Civics final exam notes

1. The number of senators and reps. from each state?

• 2 senators from each stat, reps are based on population

2. The informal qualifications for the members of congress and the make
up of congress today?
• Informal- what we want to see in our senators

3. The role that members of congress play

• Represent constitutentes(people they represent), they can vote
on a law, and approve treaties

4. Why we have a bicameral legislature

• The founding fathers wanted the gov’t to do some jobs on its
own with checks and balances, so states would be fairly
represented

5. Changes brought about by the 17th amendment

• Direct election of senators by people in the state

6. Why members of congress may debate freely without legal

consequences
• So they wont go to jail saying what they meant

7. McCulloch vs. Maryland

• 1819-established the supremacy of federal law over state and
local law

8. Congressional power to regulate bankruptcy

• Congress can determine the rules for bankruptcy making them
more or less rigid

9. Impeaching the president(what does the house/senate do)

• house- collects info and testimony and evidence
• senate- acts as jury

10.In times of war what the congresses powers

• Financial powers- declaring war, approving military budget,
 approving officers, approving treaties

11.Why do we have the necessary and proper clause as part of the const.
• Conditions arise that hadn’t been determined by the founding
fathers

12.Who has the power to propose const. amendments

• Anyone basically…congress, state legislatures, const.
conventions

13.Formal qualifications for president?

• 35+ years old, U.S. citizen, born in the U.S., resident for atleast
14 years, can be member of senate

14.What caused the election of 1800 to become a mess

• It was a tie

15.As the incumbent president why would you expect to be voted by

your party
• Because not getting voted by your party admits failure

16.How many years may a president serve

• 10 at most

17.Presidential succession act of 1947

• Established the order in which cabinet members can obtain
presidency

18. Presidential ability and how that works

• the 22nd amendment describes when a president is
incapacitated( cant function) if the presidents cabinet says he
cant function, he is replaced

19.During a presidential election where do most political battles occur

• primary

20.How many electors per state

• Based on number of senators plus reps.
21. Constitutional duty of V.P.
• oversee the senate (like he is the president of the senate)

22. Purpose of presidential primary

• to select the strongest party candidate prior to the party
conventions

23.difference between cacus and primary

• cacus-group of party officials that choose a presidential
candidate
• primary- everyone who is registered to vote can vote in that
state

24.which state has first cacus

• iowa

25.informal qualifications of president

• health, appearance, personality ect…

26. electoral college-major flaws or problems with it today

• state reps. are bound to vote for whoever won the state,
electoral votes are not proportional

27.originally electing the president- who did it?

• Electorial college

28.What the federal buracracy means

• Staff and line agencies that impliment federal law, (excutive
branch)

29. Different between staff and line agencies

• staff- provide support agencies
• line- involved in collecting info, and proposing policy

30.excutive departments also called….?

• Presidential cabinet

31.What is an independent agency

• ???
32. Why we created the civil service system
• to establish a fair recruitment system for government employees
• to provide a system of assessment promotion based on merit

33.president Washington cabinet-positions?

• Secretary of treasury, secretary of War, secretary of state, attorney
general, post-master general

34.The function of the president cabinet

• To advise the president on the operations of president and to
sharpen impliment policy

35.The jobs of the white house office staff

• To help the president, in day-to-day operaions in office

36.Main purpose of the EOP (excutive office of president)

• (same as #35)

37.The various forms of taxes that congress can create

• Income tax, terrifs, estate taxes ect..

38.What was the spoils system

• Early in American history, the president could appoint anyone he
wanted to an executive office. (usually done with favoritism)

39.The main purpose of the national security system

• To protect our boarders

40. What groups of people may congress not tax

• diplomats

41.who pays a gift tax

• someone that buys over $10,000 worth of things in another country

42.why the federal government borrows money at a lower intrest rate

than us
• because they can
43.what is deficiate financing
• when the government spends more $ than it takes in and uses
borrowed $ to make up the difference

44.federal government today spending 1-5 dollars in debt

45.today’s public debt is monitered in trillions

46.major categories of federal spend is spent on what?

• entitlements

47.What are the federal governments non-tax revenues

• ??????

48.What does federal budget have greatest impact on

• Services provided to the American people

49. Government regulations regarding assembly

• freedom of assembly- unless there is illegal activity involved

50.due process clause

• 14th amendment if the government is going to do anything to you,
they must establish a process

51.main ideas behind commercial speech freedoms

• people have free speech to sell something but cant lie in doing it

52.supreme court decisions about assembling on private property

• ( same as #49)

53.why framers of the const. include individual rights statements

• because the British kept taking our individual rights away

54.can individuals do as they choose in this country

• to protect Americans from violations that they had experienced
under the british

55.the free exercize clause- what does it give people the right to do
• practice religion and speech with in the law
56.how government controls freedom of assembly and why
• (same as #49)