american government - walchwalch.com/samplepages/06124x.pdfwhich of the following is a basic...

American Government

Robert Taggart

®

PB SS Amer Gov TB 3/30/05 3:35 PM Page i

Table of ContentsTo the Student . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v

UUnniitt 11:: WWhhaatt IIss GGoovveerrnnmmeenntt??Lesson 1: Forms of Government . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3Lesson 2: Moderate Versus Extreme Government . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10Lesson 3: Forms of Democracy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

UUnniitt 22:: TThhee CCoonnssttiittuuttiioonnaall FFrraammeewwoorrkkLesson 4: Introduction to the U.S. Constitution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27Lesson 5: The Constitutional Convention of 1787 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32Lesson 6: The Philosophy and Principles of the Constitution . . . . . . . 38Lesson 7: The Structure of the Constitution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

UUnniitt 33:: PPoolliittiiccaall PPaarrttiieess aanndd VVoottiinnggLesson 8: Political Parties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57Lesson 9: Power and Our National Government . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64Lesson 10: What Is the Democratic Process? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69Lesson 11: Being a Responsible Voter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

UUnniitt 44:: TThhee FFeeddeerraall GGoovveerrnnmmeennttLesson 12: What Is the Federal Government? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85Lesson 13: Separation of Powers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87Lesson 14: The U.S. Congress . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88Lesson 15: The Executive Branch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95Lesson 16: The Judicial Branch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102Lesson 17: Checks and Balances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110

American Government

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Table of Contents, continued

UUnniitt 55:: TThhee PPrreessiiddeennttiiaall EElleeccttiioonn PPrroocceessssLesson 18: Presidential Elections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123Lesson 19: The Electoral College . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131Lesson 20: Choosing the Best Candidate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140

UUnniitt 66:: SSttaattee GGoovveerrnnmmeennttLesson 21: Our Fifty States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149Lesson 22: About State Government . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151Lesson 23: The Powers of the States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156Lesson 24: State Income and Expenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162

UUnniitt 77:: LLooccaall GGoovveerrnnmmeennttLesson 25: What Is Local Government? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177Lesson 26: County Government . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187Lesson 27: City Government . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192

AppendixesA. The Bill of Rights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202B. The Declaration of Independence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204

Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224

American Government

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UNIT 2The Constitutional Framework

PB SS Amer Gov TB 3/30/05 3:35 PM Page 25

LESSON 4: Introduction to the U.S. Constitution

GOAL: To understand the historical context for the Americanindependence movement and its founding documents

WORDS TO KNOW

WWhhaatt IIss tthhee CCoonnssttiittuuttiioonn??The U.S. CCoonnssttiittuuttiioonn is a written document. It explains the rules forrunning the government of the United States. The Constitution has nowbeen in force for over 200 years. This is longer than any other writtenconstitution of any other nation. Although much has happened in ourcountry, the Constitution has remained much the same. In over 200 years,there have only been 27 amendments to the Constitution.

The Constitution is the supreme law, the highest law of the land. Noperson in this country is free from following its rules. No part of the UnitedStates government is free from following its rules, either.

The Constitution did not spring up overnight. It grew out of the firstAmericans’ fight for freedom. The Constitution is also the result ofcompromises worked out by the founders of our country.

Although the Constitution is our highest law, that does not mean itcannot be changed. The people who wrote our Constitution wanted tomake it flexible. They wanted to make sure it would still make sense associety changed. So, rules within the Constitution allow for changes.

Lesson 4: Introduction to the U.S. Constitution • American Government

27

AArrttiicclleess ooff CCoonnffeeddeerraattiioonn

ccoolloonniissttss

ccoolloonnyy

CCoonnssttiittuuttiioonn

CCoonnttiinneennttaall CCoonnggrreessss

DDeeccllaarraattiioonn ooff IInnddeeppeennddeennccee

ddeelleeggaatteess

pprreessiiddeenntt

pprriinncciipplleess


■ PRACTICE 12: What Is the Constitution?Circle the letter of the correct answer to each question.

