2013 CIVICS EOC EXAMDo Not Write on the Exam!

1. What did Enlightenment thinker John Locke believe that the government should do?A. It should cease to exist.B. It should serve the people.C. It should become republics.D. It should strengthen the monarchy.

1. In the first place we have granted to God, and by this our present charter confirmed for us and our heirs forever that the English Church shall be free, and shall have her rights entire, and her liberties inviolate [freedoms untouched].… 30. No sheriff or bailiff of ours, or other person, shall take the horses or carts of any freeman for transport duty, against the will of the said freeman.… 39. No freemen shall be taken or imprisoned … except by the lawful judgment of his peers or by the law of the land.… 40. To no one will we sell, to no one will we refuse or delay, right or justice.… 45. We will appoint as justices, constables, sheriffs, or bailiffs only such as know the law of the realm and mean to observe it well.… 63. Wherefore we will and firmly order that the English Church be free, and that the men in our kingdom have and hold all the aforesaid liberties, rights, and concessions, well and peaceably, freely and quietly, fully and wholly, for themselves and their heirs.… 

—Excerpt from the Magna Carta, 1215 http://avalon.law.yale.edu/medieval/magframe.asp

2. What is the purpose of the above document?A. To abolish the monarchyB. To list the rights of free menC. To proclaim the power of the English ChurchD. To prevent free men from ever being imprisoned

3. Which of these features is a major difference between the government created by the U.S. Constitution and the government created by the Articles of Confederation?A. Presence of a legislatureB. Separate executive branchC. Listing of the national government’s powersD. Shared power between the states and the national government

“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.…

The history of the present King of Great Britain [George III] is a history of repeated injuries …, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.…He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records.…He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the consent of our legislatures.…”

 —Excerpt from the Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776

4. Which part of the Declaration of Independence does the second half of this passage represent?A. A list of grievancesB. The statement about the rights of menC. The official claim of colonial independenceD. The argument for the colonists’ right to revolt

5. What does the Preamble mean when it states that a purpose of the U.S. government is to “establish justice”?A. Provide for the unity of the statesB. Make sure all citizens are treated equallyC. Be ready militarily to protect the countryD. Set up a Supreme Court and lower courts

6. How does the power of judicial review act as a check on the legislative and executive branches?A. It can prevent Congress from passing laws.B. It pushes the president to enforce unpopular laws.C. It can nullify laws that conflict with the Constitution.D. It allows state courts to set precedents for law enforcement.

7. What was a major objection to the Constitution by the Anti-Federalists?A. The lack of a presidentB. The lack of a bill of rightsC. The wording was too generalD. The central government was too weak

8. How does the rule of law apply to the president?A. It states that no president is above the law.B. It declares that the president has the right to veto legislation.C. It describes the relationship between the president and Congress.D. It explains the president’s duties as head of the executive branch.

I hereby declare, on oath, that … I will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I will bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform noncombatant service in the armed forces of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform work of national importance under civilian direction when required by the law …  —Naturalization Oath of Allegiance to the United States of America 

9. When must naturalized citizens fight on behalf of the United States?A. When required by lawB. When Congress declares warC. When they take the Naturalization OathD. When the president orders soldiers into battle

10. Which of the following is a legal requirement for voting?A. Reading skillsB. High school diplomaC. Property ownershipD. Age of eighteen or older

11. Which policy is today’s Republican party most likely to support?A. A federal jobs programB. A public housing projectC. A tax decrease for businessD. A new set of regulations on business

12. What is a series of statements expressing a political party’s beliefs and its positions on various issues called?A. System B. Caucus C. Primary D. Platform

13. Article III of the Constitution provided for the creation of one Supreme Court and what additional courts?A. Supreme courts for each stateB. Federal district courts to be located in every stateC. Such lower courts as Congress thought necessaryD. Municipal courts organized by local government officials

14. If a police officer wanted to search your home to find evidence of a crime, you would be able to say that the officer needed a search warrant because of which amendment?A. Second AmendmentB. Third AmendmentC. Fourth AmendmentD. Fifth Amendment

15. A negative ad against an opposing candidate is most likely to use which propaganda technique?A. Transfer B. Name-callingC. Endorsement D. Just plain folks

16. What happens to a bill if the president takes no action on it for ten days while Congress is in session?A. It dies.B. It becomes law.C. It goes back to Congress.D. It becomes a joint resolution.

