American democracy practice guide

1. The president of the United States is chosen by a. a popular vote of the people. b. the U.S. Senate. c. the House and Senate combined. d. the electoral college. e. the governors of the states. - answer d. the electoral college. 2. The plan to keep the public from choosing U.S. presidents failed because a. the Constitution was amended to implement popular elections of presidents. b. most would-be electors were publicly pledged to a candidate. c. Congress has refused to certify the elections of candidates who do not get a majority of the popular vote. d. foreign powers forced U.S. elections to be more democratic. e. None of the above. - answer b. most would-be electors were publicly pledged to a candidate. 3. While the implementation of an electoral college has failed to keep presidential elections out of the hands of _____________, it has largely succeeded in keeping the election of presidents out of the hands of _____________. a. the people; Congress b. Congress; the people c. the people; the Supreme Court d. the Supreme Court; Congress e. Congress; the Supreme Court - answer a. the people; Congress 4. In a parliamentary system a. the chief executive has little real power. b. the chief executive rotates between the heads of the major parties. c. a monarch chooses the chief executive. d. chief executives are chosen through a popular vote of the people. e. the legislature chooses the chief executive. - answer e. the legislature chooses the chief executive. 5. An executive elected by Congress, as proposed in the Virginia Plan, would have likely led to more periods of a. unified and effective government. b. divided government. c. limited government. d. gridlock. e. None of the above. - answer a. unified and effective government. 6. The American system, with multiple points at which various powers can block action, often leads to a. effective government. b. caretaker government. c. limited government. d. impeachments of government officials. e. a call for new elections. - answer c. limited government. 7. The Jamestown colonists set a political precedent by a. allowing the governor to use a line-item veto. b. instituting a direct democracy. c. instituting a representative assembly. d. creating a judicial system. e. writing a constitutional document. - answer c. instituting a representative assembly. 8. The creative thinkers who designed the Constitution were most influenced by a. the historical and political context of the civil war. b. the political philosophy of the time about how people should be governed. c. the historical experiences gained through trial of several forms of government during New World settlement. d. the historical experiences gained through trail of several forms of government during Old World settlement. e. Options B and C are true. - answer e. Options B and C are true. 9. The Jamestown colony was established as a. a trading post. b. a military fort. c. a settlement in Maryland. d. the first French settlement in the New World. e. a settlement for religious Separatists. - answer a. a trading post. 10. The colonies in the New World provided for opportunities to a. promote trade. b. explore religious freedom. c. practice limited self-government. d. implement the social contract. e. All of the above are true. - answer e. All of the above are true. 11. The Mayflower Compact a. reaffirmed the pilgrims connection to the Church of England. b. affirmed that women should have equal rights with men.