Test Bank For
Mass Media Law 2026 Release Clay Calvert, Dan V. Kozlowski and Derigan Silver
Chapters 1-16 Answers are at the End of Each Chapter
Chapter 1
1. The common law is
A. a deductive system of law where the rules are expounded first and then the court decides the legal situation
under the existing rules.
B. an inductive system of law in which a legal rule is arrived at after consideration of a great many specific
instances or cases.
C. an administrative system of law in which a government official uses a panel of common citizens to develop
the rule of law.
D. a legislative system of law that operates on the state and local levels.
2. In the legal citation 539 U.S. 558 (2003), the number 558 refers to the:
A. docket number of the case.
B. volume of the reporter which contains the case.
C. first page number of the case.
D. federal judicial number of the case.
3. The concept of "statutory construction" best refers to which one of the following?
A. The process of legislative bodies creating and drafting the common law.
B. The process of legislative bodies creating and drafting statutes.
C. The process of courts and judges interpreting the meaning of the common law.
D. The process of courts and judges interpreting the meaning of statutes.
4. The U.S. Supreme Court's 2003 ruling in Lawrence v. Texas was an example of the Supreme Court
A. following the doctrine of stare decisis.
B. not following the doctrine of stare decisis.
C. applying the void for vagueness doctrine.
D. applying both the void for vagueness doctrine and the overbreadth doctrine.
5. A justice who agrees with the result reached by the majority of the court, but who does not agree with
majority's reasoning or who wants to emphasize a point ignored by the majority can write was is known as a:
A. concurring opinion.
B. dissenting opinion.
C. plurality opinion.
D. per curiam opinion.
,6. The Congress has the authority to abolish every federal court in the land, except for the U.S. Supreme Court,
because
A. the Congress is the supreme government institution because it represents the people.
B. the Congress controls the federal budget, including the budget for the courts.
C. the Constitution specifically calls for only one court, the Supreme Court.
D. federal judges are appointed by the Congress.
7. What is the Supreme Court doing when it issues a writ of certiorari?
A. It is ordering a lower court to rehear a case.
B. It is overturning a previous Supreme Court ruling.
C. It is agreeing to hear the appeal of a lower court ruling.
D. It is rejecting an appeal to rehear a case, noting that it is certain its first ruling was correct.
8. A per curiam opinion is
A. an unsigned opinion from an appellate court.
B. an opinion issued by an attorney general.
C. an opinion by a judge or justice who disagrees with the majority opinion.
D. a written legal argument prepared by an attorney.
9. When it comes to granting a petition for a writ of certiorari, the U.S. Supreme Court applies the
A. Rule of Three.
B. Rule of Four.
C. Rule of Five.
D. Rule of Six.
10. Which statement about U.S. Courts of Appeals is correct?
A. Each state has its own U.S. Court of Appeals.
B. There are four U.S. Courts of Appeals—one for the Eastern, Western, Southern, and Northern United States.
C. There are 13 U.S. Courts of Appeals.
D. There are nine U.S. Courts of Appeals, one for each justice on the Supreme Court.
11. The U.S. Supreme Court today typically agrees to hear
A. fewer than 100 cases each year.
B. between 100 to 150 cases each year.
C. between 150 to 250 cases each year.
D. more than 250 cases each year.
,12. A trial held before a judge and without a jury is known as
A. a habeas corpus trial.
B. a bar trial.
C. an en banc trial.
D. a bench trial.
13. Organizations or entities that are not a parties to a case but that nonetheless hold a vested interest or concern
with its outcome can sometimes file which types of briefs?
A. habeas corpus
B. stare decisis
C. amici curiae
D. ergo propter hoc
14. Explain what the concept of "narrowing construction" means and the circumstances under which courts
might use it.
15. List the four different options that courts have when offered a case as precedent by an attorney for one of the
parties in a lawsuit.
16. List three typical forms of judicial decrees in equity law
17. In addition to naming the parties in a case, identify three things that a complaint filed in a civil law case will
include.
18. What is the legal test or rule for determining when a statute will be declared void for vagueness?
19. A court will generally overrule precedent only when there are changes in what three things?
, 20. According to Roscoe Pound, law can be defined as ___________ engineering.
________________________________________
21. Common law sometimes is known as __________ law.
________________________________________
22. The party that commences and files a civil lawsuit against someone else is known as the
________________.
________________________________________
23. State constitutions can give more rights to people than those that are provided by the U.S. Constitution.
True False
24. The Supreme Court has original jurisdiction in disputes between two or more states.
True False
25. Juries sit in appellate court proceedings.
True False
Mass Media Law 2026 Release Clay Calvert, Dan V. Kozlowski and Derigan Silver
Chapters 1-16 Answers are at the End of Each Chapter
Chapter 1
1. The common law is
A. a deductive system of law where the rules are expounded first and then the court decides the legal situation
under the existing rules.