17. What are Baron de Montesquieu’s ideas about power in the government called?A. Social contractB. Branches of powerC. Government triangleD. Separation of powers

For GlobalizationOne of the main restraints on liberty has always been “the tyranny [unjust use of power] of place.” At its crudest, this has meant restrictions, both political and economic, on where people can live, but it also includes restrictions on where people can go, what they can buy, where they can invest, and what they can read, hear, or see. Globalization by its nature brings down these barriers, and it helps hand the power to choose to the individual.

  —John Micklethwait and Adrian Wooldridge, A Future Perfect:The Essentials of Globalization

 Against GlobalizationFor millions of people, globalization has not worked. Many have been actually worse off, as they have seen their jobs destroyed and their lives become more insecure. They have felt increasingly powerless against forces beyond their control.  —Joseph Stiglitz, Globalization and Its Discontents

18. According to the excerpts, what do people who favor globalization believe it does?A. Restrains libertyB. Ensures successC. Gives people more freedomD. Takes away the burden of choice

It will be of little avail [help] to the people, that the laws are made by men of their own choice, if the laws be so voluminous [many] that they cannot be read, or so incoherent [unclear] that they cannot be understood; if they be repealed or revised before they are promulgated [put into effect], or undergo such incessant changes that no man, who knows what the law is to-day, can guess what it will be to-morrow.  —James Madison, The Federalist, No. 62, 1788

19. What does James Madison believe that laws must be?A. Voluminous B. Clearly writtenC. Constantly revisedD. An accurate reflection of the will of the government

20. Which laws were meant to punish Massachusetts, and especially Boston, for resisting British rule?A. Tea ActsB. Stamp ActsC. Intolerable ActsD. Townshend Acts

21. The African Americans depicted in the illustration above were guaranteed the right to vote by which amendment?A. Fourteenth AmendmentB. Fifteenth AmendmentC. Sixteenth AmendmentD. Eighteenth Amendment

Agreements like NAFTA and the WTO force nations to respect contracts, which encourages responsible investment and, hence, economic growth. And, you see, economic growth creates a middle class, and a middle class, eventually, demands democracy. That is the story of the 20th century and, God willing, it will be the story of the 21st.

—“Poverty or Prosperity,” Jonah Goldberg, editor of National Review Online,

Global Envision, Mercy Corps, October 10, 2003http://www.globalenvision.org/library/8/546

22. According to Goldberg, the best way to ensure the spread of democracy is through which means?A. Human rightsB. Protectionism C. Trade agreements D. Economic sanctions

SenateStanding Committees

House of RepresentativesStanding Committees

Select and Special Committees Joint Committees

Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Agriculture Intelligence Economics

Appropriations Appropriations Homeland Security PrintingArmed Services Armed Services Aging TaxationBanking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Budget Ethics Library

Budget Education and the Workforce Indian Affairs  

Commerce, Science, and Transportation Energy and Commerce    

Energy and Natural Resources Ethics    

Environmental and Public Works Financial Services    

Finance Foreign Affairs    Foreign Relations Homeland Security    Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions House Administration    

Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Judiciary    

Judiciary Natural Resources    

Rules and Administration Oversight and Government Reform    

Small Businesses and Entrepreneurship Rules    

Veterans Affairs Science, Space, and Technology    

  Small Business    

  Transportation and Infrastructure    

  Veterans’ Affairs      Ways and Means    

23. Of the four different categories of committees on the chart, which includes members of both houses of Congress?A. JointB. Senate StandingC. Select and SpecialD. House of Representatives Standing

24. What are natural rights?A. Rights reserved only for monarchsB. Agreements among people relating to their governmentC. Freedoms people possess relating to life, liberty, and propertyD. Ideas about freedom that were first discussed in the American colonies

Changes to Miranda?

