Civics and Economics Review Questions

Mrs. A. LeRoux

What are the four fundamental political principles that have shaped government in the United States?

• Limited Government

• Popular Sovereignty or consent of the governed

• Separation of Powers

• Federalism

What does “Consent of the Governed” mean?

• People are the source of the governments power

What is Limited Government?

• Government is not all-powerful and may do only those things people have given it power to do

What does Separation of Powers mean?

• Power divided between three branches of government

What is Federalism?

• Power is shared between the national government and state governments

What are the Charters of the Virginia Company?

• Rights of Englishmen are guaranteed to the Colonists

What is the Virginia Declaration of Rights?

• Served as a model for the Bill of Rights of the Constitution

What are the Articles of Confederation?

• Established the first form of government for the states after the Revolutionary War

• Power stays with the states

• Weak Central Government

What were the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation?

• Congress had no power to tax

• Congress had no power to enforce law

What is the Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom?

• Individuals have freedom of religious beliefs and opinions

What is the United States Constitution?

• Establishes the structure of the United States government

What is the Bill of Rights?

• Guarantees the rights of the people

What is the Preamble?

• The introduction to the Constitution that expresses the people have the right to rule themselves

What are the four main goals of the Preamble?

• To form a more perfect union

• to establish justice

• to ensure domestic peace

• to provide defense

What does the 14th Amendment say?

• All person’s born or naturalized in the United States are citizens and shall receive equal protection under the law

How may a person become a citizen of the United States?

• Birth

• Naturalization

What are the five basic freedoms of the First Amendment?

• Freedom of Religion

• Freedom of Speech

• Freedom of Press

• Freedom of Assembly

• Freedom of Petition

List four duties of a citizen.

• Obey laws

• pay taxes

• serve in the armed forces if called upon

• serve on a jury or as a witness in court

What are some responsibilities of citizens?

• Vote

• communicate with government officials

• volunteer

• participate in political campaigns

• respect rights of others

What are some good traits of citizens?

• Trustworthiness and honesty

• courtesy and respect for the rights of others

• respect for the law

• patriotism

What are four functions of political parties?

• Recruit and nominate candidates

• help candidates win elections

• monitor actions of office holders

• educate public about issues

What are four strategies for evaluating campaign speeches, literature, and advertisements for accuracy?

• Separation of fact from opinion

• detecting bias

• evaluating sources of information

• identifying propaganda

What are three qualifications to register to vote in the state of Virginia?

• Must be a citizen of the United States

• Must be a resident of Virginia

• Must be 18 years of age

How can you register to vote in the state of Virginia?

• In person at the registrar’s office

• at the Division of Motor Vehicles

• By mailing in an application

What are three factors in predicting which citizens will vote?

• Education

• Age

• Income

Who selects the President and Vice President of the United States?

• The Electoral College

What are the three levels of government?

• National

• State

• Local

What are the responsibilities of the national government?

• Conduct foreign policy

• regulates commerce

What are the primary responsibilities of the state governments?

• Promote public health

• promote public safety

• promote public welfare

What are the three branches of government?

• Legislative

• Executive

• Judicial

How often does the Virginia legislature make a budget?

• Every two years (biennial)

What is judicial review?

• The power of the Supreme Court to decide whether or not a law is constitutional

What Supreme Court case established the principle of judicial review?

• Marbury v. Madison

What is the system of checks and balances?

• Gives each of the three branches of government ways to to limit the powers of the other branches

List some examples of legislative powers over the executive branch.

• Override vetoes

• impeach a president

List one example of a legislative powers over the judicial branch.

• Power to approve federal judges

List one example of an executive power over the legislative

branch. • Veto bills of Congress

List one example of an executive power over the judicial branch.

• Appoint federal judges

List one example of a judicial power over the executive and judicial branches of government.

• Declare laws unconstitutional

What are two ways the Constitution of the United States can be ratified?

• Action by the United States Congress or convention

• Ratification by the states

What does bicameral mean?

• Two house legislature (example the United States Congress)

What is normally the final step in a bill becoming a law?

• President’s signature

What type of legislature is the Virginia Assembly?

• Bicameral

What is the State of the Union Address?

• Annual address to Congress outlining the President’s goals for the future

What are some ways the media influences our government?

• Focusing public attention on selected issues

• Holding government officials accountable for their actions

What is Lobbying?

• Seeking to influence legislators to introduce or vote for or against a bill

What are some ways to influence government?

• Voting

• lobbying

• writing letters

• joining interest groups

What kind of cases are heard in Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court?

• Juvenile and Family Matters

What type of jurisdiction does the Supreme Court have?

• Appellate and Original

What does Marbury v. Madison say?

• Established the principle of judicial review

What is the highest authority in the land?

• The Constitution

What is due process of the law?

• The Constitution protects citizens against unfair government actions and laws

What is scarcity?

• The inability to satisfy all wants

What are resources?

• Factors of production that are used in the production of goods and services (example: trees, silver, water)

What is opportunity cost?

• What is given up when a choice is made.

What is supply?

• The amount of a good or service that producers are willing and able to sell at a certain price.

What is demand?

• The amount of a good or service that consumers are willing and able to buy at a certain price.

What is a command economy?

• An economy in which the government owns all the property and resources (examples: CHINA and Former Soviet Union)

What is a mixed economy?

• An economy in which the government and individuals are principle decision makers (examples: United States and Japan).

What is a Proprietorship?

• A form of business organization with one owner.

What is a Partnership?

• A form of business organization with two or more owners.

What is the Federal Reserve System?

• Acts as a bank regulating the amount of money in circulation.