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MCAP, Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program

This page shows a list of test questions in the American Government public release collection at MSDE. American Government
Standard "1.0 Civics," Indicator "1.2.1"

Select a question from the following list. The content of that question will be shown, and you can interact with it here.

Expand All Official Practice Test

This is a multiple choice question that allows you to select only one option.

In a 1995 case, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that conducting drug tests of students participating in interscholastic athletics did not violate the Fourth Amendment's prohibition of unreasonable searches and seizures.

This ruling expanded the Supreme Court's decision in

  1. A.
    New Jersey v. T.L.O.
  2. B.
    Miranda v. Arizona
  3. C.
    Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka
  4. D.
    Tinker v. Des Moines School District

This is a multiple choice question that allows you to select only one option.

How did the Supreme Court's decision in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka affect the Court's earlier decision in Plessy v. Ferguson?

  1. A.
    The Court overturned the separate but equal doctrine in schools.
  2. B.
    The Court approved schools requiring students to wear uniforms.
  3. C.
    The Court ruled that school officials must show reasonable cause for making a search.
  4. D.
    The Court upheld the decision that it is illegal for school officials to restrict freedom of expression.

This is a multiple choice question that allows you to select only one option.

Which of these cases helped establish the right of the Supreme Court to review the constitutionality of federal law?

  1. A.
    Marbury v. Madison
  2. B.
    McCulloch v. Maryland
  3. C.
    Plessy v. Ferguson
  4. D.
    Brown v. Board of Education

This is a test question that allows you to enter extended text in your response.

Read the excerpt below.

"[neither] students or teachers shed their constitutional rights of freedom of speech or expression at the school house gate."

citation from the court case, tinker v duh-moyne school district

  • Explain how the point of view expressed in the excerpt above could conflict with the functioning of a school.
  • Do you agree or disagree with the position taken in this excerpt? Explain.
  • Include details and examples to support your answer.

Write your answer on the lines in your Answer Book.

This is a multiple choice question that allows you to select only one option.

Which of these best describes an effect of the Supreme Court decision in Marbury v. Madison?

  1. A.
    It gave the President veto power over Congress.
  2. B.
    It divided the government into three separate branches.
  3. C.
    It established the power to void a congressional law.
  4. D.
    It made state governments question federal power.

This is a multiple choice question that allows you to select only one option.

Which of these incidents led to the United States Supreme Court case Tinker v. Des Moines Independent School District?

  1. A.
    A school principal censored articles from the school newspaper.
  2. B.
    A school district used public transportation to segregate students by race.
  3. C.
    School authorities searched a student's handbag without a search warrant.
  4. D.
    School authorities suspended students for wearing black armbands as a protest.

This is a multiple choice question that allows you to select only one option.

Which of these best describes the result of the Supreme Court's ruling in New Jersey v. T.L.O. (1985)?

  1. A.
    Students have fewer privacy rights in school than in other public settings.
  2. B.
    School officials must have search warrants in order to search student property.
  3. C.
    School officials may plan religious assemblies for students.
  4. D.
    Restrictions placed on student speech in schools are justified.

This is a multiple choice question that allows you to select only one option.

According to the Supreme Court's decision in New Jersey v. T.L.O., a school administrator can legally

  1. A.
    search the locker of a student who brags about stealing a wallet
  2. B.
    prevent a student from peacefully expressing an opinion
  3. C.
    suspend a student without an explanation of the offense
  4. D.
    prevent a student from performing in a controversial, privately sponsored play

This is a test question that allows you to enter extended text in your response.

Read the information below and use it to answer the BRIEF CONSTRUCTED RESPONSE that follows.

In 2002, the United States Supreme Court ruled that cities may set guidelines for demonstrations in public parks.

Thomas et al. v. Chicago Park District

  • Explain how the Supreme Court's decision in this case affects the protection of individual freedoms.
  • Do you agree with the Supreme Court's decision? Explain why or why not.
  • Use details and examples to support your answer.

Write your answer on the lines in your Answer Book.

This is a multiple choice question that allows you to select only one option.

Which of these influenced the Supreme Court's decision in the Tinker v. Des Moines case?

  1. A.
    The opinions of the protesters were the same as the majority of students.
  2. B.
    The school board agreed with the students' opinions.
  3. C.
    There was evidence that the students received good grades.
  4. D.
    There was a lack of evidence that the students' actions disrupted learning.

This is a multiple choice question that allows you to select only one option.

Read the excerpt below.

The U.S. Court of Appeals ruled that the evidence stemmed directly from the Miranda violation and therefore was inadmissible.

Chicago Tribune, December 2000

The court's decision most likely protects the rights of

  1. A.
    the police
  2. B.
    the accused
  3. C.
    journalists
  4. D.
    victims of crime

This is a multiple choice question that allows you to select only one option.

Read the excerpt below.