11.. Which U.S. citizens are free from following the Constitution?aa.. wealthy citizensbb.. elderly citizenscc.. government workersdd.. none of the above

22.. Circle the letter of the statement that is TRUE.aa.. The Constitution can be changed.bb.. The Constitution can never be changed.

33.. How long has our current Constitution been in force?aa.. over 300 yearsbb.. less than 200 yearscc.. over 200 yearsdd.. none of the above

44.. Circle the letter of the statement that is FALSE.aa.. There have been no changes to the Constitution in over

200 years.bb.. The Constitution is our country’s highest law.

Unit 2: The Constitutional Framework • American Government

28

You may come across words in this book that you do notknow. When you see an unfamiliar word, look at the textaround the word for context clues. Context clues can helpyou understand the meaning of a word you do not know.For example, the text on page 27 uses the word supreme.You may not know what this word means. Look at thesentence surrounding the word supreme. The phrasehighest law of the land is used to describe the same thingas supreme law. This tells you that supreme probablymeans “highest.”

TIP


TThhee DDeeccllaarraattiioonn ooff IInnddeeppeennddeenncceeIn 1607, England settled its first colony in the “new world” of NorthAmerica, at Jamestown. A ccoolloonnyy is a group of people who live in a newterritory but are still partly controlled by their home country. The colonyat Jamestown did not last. The ccoolloonniissttss,, or people living in the colony, didnot know how to provide for themselves in the new land. Also, there was a constant shortage of supplies from England. Still, by the late 1600s,England had settled 13 other colonies. Most of these colonies were in what is today the northeastern United States. The 13 colonies were thefollowing:

Connecticut New Hampshire Rhode Island

Delaware New Jersey South Carolina

Georgia New York Virginia

Maryland North Carolina

Massachusetts Pennsylvania

On July 4, 1776, these 13 colonies declared their independence fromEngland. The colonists were angry with England. They believed that theEnglish government was ignoring their rights. They decided to form theirown government.

The colonists wrote the DDeeccllaarraattiioonn ooff IInnddeeppeennddeennccee.. In this document,they argued for their right to form a new nation. They explained thewrongs done to the colonies by the English king. They stated that the 13 colonies were now an independent country.

The Declaration of Independence stated three basic pprriinncciipplleess.. Thesebeliefs served as the foundation of the United States government. Thethree basic principles of the Declaration of Independence are listed below.

■ All people are created equal.

■ All people have a right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

■ Government should carry out the wishes of the people.


29


■ PRACTICE 13: The Declaration of IndependenceCircle the letter of the correct answer to each of the following questions.

11.. Why did the colonists want to form their own government?aa.. They wanted to go back to England.bb.. They did not want too much power for themselves.cc.. They believed that England was ignoring their rights.dd.. They wanted to become part of Spain.

22.. Which of the following is a basic principle of the Declaration ofIndependence? (Hint: There is more than one correct answer.)

aa.. Government should carry out the wishes of the people.bb.. Government should provide clothing, shelter, and food for

the people.cc.. All people are created equal.dd.. All people have a right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of

happiness.

TThhee AArrttiicclleess ooff CCoonnffeeddeerraattiioonnIn 1777, ddeelleeggaatteess,, or representatives, from the 13 colonies wrote thecountry’s first constitution. This group of representatives was known asthe CCoonnttiinneennttaall CCoonnggrreessss.. The constitution they wrote was called theAArrttiicclleess ooff CCoonnffeeddeerraattiioonn..

The Continental Congress worried about giving their new governmenttoo much power. They did not want to trade the English king for anotherharsh ruler. So, the Articles of Confederation called for a weak nationalgovernment.

In fact, the new government was too weak. At least 9 out of the 13colonies had to agree on any law. It was rare for so many colonies to agree,so the government had trouble passing laws. The new government alsohad no pprreessiiddeenntt,, so there was nobody in charge who could carry out thelaws. And, the new government had no courts, so there was no way tosettle disputes.

