch
B) Executive Branch
C) Judicial Branch

42. Which branch has the power to declare war, make laws, and levy taxes?

A) Legislative Branch
B) Executive Branch
C) Judicial Branch
43. Even though the Declaration of Independence declared that “all men were created
equal,” which groups of people were denied their suffrage rights when The Constitution
was ratified?

A) African Americans
B) Women
C) Non-property owners
D) All of the above

44. When the President is acting in his or her role as head of the armed forces, s/he is
acting as:

A) The Chief Justice

B) The Commander-in-Chief
C) The President pro tempore
D) The Speaker of the House

45. According to 5th Amendment, you have a right to:

A) bear arms
B) free speech
C) freedom of religion
D) remain silent and not incriminate yourself