PLATO Edmentum US Government End of Semester Test
With Correct Answers
What is the primary purpose of most constitutions?
A. to define a moral code for people to follow
B. to provide a substitute for government
C. to prevent a strong central government
D. to define and limit government power
E. to give the government absolute power - Correct Answer D. to define and limit
government power
Under which type of government would state or provincial governments have the most
sovereignty?
A. parliamentary
B. confederal
C. federal
D. totalitarian
E. dictatorship - Correct Answer B. confederal
Imagine you are preparing a speech on social contract theory for your government
class. As part of your speech, you need to focus on the idea that people have the
authority to overthrow a government that has become tyrannical. Which Enlightenment
text would be good source material?
A. Hobbes's Leviathan
B. Locke's Second Treatise of Government
C. Montesquieu's The Spirit of the Laws
D. Blackstone's Commentaries on the Laws of England
E. Machiavelli's The Prince - Correct Answer B. Locke's Second Treatise of
Government
What is considered an important Roman contribution to American government?
A. the idea of representative government in which people elect officials to speak for
them
B. the idea of a legislature that has more power than any other branch of government
C. the idea that everyone is judged under the same interpretation of the law
D. the idea that governments are only legitimate if they rule with the consent of their
people
E. the idea that people naturally give up some rights to a government for the sake of
maintaining order in society - Correct Answer A. the idea of representative
government in which people elect officials to speak for them
, According to the Declaration of Independence, when do the people have the right to
overthrow their government?
A. when the government taxes the people too much
B. when the people as a whole do not agree with the policies of the government
C. when they are ruled by a king
D. when the government fails to protect the fundamental rights of the people
E. when the economy fails to create new jobs - Correct Answer D. when the
government fails to protect the fundamental rights of the people
What was an important concern for the Founding Fathers when drafting the Articles of
Confederation?
A. avoiding the tyranny of a powerful central government
B. granting only limited powers to the new monarchy
C. providing new powers to the executive branch
D. limiting the power of certain states in the Union
E. preventing states from trading with other nations - Correct Answer A. avoiding the
tyranny of a powerful central government
The Constitution created a federal system in the United States. Which of the following
best describes a federal government?
A. equal and full sovereignty granted to all states with a weak central government
B. a parliament that grants limited power to each provincial government
C. an executive branch that has great, sweeping powers to direct a nation
D. power split and shared between the central and state governments
E. a unicameral national legislature that provides equal voting to each state - Correct
Answer D. power split and shared between the central and state governments
In 1783, which plan sought to highlight the need for a stronger national government and
used army officers to threaten a coup d'état?
A. Shays's Rebellion
B. Newburgh Conspiracy
C. The Virginia Plan
D. The New Jersey Plan - Correct Answer B. Newburgh Conspiracy
What were the Founding Fathers trying to create when they divided powers between the
judicial, legislative, and executive branches?
A. republicanism
B. executive privilege
C. due process of law
D. checks and balances
E. a federal government - Correct Answer D. checks and balances
With Correct Answers
What is the primary purpose of most constitutions?
A. to define a moral code for people to follow
B. to provide a substitute for government
C. to prevent a strong central government
D. to define and limit government power
E. to give the government absolute power - Correct Answer D. to define and limit
government power
Under which type of government would state or provincial governments have the most
sovereignty?
A. parliamentary
B. confederal
C. federal
D. totalitarian
E. dictatorship - Correct Answer B. confederal
Imagine you are preparing a speech on social contract theory for your government
class. As part of your speech, you need to focus on the idea that people have the
authority to overthrow a government that has become tyrannical. Which Enlightenment
text would be good source material?
A. Hobbes's Leviathan
B. Locke's Second Treatise of Government
C. Montesquieu's The Spirit of the Laws
D. Blackstone's Commentaries on the Laws of England
E. Machiavelli's The Prince - Correct Answer B. Locke's Second Treatise of
Government
What is considered an important Roman contribution to American government?
A. the idea of representative government in which people elect officials to speak for
them
B. the idea of a legislature that has more power than any other branch of government
C. the idea that everyone is judged under the same interpretation of the law
D. the idea that governments are only legitimate if they rule with the consent of their
people
E. the idea that people naturally give up some rights to a government for the sake of
maintaining order in society - Correct Answer A. the idea of representative
government in which people elect officials to speak for them
, According to the Declaration of Independence, when do the people have the right to
overthrow their government?
A. when the government taxes the people too much
B. when the people as a whole do not agree with the policies of the government
C. when they are ruled by a king
D. when the government fails to protect the fundamental rights of the people
E. when the economy fails to create new jobs - Correct Answer D. when the
government fails to protect the fundamental rights of the people
What was an important concern for the Founding Fathers when drafting the Articles of
Confederation?
A. avoiding the tyranny of a powerful central government
B. granting only limited powers to the new monarchy
C. providing new powers to the executive branch
D. limiting the power of certain states in the Union
E. preventing states from trading with other nations - Correct Answer A. avoiding the
tyranny of a powerful central government
The Constitution created a federal system in the United States. Which of the following
best describes a federal government?
A. equal and full sovereignty granted to all states with a weak central government
B. a parliament that grants limited power to each provincial government
C. an executive branch that has great, sweeping powers to direct a nation
D. power split and shared between the central and state governments
E. a unicameral national legislature that provides equal voting to each state - Correct
Answer D. power split and shared between the central and state governments
In 1783, which plan sought to highlight the need for a stronger national government and
used army officers to threaten a coup d'état?
A. Shays's Rebellion
B. Newburgh Conspiracy
C. The Virginia Plan
D. The New Jersey Plan - Correct Answer B. Newburgh Conspiracy
What were the Founding Fathers trying to create when they divided powers between the
judicial, legislative, and executive branches?
A. republicanism
B. executive privilege
C. due process of law
D. checks and balances
E. a federal government - Correct Answer D. checks and balances
