First Examination

POL S 102--Introduction to American and California Government

Professor Carole Kennedy

Fall 2001

Part I. Multiple Choice

Answer the following multiple choice questions by selecting the appropriate response and entering it on your scantron sheet with a number two pencil. (15 questions: 30 points)

1. If you want to tell your friends about the office of the President, you would refer them to:

A. Article I of the Constitution

B. Article II of the Constitution

C. Article III of the Constitution

D. The Bill of Rights

E. All of the above.

2. Political ideology is

A. a form of extremism.

B. not important in understanding political decisions.

C. a consistent set of values which affect political views.

D. the basis for all political decision making.

3. The government responded to Shay’s Rebellion by:

A. outlawing all state militia units.

B. failing to raise a militia to combat the rebellion.

C. repealing tax increases.

D. raising a militia to combat the rebellion.

4. Powers that both the national and state governments may exercise are called:

A. enumerated powers.

B. implied powers.

C. concurrent powers.

D. reserved powers.

5. The first major Supreme Court case that tested the power of the federal government over the power of state government was:

A. Marbury v. Madison

B. Gideon v. Wainwright

C. McCulloch v. Maryland

D. Tyson v. Spinks

E. Barron v. Baltimore

 

6. Judicial review refers to:

A. the President's power to check the Supreme Court by occasionally ignoring its rulings.

B. the Supreme Court's decision to consider an appeal from a lower court.

C. the Senate's power to review president's judicial appointments.

D. the Supreme Court's power to declare laws and executive actions unconstitutional.

7. The Bill of Rights:

A. was carried over into the Constitution from the Articles of Confederation.

B. was included in the original draft of the Constitution by James Madison.

C. was added to the Constitution by amendment.

D. was not finally ratified by Congress until the 20th century.

8. The powers delegated to the states under the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights are referred to as the:

A. enumerated powers.

B. implied powers.

C. reserved powers.

D. necessary and proper powers.

9. The Bill of Rights was added to the Constitution to ensure that it was ratified by the requisite number of states. Which group did this addition appease?

A. American Civil Liberties Union

B. Anti-Federalists

C. Federalists

    1. Republicans
    2. Democrats

10. The _________________ led to establishment of a bicameral national legislature.

A. Missouri Compromise

B. Connecticut Compromise

C. Shay's Rebellion

D. The New Hampshire Plan

E. None of the above.

11. ___________________ included the phrase, "If men were angels there would be no need for government."

A. Federalist 10

B. Article I

C. Article IV

D. Federalist 51

E. The Preamble to the Constitution

 

12. The quote in question 11 reflects a _____________ view of human nature.

A. Pavlovian

B. Lockean

C. Hobbesian

D. Machiavelliam

E. Aristotelian

  1. One who favors a free market and a strong national government that regulates morality and embraces traditional values is called a:
    1. true liberal
    2. libertarian
    3. true conservative
    4. Reagan Democrat
    5. Lockean
  1. Another name for the elastic clause is the:
    1. enumerated powers clause.
    2. necessary and proper clause.
    3. supremacy clause
    4. equal protection clause
    5. none of the above
  1. In order to amend the Constitution, there is a two-stage process of proposal and ratification. An amendment can be proposed by a(n) ____________ vote of both houses of Congress or of state legislatures.
    1. two-thirds
    2. majority
    3. three-quarters
    4. three-fifths
    5. unanimous

II. Identification: Identify AND explain the importance of FOUR of the following SIX items in two to three sentences. Be sure to explain the importance of each item you choose. Write your responses in INK in your blue book. If you answer more than FOUR items I will only grade the first four. (Ten points each: 40 points total)

a. republican government

b. Marbury v. Madison (1803)

c. "intentions of the Framers"

d. libertarian

e. Economic Interpretation of the Constitution

f. civil unions (Exam continues on next page)

III. Essay Question.

Choose ONE of the following TWO essay topics. Write your answer in INK in your blue book. Be sure to answer all parts of the question. (30 points)

1. Discuss the opposing philosophies of Locke and Hobbes and how these philosophies influenced the development of the U.S. Constitution. Be sure to include in your discussion specific reference to how these 16th century philosophers' beliefs were used to justify specific portions of the U.S. Constitution (i.e., power of the national government, the Bill of Rights, separation of powers, etc.) and the Federalist Papers.

 

2. What is the difference between a unitary system of government and federalism? What form of government was enshrined in the U.S. Constitution and what was the purpose for the establishment of that form of government over some other form of government? Discuss how the U.S. form of government has developed and changed over the past 200 years. What does the evolution of the U.S. form of government tell us about our political system?