Unit 2: The Constitutional Framework • American Government

30


■ PRACTICE 14: The Articles of ConfederationCircle the letter of the correct answer to each of the following questions.

11.. Under the Articles of Confederation, how many states had to agreeon new laws?

aa.. 13bb.. 9cc.. 10dd.. 8

22.. Why did the new government have trouble carrying out laws?aa.. There was no president.bb.. There were no courts.cc.. It was too strong.dd.. There was no constitution.

33.. Why did the new government have trouble settling disputes?aa.. There was no president.bb.. There were no courts.cc.. It was too strong.dd.. There was no constitution.


31

The act of writing a new constitution may seem like a pagefrom history, but countries around the world are stillwriting new constitutions today. For example,Czechoslovakia had to write a new constitution when itbroke free from the former Soviet Union in 1989. Then, in1993, Czechoslovakia split into two countries: the CzechRepublic and Slovakia. To prepare for this split, the Czechgovernment had to write another new constitution, passedin December 1992.

IN REAL LIFE


American Government

WALCH PUBLISHING

Teacher’s Guide

®

To the Teacher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . viClassroom Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . viiiApplication Activity Rubric . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ixUse Chart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . x

UUnniitt 11:: WWhhaatt IIss GGoovveerrnnmmeenntt??Unit Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1Suggested Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

UUnniitt 22:: TThhee CCoonnssttiittuuttiioonnaall FFrraammeewwoorrkkUnit Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3Suggested Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

UUnniitt 33:: PPoolliittiiccaall PPaarrttiieess aanndd VVoottiinnggUnit Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6Suggested Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

UUnniitt 44:: TThhee FFeeddeerraall GGoovveerrnnmmeennttUnit Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8Suggested Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

UUnniitt 55:: TThhee PPrreessiiddeennttiiaall EElleeccttiioonn PPrroocceessssUnit Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11Suggested Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

UUnniitt 66:: SSttaattee GGoovveerrnnmmeennttUnit Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13Suggested Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

UUnniitt 77:: LLooccaall GGoovveerrnnmmeennttUnit Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15Suggested Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Answer Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17Graphic Organizers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23Student Book Appendixes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28Student Book Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Table of Contents

© 2005 Walch Publishing Teacher’s Guide • American Government

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3

Unit 2 presents the U.S. Constitution. Lesson 4 examines the historical context for the Americanindependence movement and its founding documents, including the Declaration of Independenceand the Articles of Confederation. Lesson 5 follows the historical events and compromises involved inthe creation of the Constitution. Lesson 6 explores the basic concepts of the Constitution, includingself-government, inherent rights, separation of powers, and checks and balances. Lesson 7 explainsthe structure of the Contitution, including its Preamble, its articles, and the Bill of Rights and theamendment process.

Lesson 4—Introduction to the U.S. ConstitutionGoal: To understand the historical context for the American Independence

movement and its founding documents

WORDS TO KNOW

Lesson 5—The Constitutional Convention of 1787Goal: To learn the historical context behind the Constitutional Convention and the

major compromises involved in drafting the Constitution

WORDS TO KNOW

Unit 2: The Constitutional Framework

AArrttiicclleess ooff CCoonnffeeddeerraattiioonn

ccoolloonniissttss

ccoolloonnyy

CCoonnssttiittuuttiioonn

CCoonnttiinneennttaall CCoonnggrreessss

DDeeccllaarraattiioonn ooff IInnddeeppeennddeennccee

ddeelleeggaatteess

pprreessiiddeenntt

pprriinncciipplleess

ccoommpprroommiissee

CCoonnggrreessss

CCoonnssttiittuuttiioonnaall CCoonnvveennttiioonn

EElleeccttoorraall CCoolllleeggee

eelleeccttoorrss

EExxeeccuuttiivvee CCoommpprroommiissee

GGrreeaatt CCoommpprroommiissee

HHoouussee ooff RReepprreesseennttaattiivveess

NNeeww JJeerrsseeyy PPllaann

rreegguullaattee

SSeennaattee

TThhrreeee--FFiifftthhss CCoommpprroommiissee

VViirrggiinniiaa PPllaann

Teacher’s Guide • American Government © 2005 Walch Publishing

4

Lesson 6—The Philosophy and Principles of the ConstitutionGoal: To understand the basic concepts of the United States’ most important

