GED Civics and Government Practice Questions, Set 5

1.A state passes a law allowing doctors to recommend marijuana for medical use. Federal law still bans growing or possessing marijuana. In Gonzales v. Raich (2005), the Supreme Court ruled that federal agents could still enforce the federal ban against a patient growing marijuana at home under the state law. Which principle best explains the ruling?

1. A.Valid federal laws are supreme when they conflict with state laws
2. B.States may cancel federal laws that their voters dislike
3. C.Federal agents may enforce only laws that the states have passed
4. D.Medical decisions are reserved to doctors, not to any government

2.Eleventh Amendment (1795): “The Judicial power of the United States shall not be construed to extend to any suit in law or equity, commenced or prosecuted against one of the United States by Citizens of another State, or by Citizens or Subjects of any Foreign State.” Which lawsuit does this amendment block from federal court?

1. A.An Ohio resident suing a Texas company over a contract
2. B.The United States suing the state of Ohio over a law
3. C.A Texas resident suing another Texas resident for fraud
4. D.A Texas company suing the state of Ohio over a contract

3.At a congressional hearing on a failed bank, a former bank officer is asked whether he moved customer money into his own account. He answers, “On the advice of my lawyer, I decline to answer, based on my Fifth Amendment rights.” Which right is he using?

1. A.The right to a speedy and public jury trial
2. B.The right to be free from unreasonable searches
3. C.The right not to be a witness against himself
4. D.The right to have a lawyer appointed by the court

4.Fifth Amendment: “No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury...” A federal prosecutor believes a man committed a serious federal fraud. Under this clause, what must happen before he can be tried?

1. A.A trial jury must first find him guilty in a practice hearing
2. B.A grand jury must decide there is enough evidence to charge him
3. C.The man must agree in writing to be put on trial
4. D.The Supreme Court must review the evidence against him

5.The House passes a resolution that changes its own rules for how long members may speak during debate. The resolution is not sent to the Senate or to the president. Why does it not need approval from the Senate or the president?

1. A.It affects only the House, which sets its own rules
2. B.The House may pass any law without a vote of the Senate
3. C.The president approved the change in advance
4. D.Resolutions are reviewed by the Supreme Court

6.A Senate committee meets on a bill about drinking water. Members go through the bill section by section, vote on amendments, and then vote 14 to 10 to send the revised bill to the full Senate. What is this stage of the process called?

1. A.A floor filibuster
2. B.A cloture vote
3. C.A markup session
4. D.A conference report

7.A member of the House introduces a bill to lower prescription drug costs. Within a month, 260 other House members sign on as cosponsors. What does this most likely signal?

1. A.The bill has already become federal law
2. B.The bill has broad support in the House
3. C.The Senate has refused to consider the bill
4. D.The president has promised to veto the bill

8.In Katz v. United States (1967), FBI agents attached a listening device to the outside of a public phone booth and recorded a man’s calls without a warrant. The Supreme Court ruled that the recording was an unconstitutional search, saying the Fourth Amendment “protects people, not places.” What did this ruling mean for privacy?

1. A.Police may record any call made from a public place
2. B.The Fourth Amendment covers only physical property
3. C.Only state police, not federal agents, need warrants to record calls
4. D.Privacy can be protected even when no one enters a home

9.In In re Gault (1967), a 15-year-old in Arizona was sent to a state school until age 21 for making a prank phone call. He had no lawyer, his parents got no formal notice of the charges, and the woman who complained never testified. The Supreme Court ruled that juveniles facing confinement have due process rights, including notice, a lawyer, and the chance to confront witnesses. What was the main effect of this ruling?

1. A.Juveniles must now be tried in adult criminal courts for all crimes
2. B.Prank phone calls were made legal everywhere in the nation
3. C.States could no longer run any kind of juvenile court
4. D.Young people in juvenile court gained key rights of the accused

10.An Idaho law said that when two people were equally qualified to manage the estate of someone who died, the man must be chosen over the woman. In Reed v. Reed (1971), the Supreme Court struck down the law. Which constitutional provision did the Court rely on?

1. A.The Nineteenth Amendment’s guarantee of the vote
2. B.The Fourteenth Amendment’s equal protection clause
3. C.The First Amendment’s protection of free speech
4. D.The Second Amendment’s right to keep and bear arms

11.In District of Columbia v. Heller (2008), the Supreme Court struck down a city law that banned keeping handguns in the home. The Court ruled that the Second Amendment protects an individual’s right to have a gun for self-defense, not only a right tied to militia service. It also said the right is not unlimited. Which statement fits the ruling?

1. A.Only members of a state militia may own any firearm
2. B.Governments may not pass any laws regulating guns
3. C.People have a personal right to keep a handgun at home
4. D.The amendment applies only to rifles and muskets

12.The Voting Rights Act of 1965 required certain states and counties with a history of discrimination to get federal approval before changing their voting rules. The list of covered places was based on data from the 1960s and early 1970s. In Shelby County v. Holder (2013), the Supreme Court struck down that formula as out of date. What was the immediate result?

