John Locke believed that a government is legitimate only if it
was created and governed by the best minds in a society.


A. True


B.  False


C.


D.


E.


Answer:  B
Natural rights are those rights with which all persons are born.



A.  True


B.  False


C.


D.


E.


Answer:  A
The purpose of a social contract is to create a government that
will make and enforce laws to secure individual rights.


A.  True


B.  False


C.


D.


E.


Answer:  A
An unalienable (inalienable. right is one that an individual earns
by acting like a good citizen.


A.  True


B.  False


C.


D.


E.


Answer:  B
Restrictive laws and free and periodic elections are important
restraints that limit legitimate government.


A.  True


B.  False


C.


D.


E.


Answer:  A
A republican form of government is one in which all citizens
participate in making all governmental decisions.


A.  True


B.  False


C.


D.


E.


Answer:  B
Under the Constitution, Congress can pass laws and a President
can veto them but the Supreme Court has no authority to deal
with them.

A.  True


B.  False


C.


D.


E.


Answer:  B
The Founders believed that a constitution must establish
limitations on those in government as a means of securing
basic rights.

A.  True


B.  False


C.


D.


E.


Answer:  A
Totalitarianism and tyranny are examples of unlimited
government, unrestrained by laws or elections.


A.  True


B.  False


C.


D.


E.


Answer:  A
According to the natural rights philosophy, the main purpose of
government is to promote the rights of the ruling class.


A.  True


B.  False


C.


D.


E.


Answer:  B
The authority to enforce or administer federal law is the province
of the President and the bureaucracy.


A.  True


B.  False


C.


D.


E.


Answer:  A
An important function of a constitution is to limit government.



A.  True


B.  False


C.


D.


E.


Answer:  A
The principle of private domain limits government from
interfering in certain aspects of citizens' lives.


A.  True


B.  False


C.


D.


E.


Answer:  A
Civic virtue is the effort to show more concern about personal
interests than the public good.


A.  True


B.  False


C.


D.


E.


Answer:  B
Baron de Montesqui influenced the Founders with his belief that
the best way to promote the common good is to centralize all
power in one government office.

A.  True


B.  False


C.


D.


E.


Answer:  B
The Founders believed the separation of powers was important
because it would involve more able people in the governmental
process.

A.  True


B.  False


C.


D.


E.


Answer:  A
Judeo-Christian tradition was important because it emphasized
personal self-interest over the common good.


A.  True


B.  False


C.


D.


E.


Answer:  B
Madison felt that the best form of government for the United
States was one in which representatives in government were
chosen by the people as a whole.

A.  True


B.  False


C.


D.


E.


Answer:  B
The major contribution to modern political systems of the
Renaissance and the Reformation was emphasis on individual
rights.

A.  True


B.  False


C.


D.


E.


Answer:  A
The rights of Englishmen to which the Founders believed that
Americans were entitled were those which the English monarch
allowed Englishmen to exercise.

A.  True


B.  False


C.


D.


E.


Answer:  B
As defined in Magna Carta, due process of law means that
government may take no action against the governed except by
settled rules and procedures.

A.  True


B.  False


C.


D.


E.


Answer:  A
The writ of habeas corpus is important because it protects the
individual against unlawful detention.


A.  True


B.  False


C.


D.


E.


Answer:  A
The Glorious Revolution (1688. influenced the U.S. Constitution
and the Bill of Rights by establishing the principle that people
have the right to obey only those laws they believe are legitimate.

A.  True


B.  False


C.


D.


E.


Answer:  B
Sir Edward Coke asserted that the Petition of Right (1628. was
connected to Magna Carta (1215. because both confirmed that
there were fundamental rights that belonged to all Englishmen
since time immemorial.
A.  True


B.  False


C.


D.


E.


Answer:  A
U.S. Bill of Rights differs from the English Bill of Rights
because it was ratified by the people and can only be changed
by an amendment to the Constitution.

A.  True


B.  False


C.


D.


E.


Answer:  A
The Mayflower Compact (1620. was significant because it was
an agreement by the Pilgrims to establish a political system
unique to their circumstances.

A.  True


B.  False


C.


D.


E.


Answer:  A
The basic right that most fought over in the New England
colonies was freedom of assembly.


