American National Government
POLS 1101 FINAL EXAM | NICHOLSON UGA | COMPLETE EXAM
QUESTIONS AND VERIFIED SOLUTIONS | 2026/2027
POLS 1101 Final Exam Nicholson UGA
American National Government
1. Which political philosopher argued that people possess natural rights to life, liberty, and
property that governments are created to protect?
A. Thomas Hobbes
B. John Locke
C. Charles de Montesquieu
D. Jean-Jacques Rousseau
B. John Locke — Locke's social contract theory, emphasizing natural rights, heavily
influenced the Declaration of Independence.
2. The theory that citizens create government through a voluntary agreement,
surrendering some freedoms in exchange for protection, is known as:
A. Social contract theory
B. Divine right theory
C. Popular sovereignty theory
D. Natural law theory
A. Social contract theory — Developed by Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau, this theory
holds that legitimate government derives from a contract among the governed.
3. Thomas Hobbes described life without government (the "state of nature") as:
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, American National Government
A. Governed by inherent moral law
B. Naturally peaceful and cooperative
C. Best regulated by direct democracy
D. "Solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short"
D. "Solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short" — In Leviathan, Hobbes argued that
without a strong central authority, life would be a violent struggle for survival.
4. Which term describes a government in which political authority is derived from the
consent of the people?
A. Theocracy
B. Autocracy
C. Popular sovereignty
D. Oligarchy
C. Popular sovereignty — Popular sovereignty is the principle that government's power
comes from the people it governs.
5. A political system in which power is concentrated in a single ruler with no legal limits is
called:
A. Confederation
B. Republic
C. Autocracy
D. Direct democracy
C. Autocracy — Autocracy centralizes unchecked power in one individual, unlike
republics or democracies which limit power.
6. In a "republic," political power is:
A. Exercised by elected representatives on behalf of the people
B. Inherited through a royal bloodline
C. Controlled entirely by the military
D. Held directly by all citizens voting on every law
A. Exercised by elected representatives on behalf of the people — A republic is a
representative form of government where citizens elect officials to make decisions for
them.
7. Which of the following best defines "political ideology"?
A. The structure of the federal court system
B. A cohesive set of beliefs about the purpose and scope of government
C. The legal process for amending the Constitution
D. A formal declaration of war powers
B. A cohesive set of beliefs about the purpose and scope of government — Political
ideology refers to an organized set of ideas about government, society, and the state's
proper role.
8. Classical liberalism, as it influenced the American Founders, emphasized:
A. State control of religion
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, American National Government
B. A strong hereditary monarchy
C. Collective ownership of property
D. Limited government, individual rights, and free markets
D. Limited government, individual rights, and free markets — Classical liberal thought
shaped Founding-era emphasis on limited government and individual liberty.
9. The principle that no one, including government officials, is above the law is called:
A. Federal supremacy
B. Judicial activism
C. Executive privilege
D. Rule of law
D. Rule of law — Rule of law ensures that laws apply equally to all persons, including
those who govern.
10. Which document, adopted in 1776, formally articulated the American colonies'
philosophical justification for separating from Britain?
A. The Federalist Papers
B. The Northwest Ordinance
C. The Articles of Confederation
D. The Declaration of Independence
D. The Declaration of Independence — The Declaration used Lockean natural-rights
arguments to justify independence from British rule.
The Constitution: Origins, Ratification & Structure
11. The Constitutional Convention that drafted the U.S. Constitution was held in 1787 in
which city?
A. Boston
B. Washington, D.C.
C. Philadelphia
D. New York
C. Philadelphia — Delegates met in Philadelphia in summer 1787, originally to revise
the Articles of Confederation.
12. The compromise that created a bicameral Congress with a House based on population
and a Senate with equal representation is known as:
A. The Three-Fifths Compromise
B. The Great (Connecticut) Compromise
C. The New Jersey Plan
D. The Missouri Compromise
B. The Great (Connecticut) Compromise — This compromise, proposed by Connecticut
delegates, resolved the large-state/small-state representation dispute.
13. The Three-Fifths Compromise addressed how to count which group for purposes of
representation and taxation?
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, American National Government
A. Native Americans
B. Women
C. Enslaved persons
D. Indentured servants
C. Enslaved persons — The compromise counted enslaved individuals as three-fifths of
a person when apportioning seats and taxes.
14. The Federalist Papers were written to:
A. Justify the Declaration of Independence
B. Outline the Articles of Confederation
C. Establish the Bill of Rights
D. Persuade New York voters to ratify the Constitution
D. Persuade New York voters to ratify the Constitution — Hamilton, Madison, and Jay
wrote as "Publius" to build support for ratification, especially in New York.
15. Federalist No. 10, written by James Madison, primarily addresses:
A. The process for amending the Constitution
B. The necessity of a standing army
C. The dangers of factions and how a large republic can control them
D. The structure of the judiciary
C. The dangers of factions and how a large republic can control them — Madison
argued that an extended republic dilutes the power of factions better than a small direct
democracy.
16. Which group opposed ratification of the Constitution, fearing it created too powerful a
central government?
A. Federalists
B. Anti-Federalists
C. Loyalists
D. Progressives
B. Anti-Federalists — Anti-Federalists worried about lost state power and the absence
of a bill of rights.
17. The formal, difficult process for changing the Constitution is described in:
A. Article VI
B. Article I
C. Article III
D. Article V
D. Article V — Article V requires proposal by two-thirds of Congress and ratification
by three-fourths of the states.
18. Which clause of the Constitution establishes that federal law takes precedence over
conflicting state law?
