AP UNIT 4 TEST 2ND QUARTER

NAME__________________________ PERIOD________________

SECTION I DIRECTIONS – YOUR COMMITTEE GROUP WILL TURN IN ONE TYPED COPY OF EACH ESSAY ANSWER ON OR BEFORE 1/10(B) & 1/11(G).

REQUIREMENTS:

  1. EACH GROUP MEMBER MUST DO AT LEAST ONE ESSAY.
  2. EACH ESSAY’S GRADE COUNTS FOR ALL GROUP MEMBERS!
  3. EACH ESSAY MUST BE TYPED AND INCLUDE THE QUESTION AND AUTHOR’S NAME.
  4. TURN IN ALL ESSAYS TOGETHER, IN ORDER, WITH A TYPED COVER SHEET WITH ALL GROUP MEMBERS NAMES LISTED.
  5. NO LATE ESSAYS ACCEPTED! ESSAYS DUE ON OR BEFORE DUE DATE.

1. Make a brief comparison between the Virginia Constitution and the Federal Constitution. Give specific examples concerning the similarities and differences between the Preambles, Articles and Amendments.

2. Give a brief analysis of the controversy concerning the separation of church and state that led up to the establishment of the Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom.  Give examples from the State of Discord article concerning this continuing controversy for Virginia today.

3. Give an overview of the Virginia General Assembly by providing specifics concerning the powers, structure and members. Include a detailed chart that shows the steps in the law-making process.

4. Compare and contrast the Virginia Executive branch with the Federal Executive branch. Give specifics concerning the major elected and appointed officials along with the powers and duties of each.

5. Give an overview of the Virginia State Court system. Provide specifics concerning the courts, jurisdiction and officials involved in this branch.

6. Explain the 3 forms of local government in Fairfax County. Give examples concerning these forms  along with the impact of the "Dillon Rule".

7. Explain the structure and function of Fairfax County’s Board of Supervisor system. Include the powers, duties and districts of the supervisors along with the role and duties of the County Executive.

RESOURCES:

  1. USE THE PACKET PROVIDED FOR INFORMATION AND WEB SITES TO BEGIN YOUR ESSAYS.
  2. MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS ARE FOUND ON THE WEB PAGE UNDER UNIT 4 ESSAYS 2ND QUARTER.
  3. FAIRFAX COUNTY LIBRARY IN FAIRFAX CITY - THE VIRGINIA ROOM - 3RD FLOOR
  4. HELP PROVIDED IN CLASS AND AFTER SCHOOL.

SECTION II DIRECTIONS - MULTIPLE CHOICE (SEE WEB PAGE UNDER UNIT 4 ESSAYS 2ND QUARTER) - READ EACH STATEMENT AND LIST OF ANSWERS. PICK THE BEST ANSWER AND MARK THAT LETTER SPACE ON YOUR SCAN SHEET. COMPLETED SCAN SHEETS AND GROUP ESSAYS ARE DUE ON OR BEFORE 1/10(B) & 1/11(G).  MULTIPLE CHOICE COVERS WILSON CHAPTER 25 ONLY!

 

 

1. In most states, executive power is:

A. vested in a governor

B. vested in a governor and lieutenant governor

C. divided among several elected officials

D. shared between the governor and the legislature

 

 

2. Antifederalists espoused all of the following principles except:

A. the election of numerous officials

B. at-large elections

C. short terms in office

D. weak executives

 

3. Weak executives officeholders, numerous elected officials, and short terms in office were first

advocated in this country by the:

A. Antifederalists

B. Federalists

C. Jacksonians

D. progressives

 

4. Which of the following statements about the state constitutions of the original thirteen states is true?

A. They vested most government authority in the legislatures

B. They called for relatively strong governors

C. They gave all citizens the right to vote, not just propertyholders

D. They allowed the governor to veto legislative acts

 

5. Which of the statements about the state constitutions of the original thirteen states is true?

A. Many of them gave the legislature the right to pick the governor

B. They called for relatively strong governors

C. They gave all citizens the right to vote, not just propertyholders

D. They allowed the governor to veto legislative acts

 

6. The term that best described state and local government during the Jacksonian era is:

A. powerful

B. decentralized

C. unrestricted

D. nonpartisan

 

7. Establishing initiative and referendum elections, reducing the number of officeholders, and

eliminating patronage were all central goals of the:

A. Democratic party

B. Republican party

C. Jacksonians

D. progressives

 

8. The diversity of state and local government forms in this country can best be read as:

A. a tribute to the genius of the Founders

B. evidence of the importance to Americans of local issues

C. the rapid growth of the United States in the twentieth century

D. All of the above

 

9. The constitutional term for those laws that promote health, safety, and morals is:

A. police power

B. health, education, and welfare

C. states’ rights

D. safety-net laws

 

10. How a state manages its basic functions is determined by:

A. the federal Constitution

B. its constitution

C. custom

D. the federal government

 

11. State constitutions tend to differ from the federal Constitution in their:

A. reliance on natural law

B. length and detail

C. invulnerability to amendment

D. inclusion of a bill of rights

 

12. One reason for the relative length and detail of many state constitutions is that they:

A. reflect a progressive model of government

B. grew out of the British model

C. are so difficult to amend

D. reflect citizen mistrust of government

 