A.  True


B.  False


C.  


D.


E.


Answer:  B
The conditions in America allowed for the development of a
social and economic system about the same as that existed in
Europe.

A.  True


B.  False


C.


D.


E.


Answer:  B
Since property qualifications for voting were more easily
obtained in the colonies, colonial governments were more
representative than those in Great Britain.

A.  True


B.  False


C.


D.


E.


Answer:  A
In colonial America, the right to vote was based on one's
ancestry and social class.


A.  True


B.  False


C.


D.


E.


Answer:  B
Religious intolerance by the British monarch was the basis for
colonial grievances in the Declaration of Independence.


A.  True


B.  False


C.


D.


E.


Answer:  B
The Stamp Act (1765. raised the issue of "no taxation without
representation" among the American colonists.


A.  True


B.  False


C.


D.


E.


Answer:  A
The First Continental Congress tried to get the British to change
its policy towards the colonies by encouraging an increased trade
with her.

A.  True


B.  False


C.


D.


E.


Answer:  B
The Declaration of Independence was a major effort to indicate
the willingness of the colonies to remain under British rule.


A.  True


B.  False


C.


D.


E.


Answer:  A
Popular sovereignty under the new state Constitution after
independence meant that the authority to govern was delegated
to the government by the sovereign people.

A.  True


B.  False
 

C.


D.


E.


Answer:  A
The colonists resisted the Writs of Assistance because they gave
government officials new powers to search and seize colonial
property.

A.  True


B.  False


C.


D.


E.


Answer:  A
Governors in all state constitutions after independence could
exercise no veto power over legislative acts.


A.  True


B.  False


C.


D.


E.


Answer:  B
The Virginia Declaration of Rights (1776. greatly influenced the
writing of the Declaration of Independence.


A.  True


B.  False


C.


D.


E.


Answer:  A
Popular sovereignty is an idea that political power is derived
from the people.


A.  True


B.  False


C.


D.


E.


Answer:  A
Most of the first state constitutions after independence provided
for the supremacy of the legislature.


A.  True


B.  False


C.


D.


E.


Answer:  A
According to John Locke, a government is only legitimate if



A.  it works in the best interests of the people


B.  it was created by the best minds in a country


C.  it has the consent of the people to be ruled by it


D.  it is effective in achieving its goals


E.


Answer:  C
Which of the following statements about rights is inaccurate?



A.  A right is a claim to have or obtain something or to act in a
     just or moral way.

B.  Natural rights are rights which persons are granted by their
     government because of their good behavior.

C.  Civil rights are basic freedoms secured in U.S. Constitution.


D.  Political rights give citizens the ability to control their
     government and determine its direction.

E.


Answer:  B
What is the purpose of a social contract?



A.  to determine the desirable social mix to form a society


B.  to create a government that will make and enforce laws to
     secure rights

C.  to secure favorable relations between nations


D.  to secure an agreement by the poor to accept the status of
     the rich and the rich to accept the status of the poor

E.


Answer:  B
If a right is unalienable (inalienable., this means that



A.  once a government grants it, it may not be taken away


B.  it can be exercised only if government allows it


C.  if person misuses that right, it may be taken away by
     government

D.  some rights are so much a part of human nature that they
     cannot be taken away or given up

E.


Answer:  D
What are two important restraints that limit legitimate
government?


A.  choosing only wise leaders and governments that work


B.  restrictive laws and free and periodic elections


C.  restrictive laws to keep people in their place and good sense
     of leaders that make election unnecessary

D.  effective economy and a social order where people know
     their place in society

E.


Answer:  B
Which of the following is not a characteristic of a republic or a
republican form of government?


A.  it promotes the common good


B.  political authority is shared by all or most citizens rather
     than a hereditary monarch

C.  political authority is exercised through the people's chosen
     representatives in government

D.  one in which all citizens participate in making all
     governmental decisions

E.


Answer:  D
Constitutional government in the United States is organized to
prevent the abuse of power through each of the following checks
and balances EXCEPT

A.  Congress may pass laws but the President can veto them.


B.  President nominates certain government officials but the
     Senate must approve them.

C.  Supreme Court may declare acts of Congress as
     unconstitutional.

D.  Bureaucracy may refuse to enforce or administer laws it
     feels are unjust.

E.


