Civics & Govt. 2

The table provides information on Irish immigration during the mid-19th century:

Which of the following statements most accurately describes patterns of Irish immigration in the mid-19th century?

• • It remained relatively unchanged.

• • It continually increased between 1847 and 1854.

• • It continually declined between 1847 and 1854.

• • It peaked in approximately 1851.

The following excerpt is from President Thomas Jefferson’s first inaugural address in 1801:

“Still one thing more, fellow-citizens—a wise and frugal Government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government.”

What ideology best describes Jefferson’s political philosophy?

• • Federalism

• • Republicanism

• • Fascism

• • Anarchism

The following excerpt is from the 1803 Supreme Court decision Marbury v. Madison, which established the concept of judicial review:

“It is emphatically the province and duty of the judicial department to say what the law is. Those who apply the rule to particular cases, must of necessity expound and interpret that rule. If two laws conflict with each other, the courts must decide on the operation of each.”

This ruling is an example of which of the following concepts?

• • Checks and balances.

• • Federalism.

• • Reserved powers.

• • Natural rights.

This excerpt is from the "Declaration of Sentiments" presented to the Seneca Falls Convention by Elizabeth Cady Stanton in 1848.

"We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men and women are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; that to secure these rights governments are instituted, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. Whenever any form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of those who suffer from it to refuse allegiance to it, and to insist upon the institution of a new government..."

What concept is a main idea of this excerpt?

• Nationalism

• Natural Rights

• Imperialism

• Majority rule

Democrat — John F. Kennedy — 49.72 percent of the popular vote with 303 electoral votes.

Republican — Richard Nixon — 49.55 percent of the popular vote with 219 electoral votes.

Why did Kennedy become president if he received less than 50 percent of the popular vote?

• • Kennedy won because he had the more popular votes than Nixon, even though this accounted for less than 50 percent.

• • Kennedy won a majority in the Electoral College.

• • When no candidate receives more than 50% of the popular vote, the Supreme Court picks the winner (in this case Kennedy).

• • Kennedy carried more states than Nixon.

The following excerpt is from a speech by Congressman James Madison in 1789 on the introduction of the Bill of Rights:

“There have been objections of various kinds made against the constitution… but I believe that the great mass of the people who opposed it, disliked it because it did not contain effectual provision against encroachments on particular rights, and those safeguards which they have been long accustomed to have interposed between them and the magistrate who exercised the sovereign power… it will be practicable on that ground… to satisfy the public mind that their liberties will be perpetual.”

Why did Madison, and many other Americans, feel that the Bill of Rights was necessary?

• • To protect the US government from foreign powers.

• • To prevent a rebellion against the Constitution.

• • To grant the US government additional powers.

• • To protect individual rights and liberties.

"When American colonists dreamed of their ideal land, they were probably dreaming of the middle colonies: Pennsylvania, Delaware, New York, and New Jersey. In these four colonies there were long, navigable rivers and rich soils. The sun was bright, the temperature moderate, the growing season long. The typical farm in the middle colonies was 200 acres, of which, perhaps one-half was cleared and planted. The farmers grew vegetables and fruit, but their major crop was grain: wheat, barley, oats, rye, and corn. Even with the poor tools and the wasteful techniques of colonial agriculture, Pennsylvania farmers could produce a surplus. Thus the middle-colony farmers were not just self-sufficient; they were commercial farmers. Their colonies were nicknamed the "bread colonies" because of all the grain they sold each year to other English colonies and to Europe."

Which of the following is the author's main conclusion?

• In the middle colonies there were long, navigable rivers and rich soils.

• The typical farm was 200 acres.

• The major crop in the middle colonies was grain.

• Middle-colony farmers were not just self-sufficient; they were commercial farmers.

"When American colonists dreamed of their ideal land, they were probably dreaming of the middle colonies: Pennsylvania, Delaware, New York, and New Jersey. In these four colonies there were long, navigable rivers and rich soils. The sun was bright, the temperature moderate, the growing season long. The typical farm in the middle colonies was 200 acres, of which, perhaps one-half was cleared and planted. The farmers grew vegetables and fruit, but their major crop was grain: wheat, barley, oats, rye, and corn. Even with the poor tools and the wasteful techniques of colonial agriculture, Pennsylvania farmers could produce a surplus. Thus the middle-colony farmers were not just self-sufficient; they were commercial farmers. Their colonies were nicknamed the "bread colonies" because of all the grain they sold each year to other English colonies and to Europe."

Which of the following is an opinion offered by the passage?

• Grain was the major crop of the middle colonies.

• The middle colonies fulfilled American colonists' vision of an ideal land.

• The middle colonies had a long growing season.

• Pennsylvania, Delaware, New York, and New Jersey made up the middle colonies.

"When American colonists dreamed of their ideal land, they were probably dreaming of the middle colonies: Pennsylvania, Delaware, New York, and New Jersey. In these four colonies there were long, navigable rivers and rich soils. The sun was bright, the temperature moderate, the growing season long. The typical farm in the middle colonies was 200 acres, of which, perhaps one-half was cleared and planted. The farmers grew vegetables and fruit, but their major crop was grain: wheat, barley, oats, rye, and corn. Even with the poor tools and the wasteful techniques of colonial agriculture, Pennsylvania farmers could produce a surplus. Thus the middle-colony farmers were not just self-sufficient; they were commercial farmers. Their colonies were nicknamed the "bread colonies" because of all the grain they sold each year to other English colonies and to Europe."

The information in the passage supports which of the following conclusions?

• Middle-colony farmers who grow grain crops are likely not to have surpluses.

• Middle-colony farmers probably had money for things other than basic necessities.

• Grain was the main import of the other English colonies.

• Even today, the four states that were in the middle colonies are the nation's richest agricultural region.

"Patronage, also known as the "spoils system," is the practice of giving government jobs in return for political support. Early in U.S. history, elected officials were free to appoint employees on the basis of political loyalty, friendship, or any other consideration. But in 1883, reformers succeeded in establishing the U.S. Civil Service Commission. The commission administers competitive exams and makes appointments on the basis of merit. Today, almost all federal jobs come under this civil service system."

Which of the following illustrates the use of patronage?

• A president nominates an ambassador to Brazil and sends her name to the Senate for its advice and consent.

• A presidential candidate chooses his vice-presidential running-mate.

• The newly elected mayor of a large city hires his nephew as a personal assistant.

• A governor appoints someone commissioner in return for a large campaign contribution.