It ha[d] not been a good week for the famed Miranda warning at the hands of the Supreme Court. In decisions issued on [February 22 and 23, 2010], the [Supreme] Court ruled that confessions should be admitted at trial even when police interviewed suspects in circumstances that lower courts viewed as Miranda violations.The Court on Wednesday issued Maryland v. Shatzer, establishing new, more permissive rules for police who want to question a suspect for a second time after the suspect invokes Miranda's right to remain silent.The Maryland case came down a day after the justices decided Florida v. Powell, in which a 7-2 majority Court said that Florida's alternative wording of the Miranda warning is acceptable, even though it does not explicitly [directly] state that a suspect has a right to have a lawyer present during questioning.Stanford Law School professor Jeffrey Fisher said the rulings continue the Court's trend of "extreme hostility toward constitutional rules that require the exclusion of evidence -- especially confessions and the product of illegal searches -- from criminal trials." Fisher, who heads a National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers committee that files amicus [“friend of the court”] briefs at the high court, said, "In short, this Court sees the costs and benefits of rules designed to curb police overreaching entirely differently than the Court did a generation ago."

Sidley Austin partner Jeffrey Green, who also assists NACDL and other defense lawyers in high court arguments, added, "At this rate, what's left [of Miranda] will be only what we see on TV."

Source: “’Miranda’ Dealt One-Two Punch by High Court,” by Tony Mauro, The National Law Journal, February 25, 2010, on Law.com Web sitehttp://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1202444486063&slreturn=1&hbxlogin=1

25. According to the author, what effect did recent decisions of the Supreme Court have by changing the requirements of the Miranda warnings?A. Protected the Miranda rulingB. Weakened the Miranda rulingC. Strengthened the Miranda rulingD. Did not change the Miranda ruling

26. Why was the national government under the Constitution stronger than the national government under the Articles of Confederation?A. It had the power to enforce the laws.B. State governments had been dissolved.C. It did not have the power to tax the people.D. The supremacy clause made state laws the highest in the land.

27. What does the cartoonist seem to think that the World Trade Organization does?A. Treats workers fairlyB. Encourages sweatshopsC. Cares for the environmentD. Promotes environmentalism

28. Which of the following phrases identifies one of the fundamental purposes of government described in the Preamble to the Constitution?A. “to separate the Powers”B. “to enact a Federalist System”C. “to create Checks and Balances”D. “to ensure domestic Tranquility”

29. What is the purpose of the system of checks and balances?A. To prevent people from losing their rightsB. To prevent states from losing more powerC. To prevent any branch from becoming too powerfulD. To prevent the government from changing the Constitution

30. “This new national government will have the power to overwhelm the states and exercise tyranny over the people.” Which group would make such a statement about the Constitution?A. FederalistsB. Anti-FederalistsC. Members of Shay’s RebellionD. Enlightenment thinkers like John Locke

And thereupon the said Lords … declare

That the pretended power of suspending the laws or the execution of laws by regal authority without consent of Parliament is illegal … 

—The English Bill of Rights, 1689 http://avalon.law.yale.edu/17th_century/england.asp

31. According to the above excerpt from the English Bill of Rights, who now had authority to make or suspend laws?A. ParliamentB. English peopleC. American colonistsD. The king of England

32. The Constitution allows government officials to be removed from office if they are found by Congress to be guilty of crimes. What is this an example of?A. Rule of lawB. Federalism C. Popular sovereignty D. Separation of powers

I hereby declare, on oath, that … I will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I will bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform noncombatant service in the armed forces of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform work of national importance under civilian direction when required by the law …  —Naturalization Oath of Allegiance to the United States of America 

33. To whom or what do naturalized citizens pledge their allegiance?A. To the flagB. To the presidentC. To the United States ConstitutionD. To the Declaration of Independence

34. What is voting in political elections considered?A. A legal dutyB. A mandatory obligationC. A legal duty and a privilegeD. A right and a responsibility

Source: SE page 174

35. This cartoon was created after the Supreme Court said that burning a United States flag was legal, because it was a type of which of these?A. Petition B. Suffrage C. Due processD. Free speech

36. According to the Tenth Amendment, what must be done to powers not given to the national government by the Constitution?A. Added as amendmentsB. Considered civil libertiesC. Reviewed by the Supreme CourtD. Reserved to the states or the people

37. What would the government do if the federal government wanted to build a highway on land that you owned?A. Have to find a new location for the highwayB. Let you decide whether or not to sell your home to itC. Be able to take your home away from you without paying for itD. Be able to take your home, but would need to pay a fair price for it

