Deck 4: Constitutions and Rights

Question 1

In what way does the U.S.Constitution differ from most other constitutions?

A)It is shorter and more vague than most other constitutions.
B)It contains many more rights and liberties than other constitutions.
C)Unlike other constitutions,the U.S.Constitution has never been amended.
D)The U.S.Constitution contains more economic rights such as right to work and minimum pay.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Germany's constitution contains provisions that __________.

A)prevent joining a military alliance
B)allow government spying on citizens
C)give the public control over the economy
D)limit government involvement in economic matters

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Which of the following would be expected in a state that practices constitutionalism?

A)Courts rarely overturn laws.
B)The constitution is never amended.
C)The constitution is frequently amended.
D)Citizens' individual rights are guaranteed.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

British citizens have had a clear set of rights and freedoms since __________.

A)the tenth century
B)the American Revolution
C)the end of World War II
D)the year 2000

Question 5

The ability of courts to decide if laws are constitutional is called __________.

A)judicial review
B)court activism
C)federalism
D)code law

Question 6

A written document outlining the structure of a political system is a __________.

A)constitution
B)precedent
C)referendum
D)statute

Question 7

It is dangerous for a country to keep introducing new constitutions because this __________.

A)leads to economic instability. 
B)reduces the effectiveness of the bureaucracy
C)makes it easier for criminals to escape from police custody
D)undermines the legitimacy of government and the rule of law

Question 8

A constituent assembly is __________.

A)a legislature convened to draft a new constitution
B)a protest against an authoritarian government
C)a judicial body elected by the people
D)a meeting of citizen legislators

Question 9

It can be said that "almost all nations have constitutions" because __________.

A)most nations on earth are democratic
B)international law applies to all nations
C)they operate according to some set of rules
D)most nations have a population with a shared identity

Question 10

What is one common feature of the Japanese and U.S.constitutions?

A)Both have a highly detailed list of civil liberties and civil rights.
B)Both contain provisions that retain elements of monarchy.
C)It is difficult for constitutional amendments to be passed in both countries.
D)It is difficult for candidates to win a simple majority in both countries.

Question 11

The State Duma is the legislature in what country?

A)Ireland
B)Germany
C)Russia
D)Sweden

Question 12

Japan's constitution was drafted by the United States in __________.

A)1920
B)1946
C)1964
D)1988

Question 13

A long and detailed constitution is likely to be __________.

A)relatively new
B)at least a century old
C)used by an undemocratic regime
D)less protective of individual rights

Question 14

Which statement best describes how the Japanese constitution differs from the U.S.constitution?

A)Japan's constitution is older and more democratic.
B)Japan's constitution is less detailed and identifies fewer specific rights.
C)Japan's constitution is shorter but more specific about individual rights.
D)Japan's constitution is more detailed and provides a large set of individual rights.

Question 15

The U.S.president is commander-in-chief of the military but needs approval from the Senate to sign treaties.This shows the __________ in the United States.

A)importance of due process
B)propensity for isolationism
C)acceptance of judicial activism
D)operation of checks and balances

Question 16

The term "judicial activism" refers to a court's tendency to __________.

A)strike down laws
B)defer to the legislature
C)follow a liberal ideology
D)seek out controversial cases

Question 17

Why would a country such as Great Britain not have a formal written constitution?

A)The political culture of Great Britain favors unlimited government over constitutional restraints.
B)Great Britain's unique history established customs and legal practices that made a written constitution unnecessary.
C)The homogenous population of Great Britain allows the people to agree on a basic set of rules without writing a constitution.
D)Great Britain's history of ruling overseas territories made a written constitution too complicated to apply to every region.

Question 18

What did the Magna Carta do?

A)It established a British constitutional court.
B)It limited the power of the British monarchy.
C)It made the British monarchy purely symbolic.
D)It brought representative democracy to Great Britain.

Question 19

Which of these is a risk inherent in the American concept of judicial review?

A)Conservative or liberal judges may rule based on their political ideology.
B)Supreme Court justices typically have little or no experience as elected officials.
C)Controversial cases often center on issues that divide the major political parties.
D)The Constitution does not have a procedure for removing judges who abuse their power.

Question 20

Which of these is a weakness of the Brazilian constitution?

A)It weighs aristocracy more heavily than democracy.
B)It does not give the government effective national security tools.
C)It confers too many rights for the government to realistically guarantee.
D)It creates an electoral system that is too difficult for most citizens to understand.