document of government

WORDS TO KNOW

Lesson 7—The Structure of the Constitution Goal: To become familiar with the Preamble, articles, and amendments that make

up the U.S. Constitution

WORDS TO KNOW

NNootteess oonn AApppplliiccaattiioonn AAccttiivviittyy iinn SSttuuddeenntt TTeexxtt

AAddddiittiioonnaall AAccttiivviittyy SSuuggggeessttiioonnss■ Lesson 7 of Unit 2 introduces students to Amendments 15, 19, 24, and 26—all amendments

that expanded voting rights to various groups of people. Have each student or group of studentschoose one of these amendments and research the people and events that led to its ratification.For example, students researching Amendment 19 would gather information on key people andevents in the women’s suffrage movement. Students could present their information in oraland/or visual presentations.

AAccttiivviittyy SSkkiillllss AApppplliieedd PPrroodduucctt

IInn YYoouurr OOwwnn WWoorrddss evaluating information, thinking critically, amendments preparing a written presentation written in their

own words

cchheecckkss aanndd bbaallaanncceess

eexxeeccuuttiivvee bbrraanncchh

ffeeddeerraalliissmm

iinnhheerreenntt rriigghhttss

jjuuddiicciiaall bbrraanncchh

lleeggiissllaattiivvee bbrraanncchh

sseellff--ggoovveerrnnmmeenntt

aammeennddmmeennttss

aarrttiiccllee

BBiillll ooff RRiigghhttss

gguuaarraanntteeee

pprreeaammbbllee

pprroohhiibbiitteedd

rraattiiffyy


5

■ Have students copy the Preamble of the Constitution, skipping a line after each line of theirwriting. Then, have them write the meaning of each line of the Preamble (in a different-coloredpen or pencil), using their own words. They should refer to a dictionary as needed. Encouragethem to memorize and recite the Preamble.

■ Work with students to reproduce part of the Declaration of Independence. You may first want togather library books with pictures of the original document to show learners. Then have themcopy the opening paragraph and first short section onto a piece of paper. Encourage them to use“elegant” writing in black ink. Using a slightly damp, used tea bag, they can pat the paper to giveit a parchment effect. Then they can use a lighted incense stick to sear the edges and make thepaper look old. Finally, they can mount their paper on cardboard.

■ Most students will know little about the original 13 colonies and their governments before theDeclaration of Independence. Have each student pick a colony to research. Ask them to find outwhen the colony was founded, who provided financial backing for the colony, and what type of government the colony had before the American Revolution. As part of their research,encourage students to visit Colonial Williamsburg’s Internet site (http://www.history.org/).

■ Have each student write a “bill of rights” for his or her classroom or household. Explain that the purpose of each bill of rights should be to protect the basic freedoms of each member in astudent’s class or family. Students should use the U.S. Bill of Rights as an example, but shouldrewrite each amendment based on their own classrooms or households.

■ Have students pick one of the following events: the Boston Massacre, the signing of theDeclaration of Independence, or the Constitutional Convention. Divide students into pairs; have each pair role-play coanchors who are reporting the news “live” on national television.

FFaasscciinnaattiinngg FFaaccttss■ Students may be interested to know that the names of all those who signed the Declaration of

Independence were kept secret by the colonists for almost a year. This was done because theBritish government considered those who signed the document to be guilty of treason againstEngland. A $2,500 reward was offered by the British government to anyone who could providethe names of the signers. When you consider that $150 per year was a livable wage at the time, a reward of $2,500 would be more like $250,000 today!

