CIVICS AND ECONOMICS
PRETEST
2005
(teacher’s copy)
DIRECTIONS:
READ EACH QUESTION CAREFULLY AND CHOOSE THE BEST ANSWER TO
EACH. PLACE THE LETTER OF THE CORRECT ANSWER ON THE ANSWER
SHEET BY DARKENING THE LETTER THAT CORESPONDS TO THE
CORRECT QUESTION AND ANSWER.
EXAMPLE:
SA1:
WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING IS CONSIDERED TO BE PAPER MONEY AND
COINS?
A.
CURRENCY
B.
CREDIT CARDS
C.
PLASTIC
D.
BONDS
1. Which of the following is a right found in the Magna Carta that is also
enjoyed by American citizens? ( A )
a. The right to bear arms
b. The right to a trial by jury
c. The right to taxation without representation
d. The right to diplomatic immunity
After reading, the following quote choose the best answer to question number 1.
“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. That to secure these
rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers
from the consent of the governed, that whenever any Form of Government
becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or
abolish it, and to institute new Government…”
2. This excerpt from the Declaration of Independence illustrates which of the
colonists’ beliefs? ( A )
a. The purpose of government is to protect the rights of the people.
b. The British government was a great model for American democracy.
c. Effective governments follow rules that are made by a select few.
d. Once a government is instituted, it can never by abolished.
3. Which of the following is not the case in a free election? ( A )
a. People are required by law to publicly announce their voting decisions.
b. All candidates have the right to publicly express their views.
c. Each person’s vote carries equal importance.
d. A minimum of legal requirements for voting must exist.
4. The two cases of Plessey v. Ferguson (1896) and Brown v. Board of Education of
Topeka (Kansas) (1954), demonstrate a way in which a Supreme Court’s decision
can be changed. Which concept is demonstrated here? ( D )
a. Amend the Constitution
b. Rewrite Article III, Section II
c. Remove the lawyers and the issue
d. Reverse a decision of a previous case
Using the following Venn diagram, choose the best answer to question number 5.
5. Where did the loyalties of Anti-Federalists lie in their efforts to reform the
Constitution? ( B )
a. A only
b. B only
c. B and C
d. C only
Using the map, answer the following question by choosing the correct letter.
6. According to the map, what material was produced by both New York and North
Carolina during the pre-Revolutionary era? (B)
a. Rice
b. Grain
c. Tobacco
d. Indigo
7. At the current time, which of the following is considered a totalitarian state? ( C)
a. Great Britain
b. Japan
c. North Korea
d. Argentina
8. Which of the following is not included in the First Amendment right to freedom
of speech? ( C )
a. The right to broadcast live news on television about a public official.
b. The right spread awareness of political issues via the Internet.
c. The right to incite a riot in protest of the election of a crooked politician.
d. The right to debate political issues in face-to-face discussions.
9. All of the following are fundamental principals of the Constitution except which
one? ( C )
a. The rule of law
b. Popular sovereignty
c. Unity of powers
d. Checks and balances
10. According to the Virginia Plan, which of the following determined the number of
legislative representatives to which a state would be entitled? ( A )
a. Population
b. Size
c. Influence
d. Location
11. Which of the following is an example of a concurrent power between state and
national government? ( C )
a. Establishing public schools
b. Coining and printing money
c. Collecting taxes
d. Raising an army
12. What is the primary purpose of constitutional amendments? ( A )
a. They ensure the personal freedoms of individuals.
b. They grant the government additional power.
c. They prevent diverse interpretations of the Constitution.
d. They protect the nation against foreign invasion.
13. The Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas (1954),
ruled that which of the following practice violated the Fourteenth Amendment? ( D )
a. Racial segregation in the nation’s armed forces
b. Racial segregation on public transportation
c. Racial segregation in restaurants
d. Racial segregation in public schools
14. Gitlow v. New York (1925) ensured that the Fourteenth Amendment could
safeguard free speech and free press from “impairment” by which of the
following? (B )
a. The national government
b. The states
c. Individual citizens
d. Foreign diplomats
15. Under the Constitution, state governments are expressly forbidden to do which of
the following? ( B )
a. To call a National Guard in a local emergency
b. To impose taxes on imports from other states
c. To maintain a militia under the governor’s control
d. To refuse too be divided or merged with another state
16. Which of the following refers to an act that Congress passed in 1996 to help the
poor get off welfare and become self-sufficient taxpayers? ( C )
a. UNICEF
b. NIMB
c. TANF
d. MADD
17. What is the responsibility of North Carolina’s public defenders?
a. To represent the low-income people accused of crimes
b. To represent the general public in lawsuits against the state
c. To represent the state in criminal cases
d. To administer foreclosures, wills and adoptions
18. Which political official is the most powerful of the president’s top advisors? ( C )
a. The assistant for domestic affairs
b. The counsel to the president
c. The chief of staff
d. The press secretary
19. Which of the following is not a factor in the strong-mayor system? ( C )
a. The mayor has a staff of assistants.