Question 21

The Supreme Court rulings in District of Columbia v.Heller and Miller v.the United States show that __________.

A)constitutions should be written more carefully
B)constitutions are subject to reinterpretation over time
C)constitutional interpretations are fairly consistent over time
D)constitutional interpretations are consistent with broad public sentiment

Question 22

The UN's Universal Declaration on Human Rights has helped to further the cause of human rights globally by __________.

A)establishing norms of human rights conduct that nations are reluctant to violate openly
B)providing a consistent framework for military intervention in order to prevent human rights violations
C)providing a process for revoking the UN membership of any member nation that violates human rights.
D)providing a standard for the imposition of economic sanctions on any nations that commit human rights violations

Question 23

How would the framers of the U.S.Constitution most likely react to the structure of government outlined in the Russian constitution?

A)They would criticize it for not including judicial review.
B)They would criticize it for giving too much power to the executive.
C)They would praise it for giving the State Duma more power than the executive.
D)They would praise it for giving the executive the powers necessary to ensure political and economic stability.

Question 24

Which statement explains why the interpretation of the Second Amendment as an individual right to bear arms is controversial?

A)Most of the other rights in the Bill of Rights are collective rights.
B)The text of the amendment refers only to "well-regulated militias."
C)Guns were relatively new inventions at the time the amendment was written.
D)Several of the original thirteen states never ratified by the Second Amendment.

Question 25

What was Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes's example of yelling "Fire!" in a crowded theater intended to illustrate?

A)Freedom of speech is not an unlimited right.
B)People tend to overreact when caught in dangerous situations.
C)The right to free speech is an absolute right in the eyes of the court.
D)All places of commerce must be equipped with emergency fire escapes.

Question 26

How did the UN General Assembly react to Nazi and Japanese actions during World War II?

A)It revoked Germany's and Japan's membership.
B)It adopted the Universal Declaration on Human Rights.
C)It authorized a relocation program for refugees displaced by the fighting.
D)It sent UN troops to oversee the political reorganization of Germany and Japan.

Question 27

Suppose that a law had been passed in the United States that made English the sole official language of the entire nation.Which statement accurately describes how such a law would relate to the UN's Universal Declaration of Human Rights?

A)The law violates the Declaration's limits on the legislative power of national governments.
B)The law is consistent with the Declaration's emphasis on the importance of national unity.
C)The law violates the Declaration's assertion that minorities have the right to preserve their cultures.
D)The law is consistent with the Declaration's emphasis on assimilation of minority groups into the mainstream population.

Question 28

Which statement explains how civil rights differ from human rights?

A)Civil rights are more difficult to enforce than human rights.
B)Civil rights relate to voting while human rights relate to individual choice.
C)Civil rights block government mistreatment while human rights grant resources to individuals.
D)Civil rights only arose with the advent of modern democracy but are essential for ensuring human rights.

Question 29

Which of the following would make the Universal Declaration on Human Rights more effective?

A)a feasible mechanism for enforcement
B)greater consistency among its provisions
C)inclusion of a broader set of voting rights
D)widespread ratification by democratic nations

Question 30

The Supreme Court ruling in District of Columbia v.Heller dealt with __________.

A)immigration reform
B)the extent of gun rights
C)public school segregation
D)discrimination against women

Question 31

Which of these was the first to establish judicial review?

A)France
B)Great Britain
C)The United States
D)The European Union

Question 32

Which of these questions is most likely to arise as a result of the Supreme Court's decision in District of Columbia v.Heller?

A)Does the Second Amendment protect the right to hunt?
B)Does the Second Amendment apply to people on active military duty?
C)Does the Second Amendment ban laws against carrying concealed weapons?
D)Does the Second Amendment establish procedures for the government to seize illegally-owned guns?

Question 33

The right to vote is usually viewed as a __________ right.

A)civil
B)human
C)natural
D)property

Question 34

The Founding Fathers created a separation of powers system in the U.S.Constitution because they wanted to __________.

A)limit the power of the government
B)design a government capable of swift action
C)create a system reflecting the will of the majority
D)give citizens numerous opportunities to elect public officials

Question 35

Algerians in France and Pakistanis in Great Britain have what in common?

A)They speak the same native language.
B)They have both been placed in internment camps.
C)They are pressured to conform to the dominant culture.
D)They generally have greater protections of civil liberties than majorities do.

Question 36

How many votes are needed to overcome the filibuster in the U.S.Senate?

