Supreme Court & Constitution Amendment – US Government
This lesson is about Supreme Court & Constitution Amendment – US Government
In which type of government would the people be most likely to have political power?
Dictatorship
Oligarchy
Monarchy
Democracy –Correct!
Which statement would both Liberals and Conservatives agree?
the government should attempt to redistribute wealth equally in a society
government should be as small as possible
government should be as large and as involved in society as possible
none of the above are correct –Correct
“I believe that people are very self-interested and untrustworthy. We live in a constant state of fear and want to dominate others.” Which philosopher likely would have said that?
Thomas Hobbes –Correct
John Locke
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
All of the above
Which is these is the best explanation for why the Legislative Branch has two parts (the House and the Senate)?
to balance the power of small states and large states –Correct
to assure participation by rich and poor representatives
to assure orderliness in the making of laws
all of the above are correct
A concern of the anti-federalists regarding the new Constitution was…
small states had more authority and power than larger (populous) states had
it had too many limits on the federal government’s power
it gave too much power to the states
it gave too much power to the national government –Correct
The group of early Americans that favored a strong central government and were proponents of the new Constitution were called
Libertarians
Communists
Federalists –Correct
Anti-federalists
Which amendment mentions the necessity for probable cause in conducting searches and seizures?
1st
2nd
3rd
4th –Correct
Plato considered democracy to be the best form of government.
True
False -Correct
Which of the following is true of constitutional monarchies?
A member of a royal family has complete control over the government
Only an elite few people have political power
A royal family exists but they do not have total political power – Correct
None of the above are correct
It is relatively easy to change the Constitution and it has been amended more than 50 times since it was written?
True
False – Correct
Which of the following statements is true about checks and balances as written in the Constitution?
Congress has the power to impeach and remove a president from office -Correct
Only the President has control over who becomes a Supreme Court justice
Once elected, the President cannot be removed from office
A President loses his ability to veto laws in the second term of his administration
If somebody were to tell you that they “believed in a society in which the role of the federal government was relatively small and most problems were handled by state governments,” what would you call this person?
Liberal
Conservative -Correct
Socialist
Communist
All national, state, and local laws must comply with the Constitution because of…
Article III (3) of the Constitution.
Article IV (4) of the Constitution.
Article V (5) of the Constitution
Article VI (6) of the Constitution –Correct
The idea that states must recognize (although not agree with) the laws of other states, and that states should cooperate with other states is found in which article of the Constitution?
1st
2nd
3rd
4th –Correct
Which level/layer of government would be most responsible for the issuing of licenses, certificates, and overseeing elections?
federal government
state governments -Correct
city governments
none of the above are correct
The 3/5 Compromise was made between northern and southern states regarding the issue of slavery.
True –Correct
False
Due to the fact that the role of the President is described in Article I of the Constitution, we can be fairly confident that the Founding Fathers wanted the president to be very powerful.
True
False -Correct
Which political ideology represents the idea that government should be VERY large and powerful and should have almost total control over the economy, to the point where there is a centrally planned economy?
Liberalism
Conservatism
Socialism –Correct
Democratic Socialism
Flag burning is not a form of speech and is not protected by the 1st Amendment.
True
False –Correct
Civil liberties are ways in which the federal government’s power is limited.
True –Correct
False
The Bill of Rights would have been strongly supported by which of these groups:
Federalists
Anti-federalists –Correct
Zombies
None of the above
The idea that “cruel and unusual punishment” is unconstitutional is found in which amendment?
1st
2nd
4th
8th –Correct
Which amendment might people cite as evidence that we do have a right to privacy?
1st
2nd
4th –Correct
8th
In overturning their previous decision, the Supreme Court ultimately ruled that the idea of “separate but equal” violated which clause in the 14thAmendment?
equal protection -Correct!
separation of powers
checks and balances
reserved powers to the states
What is meant by “qualified immunity” as discussed in the class module?
It only applies to the president and protects him/her from any prosecution while in office or once outside of office.
It’s a doctrine that gives government officials broad protections against lawsuits –Correct!
It is an act of Congress that applies to persons who are on trial and want to “plead the 5th amendment” in order to prevent having to testify against themselves
It relates to the power of federal prosecutors to prosecute whomever they want and to compel people to testify in a court of law
Which political ideology would embrace the idea of change and the power of the national/federal government in solving societal problems?
Communism
Conservatism
Liberalism – Correct
Libertarianism
Which philosopher is most associated with writing about natural rights and the right to the pursuit of life, liberty, and property?
Calvin
Hobbes
Locke – Correct
Plato
Which philosopher wrote most directly about the the selfishness of humans, our need to dominate others, and the fact that we live in a constant state of fear of others?
Hobbes – Correct
Locke
Rousseau
None of them wrote about this topic
Which of the following statements about Congress is NOT true?
Since the Senate has more years in office, they are able to focus on longer-term projects and can think more “big picture”
Since the House has fewer years in office, they must focus on accomplishing tasks in the short-term
Members of the Senate represent only a particular district in a state, whereas members of the House are responsible for representing their entire state –Correct!
