Civics Unit 3 Study Guide

1. The President and Vice President head the _______ branch

a. Judicial
b. Legislative
c. Executive
d. All three branches
2. Which principle divides the functions of government among the three branches?
a. Federalism
b. Rule of law
c. Popular sovereignty
d. Separation of powers
3. What does the supremacy clause state?
a. The Constitution is the highest law of the land
b. Only the national government can raise an army
c. States keep powers not given to the federal government
d. The federal and state governments share the power to tax
4. The First Amendment guarantees the right to
a. Libel
b. Slander
c. Petition
d. Due process
5. The right of the government to take private property for public use is called ____________
a. Suffrage
b. Civil Right
c. Eminent Domain
d. Double Jeopardy
6. How does the Fifth Amendment help accused persons?
a. By requiring a speedy trial
b. By requiring a search warrant
c. By guaranteeing a trial by jury
d. By protecting against self-incrimination
7. How many Constitutional Amendments are there in 2020?
a. 10
b. 15
c. 5
d. 27
8. What does the First Amendment prohibit?
a. Assembly of groups such as communists
b. Establishment of an official state religion
c. Criticism of the government or its officials
d. Dissemination of alarming or offensive ideas
9. ____________ choose the Speaker of the House
a. Lobbyists
b. Constituent members
c. Standing Committees
d. Majority parties
10. The House and Senate meet as one body in _________
a. A standing committee
b. Odd-numbered years
c. Caucuses
 d. A joint session
11. The _______________ is the most power leader in the House of Representatives
a. Speaker of the House
b. President pro tempore
c. Vice President
d. Minority leader
12. Which of the following legislative powers is implied by the elastic clause
a. Coining money
b. Creating an air force
c. Regulating foreign trade
d. Establishing post offices
13. Which Nonlegislative power resides in the House of Representatives
a. Trying public officials
b. Impeaching federal judges
c. Establishing bankruptcy laws
d. Approving presidential nominees
14. Which of the following is a requirement for representatives in the House?
a. Be at least 30 years old
b. Live in the state they represent
c. Live in the district they represent
d. Be U.S. citizens for at least 9 years
15. What is NOT a major responsibility for representatives?
a. Writing and introducing bills
b. Voting on the floor of the House
c. Troubleshooting for people in their district
d. Providing analysis for the IRS
16. What may happen to a bill in the House after the bill leaves committee
a. Representatives add riders to the bill
b. The House clerk assigns a number to the bill
c. Representatives vote for cloture to limit debate on the bill
d. Representatives add amendments related to the bill
17. The Constitution provides an indirect method of electing a president called the __________
a. Merit system
b. Spoils system
c. Electoral system
d. Executive agreement
18. The President can delay the punishment of a person by issuing a(n) _____________
a. Pardon
b. Amnesty
c. Reprieve
d. Executive order
19. The nation’s plan for dealing with other nations is called its __________________
a. Foreign policy
b. National security
c. Trade sanctions
d. Federal bureaucracy
20. Most national government employees are
a. Ambassadors
b. Civil service workers
c. Cabinet members
d. Political appointees
21. Which of the following powers does the Constitution give the president?
a. To declare war on other nations
b. To appoint judges to federal courts
c. To ignore laws passed by Congress
d. To strike down unconstitutional laws
22. How does a president fulfill the role of economic leader?
a. By planning the federal budget
b. By meeting with foreign leaders
c. By raising funds for his or her party
d. By proposing legislation to Congress
23. Which of the following is NOT a primary goal of American foreign policy?
a. World peace
b. National security
c. Better health care
d. International trade
24. What is the responsibility of the Interior?
a. School funding
b. National resources
c. Problems of cities
d. Trade, business, and tourism
25. If the President and Vice President were unable to serve in their positions, who becomes the next
President?
a. Secretary of State
b. Speaker of the House
c. President pro tempore of the Senate
d. Secretary of the Treasury
26. A situation in which both federal and state courts have authority to hear a case is known as
a. Appellate jurisdiction
b. Concurrent jurisdiction
c. Original jurisdiction
d. Exclusive jurisdiction
27. A past decision on which judges base their decisions in similar cases is a(n) __________
a. Circuit
b. Opinion
c. Docket
d. Precedent
28. Judicial review gives the supreme court the power to
a. Declare a law unconstitutional
b. Remand a case to a lower court
c. Reject a brief
d. Hear an appeal
29. When all of the justices vote the same way, the Supreme Court issues a(n)
a. Majority opinion
b. Concurring opinion
c. Dissenting opinion
d. Unanimous opinion
30. According to the Constitution, what does every accused person have a right to?
a. A lawyer
b. A civil trial
c. The best legal help
d. A Supreme Court Hearing
31. Which of the following cases would be tried in a federal court?
a. A state sues another state over water rights
b. A Houstonian kills a person in Los Angeles
c. An Illinois state work is accused of forgery
d. The U.S. ambassador to Russia breaks a Russian law
32. In which federal courts do juries try cases?
a. District courts
b. Appellate courts
c. The Supreme Court
d. All levels of federal courts
33. How might a president limit the powers of the Supreme Court?
a. Submit an appeal to the Court
b. Veto court decisions
c. Appoint federal judges
d. Refuse to enforce a supreme court decision
34. Which of the following is not a Presidential power?
a. Appointing the cabinet
b. Vetoing laws
c. Declaring war
d. Issuing executive orders
35. Which of the following elects the President if no candidate receives a majority of the
votes?
a. House of Representatives
b. Senate
c. Chairman of the Electoral College
d. Vice-President of the Senate
36. Which of the following is the number of electoral votes a presidential candidate
must receive to attain a majority?
a. 219
b. 1984
c. 205
d. 270
37. How many justices make up the Supreme Court?
a. 100
b. 12
c. 9
d. 13
38. Which of the following explains how Supreme Court justices are hired?
a. They are elected
b. They are chosen at random
c. They are nominated by the President and approved by the Senate
d. They are nominated by the Senate and approved by the President
39. Which courts are the Courts of Appeal?
a. all courts hear cases on appeal
b. the circuit courts
c. the district courts
d. the Supreme Court
40. Decisions made by which courts are final?
a. all court decisions are final
b. the circuit courts
 c. the district courts
d. the Supreme Court
41. There are __________ levels of federal courts.
a. two
b. three
c. four
d. five
42. The highest level court is the:
a. district court
b. circuit court
c. Supreme Court
43. Civil and criminal cases are first heard in a:
a. district court
b. circuit court
c. Supreme Court
44. What do circuit courts do?
a. they are the first to try civil and criminal cases
b. they hear appeals from the district courts
c. they decide matters of constitutional importance
d. they refer cases to the Supreme Court
Using your Notes/Power Point, answer these questions (this will be posted on 10/21)
45. What is the Establishment Clause?
46. What is the difference between slander and libel?
47. What is Due Process?
48. The current Speaker of the House is…
49. The current Senate Majority leader is
50. What is gerrymandering?
51. True or False: a Bill can start in either the House or Senate
52. Which U.S. presidents have been impeached?
53. What does impeach mean?