US Government (Wednesday, September 27, 4th period)

[professor-lyman.livejournal.com]

Josh had gone through four cups of coffee since his first period class, so he was way more awake.

Not quite at Caf-Pow levels of crazed, though.

"As promised, today we have our first test of the semester," he said. "I'm sure you're all thrilled. If you're not, well, fake it."

Josh stood up from his desk and passed out test papers.

1. The word "democracy" comes from two Greek words. What are they and what do they mean?
2. What year was the Magna Carta signed? Why is it important in terms of the American government?
3. What three things did John Locke believe we have a right to? Which one did Jefferson change?
4. If you had been King George, how would you have reacted to reading the Declaration of Independence?
5. How does the Declaration of Independence begin (initial phrase only: Jefferson loved the compound sentence)?

"Question or concerns that aren't 'what's the answer to number 4?' Ask away."

[OOC: Answer the questions IC or handwave what your grade would've been]

Comments

Re: Take the test

[willbedone.livejournal.com]

1. The word "democracy" comes from two Greek words. What are they and what do they mean?

It comes from the words "demos" or people and "kratia" or authority. This meant rule by the people, as opposed to the few, where the few were the people who had managed to get their way to the top of the authority chain through divine right and/or stabbing enough people who happened to be standing in the way of them and the throne. Though it should be noted not all leaders did this. Some used poison.

2. What year was the Magna Carta signed? Why is it important in terms of the American government?

The Magna Carta, (literally "Great Charter" or "Great Paper" or, more literally, "Significant Thing Put Down On Wood That Has Been Chipped And Pressed Into Sheets. Or Possibly Sheepskin If That's What Was More Common At The Time.") was signed in 1215. It was significant in that it laid the groundwork for things like the US Constitution, and also showed that not only could the will of the king be bound by law, but that for years he'd feel really stupid for actually writing that down and agreeing to it, because written contracts totally trump keeping your fingers crossed behind your back no matter how much you try to argue otherwise.


3. What three things did John Locke believe we have a right to? Which one did Jefferson change?

Of the many things that John Locke (1632-1704 and, apparently, a Virgo) believed that people had a right to life, liberty, and property. One assumes the rights to food, water, and occasionally going to the bathroom were either not written down or felt by Locke to be strongly implied. Thomas Jefferson (1743-1846, Aries) changed "property" to "pursuit of happiness" possibly because it sounded better, possibly because if you're going to be having sex with your slaves willy-nilly and are trying to write down some new guidelines for the country, you may as well try to put in a couple of clauses to cover your immoral backside.

4. If you had been King George, how would you have reacted to reading the Declaration of Independence?

Of course it is difficult to extrapolate given time and the different points of view of history, but if I had to make an educated guess as to what I would have done if I was King George III I suppose there's a high likelihood I would've thought the Declaration of Independance was crawling with bugs, possibly ant-like in nature, and would've dropped it to the ground swatting myself while accusing everyone around me of being a potted plant. I might have then spoken in words not identifiable in English, or any other, language, wondered why I seemed to be followed by fanged mittens riding on eight-legged camels, then passed out in a puddle of my own drool. At some point there may have also been a check on the color of my urine.

5. How does the Declaration of Independence begin (initial phrase only: Jefferson loved the compound sentence)?

We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed, by their Creator, with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. We will also discover later that these words are very easily put into a catchy song that will air during the commercial breaks of Saturday morning cartoons.