Question: Conflicts over whether public schools should be allowed to assign readings from the Bible and lead nondenominational prayers are examples of disagreements over the
Answer Options:
A) meaning of selective incorporation
B) meaning of the establishment clause
C) applicability of prior restraint
D) meaning of eminent domain
Answer: B. meaning of the establishment clause
Question: What does habeas corpus refer to?
Answer Options:
A) Any law that declares an action to be illegal after it has been committed
B) The right of government to take private property for public use
C) A law that declares a person guilty of a crime without a trial
D) An order demanding that an individual in custody be brought into court and shown the cause for detention
Answer: D. An order demanding that an individual in custody be brought into court and shown the cause for detention
Question: In a federal system, governmental responsibilities are
Answer Options:
A) under the complete authority of the federal government
B) under the complete authority of state governments
C) shared by both state and local governments
D) shared by both state and federal governments
Answer: D. shared by both state and federal governments
Question: The federal government provides a grant to several states with the specific purpose to construct new public schools. Which type of grant is this an example of?
Answer Options:
A) Categorical
B) Formula
C) Block
D) General revenue
Answer: A. Categorical
Question: If the government stopped the New York Times from releasing the transcripts of cell phone conversations between world leaders, this would be an example of
Answer Options:
A) sedition
B) speech plus
C) prior restraint
D) clear and present danger
Answer: C. prior restraint
Question: Which powers, derived from the Tenth Amendment, are neither delegated to the national government nor denied to the states?
Answer Options:
A) Concurrent
B) Expressed
C) Police
D) Reserved
Answer: D. Reserved
Question: A private citizen posted controversial political views on his Facebook page, and his employer, Exxon Mobil, decided to fire him due to those comments. Is this a violation of his First Amendment right to free speech?
Answer Options:
A) Yes; political speech is a fundamental right that cannot be infringed upon.
B) Yes; although free speech can be restricted, the burden would be on Exxon Mobil to demonstrate that it was inciting violence.
C) No; the First Amendment right to free speech restricts government but not private employers from infringing upon one’s political speech.
D) No; while Exxon Mobil would be violating his free speech if he had made those comments in the workplace, social media is completely unrestricted.
Answer: C. No; the First Amendment right to free speech restricts government but not private employers from infringing upon one’s political speech.
Question: When federal officials force state officials to implement more stringent water pollution regulations, this is an example of
Answer Options:
A) home rule
B) preemption
C) police power
D) the doctrine of states rights
Answer: B. preemption
Question: Which of the following is an example of a civil liberty stated in the U.S. Constitution?
Answer Options:
A) Voting rights
B) Freedom of speech
C) The right to privacy
D) Equity in public school funding
Answer: B. Freedom of speech
Question: Which type of powers exist when both the state and national governments share authority in certain domains?
Answer Options:
A) Implied
B) Reserved
C) Expressed
D) Concurrent
Answer: D. Concurrent
Question: Griswold v. Connecticut (1965) and Roe v. Wade (1973) have been extremely important in the development of
Answer Options:
A) a constitutional right to privacy
B) American due process
C) a test for determining what is protected speech
D) the rights of individuals accused of crimes
Answer: A. a constitutional right to privacy
Question: During the first 150 years under the Constitution, the federal government was
Answer Options:
A) focused broadly on enforcing law and order in the Southern states through exercising its police power
B) focused narrowly on taking actions to assist commerce and encourage economic development
C) focused narrowly on protecting civil rights by requiring state governments to follow the Fourteenth Amendment
D) focused narrowly on building national systems of education and healthcare
Answer: B. focused narrowly on taking actions to assist commerce and encourage economic development
Question: Which of the following compels state governments to obey federal regulations but does not reimburse costs?
Answer Options:
A) A grant-in-aid
B) An unfunded mandate
C) A block grant
D) General revenue sharing
Answer: B. An unfunded mandate
Question: Which right was established by Gideon v. Wainwright (1963)?
Answer Options:
A) The right to legal counsel in felony cases
B) The right to protect oneself against self-incrimination
C) The right to be protected from suspicionless search and seizure
D) The right to an open trial before a judge
Answer: A. The right to legal counsel in felony cases