PSYCH 401 FINAL EXAM QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
U.S. Constitution - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅The government should only be able to interfere with
people's lives if it needs to fulfill its legitimate role
- Fundamental law of the land
Bill of Rights - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅1st 10 Amendments
- Protects all the states
- Guarantees civil rights and liberties to the individual
Federal Laws - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅US Code
Covers nationwide issues like immigration and civil rights
Supremacy Clause: federal law is the supreme law of the land. When federal and state laws conflict,
federal law generally prevails
Administrative Regulations (codes) - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Rules and regulations created by
government agencies authorized by Congress to implement and enforce laws
Primary source of American law --> Congress delegates authority to administrative agencies to fill in the
detauls and apply laws practically
EX: EPA can issue regulations on pollution control
State laws - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Specififc to each state and addresses matters within its borders
Has pwoer to govern anything the federal power does not have authority over
Marriage and divorce laws, traffic laws, property, criminal
States can have different laws on the same topic
State courts - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅General jurisdiction
Handles cases involving state laws and the public welfare, such as most criminal, family, and contract
law matters
Interpret state constitutions and state statutes
,Federal Courts - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Hear cases based on Constitution, federal laws, and specific
issues like bankruptcy, patent, and diversity jurisdiction
Limited
Interpret federal laws and the US Constitution
Interstate commerce, a controverst between two states
Supreme Courts (State and federal) - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅highest court in the US judicial system
Has original jurisdiction (rare, like disputes between states), and mpstly appellate jurisdiction (reviews
cases from lower state and federal court)
Resolves important questions about the constitution and federal law
State decisis - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Let the decisison stand
Makes the law stable and predictable
Increases judicial efficiency by relieving courts of having to reinvent legal principlies for each case
brought before them
Due process - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅the government can only intervene in your life after a fair process
that establishes that the government has legitimate reason to intervene
- procedural: the process must be fair; you have the right to a hearing or a trial
- substantive: the LAWS themselves must be fair and reasonable; the government can't pass laws that
are arbitrary or unfair, even if the procedure is followed
Liberty interests - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Basic personal freedoms and rights protected by the
constitution
Freedom of speech, movement, privacy, marriage, bodily integrity
When the government wants to restrict these freedoms, it must respect your due process rights
rule of law - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅everyone, including government officials, must follow the law
no one is above the law, no matter how powerful they are
laws must be clear, pblic, and fairly enforced
,it ensures that power is not used arbitrarily or unfairly
jail - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅usually run by local governments
holds people who are awaiting trial or sentencing
typically for short-term stays
smaller facilities
Prison - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅run by state or federal government
holds people servinging longer sentences after conviction
for long-term incarceration (usually over a year)
larger faciltiies designed for longer stays
felony - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅more series crime, punishable by more than one year in prison
murder, roberry, rape, burgalry
loss of rights
tried in higher court
Misdemeanor - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅less serious crime
Punishable by less than 1 year in jail or fines
petty thefy, minor assault, DUI
usually no loss of rights after sentence is served
tried in lower courts
police power - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅the authority of state governments to make laws and enforce
them to protect public health, safety, morals, and general welfare
allows states to regulate behavior and keep order within their border
Creating laws about traffic rules, health regulations, zoning and land use, licensing
, Age of enlightenment - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅behavior should be governed by agreed upon rules (not
religious monarchical)
FDR's 4 freedoms - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅speech, worship, from want, from fear (last two are the
foundation for Truman's 1947 legislative package: universal health care, college tuition, paid parental
leave)
Paid parental leave - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅US is an international outlier with no national paid parental
leave law
Sick law - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅workers are allowed to have sick leave, but they aren't paid -- it
depends on state/local laws, not guaranteed nationally
- state sick leave: many southern/midwestern states block local governments from providing stronger
work protections
Paid vacation - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Almost every country guarantees paid vacation... but the US is
one of the only countries with 9 federally required paid vacation days
Healthcare spending - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅The US spends more than double what many other peer
nations spend, without getting outcomes
Life expectancy - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Most peer countries steadily increased life expectancy
US now has the lowest life expectancy among wealthy nations, despite highest healthcare spending
International Academic Performance - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅US performs below peer countries in all
math, reading, and science
Wage growth - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Wage growth has been massively unequal
High earners saw huge raises; most workers saw very small increases