Answer:  D
According to the Founders, a Constitution or higher law should
have which one of the following characteristics?


A.  it sets forth the basic rights of citizens to life, liberty and
     property

B.  it establishes the responsibility of government to protect
     those rights it feels are just

C.  it establishes limitations on those in government but no
     limits on its citizens

D.  it allows citizens to establish their own individual private
     domain--area of citizens' lives that it does not want
     government to interfere with
E.


Answer:  A
All of the following are examples of unlimited government,
unrestrained by laws or elections, EXCEPT


A.  tyranny


B.  autocracy


C.  republic


D.  dictatorship


E.  totalitarianism


Answer:  C
According to the natural rights philosophy, the main purpose of
government is to


A.  create a democracy


B.  protect individual rights


C.  create a system of separation of powers


D.  promote the rights of the ruling class


E.


Answer:  B
To say that the rights to life, liberty, and property are unalienable
means that they


A.  cannot be given up or taken away


B.  belong only to citizens


C.  are subject to government approval


D.  are protected by the Constitution


E.


Answer:  A
Which of the following statements about a constitution is most
accurate?


A.  Governments with constitutions are limited governments.


B.  Some nations do not have constitutions.


C.  Dictatorial governments lack constitutions.


D.  Constitutions may be unwritten.


E.


Answer:  D
According to the principle of private domain, government



A.  must pay just compensation if it takes private property


B.  may lease public lands for private purposes


C.  may not interfere in certain aspects of citizens' lives


D.  has no jurisdiction beyond its territorial limits


E.


Answer:  C
A person who has civic virtue is one who



A.  will set aside personal interests to promote the public good


B.  will work to promote equally personal interests and the
     public good

C.  will set aside the public good to promote personal interests


D.  less concerned about the public good than his/her own
     personal interest

E.


Answer:  A
An important influence on the Founders was the Baron de
Montesqui who believed that government should be organized
in what way to promote the common good?

A.  a system where power is centralized in one office


B.  a system where power is decentralized in the several local
     governments

C.  a system where power is divided and balanced among
     several social classes

D.  a system where power is concentrated in a single elite class
     that can rule

E.


Answer:  B
Civic virtue is best defined as



A.  giving authority to government in exchange for protection of
     your natural rights

B.  putting the common good above your own individual interests


C.  giving up some of your natural rights in order to create a
     strong government

D.  separating power among groups to maintain a balanced
     government

E.


Answer:  B 
The Founders believed that the separation of powers was 
important in order to


A.  make the government more efficient


B.  allow more people to hold office


C.  prevent the misuse of power


D.  provide for legislative supremacy


E.


Answer:  C
In comparison with the Greek and Roman ideals of civic virtue,
Judeo-Christian tradition


A.  advocates enlightened self-interest


B.  emphasizes the common good


C.  stresses the dignity and worth of each individual


D.  reduces the importance on individual rights


E.


Answer:  C
One result of the rise of capitalism was that



A.  markets became more localized


B.  society became more rigidly structured


C.  people questioned the authority of the Church of Rome


D.  people paid greater attention to their private interests


E.


Answer:  D
How did James Madison define a representative democracy
which he saw as the best form of government for the United
States?

A.  one in which the people directly make their own laws


B.  one in which all classes are represented in government


C.  one in which elites choose representatives of the people to
     serve in government

D.  one in which representatives in government are chosen from
     the people as a whole

E.


Answer:  D
The Renaissance and Reformation contributed to modern political
systems by emphasizing the importance of


A.  differing social classes


B.  rule by the best elites


C.  individual rights


D.  religion in society


E.


Answer:  C
The Founders believed that they were entitled to the rights of
Englishmen which were


A.  rights which were earned by being good citizens


B.  rights which the English monarch allowed to be exercised


C.  basic and fundamental rights enjoyed by all Englishmen and
     which the English monarch could not change or violate

D.  rights which Englishmen claims were theirs exclusively
     because they were Englishmen

E.


Answer:  C
Magna Carta is important to Americans because it establishes
each of the following governmental principles EXCEPT


A.  government should be based on rule of law


B.  government is based on rule by the best


C.  certain basic rights may not be denied by government


D.  government should be based on an agreement or contract
     between the rulers and the ruled

E.