b. The city council members focus on district issues.
c. The city council appoints departmental heads.
d. The mayor develops the city budget.
20. In what year did voters approve North Carolina’s present Constitution? ( D )
a. 1689
b. 1776
c. 1835
d. 1970
21. In 1997, the North Carolina Supreme Court ruled that the state government is not
required to provide equal education funding for all counties. On what platform
was this ruling based? ( A ) a.
a. On an interpretation of the state constitution
b. On new legislation that had been recently passed
c. On the U.S. Constitution
d. On the basic principles of the ruling judge
22. What is a privilege of citizenship that state governments can deny a convicted
criminal? ( B )
a. The right to a court appeal
b. The right to vote
c. The right to citizenship
d. The right to an attorney
23. How did the Twenty-fourth Amendment strengthen the power of the Fifteenth
Amendment? ( A )
e. It gave all citizens the right to vote without having to pay a poll tax.
f. It gave African American women the right to vote.
g. It gave all citizens eighteen years and older the right to vote.
h. It gave naturalized citizens the right to vote.
24. What is the largest source of revenue for the state of North Carolina? ( A )
a. Income taxes
b. Property taxes
c. Sales taxes
d. Traffic tickets
25. Which of the following is a responsibility that is held by the state government?
(A)
a. Maintaining firehouses
b. Delivering mail
c. Providing public libraries
d. Building highways
26. Which of the following is a single-issue political party? (D)
a. Socialist Labor Party
b. Libertarian Party
c. Communist Party USA
d. Prohibitionist Party
27. Which of the following is not the case in a free election? (A)
a. People are required by law to publicly announce their voting decisions.
b. All candidates have the right to publicly express their views.
c. Each person’s vote carries equal importance.
d. A minimum of legal requirements for voting must exist.
28. All of these are required of a presidential candidate except which one? ( C )
a. The candidate must be at least thirty-five years old.\
b. The candidate must be a native-born citizen.
c. The candidate must be male.
d. The candidate must have been a resident of the U.S. for at least fourteen
years.
29. Which of the following is an example of a public policy goal? (A)
a. Government leaders decided they want to strengthen national security.
b. A community calls a town meeting to discuss its annual budget.
c. A dictator cuts off communication with an opposing government.
d. Government leaders pass laws that restrict interstate commerce.
30. Which description most likely defines the term “suburbs”? (D)
a. Neighborhoods where people work
b. Small incorporated cities
c. Regional government centers
d. Communities close to larger cities
31. Why is voting one of a citizen’s most important responsibility? (A)
a. It is an individual’s way of giving his/her consent to the government.
b. It proves that the individual is knowledgeable about current political
issues.
c. It prevents corrupt government officials from gaining power.
d. It gives citizens a higher priority status in the government’s agenda.
32. Which of the following is most likely to be a full-time job in North Carolina? (B)
a. Volunteer firefighter
b. City manager
c. Mayor
d. City council member
33. Which political figure famously challenged American’s to “ask not what your
country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country”? (B)
a. George W. Bush
b. John F. Kennedy
c. Alan Greenspan
d. Franklin D. Roosevelt
34. When teenager Emily Wistar of Delmar, New York, joined the lobby for a
“Sweat-Free School Bill,” what was she asking schools to consider? ( B )
a. The cost of heating systems
b. The labor practices of companies
c. The accessibility of athletic facilities
d. The academic pressure on students
35. Which is not a true statement about legal precedents? ( C )
a. They set models for future cases.
b. They are powerful arguments to use in court.
c. They have the same force as law.
d. They are generally followed by judges and courts.