“The right of citizens  . . .  to vote shall not be denied  . . .  on account of race, color or previous condition of servitude.”

U.S. Constitution, Amendment 15

Which of these principles of government is reflected in this amendment?

  1. A.
    judicial review
  2. B.
    federalism
  3. C.
    separation of powers
  4. D.
    popular sovereignty

This is a multiple choice question that allows you to select only one option.

Which of these statements best explains why school officials are allowed to search a student’s locker without a search warrant?

  1. A.
    It is illegal for police officers to enter school property.
  2. B.
    All constitutional rights are denied students under 21 years of age.
  3. C.
    School officials are part of local police departments.
  4. D.
    It is considered necessary for the protection of other students.

This is a multiple choice question that allows you to select only one option.

Which of these influenced the Supreme Court's decision in the Tinker v. Des Moines case?

  1. A.
    The opinions of the protesters were the same as the majority of students.
  2. B.
    The school board agreed with the students' opinions.
  3. C.
    There was evidence that the students received good grades.
  4. D.
    There was a lack of evidence that the students’ actions disrupted learning.

This is a multiple choice question that allows you to select several options.

Which two newspaper headlines refer to the Supreme Court decision in Baker v. Carr (1962)?

  1. A.
    Supreme Court Limits Executive Privilege
  2. B.
    Separate Schools "Inherently Unequal"
  3. C.
    Supreme Court: Students Have First Amendment Rights
  4. D.
    Federal Courts Gain Power: Can Evaluate Redistricting
  5. E.
    Supreme Court Decision Serves as Basis for New Apportionment Lawsuits

This is a question with 2 parts, including a multiple choice question that allows you to select only one option, and, a multiple choice question that allows you to select several options.

Read the excerpt.

"The President wants me to argue that he is as powerful a monarch as Louis XIV, only four years at a time, and is not subject to the processes of any court in the land except the court of impeachment."

—attorney James St. Clair

Part A

Which court case is being referred to in this quotation?

  1. A.
    Marbury v. Madison (1803)
  2. B.
    Baker v. Carr (1962)
  3. C.
    United States v. Nixon (1974)

Part B

Which two statements best describe the impact of the Supreme Court case related to this quotation?

  1. A.
    Presidents must comply with any legitimate demands of the other branches of government.
  2. B.
    The Supreme Court can review legislative acts to determine their constitutionality.
  3. C.
    Presidents are limited to serving two consecutive terms in office.
  4. D.
    The use of executive privilege is limited to certain specific boundaries.
  5. E.
    The Supreme Court can use the Fourteenth Amendment to review reapportionment cases.

This is a multiple choice question that allows you to select only one option.

In Bethel v. Fraser (1986), the Supreme Court ruled schools do not have to tolerate speech by students if the content is considered offensive.

This decision impacted the rights of students established by the Supreme Court’s ruling in

  1. A.
    Plessy v. Ferguson (1896).
  2. B.
    New Jersey v. T.L.O. (1985).
  3. C.
    Tinker v. Des Moines (1969).
  4. D.
    Brown v. Board of Education (1954).

This is a multiple choice question that allows you to select only one option.

Which of these constitutional rights was the basis for the Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education (1954)?

  1. A.
    the right to bear arms
  2. B.
    freedom from self-incrimination
  3. C.
    the right to equal protection under the law
  4. D.
    freedom from unreasonable searches and seizures

This is a matching question that allows you to match elements from one list with those on another list.

Match the Supreme Court decision with its impact on the United States.

Marbury v. Madison (1803) Miranda v. Arizona (1966) Baker v. Carr (1962)
Federal courts can intervene in redistricting cases.
The U.S. Supreme Court can rule congressional laws unconstitutional.
Criminal suspects must be advised of their legal rights.

This is a multiple choice question that allows you to select only one option.

Study the graph.

The title of the graph is Confession Rates Before and After Miranda v. Arizona (nineteen sixty-six) The y-axis is labeled Confession Rate (percent). It begins at zero and goes to fifty in increments of ten. The x-axis is labeled Location and contains labels for the following locations: Pittsburgh, New York County, Philadelphia, and New Orleans. Each location has two bars, a black and a gray bar. The key reads: black shading is labeled Before. Gray shading is labeled After. The bars for each location read: Pittsburgh, the black bar is about fortyeight and the gray bar is thirty. New York County, the black bar is about forty-nine and the gray bar is about fourteen. Philadelphia - the black bar is about forty-five and the gray bar is twenty. New Orleans, the black bar is about forty and the gray bar is about twenty-eight

Which conclusion about the impact of Miranda v. Arizona (1966) on the rights of the accused does this data support?

  1. A.
    Defendants more often request a public trial.
  2. B.
    Defendants more often stay silent during questioning.
  3. C.
    Defendants more often appeal the outcome of a trial.
  4. D.
    Defendants more often agree to plead guilty.