American Government

WALCH PUBLISHING

Workbook

Table of ContentsTo the Student . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii

AAccttiivviittyy 11Monarchs of Europe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

AAccttiivviittyy 22The Pros and Cons of Government Types . . . . . 2

AAccttiivviittyy 33Interpreting the Past . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

AAccttiivviittyy 44Extreme Versus Moderate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

AAccttiivviittyy 55Telling the Difference Between Extreme and Moderate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

AAccttiivviittyy 66Democracy Versus Dictatorship . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

AAccttiivviittyy 77The Four Freedoms of Democracy . . . . . . . . . . . 7

AAccttiivviittyy 88Learning About Your Senators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

AAccttiivviittyy 99Getting to Know Your State Representatives . . 9

AAccttiivviittyy 1100The Original Colonies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

AAccttiivviittyy 1111What Does the Declaration Mean? . . . . . . . . . 11

AAccttiivviittyy 1122Plotting Key Events in the Revolution . . . . . . . 12

AAccttiivviittyy 1133Discovering the Mystery of Roanoke . . . . . . . . 13

AAccttiivviittyy 1144A Closer Look at the Constitution . . . . . . . . . . 14

AAccttiivviittyy 1155Understanding the Three-Fifths Compromise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

AAccttiivviittyy 1166The Great Compromise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

AAccttiivviittyy 1177One Six-Year Term? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

AAccttiivviittyy 1188Looking at Federalism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

AAccttiivviittyy 1199Constitution Trivia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

AAccttiivviittyy 2200The Principles of the U.S. Constitution . . . . . . 20

AAccttiivviittyy 2211Defining Separation of Powers and Checks and Balances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

AAccttiivviittyy 2222Context Clues and the Constitution . . . . . . . . . 22

AAccttiivviittyy 2233What Led to Constitutional Amendments? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

AAccttiivviittyy 2244Constitutional Nicknames . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

AAccttiivviittyy 2255What the Parties Stand For . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

AAccttiivviittyy 2266Symbols of the Two-Party System . . . . . . . . . . 26

AAccttiivviittyy 2277Learning About Other Political Parties . . . . . . 27

AAccttiivviittyy 2288Interviews About Big and Small Government . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

AAccttiivviittyy 2299Unstable Governments in the World . . . . . . . . 29

AAccttiivviittyy 3300Arguing Loyalty to the Government . . . . . . . . 30

AAccttiivviittyy 3311Convincing a Friend to Vote . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

AAccttiivviittyy 3322Persuading People to Vote . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

AAccttiivviittyy 3333Women’s Right to Vote . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

UUnniitt 33:: PPoolliittiiccaall PPaarrttiieess aanndd VVoottiinngg

UUnniitt 22:: TThhee CCoonnssttiittuuttiioonnaall FFrraammeewwoorrkk

UUnniitt 11:: WWhhaatt IIss GGoovveerrnnmmeenntt??

© 2005 Walch Publishing American Government

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American Government © 2005 Walch Publishing

iv

Table of Contents, continuedAAccttiivviittyy 3344

Young Enough or Old Enough to Vote? . . . . . . 34

AAccttiivviittyy 3355Looking Closely at the Last Election . . . . . . . . 35

AAccttiivviittyy 3366Making the Argument for Voting . . . . . . . . . . . 36

AAccttiivviittyy 3377A Capital Idea . . . Or Is It Capitol? . . . . . . . . . 37

AAccttiivviittyy 3388Wanted: Government Worker . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

AAccttiivviittyy 3399A Capital Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

AAccttiivviittyy 4400Framers of the Constitution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

AAccttiivviittyy 4411No Absolute Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

AAccttiivviittyy 4422Congressional Vocabulary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

AAccttiivviittyy 4433Census Taking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

AAccttiivviittyy 4444A Day in the Life of Congress . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

AAccttiivviittyy 4455Create Your Own Bill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

AAccttiivviittyy 4466A Woman for President . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

AAccttiivviittyy 4477Duties of the President . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