36. What landmark court case enabled the Supreme Court to claim the power of
judicial review? (D)
a. McCulloch v. Maryland
b. Gideon v. Wainwright
c. Gibbons v. Ogden
d. Marbury v. Madison
37. What is one means that Congress has of circumventing a Supreme Court
decision? (A)
a. Passing a new law
b. Appointing a new Supreme Court Justice
c. Calling on citizens to overturn it
d. Filing a suit against the Supreme Court
38. Which of the following is not a negative consequence of the fact that North
Carolina’s General Assembly has the second-greatest number of committees in
the United States? (D)
a. The legislative process is slowed down.
b. The passage of the state budget is often delayed.
c. Important study commissions are neglected.
d. The legislative power of the assembly is too concentrated.
39. Which of the following is not a true statement about the counties in a particular
American state? (D)
a. Delaware has tree counties.
b. Louisiana calls its counties “parishes.”
c. Texas has 254 counties.
d. Rhode Island calls its counties “boroughs.”
40. Which of the following has become the most important medium for American
politics?
a. The Internet
b. Newspapers
c. Television
d. Radio
41. Louisiana’s system of laws is based on which of the following codes? ( C )
a. Justinian Code
b. Code of Roman Law
c. Napoleonic Code
d. Code of Hammurabi
42. In a civil case, who is the plaintiff? (D)
a. The state government
b. The party accused of wrongdoing
c. The custodial parent
d. The party filling the lawsuit
43. Why doesn’t a state take legal action in a civil case? ( C )
a. Because civil cases are too time consuming for a state’s agenda
b. Because civil cases usually involve felony offenses
c. Because civil cases do not threaten the social order
d. Because civil cases are too expensive for a state to handle
44. What is the best definition of a newsgroup? (B)
a. An online forum where journalists file news stories
b. An online forum where citizens can exchange information
c. An online forum where politicians can debate public issues
d. An online forum where international news summaries are published
45. Interest groups may use direct mail to do which of the following? ( C )
a. Seek free publicity
b. Learn about other groups
c. Recruit new members
d. Receive media coverage
46. When Ethel Percy Andrus formed the AARP in 1958, which aim did her
lobbying efforts rally around? ( C )
a. Preventing guns from falling into children’s hands
b. Protecting minority groups from workplace discrimination
c. Meeting the needs of Americans over age fifty
d. Offering support to single working mothers
47. In North Carolina, who hires and supervises the police chief in a non-manager
municipality? (A)
a. Governing board
b. General assembly
c. City manager
d. Voters
48. Of the following offenses, which is not classified as a felony? (D)
a. Murder
b. Robbery
c. Kidnapping
d. Vandalism
49. The forklifts that are used to load trucks would be classified under which of
the following four “factors of production”?
a. Natural resources
b. Labor
c. Capital
d. Entrepreneurs
50. When does scarcity occur? ( C )
a. When citizens have a surplus of resources
b. When citizens import needed resources
c. When citizens have a shortage of resources
d. When citizens develop additional resources
51. In this representation of a state budget, if part of the twenty-five percent of
available funds is used to finance law enforcement, the total amount of which
expense is certain to be the opportunity cost of that decision? ( C )
a. Recycling
b. Law enforcement
c. Education
d. Roads
52. If a house builder hires an electrician to do the wiring for a house, which
economic tactic is being used? (D)
a. Supply
b. Demand
c. Production
d. Specialization
53. What business practice is most likely to result in higher-quality products and
increased profits? (B)
a. Investment in natural resources
b. Investment in human capital
c. Investment in excessive production
d. Investment in workforce reduction
54. The pure market economy in the United States is inherent to what type of
economic system? (A)
a. The Capitalist system
b. The socialist system
c. The totalitarian system
d. The communist system
55. Under a command economy system, who makes major economic decisions? (D)
a. Private businesses
b. Consumers
c. Foreign investors
d. The central government
56. The Consumer’s role as the sole chooser of goods drives a market economy just
as the government’s role as the sole chooser of goods drives which of the
following? (A)
a. A command economy
b. A traditional economy
c. A mixed economy
d. A capitalist economy
57. Mortgage payments are classified under which of cost category? (B)
a. Marginal cost
b. Fixed cost
c. Variable cost
d. Total cost
58. What happens when the real GDP goes up? (A)
a. The economy expands.
b. Unemployment rises.
c. Prices are inflated.
d. The economy suffers a recession.
