Question 1

List and evaluate three ways in which changes in technology have altered the nature of American constitutional democracy.

Accepted Answer

1. Increased access to information: Tech

Question 2

The important contribution that the framers of the Constitution made to the principle of separation of powers was to divide powers but also overlap them so that no institution could take decisive action on its own.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 3

Define judicial review and explain how it is a judicial check on the other branches.

Accepted Answer

Judicial review is the power of the judi

Question 4

According to James Madison in The Federalist, No.47, " ...the accumulation of all powers, legislative, executive, and judiciary, in the same hands ...may justly be pronounced the very definition of ____________________."

Accepted Answer

A) tyranny 
B) monarchy 
C) democracy 
D) federalism 
E) check and balances 
A) tyranny 
B) monarchy 
C) democracy 
D) federalism 
E) check and balances

Question 5

The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court at the time of the Marbury v.Madison (1803) case was Thomas Jefferson.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 6

Presidential refusal to allow an agency to spend funds that Congress authorized and appropriated is called

Accepted Answer

A) executive stubbornness. 
B) treason. 
C) line-item veto. 
D) executive privilege. 
E) impoundment. 
A) executive stubbornness. 
B) treason. 
C) line-item veto. 
D) executive privilege. 
E) impoundment.

Question 7

Identify two ways in which constitutional amendments have increased the authority of the national government.

Accepted Answer

1) The 16th Amendment, ratified in 1913,

Question 8

Describe the process for amending the Constitution.List the difficulties encountered at each step, and evaluate their advantages and disadvantages.

Accepted Answer

The process for amending the Constitutio

Question 9

Natural law is law that defines right from wrong and is viewed as being higher than human law.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 10

The United States has the world's oldest written constitution.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 11

Constitutional amendments may be proposed at a convention called by Congress at the request of the legislatures in two-thirds of the states.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 12

Many state constitutions are easier to amend, and have undergone more changes, than the U.S.Constitution.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 13

During the Revolutionary period, legislatures

Accepted Answer

A)  were curbed by the checks and balances system. 
B)  became the dominant branch of government. 
C) suffered from a steady decrease in power. 
D)  governed firmly and wisely. 
E)  were dissolved to protect the identity of the officeholders. 
A)  were curbed by the checks and balances system. 
B)  became the dominant branch of government. 
C) suffered from a steady decrease in power. 
D)  governed firmly and wisely. 
E)  were dissolved to protect the identity of the officeholders.

Question 14

Identify ways in which the power of the president has expanded beyond those listed in the Constitution.

Accepted Answer

There are several ways in which the powe

Question 15

The Constitution was purposely made difficult to amend.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 16

The framers of the Constitution wanted to establish a government strong enough to enforce national interests but not so strong as to destroy individual liberty.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 17

Divided government

Accepted Answer

A) typically increases the role of partisanship in government. 
B) cannot occur in the United States due to our system of separation of powers. 
C) is a formal part of checks and balances outlined in the Constitution. 
D) is the division of governmental authority between the national and state governments. 
E) None of these 
A) typically increases the role of partisanship in government. 
B) cannot occur in the United States due to our system of separation of powers. 
C) is a formal part of checks and balances outlined in the Constitution. 
D) is the division of governmental authority between the national and state governments. 
E) None of these

Question 18

Law that is higher than human law is dubbed _____ law.

Accepted Answer

A) statutory 
B)  universal 
C)  natural 
D)  supreme 
E)  constitutional 
A) statutory 
B)  universal 
C)  natural 
D)  supreme 
E)  constitutional

Question 19

Identify potential problems with both the originalist and adaptive approaches to constitutional interpretation.

Accepted Answer

The originalist approach to constitution

Question 20

Explain what it means that constitutional amendments must be ratified in "a reasonable time." What has this meant in practice for specific amendments?

Accepted Answer

The requirement that constitutional amen

Exam 2: Constitutional Foundations

List and evaluate three ways in which changes in technology have altered the nature of American constitutional democracy.

The important contribution that the framers of the Constitution made to the principle of separation of powers was to divide powers but also overlap them so that no institution could take decisive action on its own.

Define judicial review and explain how it is a judicial check on the other branches.

According to James Madison in The Federalist, No.47, " ...the accumulation of all powers, legislative, executive, and judiciary, in the same hands ...may justly be pronounced the very definition of ____________________."

The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court at the time of the Marbury v.Madison (1803) case was Thomas Jefferson.

Presidential refusal to allow an agency to spend funds that Congress authorized and appropriated is called

Identify two ways in which constitutional amendments have increased the authority of the national government.

Describe the process for amending the Constitution.List the difficulties encountered at each step, and evaluate their advantages and disadvantages.

Natural law is law that defines right from wrong and is viewed as being higher than human law.

The United States has the world's oldest written constitution.

Constitutional amendments may be proposed at a convention called by Congress at the request of the legislatures in two-thirds of the states.

Many state constitutions are easier to amend, and have undergone more changes, than the U.S.Constitution.

During the Revolutionary period, legislatures

Identify ways in which the power of the president has expanded beyond those listed in the Constitution.

The Constitution was purposely made difficult to amend.

The framers of the Constitution wanted to establish a government strong enough to enforce national interests but not so strong as to destroy individual liberty.

Divided government

Law that is higher than human law is dubbed _____ law.

Identify potential problems with both the originalist and adaptive approaches to constitutional interpretation.

Explain what it means that constitutional amendments must be ratified in "a reasonable time." What has this meant in practice for specific amendments?

Constitutional Democracy

American Federalism

Political Culture and Ideology

The US political Landscape

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Public Opinion, Participation, and Voting

Campaigns and Elections

The Media and US politics

Congress

The Presidency

The Federal Bureaucracy

The Judiciary

Civil Liberties

Civil Rights

Public Policy

Making Economic Policy

Making Social Policy

Making Foreign Defense Policy

State and Local Politics

State Constitutions

Parties and Elections in the States

State Legislatures

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Judges and Justice in the States

Local Governments and Metropolitics

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