GED Civics and Government Practice Questions, Set 3

1.A neighborhood group drafts a bill to fund lead pipe replacement and wants it considered by the U.S. House of Representatives. Who can formally introduce the bill in the House?

1. A.The governor of the group’s home state
2. B.The president’s chief of staff
3. C.A member of the House of Representatives
4. D.The leader of the neighborhood group

2.English philosopher John Locke wrote that all people have natural rights to life, liberty, and property, and that people form governments to protect those rights. Which phrase from the Declaration of Independence most directly reflects Locke’s idea?

1. A.“a decent respect to the opinions of mankind”
2. B.“He has refused his Assent to Laws”
3. C.“the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God”
4. D.“Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”

3.During the 1787 and 1788 ratification debates, Anti-Federalists argued that the proposed Constitution gave the national government too much power and contained no list of individual rights. Several states ratified only after supporters promised to add such a list. What does this history show?

1. A.The Constitution was ratified unanimously and without any debate
2. B.Ratification depended in part on a promise to protect rights
3. C.Anti-Federalists wanted to give Congress even more power
4. D.The Bill of Rights was written before the Constitution itself

4.“Full Faith and Credit shall be given in each State to the public Acts, Records, and judicial Proceedings of every other State.” (U.S. Constitution, Article IV, Section 1) A Texas court orders a man to pay $8,000 he owes a contractor. He then moves to Oregon. Under this clause, Oregon courts must

1. A.enforce the Texas court’s judgment against him
2. B.hold a brand new trial on the contractor’s claim
3. C.send him back to Texas to be tried for a crime
4. D.cancel the debt because he no longer lives in Texas

5.“The Citizens of each State shall be entitled to all Privileges and Immunities of Citizens in the several States.” (U.S. Constitution, Article IV, Section 2) A state passes a law that bars citizens of other states from buying homes inside its borders. How does this clause apply?

1. A.The law likely violates it, because it treats other states’ citizens unfairly
2. B.The law is allowed, because each state controls who may live inside it
3. C.The law likely violates it, because only Congress may sell public land
4. D.The law is allowed, because the clause applies only to federal workers

6.“The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.” (Fifteenth Amendment, 1870) Which group did this amendment leave unprotected when it was ratified?

1. A.Black men who had formerly been enslaved
2. B.Men born free in the Northern states
3. C.Women of every race and background
4. D.Black men who had served in the Union army

7.“No law, varying the compensation for the services of the Senators and Representatives, shall take effect, until an election of Representatives shall have intervened.” (Twenty-seventh Amendment) Congress votes itself a pay raise in March of a year with no federal election. When can the raise take effect?

1. A.Immediately, in the next month’s paychecks
2. B.Only after the president signs it twice
3. C.Only after three-fourths of states approve
4. D.After the next election for the House

8.Lakeview County’s yearly budget: Sheriff and county jail: 30% Roads and bridges: 22% Courts: 18% Public health: 15% All other services: 15% Which conclusion is best supported by the budget?

1. A.Public health is the county’s single largest expense
2. B.Law enforcement and courts take nearly half the budget
3. C.Roads and bridges cost more than the sheriff and jail
4. D.The county spends nothing on schools or parks at all

9.After heavy flooding, a governor orders the state’s National Guard to rescue stranded residents and deliver drinking water to shelters. Which role is the governor carrying out?

1. A.Chief legislator, proposing new laws to the state
2. B.Chief judge, deciding the state’s legal disputes
3. C.Commander in chief of the state’s National Guard
4. D.Party leader, choosing candidates for state office

10.“In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial ... to be confronted with the witnesses against him.” (Sixth Amendment) A prosecutor wants to read a written statement from a witness who refuses to come to court and cannot be questioned by the defense. Which right is most at issue?

1. A.The right to confront the witnesses against him
2. B.The right to be free from cruel punishment
3. C.The right against unreasonable searches
4. D.The right to keep and bear arms

11.A jury acquits a woman of setting fire to a warehouse. A month later, the prosecutor finds new evidence and wants to try her again in the same state court for the same fire. Which protection stops the second trial?

1. A.The right to a speedy trial
2. B.Freedom from double jeopardy
3. C.The right to bear arms
4. D.Freedom of the press

12.“The Times, Places and Manner of holding Elections for Senators and Representatives, shall be prescribed in each State by the Legislature thereof; but the Congress may at any time by Law make or alter such Regulations.” (U.S. Constitution, Article I, Section 4) What does this clause establish?

1. A.Congress alone runs every detail of federal elections
2. B.Each state may refuse any election law from Congress
3. C.Federal courts set the dates for congressional elections
4. D.States run federal elections, but Congress may set rules

13.In New York Times Co. v. Sullivan (1964), the Supreme Court ruled that a public official suing for libel must show that a false statement was made with “actual malice,” meaning the publisher knew it was false or recklessly ignored whether it was true. A mayor sues a newspaper over an article with an error. What must the mayor prove to win?