The Senate is responsible for approving (or not approving) presidential nominees
Which of the following is the best definition of a filibuster?
It is the process of overturning a presidential veto
It is another word for when the President forces Congress to take a vote on something he would like them to vote on
It is the act of prolonging debate in hopes of delaying a vote in the House of Representatives
It is the act of prolonging a debate in hopes of delaying a vote in the Senate -Correct
Supreme Court can overrule previous Supreme Court decisions.
True –Correct
False
Executive orders issued by the president can be overturned by the Supreme Court if they are found to be unconstitutional.
True –Correct
False
What are amicus curiae briefs?
Documents written to influence how an elected official votes on a bill
Documents written with the purpose of beginning impeachment proceedings against a president
Documents written to recall a governor from office
Documents written to influence the Supreme Court’s decision-making –Correct
The Supreme Court would be considered a trial court rather than an appeals court.
True
False -Correct
The Supreme Court hears the vast majority of the cases that are appealed to it.
True
False -Correct
Which of the following ideologies would embrace the idea of a VERY large government that is responsible for a centrally planned economy and that the government owns all the means of production.
Liberalism
Conservatism
Socialism –Correct
Democratic Socialism
In the Constitution, Presidents have very little power over issues related to national security and foreign policy.
True
False –Correct
What are writs of certiorari?
Requests made by the Supreme Court to review the decision of a lower court -Correct!
Request made by Congress to have the Supreme Court hear a case
An order issued by the president to the executive branch to carry out a specific policy
A document written by someone with the last name of Certiorari
Which is the best definition of the term “judicial review”
The ability of the Supreme Court to declare laws and acts of government unconstitutional –Correct!
The ability of Congress to overturn rulings made by the Supreme Court
The ability of Congress to remove Supreme Court justices
The ability of the President to nominate Supreme Court justices and to remove justices from the Court
Impeachment means a president has been found guilty of a crime and is immediately removed from office.
True
False –Correct
Which of the following ideologies would embrace the idea that social/political problems should be primarily addressed using the powers of state governments as opposed to the powers of the federal government?
Conservatism –Correct!
Liberalism
Communism
None of the above are correct
Which of the following is true of the law-making system in Congress:
All bills must start in the House of Representatives before moving on to the Senate
Overriding a Presidential veto requires a ¾ majority vote in both houses of Congress
Filibustering is a power that both the House of Representatives and the Senate possess
The system was designed to be slow-moving and involve lots of debate –Correct
Which of the following is true of the impeachment process:
Presidents who are impeached in the House of Representatives are immediately removed from office
The Constitution is vague on what is considered an impeachable offense –Correct Answer
The House of Representatives has the final decision on whether a president is removed from office
All of the above are correct
Which is the best way to describe circuit courts/appeals courts?
They are courts in which a jury decides the outcome of a case based off of the evidence and testimony that is provided
They are the lowest level of court in our judicial system
They are courts in which judges determine whether a mistake was made in a lower court –Correct
All of the above are correct
Which of the following statements about the Presidency is NOT true?
The President is term limited; meaning the President can only serve 2 4-year terms in office
The Founding Fathers designed the office of President to be very strong and powerful and clearly wanted the President to have the most power in government –Correct
We have had 2 Presidents who were impeached
Presidents are able to nominate the heads of major government agencies, departments, and members of the Supreme Court when there is an opening on the Court
Short Answer - Free Response Questions
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Describe, in some detail, the general process by which a case gets heard by the Supreme Court. Additionally, identify some problems with this process or aspects of it that you think could be improved.
You were asked to familiarize yourself with three cases in the week 6 module. Please give an overview of TWO of those cases and your analysis of them. Discuss the ruling of the Supreme Court, whether you agree or disagree with it, and why you think this case is significant or how it relates to the material we covered this semester. The two cases you discuss must be from the week 6 module.
Is the US actually a democracy? Answer the question and in your response, support your argument using 3 specific examples from what we have discussed throughout the semester. Make sure to BE SPECIFIC in your answer.
The Articles of Confederation were a first attempt at designing a constitution, but they ultimately failed. This failure led to the need to write a new constitution. In your response, first, give me a brief overview of why the Articles of Confederation failed. Second, give me a brief overview of the major debates and conflicts that existed prior to the writing of the new constitution AND what were the compromises that addressed those conflicts.
A conservative, a socialist, and a democratic socialist walk into a bar (maintaining social distance) and try to convince the people in the bar to vote for them for president. Based on what you learned about these ideologies in the module, what things would EACH likely say they would want to do if elected president and why would they say those things?
Our Constitution, with the amendments, is a pretty impressive document. However, many political debates have arisen regarding its meaning and interpretation, and not everyone agrees with what the Constitution says or means. In a few sentences, highlight at least three areas of ambiguity or “vagueness” or “grey area” regarding the Constitution and its amendments. You could choose to highlight some of the articles of the Constitution or some of the amendments, and discuss how those articles or amendments are ambiguous and how that ambiguity has led to some debate. Be as specific as possible and be sure to explain how the particular topic you are highlighting can be viewed differently by different people and how these are examples of ambiguity in the Constitution.
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