Question 1

In striking down Colorado's constitutional amendment barring sexual orientation as a protected category in antidiscrimination lawsuits,the Supreme Court used the __________ test.

Accepted Answer

A) reasonable basis 
B) heightened scrutiny 
C) rational basis 
D) strict scrutiny 
A) reasonable basis 
B) heightened scrutiny 
C) rational basis 
D) strict scrutiny C

Question 2

The __________ Amendment guarantees African Americans the right to vote.

Accepted Answer

Fifteenth

Question 3

Gender classifications are evaluated by the Supreme Court using the strict scrutiny standard.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False  False

Question 4

What is the status of affirmative action in college admissions after the Supreme Court decisions in the two cases involving the University of Michigan,Gratz v.Bollinger (2003)and Grutter v.Bollinger (2003)?

Accepted Answer

A) Affirmative action policies are generally permissible,but they cannot involve race-based quotas or numerical point systems. 
B) Affirmative action policies are assumed to be unconstitutional unless the university can demonstrate the need to promote racial tolerance. 
C) Affirmative action policies are assumed to be constitutional unless an applicant can demonstrate that race affected the admissions decision. 
D) All forms of affirmative action are unconstitutional because they unfairly favor some people over others based on the color of their skin. 
A) Affirmative action policies are generally permissible,but they cannot involve race-based quotas or numerical point systems. 
B) Affirmative action policies are assumed to be unconstitutional unless the university can demonstrate the need to promote racial tolerance. 
C) Affirmative action policies are assumed to be constitutional unless an applicant can demonstrate that race affected the admissions decision. 
D) All forms of affirmative action are unconstitutional because they unfairly favor some people over others based on the color of their skin.

Question 5

The term "Asian American" describes approximately __________ people.

Accepted Answer

A) 2 million 
B) 6 million 
C) 10 million 
D) 20 million 
A) 2 million 
B) 6 million 
C) 10 million 
D) 20 million

Question 6

The Supreme Court case of Boumediene v.Bush dealt with which of the following?

Accepted Answer

A) detention of citizens without counsel or access to a court of law 
B) affirmative action plans at Michigan universities 
C) the Ten Percent Plan used to increase diversity in university enrollment 
D) sexual orientation as a protected category in antidiscrimination laws 
A) detention of citizens without counsel or access to a court of law 
B) affirmative action plans at Michigan universities 
C) the Ten Percent Plan used to increase diversity in university enrollment 
D) sexual orientation as a protected category in antidiscrimination laws

Question 7

Presidents __________ used their executive authority to fight racial discrimination,despite congressional resistance.

Accepted Answer

A) Hoover and Roosevelt 
B) Truman and Eisenhower 
C) Clinton and George W.Bush 
D) Johnson and Grant 
A) Hoover and Roosevelt 
B) Truman and Eisenhower 
C) Clinton and George W.Bush 
D) Johnson and Grant

Question 8

The Fourteenth Amendment attempted to guarantee which of the following to former slaves?

Accepted Answer

A) 40 acres of farmland and a mule 
B) economic equality with whites 
C) citizenship rights 
D) debt forgiveness 
A) 40 acres of farmland and a mule 
B) economic equality with whites 
C) citizenship rights 
D) debt forgiveness

Question 9

The Supreme Court has held that states cannot exclude children of illegal immigrants from public schools.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 10

Under the Fourteenth Amendment,who of the following would automatically be a U.S.citizen?

Accepted Answer

A) a Finnish immigrant who is studying English in Ohio 
B) someone born in Hong Kong who has moved to Detroit 
C) someone born in California to Japanese parents 
D) the children born in the United States to foreign ambassadors 
A) a Finnish immigrant who is studying English in Ohio 
B) someone born in Hong Kong who has moved to Detroit 
C) someone born in California to Japanese parents 
D) the children born in the United States to foreign ambassadors

Question 11

Why did Congress pass the Voting Rights Act of 1965?

Accepted Answer

A) because it was clear that the South had no intention of living up to the spirit of the Fifteenth Amendment 
B) because Congress was afraid the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr.would lead a boycott of white businesses if the legislation was not passed 
C) to prevent the race riots from spreading from African American neighborhoods into traditionally white neighborhoods 
D) because the Supreme Court had determined that only the national government could regulate elections 
A) because it was clear that the South had no intention of living up to the spirit of the Fifteenth Amendment 
B) because Congress was afraid the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr.would lead a boycott of white businesses if the legislation was not passed 
C) to prevent the race riots from spreading from African American neighborhoods into traditionally white neighborhoods 
D) because the Supreme Court had determined that only the national government could regulate elections

Question 12

In striking down the Defense of Marriage Act,the Supreme Court ruled that __________.

