2025-2026 SERIES
BYU GOVERNMENT FINAL EXAM COMPLETE
QUESTIONS AND CORRECT ANSWERS | GRADED
AND THE LATEST SERIES
John Locke is cited for influencing our founding fathers with the phrase "life,
liberty, and property," a phrase which was modified slightly by Thomas
Jefferson when he wrote "we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men
are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain
unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of
Happiness." In which document are these words written by Thomas Jefferson?
Ans: the Declaration of Independence
Question: Which leading political thinker is given credit for his influence on the
separation of powers?
Ans: Charles-Louis Montesquieu
Question: How did Alexis de Tocqueville describe the 1830s in America?
Ans: It was a time when Americans worked together for the common good of
others.
Question: According to the author of this course, why is Tocqueville still relevant
today?
Ans: Citizens should beware of being too self-absorbed and not participating in
the political process.
, 2025-2026 SERIES
Question: After studying and reading examples about liberty and order
consider the following: After the terrorist attack on September 11, President Bush
and Congress passed the PATRIOT Act, which expanded the power of law
enforcement to secretly investigate potential terrorists. What does this suggest?
Ans: The president believed Americans had too much liberty and too little
security.
Question: What is a statement that Hobbes and Locke would both agree on?
Ans: Government is necessary to protect life and property.
Question: To keep our elected officials in check with the citizens they represent,
frequent elections are held. According to the lesson, how long is the term for a
member in the House of Representative before they face re-election?
Ans: 2 years
Question: In Federalist 10, James Madison describes our form of government
where political ideas or current issues are enlarged or refined "by passing them
through the medium of a chosen body of citizens whose wisdom may best discern
the true interest of their country." What term is best used to describe our
government?
Ans: representative republic
, 2025-2026 SERIES
Question: For the separation of powers or Three Branches of Government to
work in practice, what item(s) are needed?
Ans: The use of checks and balances.
Question: What are two examples of the checks and balances the Executive
Branch has on Congress and the Judicial Branch?
Ans: Veto power, nominating judges
Question: Which of the following is true of the Bill of Rights?
Ans: It was included in the Constitution as a concession to the Anti-federalists
who opposed ratification of the Constitution.
Question: If a country has a political system where some decisions are made in
local legislatures and others are made in the national legislature. Whose
government would this most likely be compared to?
Ans: the U.S. system of government created in Philadelphia
Question: Which of the following documents outlines the purpose of government
to protect the social rights of its citizens, chiefly among these rights are life,
liberty, and the pursuit of happiness?
Ans: Declaration of Independence
Question: Which of the following would Tocqueville most likely endorse?
, 2025-2026 SERIES
Ans: encouraging civic groups to help the poor
Question: According to Tocqueville, civic virtue means simply that individuals
have interests and desires that are not solely focused on themselves. Rather, they
are willing to give up some of the things they want in order to promote the
common good. What did he mean by this?
Ans: People should help one another because the welfare of others affects
individual welfare.
Question: Which of the following is not one of the three types of government
outlined by Montesquieu?
Ans: Democracy
Question: Which political thinker wrote The Prince, where he justified popular
sovereignty, revolution, and a separation of religious and secular government?
Ans: Machiavelli
Question: How can the principle of federalism promote the protection of civil
rights in the American federal system?
Ans: It provides both state and national governments with the ability to protect
citizens from abuses of power by the other.
Question: Classical republicanism is principally concerned with ____________
while classical liberalism is concerned with _______________.
BYU GOVERNMENT FINAL EXAM COMPLETE
QUESTIONS AND CORRECT ANSWERS | GRADED
AND THE LATEST SERIES
John Locke is cited for influencing our founding fathers with the phrase "life,
liberty, and property," a phrase which was modified slightly by Thomas
Jefferson when he wrote "we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men
are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain
unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of
Happiness." In which document are these words written by Thomas Jefferson?
Ans: the Declaration of Independence
Question: Which leading political thinker is given credit for his influence on the
separation of powers?
Ans: Charles-Louis Montesquieu
Question: How did Alexis de Tocqueville describe the 1830s in America?
Ans: It was a time when Americans worked together for the common good of
others.
Question: According to the author of this course, why is Tocqueville still relevant
today?
Ans: Citizens should beware of being too self-absorbed and not participating in
the political process.
, 2025-2026 SERIES
Question: After studying and reading examples about liberty and order
consider the following: After the terrorist attack on September 11, President Bush
and Congress passed the PATRIOT Act, which expanded the power of law
enforcement to secretly investigate potential terrorists. What does this suggest?
Ans: The president believed Americans had too much liberty and too little
security.
Question: What is a statement that Hobbes and Locke would both agree on?
Ans: Government is necessary to protect life and property.
Question: To keep our elected officials in check with the citizens they represent,
frequent elections are held. According to the lesson, how long is the term for a
member in the House of Representative before they face re-election?
Ans: 2 years
Question: In Federalist 10, James Madison describes our form of government
where political ideas or current issues are enlarged or refined "by passing them
through the medium of a chosen body of citizens whose wisdom may best discern
the true interest of their country." What term is best used to describe our
government?
Ans: representative republic
, 2025-2026 SERIES
Question: For the separation of powers or Three Branches of Government to
work in practice, what item(s) are needed?
Ans: The use of checks and balances.
Question: What are two examples of the checks and balances the Executive
Branch has on Congress and the Judicial Branch?
Ans: Veto power, nominating judges
Question: Which of the following is true of the Bill of Rights?
Ans: It was included in the Constitution as a concession to the Anti-federalists
who opposed ratification of the Constitution.
Question: If a country has a political system where some decisions are made in
local legislatures and others are made in the national legislature. Whose
government would this most likely be compared to?
Ans: the U.S. system of government created in Philadelphia
Question: Which of the following documents outlines the purpose of government
to protect the social rights of its citizens, chiefly among these rights are life,
liberty, and the pursuit of happiness?
Ans: Declaration of Independence
Question: Which of the following would Tocqueville most likely endorse?
, 2025-2026 SERIES
Ans: encouraging civic groups to help the poor
Question: According to Tocqueville, civic virtue means simply that individuals
have interests and desires that are not solely focused on themselves. Rather, they
are willing to give up some of the things they want in order to promote the
common good. What did he mean by this?
Ans: People should help one another because the welfare of others affects
individual welfare.
Question: Which of the following is not one of the three types of government
outlined by Montesquieu?
Ans: Democracy
Question: Which political thinker wrote The Prince, where he justified popular
sovereignty, revolution, and a separation of religious and secular government?
Ans: Machiavelli
Question: How can the principle of federalism promote the protection of civil
rights in the American federal system?
Ans: It provides both state and national governments with the ability to protect
citizens from abuses of power by the other.
Question: Classical republicanism is principally concerned with ____________
while classical liberalism is concerned with _______________.