AAccttiivviittyy 4488The Second-Highest Office . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

AAccttiivviittyy 4499Getting to Know the Cabinet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

AAccttiivviittyy 5500Government Agencies and Their Duties . . . . . 50

AAccttiivviittyy 5511Court Vocabulary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

AAccttiivviittyy 5522Federal Circuit Areas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

AAccttiivviittyy 5533Interpreting the Law . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

AAccttiivviittyy 5544Jury Duty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

AAccttiivviittyy 5555Supreme Court Traditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

AAccttiivviittyy 5566Veto Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

AAccttiivviittyy 5577Impeaching the President . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

AAccttiivviittyy 5588Understanding the Powers of the Three Branches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

AAccttiivviittyy 5599Vocabulary Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

AAccttiivviittyy 6600Term Limits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

AAccttiivviittyy 6611Primaries and Caucuses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

AAccttiivviittyy 6622Steps to Election . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

AAccttiivviittyy 6633Pros and Cons of the Electoral College . . . . . . 63

AAccttiivviittyy 6644States and Their Electoral Votes . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

AAccttiivviittyy 6655Analyzing the Vote . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

AAccttiivviittyy 6666Help America Vote . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

AAccttiivviittyy 6677Visualizing the Vote . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

AAccttiivviittyy 6688Sound Bites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

UUnniitt 55:: TThhee PPrreessiiddeennttiiaall EElleeccttiioonn PPrroocceessss

UUnniitt 44:: TThhee FFeeddeerraall GGoovveerrnnmmeenntt

Table of Contents, continued

© 2005 Walch Publishing American Government

v

AAccttiivviittyy 6699Your State’s Personality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

AAccttiivviittyy 7700A Map of Your State . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

AAccttiivviittyy 7711Moving On Up to Our State . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

AAccttiivviittyy 7722The Duties of a Citizen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

AAccttiivviittyy 7733Revising Your State’s Constitution . . . . . . . . . . 73

AAccttiivviittyy 7744Voting and State Government Vocabulary . . . 74

AAccttiivviittyy 7755Governor’s Duties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

AAccttiivviittyy 7766Getting Persuasive About an Issue . . . . . . . . . . 76

AAccttiivviittyy 7777How Much Is That Tax? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

AAccttiivviittyy 7788At Your Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

AAccttiivviittyy 7799The Governor’s Cabinet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

AAccttiivviittyy 8800Budget Cuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

AAccttiivviittyy 8811Vocabulary Puzzle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

AAccttiivviittyy 8822County Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

AAccttiivviittyy 8833Who Is the District Attorney? . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

AAccttiivviittyy 8844Creating a Theme Park for Your County . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84

AAccttiivviittyy 8855Defining a Weak-Mayor System . . . . . . . . . . . . 85

AAccttiivviittyy 8866Mayoral Characters in History . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86

UUnniitt 77:: LLooccaall GGoovveerrnnmmeenntt

UUnniitt 66:: SSttaattee GGoovveerrnnmmeenntt

Unit 2: The Constitutional Framework • American Government © 2005 Walch Publishing

10

The 13 colonies became the first 13 states in the United States. On the map below, write the name ofeach of the 13 colonies on the line where it belongs.

1133 OOrriiggiinnaall AAmmeerriiccaann CCoolloonniieess

Bonus: What do all 13 colonies have in common?_______________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

UNIT 2 • ACTIVITY 10TThhee OOrriiggiinnaall CCoolloonniieess

NAME:

N

S

EW

13. ______________

12. ______________

11. ______________

10. ______________

6. ______________

4. ______________

1. ______________

2. ______________

3. ______________

5. ______________

7. ______________

8. ______________

9. ______________AtlanticOcean

Unit 3: Political Parties and Voting • American Government © 2005 Walch Publishing

34

Many high school students believe that they should be eligible to vote at a younger age than 18. Do you agree?

