| A | B |
|---|
| Which constitutional principle is reflected in the Preamble when it says "We the people...do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America"? | popular sovereignty |
| Which constitutional principle divides powers between the different branches of government? | separation of powers |
| Which branch of government makes laws? | legislative (U.S. Congress) |
| What constitutional principle enables one branch to counteract the powers of another branch? | checks & balances |
| Which branch of government enforces or carries out the law? | executive (President and executive agencies) |
| Which branch of government interprets the law? | judicial (Supreme Court and lower federal courts) |
| What constitutional principle enables the Supreme Court to strike down a law or government action that it has determined to be unconstitutional? | judicial review |
| Which landmark court case established the principle of judicial review? | Marbury v. Madison |
| What powers are specifically delegated to Congress in Article I, Sec. 8 of the Constitution? | enumerated powers |
| What powers are delegated to Congress by the “necessary and proper” or "elastic" clause? | implied powers |
| What are the powers called that the Constitution gives only to the national government? | delegated powers |
| According to the 10th Amendment, who do the reserved powers belong to? | the states |
| Which clause in the U.S. Constitution makes the national government and all laws made under it the "supreme law of the land"? | the supremacy clause |
| Which clause in the U.S. Constitution requires each state to honor any public acts, records, or legal contracts that are made in another state? | "full faith and credit" |
| Which non-legislative power enables the House of Representatives to bring charges against the president for "high crimes or misdemeanors"? | impeachment |
| Which power gives an executive such as the president or a governor the authority to officially forgive an individual for a crime? | pardon |
| Which constitutional protection limits government by preventing people from being jailed without charge? | writ of habeus corpus |
| Which "power denied" limits government from punishing a person without due process? | bill of attainder |
| Which "denied power" limits government from passing an act to punish someone retroactively | ex post facto |
| Which power of the president can be used to forbid a bill passed by Congress? | veto |
| Who is the presiding officer that leads the House of Representatives? | Speaker of the House |
| Which elected official acts as the "president of the Senate"? | Vice-president |
| Who is the presiding officer on a day-to-day basis in the Senate when the "president of the Senate" is absent? | president pro tempore |
| Which two legislative bodies make up the U.S. Congress? | the House of Representatives and the Senate |
| What is the most basic function of the U.S. Congress? | to make laws |
| Which leaders are elected by the political parties in each house of Congress to maintain party unity and achieve their political goals? | majority and minority leaders |
| What is the name of the process used to distribute legislative seats in Congress amongst the states? | apportionment |
| What power can the president use to instruct a government agency how to carry out a law? | executive order |
| Which power refers to the president's ability to direct the nation's armed forces? | commander-in-chief |
| Which power refers to the president's authority to carry out the law | chief executive |
| Which power refers to the president's image as the leader of our nation? | head-of-state |
| Who is the next-in-line to the president in the order of presidential succession? | Vice-president |
| What is the term-limit for the president of the United States? | two |
| How long is the term for a member of the House of Representatives? | two years |
| How long is the term for a member of the Senate? | six years |
| How long is the term in office for the president of the United States? | four years |
| How many U.S. Senators does each state have in Congress? | two |
| On what basis are seats in the U.S. House of Representatives allocated to the states? | population |
| How can the Constitution be changed? | amendment process |
| How are amendments to the U.S. Constituion normally proposed? | passage by a 2/3 majority in each house of Congress |
| How are amendments to the U.S. Constitution normally ratified? | by a majority vote in 3/4 of the state legislatures |
| Which constitutional principle divides powers between the national government and the states? | federalism |
| What freedoms are guaranteed by the 1st Amendment? | expression (speech), the press, assembly, religion, petition |
| Which freedom is protected by the principle of “separation of church and state”? | religious freedom |
| What right is protected by the 2nd Amendment? | right to bear arms |
| What freedom is protected by the 4th Amendment? | no unreasonable searches and seizures |
| What rights for the accused are guaranteed by due process in the 5th Amendment? | no double jeopardy, right to remain silent, indictment by grand jury |
| What features of the 6th Amendment protect the rights of the accused? | right to an attorney and trial by jury |
| Which Amendment guarantees “equal protection” under the law? | Fourteenth Amendment |
| Which court case upheld the implied power of Congress to use the elastic clause to create a national bank? | McCullough v. Maryland |
| Which court case upheld the principle of "separate but equal"? | Plessy v. Ferguson |
| Which court case overturned the principle of “separate but equal” by declaring that segregation in schools was unconstitutional? | Brown v. Board of Education |
| Which court case protected affirmative action programs? | Bakke v. Regents of the University of California |
| Which constitutional issue was involved in the case of New Jersey v. T.L.O.? | searches and seizures |
| Which court case protected students' freedom of expression to wear armbands in protest against the Vietnam War? | Tinker v. DesMoines |
| What was banned by the decision in the case of Engle v. Vitale? | official prayer in public schools |
| Which Supreme Court ruling established the exclusionary rule in criminal court proceedings? | Mapp v. Ohio |
| Which court case expanded the rights of criminal suspects by requiring law enforcement officers to inform them of their rights? | Miranda v. Arizona |
| Which court case protected the rights of juvenile suspects under the age of 18? | In re Gault |
| What court case confirmed that the right to an attorney is guaranteed by the 6th Amendment? | Gideon v. Wainwright |
| Which court case protected flag-burning as a 1st Amendment freedom of expression? | Texas v. Johnson |
| Which federal government agencies have the duty of controlling crime? | Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA); Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) |
| Which federal government agencies have the duty of protecting national security? | Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Department of Homeland Security |
| Which federal government agency oversees the nation's highway system? | Department of Transportation (DOT) |
| Which federal government agency enforces the nation's immigration policies? | U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services |
| Which federal government agency carries out policies to respond to natural disasters? | Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) |
| Which federal government agencies provide research data on infectious diseases? | Center for Disease Control (CDC) |
| Which federal government agency provides population information so that legislative seats can be re-apportioned every ten years? | the Census |
| Which federal government agency is responsible for administering the nation's welfare programs? | Department of Health and Human Services |
| Which government agency collects taxes for the federal government? | Internal Revenue Service (IRS) |
