Grade 5 Unit 3 Assessment 2012

Name _____________________________________________ Unit 3 Government Assessment

PART I

1. In most countries, the main responsibility of the government is to create A. wants and needs B. imports and exports C. rituals and customs D. rules and laws

2. If a country is a democracy, individuals become leaders when they are A. elected by the people B. victorious in a war C. born into their position D. appointed by a king

3. Citizens who face the United States flag and say the Pledge of Allegiance are showing their A. patience B. interdependence C. empathy D. loyalty

4. Which list shows the order in which three important documents were written, from the earliest to the most recent?

A. B. C. D.

Declaration of Independence • United States Constitution • Mayflower Compact Mayflower Compact • Declaration of Independence • United States Constitution United States Constitution • Mayflower Compact • Declaration of Independence Mayflower Compact • United States Constitution • Declaration of Independence

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5. Which document, written during the American Revolution, explained the colonists’ decision to break away from England?

A. Declaration of Independence B. Articles of Confederation C. Bill of Rights D. Constitution

6. Before the United States Constitution could become law, it had to be ratified. What is another term for ratified?

A. changed B. denied C. approved D. written

7. The Bill of Rights in the United States Constitution guarantees A. personal freedoms B. jobs for all C. a strong army D. equal health benefits for everyone

8. In the United States, freedom of the press is guaranteed by the A. Declaration of Independence B. Articles of Confederation C. Bill of Rights D. Pledge of Allegiance

9. The three branches of our national government are A. executive, legislative, judicial B. local, state, federal C. president, army, navy D. courts, capital, governor

10. The executive branch of the United States government includes the A. Senate B. Supreme Court C. House of Representatives D. President 2

11. Why did the authors of the Constitution include a system of checks and balances?

A. to make sure that every citizen would have the same freedoms B. to allow Congress to rewrite the Constitution every 20 years C. to guarantee that no one branch of the government becomes more powerful than the other two D. to make the state governments more powerful than the federal government

12. Major changes or additions to the United States Constitution are called A. proclamations B. values C. artifacts D. amendments

13. One way Canada’s House of Commons and the United States House of Representatives are similar is that members are A. elected by the citizens B. chosen by judges C. indirectly elected by the electoral college D. selected from the majority party in Parliament

14. Which statement is true about the executive branch of the New York State government?

A. The head of the executive branch is elected for a four‐year term of office.

B. The executive branch operates the court system.

C. The attorney general is the leader of the executive branch.

D. The executive branch offices are located primarily in New York City.

15. What is the correct order of steps for a bill in New York State to become a state law?

A. bill written → governor signs it → assembly approves it → senate approves it B. bill written → senate approves it → governor signs it →assembly approves it C. bill written → assembly approves it → governor signs it →senate approves it D. bill written → assembly approves it → senate approves it →governor signs it

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PART 2: Short Answer

. . . The United States Constitution can be changed by adding new laws called amendments.

Three-fourths of the states must ratify [approve] an amendment for it to be added to the Constitution. The first ten amendments are called the Bill of Rights. People should know what each amendment means. I believe the Bill of Rights contains the most important amendments to the Constitution. . . .

Source: James A. Banks, et al., New York: Adventures in Time and Place, Macmillan/McGraw‐Hill, 1998

1. How can the United States Constitution be changed? (1 pt.) __________________________________________________________________

2. What are the first ten amendments to the Constitution called? (1 pt.) __________________________________________________________________

3. Which sentence from this passage is an opinion and NOT a fact? (2 pts.) ____________________________________________________________________

4. List two freedoms found in the First Amendment. (2 pts.) ____________________________________________________________________ 5. Which freedom allows citizens to write their senators asking for a law to correct something thing they think is wrong? (1 pt.) ____________________________________________________________________ 6.

Which important document includes the Bill of Rights? (2 pts.) ____________________________________________________________________

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7. Which branch of government decides how much money is to be spent on national parks? (1 pt.) _______________________________________________________________ 8. What is the role of the United States Supreme Court? (1 pt.) ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________

9. Who is the commander in chief of the United States military? (1 pt.) ___________________________________________________________________

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10.

What can the legislative branch do to check the judicial branch? (1 pt.)

______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________

11. Why did the authors of the Constitution include a system of checks and balances? (2 pts.)

_________________________________________________ _________________________________________________

Part 1 _______ Part 2 _______

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