Imagine that you are part of a group of people who would like to create an amendment to the U.S.Constitution to lower the voting age to 14 instead of 18. Find out what steps you would have to gothrough to get your proposal introduced as a Constitutional amendment. Use the graphic organizeron this page to help you organize the steps in the process.

UNIT 3 • ACTIVITY 34YYoouunngg EEnnoouugghh oorr OOlldd EEnnoouugghh ttoo VVoottee??

NAME:

SStteepp 11::

SStteepp 33::

SStteepp 55::

SStteepp 44::

SStteepp 22::

Unit 4: The Federal Government • American Government © 2005 Walch Publishing

52

As you have learned, the United States is divided into 11 federal circuit areas. Below you will find acopy of a map of the United States. Shade with a pencil or with colored pencils the areas that dividethe 11 circuit areas. Here is a list of the federal circuit areas:

1st Circuit Court: Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, and Puerto Rico

2nd Circuit Court: New York, Vermont, and Connecticut

3rd Circuit Court: Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, and the Virgin Islands

4th Circuit Court: West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, Maryland, and South Carolina

5th Circuit Court: Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi

6th Circuit Court: Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Michigan

7th Circuit Court: Wisconsin, Indiana, and Illinois

8th Circuit Court: North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, andArkansas

9th Circuit Court: Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Arizona, Idaho, Montana, Alaska,and Hawaii

10th Circuit Court: Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico

11th Circuit Court: Alabama, Georgia, and Florida

UNIT 4 • ACTIVITY 52FFeeddeerraall CCiirrccuuiitt AArreeaass

NAME:

American Government

WALCH PUBLISHING

Test Pack

Table of ContentsTo the Teacher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v

Testing Students Who Do Not Test Well . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vi

Test-Taking Strategies for Power Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii

PPrreetteesstt .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 11

UUnniitt 11 TTeesstt:: WWhhaatt IIss GGoovveerrnnmmeenntt?? .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 99

UUnniitt 22 TTeesstt:: TThhee CCoonnssttiittuuttiioonnaall FFrraammeewwoorrkk .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 1122

UUnniitt 33 TTeesstt:: PPoolliittiiccaall PPaarrttiieess aanndd VVoottiinngg .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 1155

UUnniitt 44 TTeesstt:: TThhee FFeeddeerraall GGoovveerrnnmmeenntt .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 1188

UUnniitt 55 TTeesstt:: TThhee PPrreessiiddeennttiiaall EElleeccttiioonn PPrroocceessss .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 2211

UUnniitt 66 TTeesstt:: SSttaattee GGoovveerrnnmmeenntt .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 2244

UUnniitt 77 TTeesstt:: LLooccaall GGoovveerrnnmmeenntt .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 2277

PPoosstttteesstt .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 3300

Answer Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Student Record-Keeping Form . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Strategies for Standardized Testing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

© 2005 Walch Publishing American Government Test Pack

iii

Circle the letter of the correct answer to each of the following questions and statements.

11.. Suppose a country has no leaders at all. Every citizen does as he or she pleases. This is anexample of _____.

aa.. democracybb.. dictatorshipcc.. anarchydd.. monarchy

22.. Suppose a country has been ruled by members of the same family for hundreds of years. This is an example of _____.


33.. Suppose a country holds elections every year so that its citizens can vote on issues. This is an example of _____.


44.. Suppose a country is run by a person who took power by force. This is an example of _____.aa.. democracybb.. dictatorshipcc.. anarchydd.. monarchy

55.. In a representative democracy, which leader would you expect to find?aa.. a despot who has a huge armybb.. a queen who has inherited power from her fathercc.. a senator who has been elected by citizensdd.. a dictator who rules through fear

AMERICAN GOVERNMENT • PRETESTNAME: DATE:

© 2005 Walch Publishing Pretest • American Government Test Pack

1

UNIT 2 TEST • THE CONSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORKNAME: DATE:

Unit 2 Test • American Government Test Pack © 2005 Walch Publishing

12


11.. What is the U.S. Constitution?aa.. the country’s legislative branchbb.. the country’s executive branchcc.. the Supreme Courtdd.. the highest law of the land