Accepted Answer

A) the federal government is responsible for defining marriage 
B) states are responsible for defining marriage 
C) marriage is defined as a union between one man and one woman 
D) same-sex marriage is a fundamental right 
A) the federal government is responsible for defining marriage 
B) states are responsible for defining marriage 
C) marriage is defined as a union between one man and one woman 
D) same-sex marriage is a fundamental right

Question 13

How do the rational basis and the quasi-suspect or heightened scrutiny standards of review differ?

Accepted Answer

A) The rational basis standard requires an important governmental objective for classification;the quasi-suspect standard requires a compelling governmental interest. 
B) The rational basis standard applies only to racial classifications;the quasi-suspect standard applies to age and sexual orientation classifications. 
C) The quasi-suspect standard of review is applied to a broader array of classifications than the rational basis standard. 
D) It is easier for the government to demonstrate that there is a rational basis for a law than to meet the requirements of the quasi-suspect standard. 
A) The rational basis standard requires an important governmental objective for classification;the quasi-suspect standard requires a compelling governmental interest. 
B) The rational basis standard applies only to racial classifications;the quasi-suspect standard applies to age and sexual orientation classifications. 
C) The quasi-suspect standard of review is applied to a broader array of classifications than the rational basis standard. 
D) It is easier for the government to demonstrate that there is a rational basis for a law than to meet the requirements of the quasi-suspect standard.

Question 14

How does de facto segregation differ from de jure segregation? In Plessy v.Ferguson,what did the Supreme Court say about the relationship between de jure segregation and equality? What did the Supreme Court say about this relationship in Brown v.Board of Education? Evaluate the extent to which de facto segregation leads to inequality,and illustrate your answer with two examples.

Accepted Answer

An ideal response will:
1.Compare de fac

Question 15

The Supreme Court has prohibited school districts from using race when determining which students will attend which schools.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 16

When did women win the guaranteed right to vote?

Accepted Answer

A) during the Civil War 
B) immediately after the Civil War 
C) at the same time that black males won the right to vote 
D) decades after black males won the right to vote 
A) during the Civil War 
B) immediately after the Civil War 
C) at the same time that black males won the right to vote 
D) decades after black males won the right to vote

Question 17

The case of Fisher v.Texas concerned which of the following?

Accepted Answer

A) the use of race as a factor in college admissions 
B) sexual harassment in the workplace 
C) same-sex marriage 
D) accessibility of facilities to people with disabilities 
A) the use of race as a factor in college admissions 
B) sexual harassment in the workplace 
C) same-sex marriage 
D) accessibility of facilities to people with disabilities

Question 18

When a law is subject to the __________ test,the burden of proof is on government to justify the classification based on a "compelling government interest."

Accepted Answer

A) heightened scrutiny 
B) strict scrutiny 
C) rational basis 
D) suspect classification 
A) heightened scrutiny 
B) strict scrutiny 
C) rational basis 
D) suspect classification

Question 19

How might the Supreme Court decisions in Korematsu v.United States (1944),involving the Japanese internment,and in Boumediene v.Bush (2008),involving the detention of citizens and foreign nationals who were declared to be "enemy combatants," be viewed in retrospect?

Accepted Answer

A) Both decisions might be viewed as upholding important constitutional principles. 
B) The first might be viewed as a step toward protecting civil rights of citizens,and the second as a step backward in the struggle for civil rights protection. 
C) Both decisions might be viewed as hindering the civil rights of citizens. 
D) The first might be viewed as a missed opportunity for the Supreme Court to protect civil rights,and the second as a step toward protecting civil rights. 
A) Both decisions might be viewed as upholding important constitutional principles. 
B) The first might be viewed as a step toward protecting civil rights of citizens,and the second as a step backward in the struggle for civil rights protection. 
C) Both decisions might be viewed as hindering the civil rights of citizens. 
D) The first might be viewed as a missed opportunity for the Supreme Court to protect civil rights,and the second as a step toward protecting civil rights.