13. Initiative, referendum, and recall are all procedures:

A. by which citizens can remove elected officials

B. that allow legislation by voters

C. called for by the Tenth Amendment

D. that have been ruled unconstitutional

 

14. A procedure that allows voters in some states to reject a measure adopted by the legislature is:

A. the recall

B. the initiative

C. the referendum

D. impeachment

 

15. A procedure that allows voters in some states to place legislative measures directly on the ballot is:

A. the recall

B. the initiative

C. the referendum

D. impeachment

 

16. A procedure that allows voters in some states to remove an elected official from office is:

A. the recall

B. the initiative

C. the referendum

D. impeachment

 

17. A major difference between state and local government is that:

A. the existence of the states is guaranteed by the federal Constitution

B. local governments are assured of a republican form of government

C. states can be abolished

D. local government is more likely to be run on a progressive model

 

18. The legal powers of local governments in a certain category would be contained in a document called

a:

A. general-act charter

B. special-act charter

C. municipal constitution

D. metropolitan constitution

 

19. Dillon’s rule essentially states that:

A. a city can do anything that is not specifically prohibited by the state

B. no state can be divided without its consent

C. a city’s powers derive from the state

D. powers not exercised by Congress are reserved to the states

 

20. A home-rule charter is based on the principle that:

A. a city can do anything that is not specifically prohibited by the state

B. no state can be divided without its consent

C. a city’s powers derive from the state

D. powers not exercised by Congress are reserved to the states

 

21. Dillon’s rule directly contradicts the idea of:

A. metropolitan government

B. states’ rights

C. home rule

D. one person, one vote

 

22. The largest territorial unit between a state and a city or town is a:

A. special district

B. county

C. municipality

D. township

 

23. A school district is an example of a:

A. city commission

B. county commission

C. special district

D. state supervisory district

 

24. The text’s use of the terms strong and weak to describe the governors of individual states refers to the:

A. legal authority of these governors

B. actual power of individual governors

C. strength of the political parties allied with the governor

D. strength of the interest groups allied with the governor

 

25. Which of the following statements about state governors is true?

A. They may or may not be elected

B. They generally cannot veto one provision of a bill without vetoing the entire bill

C. They may or may not be of the same party as the lieutenant governor

D. They derive most of their powers from their personal attributes

 

26. Which of the following is not a right reserved to the typical state governor?

A. the right to use a line-item veto

B. the right to select a lieutenant governor

C. the right to run for a second term of office

D. the right to grant clemency to a criminal

 

27. Which of the following is not a right reserved to the typical state governor?

A. the right to prepare the state budget

B. the right to select a lieutenant governor

C. the right to command the state’s National Guard

D. the right to grant clemency to a criminal

 

28. Compared with presidential power, the power of state governors to appoint other executive officers is:

A. considerably stronger

B. considerably weaker

C. widely variable

D. almost nonexistent

 

29. The constitutional limitation on a governor’s power to appoint executive officials arises in part from:

A. the federal Constitution

B. political parties

C. civil-service laws

D. requirements that certain officials be elected

 

30. In most parts of the country, according to the text, the outcome of state legislative elections is most

closely related to the outcome of:

A. presidential elections

B. congressional elections

C. local elections

D. gubernatorial elections

 

31. Party leaders in the state legislatures derive their powers from all of the following except:

A. the ability to pick committee chairpersons

B. legislative patronage

C. judicial appointments

D. control over campaign funds

 

32. Among the matters typically brought before municipal courts are all of the following except:

A. minor criminal offenses

B. small claims

C. traffic violations

D. felonies

 

33. A state supreme court can almost guarantee a review of its decisions by:

A. upholding a state law

B. invalidating a state law

C. invalidating a federal law

D. upholding a federal law

 

34. Depending on the state, judges may be chosen by any of the following methods except:

A. partisan election

B. the Missouri plan

C. federal appointment

D. appointment by the governor

 

35. The most common form of city government is the:

A. council-manager plan

B. mayor-council plan

C. commission plan

D. metropolitan system of government

 

36. Under a strong-mayor system, the city chief executive is:

A. elected with substantial administrative authority

B. elected with diluted administrative authority

C. appointed with substantial administrative authority

D. appointed with diluted administrative authority

 

37. In Houston, the method chosen for dealing with wide-area governmental problems was that of:

A. consolidation

B. city-service contracts

C. annexation

D. metropolitan government

 

38. The objection that many suburbs have to the metropolitan form of government is that it:

A. is most costly to them

B. is a less efficient way of dealing with metropolitan problems

C. sacrifices their independence

D. fails to deal with problems such as crime and pollution

 

39. One of the reasons policy making in the states differs from that at the federal level is that:

  1. it is more difficult for states to borrow money
  2. states have to deal with more areas of conflict
  3. state government is more bureaucratic
  4. states do not have to be concerned with a "good business climate."

 

40. One of the reasons policy making in the states differs from that at the federal level is that:

  1. state politics is fiscally more constrained than national politics
  2. states have to deal with more areas of conflict
  3. state government is more bureaucratic
  4. states do not have to be concerned with a "good business climate."