GEORGIA CONSTITUTION EXAM
U.S. CONSTITUTION EXAM

Both exams are administered by UGA Testing Services in Clark Howell Hall. For information about appointments and fees for the exams, call 542-3183 or click here for further information.

Exam Preparation
The exam is based on Georgia’s Constitution and Government 6th edition (University of Georgia Press, 2005), by Arnold Fleischmann and Carol Pierannunzi. It is used in many POLS 1101 courses, including the Choices reader, and is available through various bookstores and copy centers. It also can be checked out at the Reserve Desk of the Main Library.

Exam Structure and Procedures
You will have one hour to answer 50 multiple choice questions. You must answer at least 30 questions correctly to pass the exam and satisfy the constitution requirement. There is only one correct answer for each question. You are allowed two chances to pass the exam, which is revised periodically.

Sample Questions (correct answer designated by *)
1. Which of the following is elected by the voters of Georgia?
A. Commissioner of Agriculture.
B. Public Service Commission.
C. State Superintendent of Schools.
D. All of the above.*

2. The presiding officer of the state Senate specified by the Georgia Constitution is:
A. the Speaker.
B. a senator chosen by the governor
C. the most senior member of the Senate.
D. the lieutenant governor.*

3. To protect against the power of the national government, the 10th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution grants the states:
A. implied powers.
B. national supremacy.
C. reserved powers.*
D. enumerated powers.

4. Which of the following is true of rights guaranteed by the Georgia Constitution?
A. Georgia cannot grant individuals more liberty than is provided by the U.S. Constitution.
B. Georgia was the first state whose courts recognized a right to privacy.*
C. Unlike the U.S. Constitution, the Georgia Constitution does not include a bill of rights.
D. The state is forbidden from taking private land without the consent of its owners.

5. Georgia’s use of the white primary was outlawed by the federal courts in the case of:
A. Wesberry v. Sanders.
B. Fortson v. Toombs.
C. King v. Chapman.*
D. Gray v. Sanders.

UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION EXAM

The Requirement
The exam you will take is designed to satisfy the legal requirement that students demonstrate an understanding of the United States Constitution. The exam allows you to satisfy the requirement, but you do not receive course credit if you pass. The requirement can also be met by passing certain courses, including POLS 1101/1105H (see the Undergraduate Bulletin for a complete and current list). There is a separate exam on the Georgia Constitution.

Exam Preparation
To prepare for the exam, you should use a standard textbook in American government. Among the textbooks used recently by UGA instructors in POLS 1101 are those written by Greenberg and Page; Fiorina and Peterson; Sabato and O’Connor; Kernell and Jacobson; Lowi, Ginsberg, and Weir; and Susan Welch et al. Most of these books are very similar in their organization. You should read the chapters on the Constitution, federalism, civil rights, and civil liberties. You should also study the text of the Constitution and The Federalist Papers #10 and #51, which are James Madison’s arguments in favor of adopting the Constitution. These items are usually in an appendix of a textbook. The exam will concentrate on the organization, procedures, and powers of government (including how the courts have interpreted the Constitution).

Exam Structure and Procedures
You will have one hour to answer 50 multiple choice questions. You must answer at least 30 questions correctly to pass the exam and satisfy the constitution requirement. There is only one correct answer for each question. You are allowed two chances to pass the exam, which is revised regularly.

Sample Questions (correct answer designated by *)

1. Madison's argument in Federalist #51, that "If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary," is a justification in favor of:
A. the Bill of Rights.
B. the supremacy clause.
C. checks and balances.*
D. an elected judiciary.

2. Under the 4th Amendment, the constitutional standard law enforcement officials must meet in order to obtain a search warrant is:
A. probable cause.*
B. proof beyond a reasonable doubt.
C. reasonable suspicion.
D. the preponderance of the evidence.

3. Overriding a president's veto requires:
A. a simple majority of the combined number of representatives and senators.
B. a three-fourths vote in either house of Congress.
C. ratification by three-fourths of the states.
D. a two-thirds vote in each house of Congress.*

4. The Supreme Court established the legal doctrine of “separate but equal” in the case of:
A. Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka.
B. NAACP v. South Carolina.
C. Plessy v. Ferguson.*
D. none of the above.