Question 20

In Fisher v.Texas,the Supreme Court struck down the University of Texas at Austin's affirmative action policy.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

In striking down Colorado's constitutional amendment barring sexual orientation as a protected category in antidiscrimination lawsuits,the Supreme Court used the __________ test.

The __________ Amendment guarantees African Americans the right to vote.

Gender classifications are evaluated by the Supreme Court using the strict scrutiny standard.

What is the status of affirmative action in college admissions after the Supreme Court decisions in the two cases involving the University of Michigan,Gratz v.Bollinger (2003)and Grutter v.Bollinger (2003)?

The term "Asian American" describes approximately __________ people.

The Supreme Court case of Boumediene v.Bush dealt with which of the following?

Presidents __________ used their executive authority to fight racial discrimination,despite congressional resistance.

The Fourteenth Amendment attempted to guarantee which of the following to former slaves?

The Supreme Court has held that states cannot exclude children of illegal immigrants from public schools.

Under the Fourteenth Amendment,who of the following would automatically be a U.S.citizen?

Why did Congress pass the Voting Rights Act of 1965?

In striking down the Defense of Marriage Act,the Supreme Court ruled that __________.

How do the rational basis and the quasi-suspect or heightened scrutiny standards of review differ?

The Supreme Court has prohibited school districts from using race when determining which students will attend which schools.

When did women win the guaranteed right to vote?

The case of Fisher v.Texas concerned which of the following?

When a law is subject to the __________ test,the burden of proof is on government to justify the classification based on a "compelling government interest."

How might the Supreme Court decisions in Korematsu v.United States (1944),involving the Japanese internment,and in Boumediene v.Bush (2008),involving the detention of citizens and foreign nationals who were declared to be "enemy combatants," be viewed in retrospect?

In Fisher v.Texas,the Supreme Court struck down the University of Texas at Austin's affirmative action policy.

Constitutional Democracy

Constitutional Foundations

American Federalism

The American Political Landscape

Interest Groups

Political Parties

Public Opinion, ideology, participation, and Voting

Campaigns and Elections

The Media and Uspolitics

Congress

The Presidency

The Federal Bureaucracy and the Public Policy Process

The Judiciary: the Balancing Branch

Civil Liberties

Making Economic Policy

Making Social Policy

Making Foreign and Defense Policy

Filters

Exam 15: Civil Rights

In striking down Colorado's constitutional amendment barring sexual orientation as a protected category in antidiscrimination lawsuits,the Supreme Court used the __________ test.

The __________ Amendment guarantees African Americans the right to vote.

Gender classifications are evaluated by the Supreme Court using the strict scrutiny standard.

What is the status of affirmative action in college admissions after the Supreme Court decisions in the two cases involving the University of Michigan,Gratz v.Bollinger (2003)and Grutter v.Bollinger (2003)?

The term "Asian American" describes approximately __________ people.

The Supreme Court case of Boumediene v.Bush dealt with which of the following?

Presidents __________ used their executive authority to fight racial discrimination,despite congressional resistance.

The Fourteenth Amendment attempted to guarantee which of the following to former slaves?

The Supreme Court has held that states cannot exclude children of illegal immigrants from public schools.

Under the Fourteenth Amendment,who of the following would automatically be a U.S.citizen?

Why did Congress pass the Voting Rights Act of 1965?

In striking down the Defense of Marriage Act,the Supreme Court ruled that __________.

How do the rational basis and the quasi-suspect or heightened scrutiny standards of review differ?

The Supreme Court has prohibited school districts from using race when determining which students will attend which schools.

When did women win the guaranteed right to vote?

The case of Fisher v.Texas concerned which of the following?

When a law is subject to the __________ test,the burden of proof is on government to justify the classification based on a "compelling government interest."

How might the Supreme Court decisions in Korematsu v.United States (1944),involving the Japanese internment,and in Boumediene v.Bush (2008),involving the detention of citizens and foreign nationals who were declared to be "enemy combatants," be viewed in retrospect?

In Fisher v.Texas,the Supreme Court struck down the University of Texas at Austin's affirmative action policy.

Constitutional Democracy

Constitutional Foundations

American Federalism

The American Political Landscape

Interest Groups

Political Parties

Public Opinion, ideology, participation, and Voting

Campaigns and Elections

The Media and Uspolitics

Congress

The Presidency

The Federal Bureaucracy and the Public Policy Process

The Judiciary: the Balancing Branch

Civil Liberties

Making Economic Policy

Making Social Policy

Making Foreign and Defense Policy

Filters