Civil & Criminal Courts

Multiple-Choice Questions.

To assess your knowledge and skills in government and politics, answer these sample multiple-choice questions. Here are some questions on the Judiciary. The correct answers will appear below the questions after a brief delay.

 

1. Which of the following is an accurate comparison of civil and criminal courts?

Civil Courts

Criminal Courts

(A) Rulings are final and cannot be appealed Try felonies, not misdemeanors
(B) Do not have juries or jury trials Can be appealed if a “not guilty” verdict is delivered at trial
(C) Hear lawsuits where plaintiffs seek a recovery of damages Require a verdict of guilty beyond a reasonable doubt to convict a defendant
(D) Are in the federal judicial system, not the state judicial systems Hold trials where the government charges accused criminals

 

2. At a closed conference in the chambers of the Supreme Court, the three most vocal justices split in their view of the case at hand after the public oral arguments before the Court. The first associate justice sided with the petitioner, based on prior precedence. The second associate justice felt the respondent should win based on their interpretation of the Constitution. The chief justice was also vocal about the issue, but not obvious in his view of who should win the case. Which of the following are most likely to follow?

(A) The second justice must change his view because judicial activism is discouraged in the court.

(B) The two associate justices will wait to see the Chief justice’s opinion before declaring theirs.

(C) Regardless of the decision, all of these justices might write some type of opinion.

(D) This court appears so divided it will likely not issue a ruling or opinion.

 

3. Which of the following statements is true regarding the diversity of the current Supreme Court?

(A) The justices on the Supreme Court have come from a large variety of law schools.

(B) The Supreme Court has every religion represented by its members.

(C) President Obama was the first to nominate a woman to the Supreme Court.

(D) The Supreme Court is as diverse as it has ever been in terms of ethnicity and gender.

 

And the answers are . . . 
C, C, and D
What unique vocabulary terms did you see that you were not familiar with? How might knowing these terms help you answer the question?