1. A.Covered places could change voting rules without federal approval
2. B.The entire Voting Rights Act was repealed by the Court
3. C.Literacy tests became legal again in all of the covered states and counties
4. D.Congress lost the power to pass any voting rights laws

13.A man is found not guilty of assault in a criminal trial. The victim then sues him in civil court for her medical bills and wins. Which difference between the two cases best explains the different outcomes?

1. A.Civil courts may ignore all evidence from a trial
2. B.Civil cases require less proof than criminal cases do
3. C.Criminal juries may not hear any testimony from crime victims
4. D.Civil judges are chosen by the person who sues

14.A woman charged with felony theft agrees to plead guilty to a lesser misdemeanor charge. In return, the prosecutor recommends probation instead of jail, and the case ends without a trial. What is this agreement called?

1. A.A hung jury
2. B.A writ of habeas corpus
3. C.An appeal
4. D.A plea bargain

15.The National Voter Registration Act of 1993 requires states to offer voter registration when people apply for or renew a driver’s license. What was the main goal of this law?

1. A.To make it easier for eligible citizens to register
2. B.To require every driver to vote in federal elections
3. C.To let people vote at license offices instead of polls
4. D.To lower the minimum voting age to 16 in most states

16.Electors pledge to vote for their party’s candidate, but in 2016 a few voted for someone else. Some states punish such “faithless electors.” In Chiafalo v. Washington (2020), the Supreme Court ruled that states may require electors to vote for the candidate who won the state’s popular vote. What does this ruling support?

1. A.Electors may vote for anyone they choose in every state
2. B.Congress must pick the electors when a state’s vote is close
3. C.States may bind their electors to the popular vote winner
4. D.The Electoral College was ended for all future elections

17.A political science table shows the approximate share of U.S. House members seeking reelection who won: 1990s: 94% 2000s: 95% 2010s: 93% Which conclusion is best supported by the table?

1. A.Most House seats changed from one party to the other at least once each decade
2. B.Voters strongly preferred new candidates over incumbents
3. C.House members who sought reelection usually kept their seats
4. D.Senators won reelection less often than House members

18.Thirteenth Amendment: “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States.” Which situation does the exception in this amendment allow?

1. A.Requiring a convicted prisoner to work as part of a sentence
2. B.Forcing a worker to stay at a job to pay off a debt
3. C.Making a person accused of a crime work before trial
4. D.Requiring a child to work on a family farm without any wages at all

19.The Twenty-fourth Amendment (1964) banned poll taxes in federal elections. Virginia still charged a $1.50 poll tax to vote in state elections. In Harper v. Virginia Board of Elections (1966), the Supreme Court struck down that tax as well. What was the basis for the 1966 ruling?

1. A.The Twenty-fourth Amendment’s ban on state poll taxes
2. B.The reserved powers clause of the Tenth Amendment
3. C.The First Amendment’s right to petition officials
4. D.Equal protection under the Fourteenth Amendment

20.Sixth Amendment: the accused has the right to a trial “by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed.” After weeks of heavy local news coverage of a crime, a judge agrees to move the trial to a city 200 miles away in the same state. Which part of the amendment is the judge mainly trying to protect?

1. A.The right to a trial that is speedy
2. B.The right to a jury that is impartial
3. C.The right to a lawyer for the defense
4. D.The right to call witnesses in one’s favor

21.Fourth Amendment: “no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.” Police get a warrant to search a garage for stolen bicycles. Which action would go beyond what the warrant allows?

1. A.Reading the owner’s private letters found in his bedroom
2. B.Opening the garage door to look inside for the stolen bicycles
3. C.Checking under a tarp in the garage for a bicycle
4. D.Taking the stolen bicycles they find in the garage

22.In Roper v. Simmons (2005), the Supreme Court ruled that executing a person for a crime committed before age 18 is “cruel and unusual punishment.” Which amendment did the Court apply?

1. A.The Fifth Amendment
2. B.The First Amendment
3. C.The Eighth Amendment
4. D.The Sixth Amendment

23.In Gibbons v. Ogden (1824), New York had given one company the sole right to run steamboats between New York and New Jersey. A rival with a federal coasting license challenged it. The Supreme Court ruled for the rival, because Congress has power over commerce among the states, including navigation. What was a lasting effect of the decision?

1. A.It let each state control all boat traffic on its rivers
2. B.It gave Congress broad authority over trade across state lines
3. C.It ended the federal government’s power to issue any shipping licenses
4. D.It required states to build ports with federal money

24.A customer says a dry cleaner ruined her $600 coat and refuses to pay her back. She files a case in her county’s small claims court, where she can explain her side to a judge without hiring a lawyer. Why do many states have small claims courts?

1. A.To try serious felony cases without a jury present
2. B.To hear appeals of rulings by the U.S. Supreme Court
3. C.To decide disputes between two or more of the states
4. D.To settle minor money disputes quickly and at low cost