shows rising income inequality since late 1970s
U.S. Constitution - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅The government should only be able to interfere with
people's lives if it needs to fulfill its legitimate role
- Fundamental law of the land
Bill of Rights - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅1st 10 Amendments
- Protects all the states
- Guarantees civil rights and liberties to the individual
Federal Laws - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅US Code
Covers nationwide issues like immigration and civil rights
Supremacy Clause: federal law is the supreme law of the land. When federal and state laws conflict,
federal law generally prevails
Administrative Regulations (codes) - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Rules and regulations created by
government agencies authorized by Congress to implement and enforce laws
Primary source of American law --> Congress delegates authority to administrative agencies to fill in the
detauls and apply laws practically
EX: EPA can issue regulations on pollution control
State laws - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Specififc to each state and addresses matters within its borders
Has pwoer to govern anything the federal power does not have authority over
Marriage and divorce laws, traffic laws, property, criminal
States can have different laws on the same topic
State courts - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅General jurisdiction
Handles cases involving state laws and the public welfare, such as most criminal, family, and contract
law matters
Interpret state constitutions and state statutes
,Federal Courts - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Hear cases based on Constitution, federal laws, and specific
issues like bankruptcy, patent, and diversity jurisdiction
Limited
Interpret federal laws and the US Constitution
Interstate commerce, a controverst between two states
Supreme Courts (State and federal) - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅highest court in the US judicial system
Has original jurisdiction (rare, like disputes between states), and mpstly appellate jurisdiction (reviews
cases from lower state and federal court)
Resolves important questions about the constitution and federal law
State decisis - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Let the decisison stand
Makes the law stable and predictable
Increases judicial efficiency by relieving courts of having to reinvent legal principlies for each case
brought before them
Due process - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅the government can only intervene in your life after a fair process
that establishes that the government has legitimate reason to intervene
- procedural: the process must be fair; you have the right to a hearing or a trial
- substantive: the LAWS themselves must be fair and reasonable; the government can't pass laws that
are arbitrary or unfair, even if the procedure is followed
Liberty interests - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Basic personal freedoms and rights protected by the
constitution
Freedom of speech, movement, privacy, marriage, bodily integrity
When the government wants to restrict these freedoms, it must respect your due process rights
rule of law - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅everyone, including government officials, must follow the law
no one is above the law, no matter how powerful they are
laws must be clear, pblic, and fairly enforced
,it ensures that power is not used arbitrarily or unfairly
jail - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅usually run by local governments
holds people who are awaiting trial or sentencing
typically for short-term stays
smaller facilities
Prison - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅run by state or federal government
holds people servinging longer sentences after conviction
for long-term incarceration (usually over a year)
larger faciltiies designed for longer stays
felony - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅more series crime, punishable by more than one year in prison
murder, roberry, rape, burgalry
loss of rights
tried in higher court
Misdemeanor - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅less serious crime
Punishable by less than 1 year in jail or fines
petty thefy, minor assault, DUI
usually no loss of rights after sentence is served
tried in lower courts
police power - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅the authority of state governments to make laws and enforce
them to protect public health, safety, morals, and general welfare
allows states to regulate behavior and keep order within their border
Creating laws about traffic rules, health regulations, zoning and land use, licensing
, Age of enlightenment - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅behavior should be governed by agreed upon rules (not
religious monarchical)
FDR's 4 freedoms - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅speech, worship, from want, from fear (last two are the
foundation for Truman's 1947 legislative package: universal health care, college tuition, paid parental
leave)
Paid parental leave - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅US is an international outlier with no national paid parental
leave law
Sick law - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅workers are allowed to have sick leave, but they aren't paid -- it
depends on state/local laws, not guaranteed nationally
- state sick leave: many southern/midwestern states block local governments from providing stronger
work protections
Paid vacation - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Almost every country guarantees paid vacation... but the US is
one of the only countries with 9 federally required paid vacation days
Healthcare spending - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅The US spends more than double what many other peer
nations spend, without getting outcomes
Life expectancy - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Most peer countries steadily increased life expectancy
US now has the lowest life expectancy among wealthy nations, despite highest healthcare spending
International Academic Performance - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅US performs below peer countries in all
math, reading, and science
Wage growth - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Wage growth has been massively unequal
High earners saw huge raises; most workers saw very small increases
shows rising income inequality since late 1970s