B. an inductive system of law in which a legal rule is arrived at after consideration of a great many specific
instances or cases.
C. an administrative system of law in which a government official uses a panel of common citizens to develop
the rule of law.
D. a legislative system of law that operates on the state and local levels.
2. In the legal citation 539 U.S. 558 (2003), the number 558 refers to the:
A. docket number of the case.
B. volume of the reporter which contains the case.
C. first page number of the case.
D. federal judicial number of the case.
3. The concept of "statutory construction" best refers to which one of the following?
A. The process of legislative bodies creating and drafting the common law.
B. The process of legislative bodies creating and drafting statutes.
C. The process of courts and judges interpreting the meaning of the common law.
D. The process of courts and judges interpreting the meaning of statutes.
4. The U.S. Supreme Court's 2003 ruling in Lawrence v. Texas was an example of the Supreme Court
A. following the doctrine of stare decisis.
B. not following the doctrine of stare decisis.
C. applying the void for vagueness doctrine.
D. applying both the void for vagueness doctrine and the overbreadth doctrine.
5. A justice who agrees with the result reached by the majority of the court, but who does not agree with
majority's reasoning or who wants to emphasize a point ignored by the majority can write was is known as a:
A. concurring opinion.
B. dissenting opinion.
C. plurality opinion.
D. per curiam opinion.
,6. The Congress has the authority to abolish every federal court in the land, except for the U.S. Supreme Court,
because
A. the Congress is the supreme government institution because it represents the people.
B. the Congress controls the federal budget, including the budget for the courts.
C. the Constitution specifically calls for only one court, the Supreme Court.
D. federal judges are appointed by the Congress.
7. What is the Supreme Court doing when it issues a writ of certiorari?
A. It is ordering a lower court to rehear a case.
B. It is overturning a previous Supreme Court ruling.
C. It is agreeing to hear the appeal of a lower court ruling.
D. It is rejecting an appeal to rehear a case, noting that it is certain its first ruling was correct.
8. A per curiam opinion is
A. an unsigned opinion from an appellate court.
B. an opinion issued by an attorney general.
C. an opinion by a judge or justice who disagrees with the majority opinion.
D. a written legal argument prepared by an attorney.
9. When it comes to granting a petition for a writ of certiorari, the U.S. Supreme Court applies the
A. Rule of Three.
B. Rule of Four.
C. Rule of Five.
D. Rule of Six.
10. Which statement about U.S. Courts of Appeals is correct?
A. Each state has its own U.S. Court of Appeals.
B. There are four U.S. Courts of Appeals—one for the Eastern, Western, Southern, and Northern United States.
C. There are 13 U.S. Courts of Appeals.
D. There are nine U.S. Courts of Appeals, one for each justice on the Supreme Court.
11. The U.S. Supreme Court today typically agrees to hear
A. fewer than 100 cases each year.
B. between 100 to 150 cases each year.
C. between 150 to 250 cases each year.
D. more than 250 cases each year.
,12. A trial held before a judge and without a jury is known as
A. a habeas corpus trial.
B. a bar trial.
C. an en banc trial.
D. a bench trial.
13. Organizations or entities that are not a parties to a case but that nonetheless hold a vested interest or concern
with its outcome can sometimes file which types of briefs?
A. habeas corpus
B. stare decisis
C. amici curiae
D. ergo propter hoc
14. Explain what the concept of "narrowing construction" means and the circumstances under which courts
might use it.
15. List the four different options that courts have when offered a case as precedent by an attorney for one of the
parties in a lawsuit.
16. List three typical forms of judicial decrees in equity law
17. In addition to naming the parties in a case, identify three things that a complaint filed in a civil law case will
include.
18. What is the legal test or rule for determining when a statute will be declared void for vagueness?
19. A court will generally overrule precedent only when there are changes in what three things?
, 20. According to Roscoe Pound, law can be defined as ___________ engineering.
________________________________________
21. Common law sometimes is known as __________ law.
________________________________________
22. The party that commences and files a civil lawsuit against someone else is known as the
________________.
________________________________________
23. State constitutions can give more rights to people than those that are provided by the U.S. Constitution.
True False
24. The Supreme Court has original jurisdiction in disputes between two or more states.
True False
25. Juries sit in appellate court proceedings.
True False