38. What power do the federal and state governments share?A. To borrow moneyB. To maintain an armyC. To regulate trade within a stateD. To regulate trade with foreign nations

The Constitution was written by the Founders when they had not yet realized the vital necessity of politics and parties in the process of our elections. Further, the enormous transformation of politics from the part-time avocation [hobby] of public-spirited gentlemen to the multibillion-dollar enterprise of electoral institutions in a rich, diverse, continental Republic has not been matched by constitutional adaptation. The absence of modern politics in the Constitution—from the structure of presidential selection to the manner of congressional elections to some critical aspects of electioneering, such as redistricting and campaign finance—has caused no end of difficulties, which can only be corrected by the inclusion of thoughtful provisions in a new twenty-first-century Constitution. It is long past time to do so. —Larry J. Sabato, Director of the Center for Politics, The Virginia Quarterly Review, 2006

 

39. What does Sabato believe about political parties?A. Unconstitutional B. Republican enterprisesC. Important to democracyD. Twenty-first-century hobbies

40. A proposed amendment to the Constitution becomes law when it is ratified by which of these?A. A national electionB. The Supreme CourtC. Three-fourths of the statesD. The United States House and Senate

41. Which of the following is a possible course of action to protect state or local government buildings from potential terrorist attacks?A. Move government to a remote locationB. Increase the number of holidays for government workersC. Limit the number of people employed in government buildingsD. Use security devices to search people entering government buildings

The globalization of the world economy has had profound effects on work, on workers, and on wages. Open markets mean products come into America that are made by people who work for wages Americans can’t live on. This can cost some American workers their jobs and keep others from getting a raise.

But, overall, trade has brought vast benefits to most Americans. Jobs in exporting companies on average pay considerably higher wages than jobs in companies that sell only within the U.S. 

—President Bill Clinton, Between Hope and History

42. Which of these statements BEST reflects the point of view expressed by Clinton?A. World trade has little effect on national economies.B. The United States should expand tariffs and quotas.C. Free trade has some negative effects, but it benefits most Americans.D. Free trade has some positive effects, but it is bad for most Americans.

A federal appeals panel . . . declined this week to spare [two journalists] the prospect of being jailed . . . [for] refusing to testify about confidential sources. . . . The chilling possibilities for journalism . . . are obvious. . . . Journalists will more than ever have to weigh the risk of jail against the need to protect worthy sources, a practice with a long history of [being] to the citizenry’s benefit. 

—“The Need for a Federal Shield,” The New York Times, February 17, 2005

43. What constitutional right does this piece defend?A. Right to bear armsB. Freedom of speechC. Freedom of assemblyD. Freedom of the press

44. Which of these are two amendments that specifically extended suffrage to new groups of people?A. 14th & 19th AmendmentsB. 15th & 19th AmendmentsC. 16th & 18th AmendmentsD. 16th & 19th Amendments

45. Who makes up the President’s Cabinet?A. Economic advisersB. Intelligence officersC. Foreign policy advisers D. Heads of 15 departments

46. After a lawmaker introduces a bill, what is the next step in the process of that bill becoming law?A. The bill goes to the governor for signing.B. The bill is voted on by the full legislature.C. The bill is returned to the people for citizen approval.D. The bill goes to a committee for review and approval.

47. What kind of court is most likely to hear a civil suite between neighbors?A. Trial courtB. Appellate courtC. U.S. Supreme CourtD. State supreme court

48. The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, broke with precedent in deciding which of the following issues?A. Segregation in schoolsB. Free speech in schoolsC. Illegal searches in schoolsD. Separate but equal schools

49. Which of the following was a result of the Supreme Court’s decision in Gideon v. Wainwright?A. All trials involving a felony must be heard by a jury.B. Defendants who plead guilty are guaranteed a lesser punishment.C. States must provide a lawyer to defendants who cannot afford to hire one.D. Preliminary hearings are only held when the prosecution has probable cause.

50. The statement in the Constitution that “Executive Power shall be vested in a President” means that the president is responsible for which of the following?A. Carrying out the laws passed by CongressB. Introducing legislation to Congress for considerationC. Appointing the heads of the cabinet departmentsD. Giving information to the country about the state of the union.