1. A.The article hurt the mayor’s chances of being reelected
2. B.The paper failed to ask the mayor for a comment before it printed the article
3. C.The article criticized the mayor’s job performance
4. D.The paper knew the claim was false or recklessly ignored the truth

14.In New Jersey v. T.L.O. (1985), the Supreme Court ruled that public school officials may search a student’s belongings if they have reasonable grounds to suspect the search will turn up evidence of breaking the law or school rules. How does this standard compare with the one for police?

1. A.It is lower than the probable cause police usually need
2. B.It requires a judge’s warrant before every school search
3. C.It is the same standard police must meet for an arrest
4. D.It bans all searches of students while they are at school

15.After a hurricane, a House committee holds hearings and questions the head of a federal agency about how the agency spent $2 billion in disaster aid. Which function of Congress do these hearings show?

1. A.Judicial review of federal laws
2. B.Ratification of a federal treaty
3. C.Oversight of the executive branch
4. D.Confirmation of a cabinet officer

16.The Supreme Court rules 7 to 2 in a case. One justice in the majority agrees with the outcome but writes a separate opinion explaining different reasons for reaching it. What is this separate opinion called?

1. A.A dissenting opinion
2. B.A concurring opinion
3. C.An advisory opinion
4. D.A per curiam order

17.In 1215, English nobles forced King John to accept the Magna Carta. One clause says that no free man shall be imprisoned or stripped of his property “except by the lawful judgment of his peers or by the law of the land.” Which principle of American government does this clause most clearly anticipate?

1. A.Even rulers must act within the law
2. B.Nobles should choose the national leader
3. C.The national government outranks local ones
4. D.Each state deserves equal votes in Congress

18.Article VI of the Constitution states that “no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.” A newly elected member of the U.S. House is told he must swear that he belongs to a church before taking his seat. What does Article VI say about this requirement?

1. A.It is allowed, since House members set their own rules
2. B.It is allowed only if the state legislature approves it
3. C.It is not allowed, since House seats require no oath of any kind
4. D.It is not allowed, since no religious test may be required

19.The House impeaches a federal judge. At the Senate trial, with all 100 senators voting, 61 vote guilty and 39 vote not guilty. The Constitution says no person shall be convicted “without the Concurrence of two thirds of the Members present.” What is the result of the trial?

1. A.The judge is removed, because a majority voted guilty
2. B.The judge is acquitted, because 67 votes were needed
3. C.The judge is removed, because 60 votes end the trial
4. D.The trial moves to the Supreme Court for a final vote

20.The Constitution creates “one supreme Court” but does not say how many justices it must have. The number has changed several times and has been fixed at nine since a law passed in 1869. Who has the power to change the number of Supreme Court justices?

1. A.The Chief Justice, by court order
2. B.The president, by executive order
3. C.Congress, through passing a law
4. D.The states, by a majority vote

21.Medicaid provides health coverage to many low-income Americans. The federal government pays a large share of the cost and sets basic rules, while each state runs its own program and makes many decisions about it. Which term best describes this arrangement?

1. A.Unitary system of government
2. B.Separation of powers
3. C.Cooperative federalism
4. D.Popular sovereignty

22.Article I, Section 10: “No State shall, without the Consent of Congress, ... enter into any Agreement or Compact with another State.” New York and New Jersey want to create a joint agency to run the bridges, tunnels, and port they share. What does this clause require?

1. A.The president must sign the agreement
2. B.Congress must approve the agreement
3. C.Each state’s voters must approve it
4. D.The Supreme Court must first review it

23.“A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” Which amendment is this?

1. A.The First Amendment
2. B.The Fourth Amendment
3. C.The Tenth Amendment
4. D.The Second Amendment

24.Ninth Amendment: “The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.” What is the main idea of this amendment?

1. A.People have rights beyond those listed in the Constitution
2. B.Only the rights written in the Constitution are protected by it
3. C.States may cancel rights that the Constitution lists
4. D.Congress may add new rights by passing ordinary laws

25.The Eighteenth Amendment (1919) banned the making, sale, and transport of alcoholic drinks. Fourteen years later, the Twenty-first Amendment (1933) repealed it. What makes the Twenty-first Amendment unusual?

1. A.It is the only amendment that the states did not ratify
2. B.It is the only amendment that the president proposed
3. C.It is the only amendment that repealed an earlier one
4. D.It is the only amendment the Supreme Court later struck down

26.A bill has been stuck in a House committee for months. Under House rules, a discharge petition can force the bill out of committee and onto the floor if it is signed by a majority of the full House, which is 218 of the 435 members. The petition has 205 signatures. What happens?

1. A.The bill goes to the floor, since most members present signed
2. B.The bill goes straight to the Senate for its own vote
3. C.The bill dies, since petitions need two-thirds support
4. D.The bill stays in committee until 13 more members sign