POLS 1101 COMPREHENSIVE QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS SET A+
✔✔The _____ clause is vague but gives the national government a very broad grant of
power to carry out its responsibilities - ✔✔necessary and proper
✔✔Why is the supremacy clause important? - ✔✔it resolves conflicts between national
and state laws
✔✔The power to levy taxes is considered a - ✔✔concurrent power
✔✔The concept of dual federalism envisions what relationship between the federal and
state governments? - ✔✔each has distinct areas of authority with very little overlap
✔✔The commerce clause specifically gives: - ✔✔congress the power to regulate
economic exchange between the states
✔✔What element of the Constitution affirms state sovereignty? - ✔✔the Tenth
Amendment
✔✔When the Supreme Court makes decisions in civil liberties cases, it frequently
weighs the protection of an individual 's freedoms against the public good. In doing this,
the Court is: - ✔✔balancing interests
✔✔All of the following describe inclusion of the Bill of Rights in the Constitution
EXCEPT: - ✔✔it was approved at the Constitutional Convention
✔✔Which of the following forbids states from denying "life, liberty, or property" without
following rules based on the Bill of Rights? - ✔✔due process clause
✔✔Which of the following does NOT describe selective incorporation? - ✔✔it is
determined by state governments
, ✔✔_____, or the use of words to express your feelings or views about the government,
is the most protected form of expression. - ✔✔political speech
✔✔Which test said that political speech was protected except where it aimed to cause
imminent "lawless action"? - ✔✔direct incitement test
✔✔When it comes to the question of prior restraint on the press, the Supreme Court: -
✔✔has set a high bar for the government to meet if it wants to restrict the press
✔✔Which of the following statements is NOT true about the right to privacy? - ✔✔is is
explicitly guaranteed by the Constitution
✔✔While _____ involves limits in government action, _____ involve protection from
discrimination by either government or individuals - ✔✔civil liberties; civil rights
✔✔At the end of Reconstruction, which of the following was NOT used to
disenfranchise African-American voters in the South? - ✔✔age requirements
✔✔Congress passed the 14th, 15th, and 16th Amendments primarily to: - ✔✔guarantee
civil rights for the newly freed black slaves
✔✔Which Supreme Court case validated the type of discrimination established by Jim
Crow laws? - ✔✔Plessy v. Ferguson
✔✔The term "affirmative action" refers to: - ✔✔offering racial minorities chances to
catch up through legal means to compensate for discrimination
✔✔Public opinion is best defined as - ✔✔what the public thinks about government and
politics
✔✔When we describe where someone falls on the conservative-moderate-liberal
spectrum, we are referring to their: - ✔✔ideology
✔✔What is a latent opinion? - ✔✔a view formed on the spot, as needed
✔✔Which of the following is true about mass opinion surveys? - ✔✔They are a powerful
tool for measuring public opinion but should be interpreted carefully
✔✔A _____ is a subsection of a population chosen to participate in a survey through a
selection process in which every member of the population has an equal chance of
being chosen. - ✔✔random sample
ANSWERS SET A+
✔✔The _____ clause is vague but gives the national government a very broad grant of
power to carry out its responsibilities - ✔✔necessary and proper
✔✔Why is the supremacy clause important? - ✔✔it resolves conflicts between national
and state laws
✔✔The power to levy taxes is considered a - ✔✔concurrent power
✔✔The concept of dual federalism envisions what relationship between the federal and
state governments? - ✔✔each has distinct areas of authority with very little overlap
✔✔The commerce clause specifically gives: - ✔✔congress the power to regulate
economic exchange between the states
✔✔What element of the Constitution affirms state sovereignty? - ✔✔the Tenth
Amendment
✔✔When the Supreme Court makes decisions in civil liberties cases, it frequently
weighs the protection of an individual 's freedoms against the public good. In doing this,
the Court is: - ✔✔balancing interests
✔✔All of the following describe inclusion of the Bill of Rights in the Constitution
EXCEPT: - ✔✔it was approved at the Constitutional Convention
✔✔Which of the following forbids states from denying "life, liberty, or property" without
following rules based on the Bill of Rights? - ✔✔due process clause
✔✔Which of the following does NOT describe selective incorporation? - ✔✔it is
determined by state governments
, ✔✔_____, or the use of words to express your feelings or views about the government,
is the most protected form of expression. - ✔✔political speech
✔✔Which test said that political speech was protected except where it aimed to cause
imminent "lawless action"? - ✔✔direct incitement test
✔✔When it comes to the question of prior restraint on the press, the Supreme Court: -
✔✔has set a high bar for the government to meet if it wants to restrict the press
✔✔Which of the following statements is NOT true about the right to privacy? - ✔✔is is
explicitly guaranteed by the Constitution
✔✔While _____ involves limits in government action, _____ involve protection from
discrimination by either government or individuals - ✔✔civil liberties; civil rights
✔✔At the end of Reconstruction, which of the following was NOT used to
disenfranchise African-American voters in the South? - ✔✔age requirements
✔✔Congress passed the 14th, 15th, and 16th Amendments primarily to: - ✔✔guarantee
civil rights for the newly freed black slaves
✔✔Which Supreme Court case validated the type of discrimination established by Jim
Crow laws? - ✔✔Plessy v. Ferguson
✔✔The term "affirmative action" refers to: - ✔✔offering racial minorities chances to
catch up through legal means to compensate for discrimination
✔✔Public opinion is best defined as - ✔✔what the public thinks about government and
politics
✔✔When we describe where someone falls on the conservative-moderate-liberal
spectrum, we are referring to their: - ✔✔ideology
✔✔What is a latent opinion? - ✔✔a view formed on the spot, as needed
✔✔Which of the following is true about mass opinion surveys? - ✔✔They are a powerful
tool for measuring public opinion but should be interpreted carefully
✔✔A _____ is a subsection of a population chosen to participate in a survey through a
selection process in which every member of the population has an equal chance of
being chosen. - ✔✔random sample