Answer:  B
In Magna Carta, due process of law means that



A.  No government can take action against those it governed
     except by settled and generally agreed on procedures and
     rules
B.  English king would have to recognize that rights could only
     be taken away if the person is first notified

C.  law is only valid if it is passed by due process in the people's
     legislature

D.  individuals must be granted their rights through a strict due
     process by which the English king must abide

E.


Answer:  A
The basis of the British Constitution is each of the following
historical documents EXCEPT


A.  Magna Carta (1215.


B.  Mayflower Compact (1620.


C.  Petition of Right (1628.


D.  English Bill of Rights (1689.


E.


Answer:  B
Feudalism is important to the development of constitutional
government because feudalism


A.  established a hierarchical class structure for society


B.  introduced the idea of government based on contract


C.  unleashed economic forces crucial to the development of
     nation-states

D.  created a ruling class from which government leaders could
     be selected

E.


Answer:  C
The Magna Carta includes the important constitutional principle
that established


A.  freedom of religion


B.  equal rights for all citizens


C.  government based on the rule of law


D.  the supremacy of Parliament


E.


Answer:  C
The purpose of a writ of habeas corpus is to protect the
individual against


A.  accusation of treason


B.  unlawful detention


C.  cruel and unusual punishment


D.  self-incrimination


E.


Answer:  B
What was it that Montesqui admired about the British
Constitution?


A.  It was based on king's surrender to the supremacy of
     parliament.

B.  While the king was superior to parliament, he still allowed
     parliament to make laws.

C.  It made judges superior to king and parliament.


D.  It created a balance of power between the monarch and the
     two houses of parliament.

E.


Answer:  D
Why is the right to a writ of habeas corpus so important in
protecting the rights of a person accused of crimes?


A.  Unless the authorities can present evidence that you have
     broken the law, an accused person must be released from
     custody.
B.  It guarantees a trial by jury of one's peers.


C.  It guarantees right to face one's accusers.


D.  It prevents the court from denying the right to an attorney to
     an accused person.

E.


Answer:  A
The Glorious Revolution (1688. established each of the following
constitutional principles that influenced U.S. Constitution and the
Bill of Rights EXCEPT

A.  legitimate government must be according to a rule of law


B.  executive authority must govern through the supremacy of
     legislative law

C.  government must be based on a contract between the rulers
     and those who must be ruled

D.  people have individual right to obey only those laws which
     they believe are legitimate

E.


Answer:  D
Parliamentary supremacy in England was achieved by



A.  a vote of the English people


B.  approval by several English monarchs


C.  execution of Charles I and overthrow of James II


D.  King John agreeing to terms of Magna Carta


E.


Answer:  C
Sir Edward Coke connected Petition of Right (1628. to Magna
Carta (1215. by asserting that both were


A.  passed by parliament asserting its authority


B.  a confirmation of the fundamental rights belonging to all
     Englishmen that had existed since time immemorial

C.  agreed to by a vote of the English people


D.  approved by the courts of England


E.


Answer:  B
Petition of Right (1628. in England provided for an extension of
basic guaranteed rights and


A.  confirmation that taxes could only be raised with the
     consent of parliament

B.  agreement by the king that parliament was supreme


C.  agreement that all laws must be put to vote of the people


D.  confirmation that British  courts alone determined the
     constitutionality of British law

E.


Answer:  A
The English Bill of Rights differs from U.S. Bill of Rights in
what important respect?


A.  It guarantees more rights than are guaranteed under U.S. Bill
     of Rights.

B.  The monarch determines what rights persons enjoy.


C.  English Bill of Rights was ratified by parliament and can be 
     changed by parliament while the U.S. Bill of Rights was ratified by the
     people and can only be changed by an amendment to  the constitution.
D.  There is no significant difference between them.


E.


Answer:  C
Why is the Mayflower Compact (1620. important?



A.  Free from English rule, the Pilgrims agreed to a political
     system unique to their circumstances in the New World.

B.  It was the charter granted by English monarch which allowed
     the Pilgrims to settle in the New World.

C.  It was an agreement between the Pilgrims and the Indians in
     which they agreed to live in peace.

D.  It determined the basis for the sale of land among the
     colonies.

E.


