POLI 203 FINAL EXAM QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS 100% score (Newest 2025)
How does the death penalty system established in Texas after
Furman (1972) and ruled constitutional by the Supreme Court
in Jurek v. Texas (1976) differ from those established in other
states? - Correct Answers ✅In Texas, juries consider a set
of "special circumstances," including "future dangerousness"
when deciding on the death sentencing. Other states follow a
system of mitigating and aggravating factors in considering
death sentencing.
What is the Marshall Hypothesis? - Correct Answers ✅An
argument, made by Justice Marshall positing that support for
the death penalty would decrease if the public had greater
knowledge of the facts surrounding the death penalty.
What makes a jury "death qualified?" - Correct Answers
✅That members of the jury are willing to consider the
possibility of sentencing a person to death
True or False: The nation's homicide "hot spots" are NOT
where the executions are concentrated. - Correct Answers
✅True
The states of __________ and _________ established death
penalty systems with mandatory death sentencing schemes.
The Supreme Court ruled that these systems were
unconstitutional. - Correct Answers ✅North Carolina and
Louisiana
,POLI 203 FINAL EXAM QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS 100% score (Newest 2025)
Which of the following statements most accurately describes
the "guilt" phase (the first trial) in the bifurcated trial
process? - Correct Answers ✅The burden of proof is on the
state to convince the jury beyond a reasonable doubt that the
defendant committed the crime.
In which decade did homicides peak in the United States? -
Correct Answers ✅1990s
What regions of the country have the highest homicide rates?
- Correct Answers ✅The Mississippi Delta and the Mid-
Atlantic Corridor
Select all that apply: Which of the following are grounds for
appealing a death sentence ruling? - Correct Answers ✅A.
Suppressed or newly discovered evidence
B. Ineffective assistance of counsel
C. False instructions to the jury
In the modern era (post-Gregg, 1976), capital prosecutions
occur: - Correct Answers ✅At the discretion of the district
attorney, when a capital eligible homicide has occurred and
the DA informs the court that they intend to seek death.
In what case did the Supreme Court ignore statistical
evidence demonstrating disproportionate death sentencing
, POLI 203 FINAL EXAM QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS 100% score (Newest 2025)
based on the race of the offender and the victim? - Correct
Answers ✅McCleskey v. Kemp (1987)
What was the central finding from the 2014 study by John
Donahue titled "An Empirical Evaluation of the of the
Connecticut Death Penalty since 1973"? - Correct Answers
✅That the egregiousness of the crimes committed does not
predict who gets a death sentence.
True or False: There is little difference in the rate of homicide
per population in executing and non-executing states. -
Correct Answers ✅True
In the wake of a homicide, the death penalty is most likely to
be imposed if the victim is a ______________. - Correct
Answers ✅White female
What group did the Court decide was ineligible for the death
penalty in Atkins v. Virginia (2002)? - Correct Answers
✅Those with severe intellectual deficiencies.
If ______________ were a state it would rank second in
executions after Texas. - Correct Answers ✅Harris County,
TX (Houston)
ANSWERS 100% score (Newest 2025)
How does the death penalty system established in Texas after
Furman (1972) and ruled constitutional by the Supreme Court
in Jurek v. Texas (1976) differ from those established in other
states? - Correct Answers ✅In Texas, juries consider a set
of "special circumstances," including "future dangerousness"
when deciding on the death sentencing. Other states follow a
system of mitigating and aggravating factors in considering
death sentencing.
What is the Marshall Hypothesis? - Correct Answers ✅An
argument, made by Justice Marshall positing that support for
the death penalty would decrease if the public had greater
knowledge of the facts surrounding the death penalty.
What makes a jury "death qualified?" - Correct Answers
✅That members of the jury are willing to consider the
possibility of sentencing a person to death
True or False: The nation's homicide "hot spots" are NOT
where the executions are concentrated. - Correct Answers
✅True
The states of __________ and _________ established death
penalty systems with mandatory death sentencing schemes.
The Supreme Court ruled that these systems were
unconstitutional. - Correct Answers ✅North Carolina and
Louisiana
,POLI 203 FINAL EXAM QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS 100% score (Newest 2025)
Which of the following statements most accurately describes
the "guilt" phase (the first trial) in the bifurcated trial
process? - Correct Answers ✅The burden of proof is on the
state to convince the jury beyond a reasonable doubt that the
defendant committed the crime.
In which decade did homicides peak in the United States? -
Correct Answers ✅1990s
What regions of the country have the highest homicide rates?
- Correct Answers ✅The Mississippi Delta and the Mid-
Atlantic Corridor
Select all that apply: Which of the following are grounds for
appealing a death sentence ruling? - Correct Answers ✅A.
Suppressed or newly discovered evidence
B. Ineffective assistance of counsel
C. False instructions to the jury
In the modern era (post-Gregg, 1976), capital prosecutions
occur: - Correct Answers ✅At the discretion of the district
attorney, when a capital eligible homicide has occurred and
the DA informs the court that they intend to seek death.
In what case did the Supreme Court ignore statistical
evidence demonstrating disproportionate death sentencing
, POLI 203 FINAL EXAM QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS 100% score (Newest 2025)
based on the race of the offender and the victim? - Correct
Answers ✅McCleskey v. Kemp (1987)
What was the central finding from the 2014 study by John
Donahue titled "An Empirical Evaluation of the of the
Connecticut Death Penalty since 1973"? - Correct Answers
✅That the egregiousness of the crimes committed does not
predict who gets a death sentence.
True or False: There is little difference in the rate of homicide
per population in executing and non-executing states. -
Correct Answers ✅True
In the wake of a homicide, the death penalty is most likely to
be imposed if the victim is a ______________. - Correct
Answers ✅White female
What group did the Court decide was ineligible for the death
penalty in Atkins v. Virginia (2002)? - Correct Answers
✅Those with severe intellectual deficiencies.
If ______________ were a state it would rank second in
executions after Texas. - Correct Answers ✅Harris County,
TX (Houston)
