Government Test 3 Review 10/17/2014

Topic 1 How are the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution related?

Topic 1 Answer The Declaration of Independence was a defining document in world history because it was the first time that a group of individuals expressed their desire to separate from another country in an eloquent way that listed wrongs inflicted upon them including an infringement of their natural rights. The Constitution is the actual system of government set up in the United States and is meant to be a long term answer to the issues brought up in the Declaration of Independence.

Topic 2 Explain what the Articles of Confederation were as well as the major weaknesses and how these weaknesses contributed to its downfall.

Topic 2 Answer The Articles of Confederation were the first set of governing principles set in place after the conclusion of the Revolutionary War. They set up a confederate system of government where the states had most of the power with the central government having little to no power. They failed because they had no power to coin money, no national court system in place, no national army, and no power to tax. These weaknesses worked together to illustrate the squabbling that eventually occurred between the states because there was no central authority binding them together in a cohesive unit.

Topic 3 Explain what lead to the Great Compromise as well as what it actually was.

Topic 3 Answer During the Constitutional Convention, in the discussion between large states and small states and how their interests should be served, two dominant plans emerged; the New Jersey Plan, detailing a one house system of equal representation with 2 representatives from each state, and the Virginia Plan, detailing a one house system of representation based off of state populations. The Great Compromise combined the two plans together to form our bicameral system of a Senate, where each state gets 2 senators, and a House of Representatives, where the number of representatives is based off of state population

Topic 4 List the Differences between a representative and a senator

Topic 4 Answer Senators and Representatives differ in terms of the numbers present in Congress. There are 100 Senators in Congress; two Senators are allotted for each state. This number is independent of each state’s population. In contrast, the number of United States Representatives a state has is determined by the population of that particular state. There are 435 Representatives in Congress and each state has at least one Representative. Another difference involves the length of time a Senator and a Representative are permitted to serve. A Senator represents his or her state for a six-year term. A Representative, on the other hand, serves for a two-year term.

Topic 5 What are the different roles that the president has?

Topic 5 Answer Chief of State – Visible face of the United States to the world! Chief Executive – Decides how laws will be enforced Chief Diplomat – With help of advisors, determines foreign policy Commander-in-Chief – Head of the Armed Forces Chief Legislator – Urges Congress to pass new laws or veto’s bad laws Chief of Party – The head of the Political Party

Topic 6 Explain how one becomes a Supreme Court Justice as well as what the job entails.

Topic 6 Answer President Nominates, Senate Confirms The Supreme Court is charged with establishing the Constitutionality of the laws of the United States. They have the power of Judicial Review which grants them the power to declare acts of government unconstitutional.

Multiple Choice Question 1 1. The "rule of four" refers to the a. Fact that four judges sit in appellate court proceedings. b. Existence of four levels of courts from local to national. c. What must happen before writs of habeas corpus are issued. d. Need for four Supreme Court justices to vote to hear a case on appeal.

Multiple Choice Question 2 The Senate Approving all Presidential Appointments is an example of Federalism Sovereignty Limited Government Checks and Balances

Multiple Choice Question 3 The Constitution is divided among three branches of government because A. the founding fathers wished to insure plenty of important positions for themselves. B. separation of powers made tyranny difficult. C. the founding fathers lacked the practical experience to see the awkwardness of the system they had created. D. this is the most efficient way to organize government.