A)50
B)60
C)67
D)75

Question 37

Whether minority students have the right to be educated in their first language is primarily an issue of __________.

A)judicial restraint
B)multiculturalism
C)checks and balances
D)parliamentary procedure

Question 38

Which idea did the Code of Hammurabi contribute to the modern concept of constitutionalism?

A)The values of democracy and liberty must be evenly balanced.
B)Constitutions should be easily adjusted to reflect social change.
C)The supreme law of the land should be clear and written down.
D)Constitutions should be vague enough to allow for evolving interpretations.

Question 39

Which of these is an assumption underlying "constitutionalism"?

A)The nation must be protected from the whims of the people.
B)Democratic procedures will guarantee the protection of individual liberty.
C)The people need written laws to prevent violations of their basic freedoms.
D)The rights of the people must be limited in order to allow the state to govern effectively.

Question 40

Jeremy Bentham would have been most likely to agree with which of the following statements?

A)Rights come from God.
B)Rights are granted by society.
C)Economic rights are natural rights.
D)Democracy tends to undermine rights.

Question 41

During World War II,the United States government deprived Japanese-Americans of due process rights.

Question 42

Limits on free speech in the United States usually connect with __________.

A)religious extremism
B)ideological conflict
C)national security concerns
D)the rise of protest movements

Question 43

Which doctrine allows detainees to argue their innocence before a judge?

A)constitutionalism
B)habeas corpus
C)judicial activism
D)separation of powers

Question 44

The work week is limited to 40 hours in the Brazilian constitution.

Question 45

The Pentagon Papers case is generally seen as a victory for those who support __________.

A)an activist press
B)government surveillance
C)jailing terrorists without a trial
D)the military-industrial complex

Question 46

Gitlow v.New York and Scales v.the United States both __________.

A)overturned restrictions on political speech
B)struck down laws that censored newspapers
C)affirmed that terrorism suspects have no right to free speech
D)upheld limits on free speech when the government is under threat

Question 47

The use of judicial review is expressly outlined in the U.S.Constitution.

Question 48

Why was it significant that the Bush administration deemed suspected terrorists as "unlawful enemy combatants"?

A)It brought U.S.law in line with the Geneva Conventions.
B)It made it intentionally unclear how the suspects would be treated.
C)It allowed the United States to treat these suspects as criminals,which guaranteed them a right to trial.
D)It was the first time the government held prisoners under a different standard than the "clear and present danger" test.

Question 49

In District of Columbia v.Heller (2008),the Supreme Court ruled that the District of Columbia's gun restrictions did not violate the Second Amendment of the Constitution.

Question 50

Given the history of legal disputes over the First Amendment,what is the most likely fate of First Amendment issues in the future?

A)Press freedom is less of an issue now that the Internet allows for a variety of media sources.
B)Free speech controversies are likely to continue,especially given the openness of the Internet.
C)Few free speech issues are likely to arise in the future,given that most legal questions have been resolved.
D)Freedom of assembly is the only area likely to see continued legal disputes,given concerns about terrorism.

Question 51

Sedition is heavy criticism of the government or officials aimed at producing discontent or rebellion.

Question 52

Which of the following,if true,best supports the argument that campaign contributions are a form of protected speech?

A)Politicians rely on campaign contributions from large institutions.
B)Corporations and Super-PACs do not represent the will of the people.
C)Advocacy groups need to raise money in order to pursue their mission.
D)Associations of citizens express their views through monetary donations.

Question 53

In the United States,the separation of powers gives Congress both legislative and judicial authority.

Question 54

In most European countries,__________ is an illegal form of speech.

A)denying the Holocaust
B)drawing offensive cartoons
C)supporting the right to own guns
D)criticizing the president or prime minister

Question 55

How does the United States differ from most other countries in terms of its treatment of freedom of expression?

A)The U.S.government is more restrictive of press freedom.
B)The U.S.government is less restrictive of speech on the Internet.
C)The U.S.government is more restrictive of speech related to national security.
D)The U.S.government is generally less restrictive of hate speech than other countries.

Question 56

The Universal Declaration on Human Rights includes the right of marriage.

Question 57

The "clear and present danger" doctrine was an early interpretation of the limits on __________.

A)gun rights
B)property rights
C)personal privacy
D)freedom of speech

Question 58

The Pentagon Papers dealt with freedom of religion.

Question 59

Britain was the first nation to guarantee individual rights and freedoms in a constitution.

Question 60

Civil rights and liberties,even today,are still violated in both the developing world and western democracies.