Mock exam

The following excerpt is from a speech by President Woodrow Wilson in 1918 endorsing the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote:

“I regard the concurrence of the Senate in the constitutional amendment proposing the extension of the suffrage to women as vitally essential to the successful prosecution of the great war of humanity in which we are engaged…It is my duty to win the war and to ask you to remove every obstacle that stands in the way of winning it.”

How does the constitutional amendment process begin?

• 
  The President can introduce proposed amendments.

• 
  Congress can introduce an amendment by a two-thirds vote in both the House and the Senate.

• 
  Citizens can collect enough signatures to get an amendment on the ballot.

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?

• 
  republicanism

• 
  fascism

• 
  anarchism

The following scenario describes an economic decision:

After graduating from high school, Juan applies to several job advertisements and receives an offer to work as a clerk in a retail store for $8 per hour. However, Juan decides to enroll in a community college, and after two years, he completes a technical training program that prepares him to become a welder. After completing the program, he finds employment as an apprentice welder and earns $20 per hour.

What was the opportunity cost of Juan’s decision?

• 
  the total wages he would have earned in two years while working as a retail clerk

• 
  $20, Juan’s wages as an apprentice welder

• 
  $12, The difference between Juan’s wages as a welder and a retail clerk

The following is an excerpt from the Triple Alliance Treaty signed between Germany, Austria, and Italy in 1881:

“Article 1: The… Contracting Parties mutually promise peace and friendship… and they further promise one another mutual support…

Article 3: If one, or two, of the…Contracting Parties, without direct provocation on their part, should chance to be attacked and to be engaged in a war with two or more Great Powers … the [case for the alliance] will arise simultaneously for all the… Contracting Parties.

Article 6: The… Contracting Parties mutually promise secrecy as to the contents and existence of the present Treaty.”

In what way, if at all, did the Triple Alliance Treaty influence World War I?

• 
  The treaty made it difficult to avoid a large conflict because it required several countries to assist each other in case one member was attacked.

• 
  The treaty helped prevent or delay World War I because every country in Europe signed the agreement.

• 
  The treaty helped prevent or delay World War I because countries around the world knew about the agreement and were reluctant to attack Italy, Germany, or Austria.

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

The following excerpt is from the Warsaw Security Pact, which was signed in 1955 by the Soviet Union, Albania, Bulgaria, Hungary, East Germany, Poland, Romania, and Czechoslovakia:

“The Contracting Parties… mindful, at the same time, of the situation created in Europe by the… formation of a new military alignment in the shape of [the North Atlantic Treaty Organization] which increased the danger of another war and constitutes a threat to the national security of the peaceable states… have agreed as follows… Article 4: in the event of armed attack in Europe on one or more of the Parties to the Treaty… shall immediately… come to the assistance of the state or states attacked with all such means as it deems necessary, including armed force.”

The following map, created by Alphathon, depicts Europe during the Cold War. Members of NATO are in blue, while members of the Warsaw Pact are in Red:

• 
  The Soviet Union felt threatened by the creation of NATO and responded by forming its own collective security agreement.

• 
  The Soviet Union wanted to create an agreement that would peacefully unite all of Europe.

• 
  The Soviet Union wanted to take the moral high ground in the Cold War by renouncing the use of force.

The following map and table depicts the 1960 presidential election:

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 a majority in the Electoral College.

• 
  Kennedy carried more states than Nixon.

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

The following excerpt is from a speech by President Harry Truman in 1947:

“The very existence of the Greek state is today threatened by the terrorist activities of several thousand armed men, led by Communists, who defy the government’s authority at a number of points, particularly along the northern boundaries… Meanwhile, the Greek Government is unable to cope with the situation. The Greek army is small and poorly equipped… Greece must have assistance if it is to become a self-supporting and self-respecting democracy.”

What prompted President Truman to provide aid to the Greek government?

• 
  internal conflict within Greece between Communists and the government

• 
  President Truman was embarrassed by the weakness of the Greek army

• 
  the USSR had invaded and defeated the Greek government

The following excerpt is from a speech by President Franklin Roosevelt in 1933:

“We had a bad banking situation. Some of our bankers had shown themselves either incompetent or dishonest in their handling of the people’s funds… It was the Government’s job to straighten out this situation and do it as quickly as possible—and the job is being performed… Confidence and courage are the essentials of success in carrying out our plan. You people must have faith; you must not be stampeded by rumors or guesses. Let us unite in banishing fear.”

Based on the excerpt, how did historical circumstances shape President Roosevelt’s point of view?

• 
  He felt government regulation was necessary because many citizens lacked faith in the banking system.

• 
  He felt government regulation was necessary in order to punish incompetent or dishonest bankers.

• 
  He felt government regulation would help prevent another stock market crash.

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 individual rights and liberties

• 
  to grant the US government additional powers

• 
  to prevent a rebellion against the Constitution