Professional Documents
Culture Documents
FS 118 - Us History and Government
FS 118 - Us History and Government
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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College of Liberal Arts, Sciences, and Education
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.
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
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
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University of San Agustin
College of Liberal Arts, Sciences, and Education
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
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
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University of San Agustin
College of Liberal Arts, Sciences, and Education
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.
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.
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University of San Agustin
College of Liberal Arts, Sciences, and Education
Date: December 13, 2019 Date:
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