C963 American Politics Curriculum Pre-Assessment WGU
Exam with Questions and Rationalized Answers
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1. Which concept is an Enlightenment idea that influenced the leaders of the
American Revolution?: Social Contract
2. How does the Bill of Rights reflect the influence of the Enlightenment ideas on
the Constitution?: The Bill of Rights explicitly listed individual freedoms
3. What was a major problem with the Articles of Confederation?: The national
government did not have the power to impose taxes
4. What describes Clause 3 of Article IV, Section 2 in the constitution?: Slave
owners could reclaim their slaves in states where they had fled
5. What describes the opposing views in the debates between the Federalists
and the Anti-Federalists?: Federalists favored a strong central government while
the Anti-Federalist favored strong state governments
6. How do the branches of the government operate under the concept of checks
and balances?: The branch of government must cooperate to to function, and each
branch can restrict the other branches' powers
7. What describes the general structure of the U.S. government under the
Articles of Confederation?: It was an alliance of independent states under a limited
central government
8. Which major compromise was made at the Constitutional Convention?: The
proportional representation of enslaved persons (3/5)
,9. What is an argument outlined in Federalist, no. 10?: The diverse interests of the
people would prevent the development of powerful political parties
10. What is a primary effect of the census on the functioning of Congress?: It is
used to determine the number of House representatives for each state
11. Which describes the purpose of Congressional appropriations commit-
tees?: They recommended how specific funds are allocated
12. Which power is assigned to the House under the Constitution?: Originating
congressional spending bills
13. What is an example of checks and balances between the executive and
legislative branches of government?: The Senate must confirm the President's
Supreme Court nominee
14. Which presidential power can be restricted by Congress?: Appointing cab-
inet members
15. Which president was impeached by the House of Representatives?: An-
drew Johnson for firing his secretary of war
16. What is true about the U.S. court system?: It is a dual system with a federal
court system and courts in each state
17. Which type of power is a state's right to tax?: A concurrent power
18. What is an example of a state exercising a concurrent power?: Issuing
bonds to fund an infrastructure project
,19. How does apportionment influence the makeup of Congress?: It deter-
mines the allocation of seats in the House of Representatives based on the equal
proportions method
20. What is the general purpose of the president making recess appoint-
ments?: To fill cabinet vacancies while bypassing Senate approval
21. What describes the Supreme Court's use of the judicial principal of stare
decisis?: The Supreme Court's precedents are treated as established law
22. What was the significance of the Supreme Court's ruling in McCulloch v.
Maryland?: It established a loose constructionist view of the necessary and proper
clause
23. What is an example of a state exercising its reserve power?: Establishing
laws to regulate businesses in the state
24. Which statement describes characteristics of a social contract?: A collec-
tive expression of a collectively shared interest, A definition of human nature, A
specification of natural right
25. In what way is the state of nature important for constructing a social
contract?: The state of nature gives definition to what it means to be human and
gives definition to natural rights
26. Why is it important to know what the quality of life is like in the state of
nature?: It explains the incentive for working cooperatively with others and it helps to
frame the type of social contract that is needed to make individual life better
27. What is the purpose of a social contract?: To acknowledge and protect
natural rights
28. What is an important weakness of a social contract?: Social contracts re-
, quire consensus
29. Which statements are true about natural rights?: They let you do what you
need to survive and be secure and they impart an equality of being among all people
30. Which statements are true concerning the state of nature?: Is a thought
experiment upon which a definition of proper society and government are built and
permits a philosophical definition of human nature
31. What conditions are required for a social contract to work?: Uniformity of
ability and purpose among those who agree to the social contract and Consensus
among those whom the social contract applies to
32. Which of these describes the theory of the social contract?: Society is not
natural, but created by the people.
33. What are social contracts constructed to be compatible with?: Human
Nature and Natural Rights
34. Why were foreign governments reluctant to loan money to the United
States during the time of the Articles of Confederation?: Since the national
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