Unit 1 (Constitutional Underpinnings)
Multiple Choice Exam Review Sheet
Final Version (9-28 at 2:30pm)
What topics will be covered on the exam?
Chapter 1: Introducing Government in America
1. Review the bold faced terms
2. Understand the different forms of government (democracy v. republic)
3. Understand the different theories of American democracy and how these perspectives view the political
process
Chapter 2: The Constitution
1. Review the bold faced terms
2. What are the similarities and differences between the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution?
What problems existed under the Articles? How did the Constitution address these problems?
3. Why did the Founders call the Constitutional Convention? What was its purpose?
4. What were key issues of debate at the Constitutional Convention?
5. How did the founders ensure that no one branch of government became too powerful?
6. What were the Federalist Papers? Who wrote them? Why did they write them? What are the main
arguments in Federalist Paper #10? #51?
7. Review the Amendments to the Constitution (focusing on the Bill of Rights)
8. What is executive privilege?
9. What is the difference between Federalists and Anti-Federalists?
10. How can the Constitution be amended both formally and informally? Identify specific examples of
informal methods.Why are informal methods used more often than formal methods?
11. Who wrote the Declaration of Independence? What did it declare? What political philosophers
influenced the author of this work?
12. How does the Constitution check and balance the different branches of government? How does the
Constitution limit people's direct influence on government?
13. What powers are unique to the federal government? Why did the Framers give the federal government
those powers? What powers are unique to state governments? Why did the Framers give state
governments that power? What powers are shared by the federal and state governments? Why did the
Framers decide that these powers should be shared?
14. What is double jeopardy?
Chapter 3: Federalism
1. Review the bold faced terms
2. What is federalism? Does it centralize or decentralize power?
3. What is the difference between Dual Federalism, Cooperative Federalism and New Federalism? What
are examples of each?
4. What is the "necessary and proper clause"?
5. What is the significance of the following cases: Marbury v. Madison, McCulloch v. Maryland, Ogden v.
Gibbons, U.S. v. Lopez?
6. What is the difference between implied powers and enumerated powers? What are examples of each?
7. What is the supremacy clause?
8. What is the full faith and credit clause? What is an example?
9. What type of grant is offered in federal aid to state and local governments most often?
10. What are the advantages and disadvantages of federalism?
11. How do categorical grants and mandates give more power to the federal government (than the states)?
How do block grants and the 10th Amendment give more power to the states (than the federal
government)?
Overall Suggestions
 Review the Key Terms sheet and the Key Constitutional Clauses sheet
 Study your notes from the text as well as from class
 Study your quizzes
 Use the summer reading text (The Words We Live By) as well as your notes and your textbook when
answering the questions above
What is the structure of the exam?
 60 multiple choice questions in 45 minutes.
Please e-mail me if you have any questions while you are studying.