Answer:  A
What right was most fought for and resisted by colonial
authorities in the New England colonies?


A.  press


B.  speech


C.  religion


D.  assembly


E.


Answer:  C
What conditions in America allowed for the development of a
social and economic system different from those in Europe?


A.  Land was expensive and very scarce.


B.  Labor was plentiful with great immigration from Europe.


C.  Well-born of Europe were at an advantage in America
     because they did not have to stoop to hard work or manual
     labor.
D.  What developed was a society with very few poor whites
     or wealthy whites but the majority realized with modest
     prosperity.
E.


Answer:  B
Why were the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut significant in
the colonial experience?


A.  It was the charter which granted land on the Connecticut
     River to a group of settlers.

B.  It was the grant of religious liberty from British monarch.


C.  It was the first colonial constitution.


D.  It provided for a system of the sale of land in Connecticut.


E.


Answer:  C
Colonial governments became more representative than those of
Great Britain because


A.  Property requirement to vote meant that more colonists, who
     could acquire land more easily than in England, could vote.

B.  They allowed all persons, black and white, to vote.


C.  Any person, black or white, who owned property, could run
     for office.

D.  As long as you worked, you could vote.


E.


Answer:  A
In colonial America, the right to vote most often depended on a
person's gender and


A.  national origin


B.  social class


C.  ancestry


D.  property ownership


E.


Answer:  D
The Declaration of Independence stated the colonists' grievances
against British rule as they related to


A.  economic opportunities


B.  military policy


C.  religion intolerance


D.  political authority


E.


Answer:  D
The Stamp Act (1765. raised what issue among the American
colonists?


A.  prevented colonists from operating their own postal service


B.  required all stamps to have King George III's portrait on it


C.  no taxation without representation


D.  prevented colonists from mailing letters to other colonies


E.


Answer:  C
Why was the Stamp Act Congress so significant?



A.  It created the colonial postal service.


B.  It was the first gathering of organized resistance among the
     colonies.

C.  Great Britain reacted to it by closing the port of Boston.


D.  It was the first, formal national government of the British
     colonies.

E.


Answer:  B
What was the reaction of the British administrators to the Boston
Tea Party?


A.  agreement that the tea tax was too high


B.  passage of Tea Act to impose a tax on tea


C.  refusal of British to ship away more tea to the colonies


D.  passage of Intolerable Acts which closed the port of Boston


E.


Answer:  D
The colonists agreed to impose their own trade ban with Great
Britain in an attempt to force the British government to change
its policies towards the colonies in

A.  Committees of Correspondence


B.  First Continental Congress


C.  Stamp Act Congress


D.  organizing Minuteman resistance


E.


Answer:  B
The main purpose of the Declaration of Independence was to



A.  seek peace with Great Britain


B.  challenge the sovereignty of the British Crown over the
     colonies

C.  avoid war with Great Britain


D.  indicate willingness of the colonies to remain under rule of
     British

E.


Answer:  B
Popular sovereignty under the new state constitutions after
independence meant that


A.  the people ruled themselves directly


B.  states created governments without the approval of the people


C.  people could override legislative laws anytime they felt that
     way

D.  the authority to govern was delegated to the government by
     the sovereign people

E.


Answer:  D
Legislative sovereignty means a government in which



A.  most of the power is given to the legislature


B.  legislature governs without consent of the governed


C.  legislature can veto acts of the governor


D.  legislature can invalidate acts of the judicial branch


E.


Answer:  A
Governors in all state constitutions could



A.  exercise an absolute veto over legislative acts


B.  exercise no veto power over legislative acts


C.  veto only money bills


D.  veto a proposed law but the legislature could override that
     veto

E.


Answer:  D
Virginia Declaration of Rights (1776. greatly influenced the
writing of the


A.  Articles of Confederation


B.  Constitution of U.S.


C.  Declaration of Independence


D.  appeal of peace to King George III


E.


Answer:  C
The idea that political power is derived from the people is called



A.  popular sovereignty


B.  judicial review


C.  unitary government


D.  executive supremacy


E.


Answer:  A
Most of the first state constitutions provided for supremacy of the



A.  executive branch


B.  judicial branch


C.  legislative branch


D.  national government


E.


Answer:  C