A. The Commerce Clause
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POLS 1101 FINAL EXAM | NICHOLSON UGA | COMPLETE EXAM
QUESTIONS AND VERIFIED SOLUTIONS | 2026/2027
POLS 1101 Final Exam Nicholson UGA
American National Government
1. Which political philosopher argued that people possess natural rights to life, liberty, and
property that governments are created to protect?
A. Thomas Hobbes
B. John Locke
C. Charles de Montesquieu
D. Jean-Jacques Rousseau
B. John Locke — Locke's social contract theory, emphasizing natural rights, heavily
influenced the Declaration of Independence.
2. The theory that citizens create government through a voluntary agreement,
surrendering some freedoms in exchange for protection, is known as:
A. Social contract theory
B. Divine right theory
C. Popular sovereignty theory
D. Natural law theory
A. Social contract theory — Developed by Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau, this theory
holds that legitimate government derives from a contract among the governed.
3. Thomas Hobbes described life without government (the "state of nature") as:
Page 1 of 41
, American National Government
A. Governed by inherent moral law
B. Naturally peaceful and cooperative
C. Best regulated by direct democracy
D. "Solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short"
D. "Solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short" — In Leviathan, Hobbes argued that
without a strong central authority, life would be a violent struggle for survival.
4. Which term describes a government in which political authority is derived from the
consent of the people?
A. Theocracy
B. Autocracy
C. Popular sovereignty
D. Oligarchy
C. Popular sovereignty — Popular sovereignty is the principle that government's power
comes from the people it governs.
5. A political system in which power is concentrated in a single ruler with no legal limits is
called:
A. Confederation
B. Republic
C. Autocracy
D. Direct democracy
C. Autocracy — Autocracy centralizes unchecked power in one individual, unlike
republics or democracies which limit power.
6. In a "republic," political power is:
A. Exercised by elected representatives on behalf of the people
B. Inherited through a royal bloodline
C. Controlled entirely by the military
D. Held directly by all citizens voting on every law
A. Exercised by elected representatives on behalf of the people — A republic is a
representative form of government where citizens elect officials to make decisions for
them.
7. Which of the following best defines "political ideology"?
A. The structure of the federal court system
B. A cohesive set of beliefs about the purpose and scope of government
C. The legal process for amending the Constitution
D. A formal declaration of war powers
B. A cohesive set of beliefs about the purpose and scope of government — Political
ideology refers to an organized set of ideas about government, society, and the state's
proper role.
8. Classical liberalism, as it influenced the American Founders, emphasized:
A. State control of religion
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, American National Government
B. A strong hereditary monarchy
C. Collective ownership of property
D. Limited government, individual rights, and free markets
D. Limited government, individual rights, and free markets — Classical liberal thought
shaped Founding-era emphasis on limited government and individual liberty.
9. The principle that no one, including government officials, is above the law is called:
A. Federal supremacy
B. Judicial activism
C. Executive privilege
D. Rule of law
D. Rule of law — Rule of law ensures that laws apply equally to all persons, including
those who govern.
10. Which document, adopted in 1776, formally articulated the American colonies'
philosophical justification for separating from Britain?
A. The Federalist Papers
B. The Northwest Ordinance
C. The Articles of Confederation
D. The Declaration of Independence
D. The Declaration of Independence — The Declaration used Lockean natural-rights
arguments to justify independence from British rule.
The Constitution: Origins, Ratification & Structure
11. The Constitutional Convention that drafted the U.S. Constitution was held in 1787 in
which city?
A. Boston
B. Washington, D.C.
C. Philadelphia
D. New York
C. Philadelphia — Delegates met in Philadelphia in summer 1787, originally to revise
the Articles of Confederation.
12. The compromise that created a bicameral Congress with a House based on population
and a Senate with equal representation is known as:
A. The Three-Fifths Compromise
B. The Great (Connecticut) Compromise
C. The New Jersey Plan
D. The Missouri Compromise
B. The Great (Connecticut) Compromise — This compromise, proposed by Connecticut
delegates, resolved the large-state/small-state representation dispute.
13. The Three-Fifths Compromise addressed how to count which group for purposes of
representation and taxation?
Page 3 of 41
, American National Government
A. Native Americans
B. Women
C. Enslaved persons
D. Indentured servants
C. Enslaved persons — The compromise counted enslaved individuals as three-fifths of
a person when apportioning seats and taxes.
14. The Federalist Papers were written to:
A. Justify the Declaration of Independence
B. Outline the Articles of Confederation
C. Establish the Bill of Rights
D. Persuade New York voters to ratify the Constitution
D. Persuade New York voters to ratify the Constitution — Hamilton, Madison, and Jay
wrote as "Publius" to build support for ratification, especially in New York.
15. Federalist No. 10, written by James Madison, primarily addresses:
A. The process for amending the Constitution
B. The necessity of a standing army
C. The dangers of factions and how a large republic can control them
D. The structure of the judiciary
C. The dangers of factions and how a large republic can control them — Madison
argued that an extended republic dilutes the power of factions better than a small direct
democracy.
16. Which group opposed ratification of the Constitution, fearing it created too powerful a
central government?
A. Federalists
B. Anti-Federalists
C. Loyalists
D. Progressives
B. Anti-Federalists — Anti-Federalists worried about lost state power and the absence
of a bill of rights.
17. The formal, difficult process for changing the Constitution is described in:
A. Article VI
B. Article I
C. Article III
D. Article V
D. Article V — Article V requires proposal by two-thirds of Congress and ratification
by three-fourths of the states.
18. Which clause of the Constitution establishes that federal law takes precedence over
conflicting state law?
A. The Commerce Clause
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