Name:_________________________________ Reading Comprehension Pre-Test Directions: Circle the answer that BEST answers each question. 1.

Read the following excerpt: No [business] shall discriminate against a qualified individual with a disability . . . in regard to job application procedures, the hiring, advancement, or discharge [firing] of employees. . . .from the Americans with Disabilities Act, 1990. Based on the excerpt, the Americans with Disabilities Act is most concerned with ____. a) social equality b) national security c) student education d) consumer protection 2. Which of these excerpts from the Constitution describes Federalism? a) The judicial Power shall extend to all cases!arising under this Constitution! b) The powers not delegated to the United States under the Constitution!are reserved to the States! c) The right of citizens!who are eighteen years of age or older, to vote shall not be denied!on account of age. d) The right of people to be secure in their persons!against unreasonable searches!shall not be violated. 3. Read the following excerpt. No freeman shall be taken or imprisoned . . . unless by the lawful judgement of his peers, or by the law of the land.Magna Carta, 1215 Which of these constitutional protections is based on the principle described in the excerpt above? a) The right to petition the government b) The right to vote c) The right to trial by a jury d) The right to bear arms 4. Read the following information. In 1958, the United States Supreme Court ruled that the state of Alabama violated the due process clause of the 14th Ammendment by requiring the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to hand over the names and addresses of its members. Which of these best describes the decision in this case? a) State actions are limited by the United States Constitution. b) The Supreme Court lacks the power to review state laws. c) Political organizations are required to maintain accurate membership records. d) Citizens must report their memberships in organizations to the government.

5. Read the following excerpt. The power not delegated to the United States by the Constitution!are reserved to the States!or to the people! Article 3, Maryland Declaration of Rights. Which of these principles of government is described above in the excerpt? a) Citizens elect representatives in government to make laws. b) Each branch of government has different responsibilities. c) State governments exist at the will of the federal government. d) Powers are divided among different levels of government. 6. Read the following quotation. . . . let us resolve to wage an unrelenting [continuous] battle against poverty and for shared prosperity so that no part of humanity is left behind in the global economy. . . . President Bill Clinton, at the United Nations, September 21st 1999 Which of these topics is most related to the excerpt? a) arms reduction b) climatic changes c) military deployment d) development assistance 7. Read the following excerpt, Older workers can sue over pay or benefit plans that favor younger employees!the Supreme Court ruled. USA, 2005 What was the purpose of the Supreme Court ruling described above? a) to maintain public order b) to expand productivity c) to provide job training d) to promote equity 8. Which of these clauses from the United States Constitution gave Congress the authority to approve the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)? a) To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations . . . b) To provide for the Punishment of counterfeiting . . . c) To borrow Money on the credit of the United States . . . d) To coin Money, regulate the Value thereof, and of foreign Coin . . .

9. Read the following excerpt, The Government of [the United States], then, is . . . truly a government of the people. . . . Its powers are granted by them, and are to be exercised directly on them for their benefit. John Marshall, 1810. Which of these constitutional principles best applies to Marshalls quotation? a) judicial review b) checks and balances c) separation of powers d) representative democracy 10. Which of these excerpts from the United States Constitution best reflects the principle of checks and balances? a) This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States . . . shall be the supreme Law of the Land. . . . b) All persons born or naturalized in the United States . . . are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. c) Every Bill which shall have passed [Congress] shall, before it becomes a Law, be presented to the President of the United States. d) The [listing] in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be [interpreted] to deny . . . others retained by the people. Read the information below. Then answer Numbers 11 and 12. For over 150 years, the state of Virginia operated an all-male college called the Virginia Military Institute (VMI). In 1990, the United States government sued the state of Virginia at the request of a female high school student seeking admission to VMI. The Supreme Court ruled that VMI had to admit women who could meet the physical and other requirements. 11. Which of these statements best explains the reason for the decision in this case? a) Public colleges cannot discriminate on the basis of gender. b) Public colleges must have minimum standards for admission. c) A military institution cannot discriminate based on physical ability. d) State schools must admit a majority of the people who apply for admission. 12. Which of these principles of law most likely influenced the Supreme Courts decision? a) common law b) equal protection c) implied contract d) presumption of innocence

13. Read the following quotation, Americans are free . . . to disagree with the law but not to disobey it. For in a government of laws and not of men, no man, however prominent or powerful, and no mob however unruly or boisterous, is entitled to defy a court of law.President John F. Kennedy. The quotation above most directly supports presidential actions that a) improve international relations b) improve the economy c) ensure public order and safety d) ensure individual rights 14. Read the following quotation, Everyone is entitled . . . to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal [judge/jury], in the determination of his rights and obligations and of any criminal charge against him.Article 10 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights According to the excerpt, all people are entitled to ____ a) the right to due process of law b) freedom of expression c) freedom from cruel or unusual punishment d) the right to representation by legal counsel 15. Read the following excerpt, In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the state and district wherin the crime shall have been committed,..., and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining Witnesses in his favor, and to have the assistance of counsel for his defense. - 6th Amendment, U.S. Constitution Which of the following rights of due process is mentioned in the above quotation? a) Right to an attorney b) Eminent Domain c) Protection from illegal search and seizure d) Right to be indicted by a Grand Jury

16. Read the following excerpt, All persons born or naturalized in the United States,...,are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due processes of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws. - 14th Amendment, U.S. Constitution Which of the following situations violates the due process rights outlined by the amendment above? a) The Federal government seizing private property and not compensating the owner for their loss b) The President shuts down the Washington Post after the paper publishes an article criticizing his foreign policy. c) A state refuses to allow a convicted felon to run for Governor d) Arizona passes a law banning Muslims from practicing their religion in their state The excerpts outlined in numbers 17 - 20 have been taken from various Supreme Court decisions. If the quotation reflects a Strict Constructionist perspective, bubble in the letter A on your answer sheet. If the quotation reflects a Liberal Activist perspective, bubble in the letter B on your answer sheet. 17. !cases such as these provide for me an excruciating agony of the spirit I yield to no one in the depth of my distaste antipathy and indeed abhorrence, for the death penalty, were I a legislator I would vote against the death penalty.. I do not sit, however as a legislator.., our task here ... is to vote pass on constitutionality of legislation that has been enacted and that is challenged. This is the sale task for judges. We should not allow our personal preferences as to the wisdom of legislative or congressional action, or our distaste for such action to guide our judicial decision. Justice Harry Blackmun in dissenting opinion in Furman v. Georgia in 1972 a) Strict Constructionist b) Liberal Activist 18. Chief Justice Taney in the Dred Scott decision declared,persons of color.., were not included in the word citizens and they are described as a different class of persons and could not sue in Federal Court based On Article iV, Section 2. a) Strict Constructionist b) Liberal Activist

19. "!the Constitution does not explicitly mention any right of privacy.. however in the one of decisions the court has recognized the right of personal privacy...(that is) broad enough to encompass s womans decision whether or not to terminate her pregnancy. - Justice Blackmun in Roe v. Wade (1974) a) Strict Constructionist b) Liberal Activist 20. Justice Stephens in Clinton v. New York City (tine-item veto) argues that the iaw is unconstitutional in part, because Article II section 7 states that a bill be "presented to the President of the United States if he approve he shall sign it, if not he shall return it." This leaves no room for another option. a) Strict Constructionist b) Liberal Activist