59. If a store operates only during limited hours, what factor might negatively impact
its revenue? (B)
a. Supply
b. Demand
c. Competition\
d. Capital
60. Which of the following is not an example of a trade-off? ( C )
a. A government puts more money into education and slashes the
national defense budget.
b. A family sends its children to public high school to save money for
college funds.
c. A consumer buys a DVD player that has been reduced to a sale price.
d. A farmer burns acres of rain forest to clear more farmland.
61. Unlimited liability presents the biggest threat to what form of business
organization? (D)
a. corporations
b. Partnerships
c. Nonprofits
d. Sole proprietorships
62. In what way does the practice of transparency empower current and potential
shareholders in a corporation?
a. By establishing the strike price of their shares
b. By providing them with accurate income statements
c. By ensuring them equal shares of the company’s profits
d. By allowing hem to set asking prices for new shares
63. Which of the following events increases an individual’s purchasing power? (A)
a. Fall in taxes
b. Rise in inflation
c. Fall in income
d. Rise in demand
64. An economic model is based on which of the following? (D)
a. Statistics
b. Facts
c. Distortions
d. Assumptions
65. Which guarantee in the “Consumer Bill of Rights” addresses the right to obtain
fair payment from manufacturers for damage caused by their products? (B)
a. The right to a safe product
b. The right to redress
c. The right to be informed
d. The right to be heard
66. Who appoints the members of the Board of Governors? ©
a. Voters
b. Congress
c. The president
d. Senate
67. How does competition help consumers? (B)
a. Determines the level of profit
b. More choices at lower prices
c. Determines the selling price of an item
d. More items at higher prices
68. If a nation has a comparative advantage with regard to the production of a certain
good, what is it most likely to do? (B)
a. Import more of that product
b. Specialize in making that product
c. Ban the making of that product
d. Suffer from a scarcity of that product
69. When a nation’s currency depreciates, what is that nation most likely to do?
a. Export more goods
b. Import more goods
c. Cease all production
d. Print more money
70. When a financial institution fails, which of the following offers a service to
protect consumers against monetary loss? (D)
a. A savings and loan association
b. The Federal Reserve System
c. A commercial bank
d. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
71. How does the local government regulate how private landowners can use land?
(B)
a. Through municipal land-use plans
b. Through zoning
c. Through county land-use plans
d. Through ETJs
72. Who pays higher taxes s a result of progressive tax rates? (B)
a. Poor taxpayers
b. Wealthy taxpayers
c. Taxpayers who own property
d. Tax evaders
73. After becoming interested in public service during his education in segregated
schools, what “first” did Harvey Gantt accomplish? (A)
a. First African American mayor in Charlotte
b. First African American mayor in North Carolina
c. First African American mayor in the United States
d. First African American mayor in the South
74. What is the largest source of revenue for the state of North Carolina? (A)
a. Income taxes
b. Property taxes
c. Sales taxes
d. Traffic tickets
75. Why does the North Carolina Constitution require that the state government get
voter approval through a referendum in order to issue General Obligation (GO)
bonds? ( C )
a. Funds raised by GO bond are used to fund out-of-state projects.
b. Elected officials become wealthy when GO bonds are repaid.
c. Citizens force the state to repay GO bonds by raising taxes.
d. Courts refuse to hear cases relating to GO payments.
76. Which of the following is not a valid statement about how the Internet could
negatively affect citizens in the U. S.? ( C )
a. The Internet may widen the gap between poor and wealthy citizens.
b. The Internet may empower intolerant extremist groups.
c. The Internet may aid the free exchange of knowledge and ideas.
d. The Internet may leave people vulnerable to invasions of privacy.
77. The government has not passed laws to mandate equal pay for employees with
regard to what? ( C )
a. Racial status
b. Disability status
c. Educational background
d. Religious affiliation
78. Under a command economy system, who makes major economic decisions? (D)
a. Private businesses
b. Consumers
c. Foreign investors
d. The central government
79. What is the term for the exchange of money for the purchase of goods and
services? ( C )
a. A face-off
b. A tip-off
c. A trade-off
d. A payoff
80. Louisiana’s system of laws is based on which of the following codes? ( C )
a. Justinian Code
b. Code of Roman Law
c. Napoleonic Code
d. Code of Hammurabi
81. Which of the following is not an obstacle to the development of successful
recycling programs? ( B )
a. Not all waste is recyclable.
b. Recycling leads to conservation.
c. Many people ignore recycling efforts.
d. The recycling industry is not always profitable.
