1.1 - Which of the following settlements was not founded for religious reasons?

A.  Pennsylvania

B.  Portsmouth

C.  New Amsterdam

D.  Massachusetts Bay Colony

E.  Boston

1.2 - The Declaration of Independence was most directly influenced by the ideas of which political philosopher?

A.  John Locke

B.  Thomas Hobbes

C.  Isaac Newton

D.  Puritans

E.  Jean-Jacques Rousseau

1.3 - Natural law forms the basis for which of the following principles?

A.  Majority rule

B.  Political equality

C.  Popular sovereignty

D.  Indirect democracy

E.  Civil law

1.4 - Which of the following is not a function of American government, as outlined in the Preamble of the U.S. Constitution?

A.  Providing for the common defense

B.  Promoting the general welfare

C.  Securing the blessings of privacy

D.  Establishing justice

E.  Insuring domestic tranquility

1.5 - Which of the following statements best describes recent population trends in the United States?

A.  The size of the U.S. population has leveled out in the past twenty years.

B. African Americans have consistently comprised the second largest minority group.

C.  Couples favor having more children than in the mid-twentieth century.

D.  The average age in the United States has increased in recent years.

E.  Nearly 40 percent of American children today live with only one parent.

1.6 - Approximately 35 percent of the American population today identifies as:

A.  conservative

B.  liberal

C.  libertarian

D.  moderate

E.  socialist

1.7 - The ideal of being able to live a happy and successful life in the United States is often called:

A.  The American expectation

B.  The American dream

C.  A constituitional right

D.  The American Creed

E.  Impossible to reach

2.1 - The purpose of the First Continental Congress in 1774 was to:

A.  Devise a plan to secede from Great Britain.

B.  Protest the British taxes on tea.

C.  Bring the colonies together to keep abreast of the developments with the British.

D.  Formallyy oppose the Coercive Acts.

E.  Adopt the Olive Branch Petition.

2.2 - Why did the Articles of Confederation create a national system of government whose power was derived from the states?

A.  The disagreements in the Continental Congress necessitated a compromise between those who wanted a strong national government and those who supported strong stae governments.

B.  The Articles simpl formalized the system of government proposed by the Declaration of Independence.

C.  The Framers sought to create a system similar to other democracies in the world.

D.  It was a reaction to Great Britain's unitary system of government.

E.  The states wanted a system wherein they would be loosely Dependent on a national government.

2.3 - During the formation of the United States, smaller states such as New Jersey and Connecticut suppored a model of the government that included all of the following features EXCEPT:

A.  a legislature with the power to select the executive.

B.  a one-house legislature with one vote for each state.

C.  congressional powers to raise revenue from duties on imports and from postal services.

D.  revision - not replacement - of the Articles of Confederation.

E.  creation of a Supreme Court with members appointed for life by executive officers.

2.4 - With which aspect of government does Article III of the U.S. Constitution deal?

A.  The supremacy of the Constitution

B.  The executive branch of government

C.  Proper procedures for adding states to the union

D.  The legislative branch of government

E.  The judicial branch of government

2.5 - Which of the following was one of the views of the Anti-Federalists?

A.  The most elite groups of society are the most fit to govern.

B.  A strong government could strip powers away from the states.

C.  Separation of powers would prevent any one group from dominating the national government.

D.  There can be a happy combination between a strong national government and state governments responsive to local needs.

E.  The U.S. Constitution, in its original form, provided sufficient protections of the citizens.

2.6 - In what ways has the U.S. Constitution NOT been amended?

A.  Ratification by legislatures in three-forths of the states

B.  Judicial interpretation

C.  Social and cultural change

D.  Ratification by conventions called in one-fourth of the states

E.  Proposal by two-thirds vote in both houses of Congress.

3.1 - The idea that powers not delegated to the national government are reserved the the states is outlined in which amendment to the U.S. Constitution?

A.  Sixth

B.  Eighth

C.  Ninth

D.  Tenth

E.  Fourth

3.2 - The Supreme Court ruled in Gibbons v. Ogden (1824) that Congress has expansive powers to regulate:

A.  taxation

B.  banks

C.  interstate commerce

D.  slavery

E.  intrastate compacts

3.3 -  After the Civil War, the federal government:

A.  decreased in power.

B.  took a passive role in regulating technological developments.

C.  erratically increased its power.

D.  was able to prevent the sale of sugar-refining businesses.

E.  quickly enlarged the scope of its powers to unprecedented levels.

3.4 - Which of the following describes the federal system soon after the changes instituted during the New Deal?

A.  Cooperative federalism

B.  Dual federalism

C.  Layer-cake federalism

D.  Laissez-faire federalism

E.  New Federalism

3.5 - In 1995, Republicans gained control of the House of Representatives largely as a result of what?

A.  The public desire to increase the role of federal government.

B.  President Clinton's policy agenda during the first months of his presidency.

C.  Corruption on the part of House Democrats.

D.  The need to replace New Federalism.

E.  Republican Newt Gingrich's Contract with America.

3.6 - Political scientists argue that the national government is best suited to make policy in which of the following areas?

A.  Renewable energy

B.  Transportation

C.  Health care

D.  Building infrastructure

E.  Family law