9 Unit One Question Pool

Multiple Choice Questions:

• “Ambition must be made to counteract ambition” most aptly describes the argument for:
  A: A strong legislature and a weak judiciary.
  B: Checks and Balances and the Separation of Powers system.
  C: A system of strong state governments and a weaker federal government.
  D: Strong state governments and weak central governments.
• “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” This sentence from the Declaration of Independence is an example of:
  A: Social Contract Theory
  B: Pluralism
  C: Federalism
  D: Natural Law
• Federalism is:
  A: A system of government where the national government receives all of its authority from the sub-national units.
  B: A system of government where powers are shared between a national and a sub-national entity.
  C: A system of government where the national unit allocates powers to the sub-national unit.
  D: A system where regional governmental bodies implement policies completely separated from the national government.
• John possesses a valid Virginia driver’s license and he is driving across the country.  He is pulled over in Arkansas for speeding.  The state trooper will not cite John for driving with an invalid driver’s license due to which Constitutional clause?
  A: The Commerce Clause
  B: The Supremacy Clause
  C: The Full Faith and Credit Clause
  D: The Necessary and Proper Clause
• One way in which the framers sought to preserve a strong role for the states was through the:
  A: Necessary and Proper Clause
  B: Full Faith and Credit Clause
  C: Tenth Amendment
  D: Fourteenth Amendment
• The Necessary and Proper Clause was articulated by which Supreme Court case?
  A: Gibbons v. Ogden
  B: McCulloch v. Maryland
  C: U.S. v. Lopez
  D: Marbury v. Madison
• The Supreme Court case that firmly established the supremacy of the national government in all matters affecting interstate commerce was:
  A: Gibbons v. Ogden
  B: McCulloch v. Maryland
  C: U.S. v. Lopez
  D: Marbury v. Madison
  
• The agreement reached during the Constitutional Convention to adopt the proposal that gave each state an equal number of senators regardless of population, but linked representation in the House of Representatives to population, became known as the:
  A: Boston Plan.
  B: Three-Fifths Compromise.
  C: Great Compromise.
  D: Philadelphia Plan.
• The federal government giving money to the state of Virginia in order to help the state repair potholes on I-264 is an example of:
  A: Regulated Federalism.
  B: Horizontal Federalism.
  C: Unfunded mandates.
  D: Grants-in-Aid.
• The governmental and economic reforms of the New Deal typified which era of federalism?
  A: Cooperative Federalism
  B: Regulated Federalism
  C: Dual Federalism
  D: New Federalism
• The power of Congress to declare war, deal with piracy and issue copyrights and patents are examples of the branch’s:
  A: Enumerated Powers.
  B: Executive Powers.
  C: Informal Powers.
  D: Implied Powers.

• Unfunded mandates are normally associated with which era of federalism?
  A: Cooperative Federalism
  B: Regulated Federalism
  C: Dual Federalism
  D: New Federalism
• Which of the events below is credited with prompting the 1787 Constitutional Convention?
  A: Billy Idol’s “Rebel Yell”
  B: The Whiskey Rebellion
  C: Shays’ Rebellion
  D: Bacon’s Rebellion
• The first nation to adopt federalism as its governing structure was __________________.
  A: France
  B: the United States
  C: Spain
  D: The Iroquois
• Which Supreme Court case articulated the Commerce Clause to mean “Commerce…among the Several States?
  A: Marbury v. Madison
  B: U.S. v. Lopez
  C: McCulloch v. Maryland
  D: Gibbons v. Ogden
• Which Supreme Court case first defined the Supremacy Clause?
  A: Marbury v. Madison
  B: U.S. v. Lopez
  C: McCulloch v. Maryland
  D: Gibbons v. Ogden
• Which Supreme Court case established a limit on the scope of the Commerce Clause?
  A: Marbury v. Madison
  B: U.S. v. Lopez
  C: McCulloch v. Maryland
  D: Printz v. U.S.

• The issue of counting slaves for purposes of representation was settled by the:
  A: Two-thirds Clause
  B: Three-fifths Clause
  C: Declaration of Independence
  D: Virginia Plan

Essay Questions:

1. First, identify and explain at least three deficiencies of the Articles of Confederation. Second, identify where in the Constitution these particular problems were solved.  Third, discuss whether these corrections have been successful.

2. First, identify the major philosophical components of the Declaration of Independence.  Second, identify where these ideas can be found in the document.  Third, analyze the importance of the document itself for America and the world.

3. First, distinguish between the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists.  Second, explain how the Constitution exists as a compromise between the two factions. Third, briefly discuss whether you agree with the Federalists or the Anti-Federalists.

4. First, identify the central decisions in McCulloch v. Maryland, Gibbons v. Ogden and U.S. v. Lopez.  Your discussion needs to include the main clauses defined in each case.  Second, explain how these decisions impacted the practice of federalism.