82. In what way does the Bill of Rights protect the civil liberties of the American
people? (A)
a. It limits the extent of the government’s power over citizens.
b. It encourages the press to limit its criticism of the government.
c. It prevents people from interfering with government affairs
d. It discourages people from organizing rallies and demonstrations.
83. Which of the following is an accurate description of Cuba’s dictatorship? (C )
a. Its government is similar to that of the United States.
b. Its citizens are the source of the government’s authority.
c. Its government is controlled by a small group of people.
d. Its citizens all have an equal voice.
84. Why did the Anti-Federalist object to the Constitution? ( A )
a. They felt it gave too much power to the national government.
b. They felt it gave too much power to the independent citizens.
c. They felt it gave too much power to larger states.
d. They felt it gave too much power to foreign governments.
Use the following flow chart to choose the best answer for question 1.
85. According to the chart, which of the following is an example of the system of
checks and balances? ( B )
a. The legislative branch can appoint judges.
b. The executive branch can veto legislation.
c. The judicial branch can impeach the president.
d. The executive branch can overturn verdicts.
86. Which of the following schools receives state funding but is excused form
meeting many public school regulations? ( A )
a. A charter school
b. A public secondary school
c. A public elementary school
d. A privatized school
87. Home rule does not allow a municipality to do which of the following? (A )
a. Override state laws
b. Write charters
c. Choose its government
d. Manage it own affairs
88. The Fourteenth Amendment does not extend citizenship to which of the
following? ( D )
a. An individual born on an American overseas military base
b. An individual born on U.S. soil to non-U.S. citizens
c. An individual born in the District of Columbia
d. An individual born to foreign diplomats living the U.S.
89. How did the Twenty-fourth Amendment strengthen the power of the Fifteenth
Amendment? ( A )
a. It gave all citizens the right to vote without having to pay a poll tax.
b. It gave African American women the right to vote.
c. It gave all citizens eighteen years and older the right to vote.
d. It gave naturalized citizens the right to vote.
90. Which of the following is not an option when the North Carolina state budget is
not balanced on time? ( C )
a. Raising taxes
b. Cutting services
c. Selling private property
d. Spending leftover funds
91. Which of the following is not a basic purpose of governments? ( C )
a. To provide public services
b. To protect people from harm
c. To ensure personal happiness
d. To improve the quality of life
92. Which group of American Citizens was not allowed to vote in national elections
until the Twenty-third Amendment was passed in 1961? ( C )
a. African American women
b. Naturalized citizens
c. District of Columbia residents
d. People under the age of 18
93. What does not constitute acting as a “watchdog” for a party that has been voted
out of an election? (B)
a. Watching for any misuse of power by the elected political party
b. Investigating the personal lives of party officials
c. Forcing the party in power to pay attention to the will of the people
d. Offering solutions to problems that the party in power is mismanaging
“THE UNITED STATES HAS ATTRACTED PEOPLE FROM ALL OVER THE
WORLD WHO HAVE WANTED TO BECOME PART OF AMERICAN LIFE. IT IS A
SOCIETY IN WHICH PEOPLE OF MANY DIFFERENT ETHNIC BACKGROUNDS
LIVE.”
94. What term best exemplifies the preceding description? ( C )
a. Ethnic Society
b. Homogeneous Society
c. Pluralistic Society
d. Closed Society
95. Volunteers for which government-funded program travel to foreign nations to
provide a host of services including small business advisement and teaching? ( C )
a. Citizen Corps
b. Freedom Corps
c. Peace Corps
d. AmeriCorps
96. Which of the following is not one of the reasons the U.S. government does not
always respond to social problems quickly and efficiently? (D)
a. The government is a bureaucracy.
b. The government must balance a number of pressing social issues at one
time.
c. The government has limited resources.
d. The government relies on citizens to resolve the nation’s social issues
97. What is the term for an agreement among a group of nations that prohibits trade
with a target nation? (A)
a. A trade embargo
b. An official exclusion
c. A trade sanction
d. An executive agreement
98. Which of the following are examples of statutory law? (A)
a. Speed limits
b. Divorces
c. Torts
d. Diplomatic treaties
99. If the President vetoes a bill, what happens to the bill? (D)
a. The bill automatically becomes law within 10 days
b. The bill is held for another session of Congress
c. The bill is held for 10 days by the clerk
d. The bill is returned to Congress with explanations of objections to it
100.Which of the following is often referred to as a “victimless crime”? (A)
a. Illegal drug use
b. Fraud
c. Vandalism
d. Manslaughter