POS / U.S. GOVERNMENT FINAL EXAM STUDY GUIDE UPDATED ACTUAL QUESTIONS AND CORRECT ANSWERS

POS / U.S. GOVERNMENT FINAL EXAM STUDY GUIDE
UPDATED ACTUAL QUESTIONS AND CORRECT
ANSWERS

Question:
1. The rule of an elite few for their own interests is called a/an:
Answer:
Oligarchy

Question:
2. Before it was an empire, what was ancient Rome?
Answer:
It was a Republic

Question:
3. In addition to social contract theory, what are two other concepts taken from classical liberalism which
influenced the Founding generation?
Answer:
Separation of powers and free markets

Question:
4. Which theorists made the first and most influential efforts to explain how mixed governments can work
in practice?
Answer:
Thomas Hobbes and John Locke

Question:
5. Who were the Pilgrims?
Answer:
Middling English Puritans who settled in New England in order to avoid religious persecution in the home
country

Question:
6. What two concepts does classical liberalism favor?
Answer:
Limited government and individual rights

Question:
7. What is social contract theory?
Answer:
An argument that the legitimate origin of government is in the agreement of a free people

Question:
8. Who is the legitimate source of political authority, according to the idea of individualism?

,Answer:
The people

Question:
9. A republic combines principles from monarchy, aristocracy, and democracy.
Answer:
True

Question:
10. A modern definition of "democracy" would include reliance on free elections to select public officials
and to affect the direction of public policy.
Answer:
True

Question:
11. What uprising convinced Americans to support a stronger national government?
Answer:
Shay's Rebellion

Question:
12. The assignment of legislative, executive, and judicial powers to different institutions is an example of:
Answer:
separation of powers

Question:
13. In a representative government the people elect representative(s) to conduct the business of
government.
Answer:
True

Question:
14. What was purpose of the Preamble to the Constitution?
Answer:
To declare the Constitution an act of the sovereign people (rather than of sovereign states) and to explicate
the goals of the proposed government

Question:
15. Which plan that was proposed as a model for the Constitution called for a unicameral legislature with
equality of representation?
Answer:
The New Jersey Plan

Question:
16. In the Electoral College, what formula was utilized to set the number of electors?
Answer:
Equivalent to the number of members of Congress with equality of representation as derived from the
Senate and proportionality of representation as derived from the House

, Question:
17. In what sense did the original Bill of Rights protect rights and liberties?
Answer:
It protected individual rights and liberties from actions by the national government

Question:
18. In the struggle to ratify the Constitution, how did the Federalists defend their argument that a Bill of
Rights was unnecessary?
Answer:
By using the "reserved powers theory," they said that powers not expressly granted to the national
government by the federal Constitution would be retained by the people and the states

Question:
19. To which branch of government does the necessary and proper clause apply?
Answer:
The Congress

Question:
20. What is federalism?
Answer:
A form of government where some powers are assigned to a national government, some are assigned to
lower levels of government, and some are exercised concurrently by both levels of government

Question:
21. Powers that belong to all sovereign nations, allowing their executives to take whatever measures
necessary to defend a nation or protect its interests.
Answer:
Inherent Powers

Question:
22. What was one way in which President Reagan "turned off the tap" regarding the growth in federal
grants-in-aid and national mandates that had occurred under his immediate predecessors?
Answer:
Cutting federal taxes

Question:
23. What are block grants?
Answer:
Federal funds made available to states and communities with wide discretion for how the money is spent in
a broad substantive area of policy

Question:
24. Categorical grants allow the states to spend money on any issue they categorize as a priority.
Answer:
False