Free Practice Quiz Question List

5 The Federal Courts Online Quiz Questions

Use this free practice quiz with 20 questions to review 5 The Federal Courts, test your knowledge, and prepare for your next test or exam.

20 questions

Choose one

1 point

Which federal courts generally conduct trials, hear evidence, and determine facts?

A
Federal courts of appeals
B
Federal district courts (trial courts)
C
The Supreme Court when it reviews a lower-court decision
D
The executive branch

True or false

1 point

Only the Supreme Court can exercise judicial review when a constitutional question arises in a case.

A
True
B
False

Fill in the blank

1 point

Federal courts that review lower-court proceedings for legal or procedural error are called .

Written response

1 point

What is the legal term for the power of courts to decide whether government action is consistent with the Constitution?

Choose one

1 point

A state court has decided a case. Under what condition might that case reach the U.S. Supreme Court?

A
Whenever a party disagrees with the state court’s decision
B
Only when the case involves a dispute between two state governments
C
When the case raises a qualifying federal question
D
Whenever the state court asks the Supreme Court for advice about a hypothetical dispute

Choose all

1 point

Select all categories of cases that federal courts may hear, as described in the material.

A
A case involving the Constitution
B
A case involving a federal law or treaty
C
Any civil dispute, regardless of its subject or parties
D
Certain disputes between states or parties from different states

True or false

1 point

The Supreme Court may issue an advisory opinion to resolve a hypothetical legal dispute even when no parties have brought an actual case.

A
True
B
False

Fill in the blank

1 point

Article III judges hold office during “,” a provision that helps protect judicial independence.

Written response

1 point

In what year did the Supreme Court establish the principle of judicial review in Marbury v. Madison?

Choose one

1 point

The Supreme Court is asked to hear a case in a small category of disputes before any lower court has decided it. Which type of jurisdiction is being used?

A
Appellate jurisdiction
B
Original jurisdiction
C
Judicial review
D
Advisory jurisdiction

Choose all

1 point

Select all accurate ways courts may affect public policy through their decisions.

A
A decision interpreting a statute can affect who qualifies for a public benefit.
B
Courts generally initiate investigations to choose policy questions for themselves.
C
A ruling can require public officials to change how a law is administered.
D
Courts may set aside legal texts and decide policy without regard to the case before them.

Choose one

1 point

A court interprets a statute, and elected lawmakers want to change the statutory rule. Which statement describes a permissible response?

A
Congress may revise any constitutional interpretation by passing an ordinary statute, without constitutional limits.
B
Courts may revise statutory rules whenever a policy outcome is unpopular.
C
Congress may revise a statutory rule within constitutional limits.
D
Only the Supreme Court may change a statutory rule.

Open ended

1 point

A person challenges a federal law as violating a constitutional right. Explain how a court may use judicial review to address the challenge and describe a possible effect of finding a conflict.

Choose one

1 point

In which court do most federal cases begin?

A
Federal district court
B
Federal court of appeals
C
The Supreme Court
D
The Senate

Choose one

1 point

Which statement describes what federal courts of appeals generally do after a trial-court decision?

A
They retry the case by hearing all the evidence again.
B
They generally review the lower-court proceedings without retrying the case.
C
They choose policy questions to investigate before a case is filed.
D
They enforce the judgment through the executive branch.

Choose one

1 point

Which dispute most clearly falls within federal-court jurisdiction based on the kinds of cases described in the material?

A
A dispute about a state law that raises no federal issue
B
A disagreement between neighbors about a private contract under state law
C
A challenge alleging that a federal law was violated
D
A request for a court to create a new public-benefit program

Choose one

1 point

How does the Supreme Court decide which petitions asking it to review lower-court rulings it will hear?

A
It must accept every petition asking it to review a lower-court ruling.
B
It accepts a petition only if the parties agree on the outcome.
C
It chooses which petitions to accept, so it reviews only a small portion of the cases presented to it.
D
It issues advice on hypothetical disputes whenever a party requests it.

True or false

1 point

The Supreme Court has both original jurisdiction, allowing it to hear a small category of cases first, and appellate jurisdiction, allowing it to review lower-court decisions.

A
True
B
False

Written response

1 point

What phrase in Article III describes how long federal judges, including Supreme Court justices, may hold office?

Written response

1 point

A court issues a judgment in a case, and government action is needed to carry it out. Which branch of government do courts rely on to enforce the judgment?