22.. The Articles of Confederation _____.aa.. argued for the right to form a new countrybb.. explained the wrongs done by the English kingcc.. were the first U.S. Constitutiondd.. set up a strong national government

33.. What was the result of the Great Compromise?aa.. a Congress with two housesbb.. a president who could veto lawscc.. a Supreme Court with nine justicesdd.. a Bill of Rights

44.. The Three-Fifths Compromise had to do with what issue?aa.. the presidencybb.. freedom of speechcc.. slaverydd.. inherent rights

55.. The division of power between federal and state government is called _____.aa.. self-governmentbb.. federalismcc.. checks and balancesdd.. separation of powers

© 2005 Walch Publishing Unit 2 Test • American Government Test Pack

13

NAME: DATE:

66.. Which part of the Constitution describes how the U.S. government works?

aa.. the Preamble

bb.. the articles

cc.. the amendments

dd.. the Bill of Rights

77.. Which part of the Constitution protects citizens’ freedom of speech?

aa.. the Preamble

bb.. the articles

cc.. the amendments

dd.. the Bill of Rights

88.. A two-thirds vote of both houses of Congress is needed to ______.

aa.. propose an amendment to the Constitution

bb.. ratify an amendment to the Constitution

cc.. veto a law passed by the president

dd.. send an amendment back to the Senate

99.. What was the problem with the Articles of Confederation?

aa.. They did not give the federal government enough power.

bb.. They gave the federal government too much power.

cc.. They did now allow people to own their own property.

dd.. They gave too much power to the Supreme Court.

1100.. The Constitutional Convention of 1787 decided on a legislature with two houses. What was thisagreement called?

aa.. the Great Compromise

bb.. the Three-Fifths Compromise

cc.. the Bill of Rights

dd.. the Executive Compromise

Unit 2 Test • American Government Test Pack © 2005 Walch Publishing

14

NAME: DATE:

1111.. The Constitutional Convention of 1787 worked out a compromise on slavery. What was thisagreement called?

aa.. the Great Compromise

bb.. the Three-Fifths Compromise

cc.. the Bill of Rights

dd.. the Executive Compromise

1122.. What is federalism?

aa.. the division of power between different branches of government

bb.. the balancing of power between the three branches of government

cc.. the right of all people to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness

dd.. the division of power between national and state governments

1133.. What do the articles of the Constitution describe?

aa.. how the U.S. government works

bb.. the reasons for writing the Constitution

cc.. the basic freedoms of all U.S. citizens

dd.. the reasons for starting a new nation

1144.. What is the purpose of the Bill of Rights?

aa.. to explain how the U.S. government works

bb.. to describe why the Constitution was written

cc.. to explain how to change the Constitution

dd.. to protect the basic freedoms of all U.S. citizens

1155.. What is needed for Congress to override a presidential veto?

aa.. a two-thirds vote of both houses of Congress

bb.. a two-thirds vote of all senators

cc.. a three-fourths vote of states’ conventions

dd.. the president’s approval

NAME: DATE:

Posttest • American Government Test Pack © 2005 Walch Publishing

30

AMERICAN GOVERNMENT • POSTTEST


11.. In an anarchy, there is _____.

aa.. a dictator who took power by force

bb.. a king who inherited power

cc.. an elected senator

dd.. no ruler at all

22.. What kind of leader would you expect to find in a monarchy?

aa.. a dictator who took power by force




33.. Which form of government gives all citizens a voice in government?

aa.. democracy

bb.. dictatorship

cc.. anarchy

dd.. monarchy

44.. In a dictatorship, what kind of leader would you expect to find?

aa.. a ruler who took power by force




55.. Which form of government has its citizens elect representatives?

aa.. representative democracy

bb.. extreme dictatorship

cc.. moderate anarchy

dd.. direct democracy

american government - walchwalch.com/samplepages/06124x.pdfwhich of the following is a basic...

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