Deck 1: History, Structure, and Content of the United States Constitution

Question 1

The following country's government provided a precedent for the federal-state system devised under the Constitution:

A) England
B) France
C) Greece
D) none of the above

Answer 1

D

Question 2

The Fourteenth Amendment contains the following guarantee:

A) the right to trial by jury
B) the right of the people peaceably to assemble
C) equal protection under the laws
D) the right against unreasonable searches and seizures

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Which of the following is not a branch of the federal government?

A) Presidency
B) Governorship
C) Judiciary
D) Congress

Answer 3

B

Question 4

The United States Constitution, as originally adopted:

A) prohibited the federal government from depriving any person of life, liberty, or property without due process of law.
B) was divided into nine articles.
C) defined the crime of treason and the proof necessary for a conviction.
D) failed to provide for a method of amendment.

Question 5

Lawrence v. Texas, the Supreme Court decision overturning sodomy laws, has been compared to which other landmark Supreme Court ruling?

A) Plessy v. Ferguson
B) United States v. Virginia
C) Marbury v. Madison
D) Brown v. Board of Education

Question 6

Although not specifically listed among the powers granted to the federal government, the Supreme Court ruled that Congress had the power to establish a national bank under the following:

A) necessary and proper clause
B) the First Amendment
C) the due process clause
D) the Tenth Amendment

Question 7

Once proposed, an amendment to the Constitution must be ratified by ____ of the states.

A) two-thirds
B) three-fifths
C) four-fifths
D) three-fourths

Question 8

Article I of the United States Constitution:

A) grants Congress the power to regulate interstate and foreign commerce.
B) contains the supremacy clause.
C) protects freedom of speech.
D) delegates to the President the power to declare war.

Question 9

Petitioners file this when requesting review by the Supreme Court:

A) writ of certiorari
B) writ of habeas corpus
C) due process
D) constitutional challenge

Question 10

The ratification process was completed and the Constitution went into effect:

A) 1787
B) 1788
C) 1791
D) 1776

Question 11

The following made the case for ratifying the Constitution:

A) the Declaration of Independence
B) the Federalist Papers
C) Common Sense
D) The Articles of Confederation

Question 12

Which of the following would qualify for strict scrutiny at this time under the equal protection clause?

A) gender-based discrimination
B) racial profiling
C) discrimination based on sexual orientation
D) laws regulating handguns

Question 13

The Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution was passed in the aftermath of which war?

A) Revolutionary War
B) War of 1812
C) Civil War
D) Spanish American War

Question 14

The first ten amendments to the Constitution are collectively known as:

A) the Interstate Commerce Clause
B) the Bill of Rights
C) Articles of Confederation
D) the Necessary and Proper Clause

Question 15

All of the following federal laws fall under the interstate commerce clause, except for:

A) Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act
B) Mann Act
C) National Motor Vehicle Theft Act
D) Federal Kidnapping Act

Question 16

Article II of the United States Constitution:

A) establishes the powers of the President.
B) establishes the powers of the President.
C) guarantees the right to bear arms.
D) guarantees that the federal government will not quarter troops in private homes.

Question 17

Under the Constitution, states are prohibited from doing all of the following, except:

A) lay duties on exports, without the consent of Congress
B) enter into treaties
C) pass ex-post facto laws
D) conduct background checks before allowing citizens to purchase handguns

Question 18

Habeas corpus review is a post-conviction constitutional remedy for state prisoners that rectifies the following:

A) unlawful confinement
B) cruel and unusual punishment
C) parole violation
D) illegal searches and seizures

Question 19

Under the terms of the proposed Constitution, the new government was to become operative if a certain number of states ratified. This number was:

A) 9
B) 10
C) 11
D) All 13 states

Question 20

After the Constitution was drafted, it was submitted to the states for ratification. Ratification was opposed by some states because:

A) the Constitution contained no bill of rights.
B) excessive power was concentrated in the President.
C) Congress had no power to tax.
D) small states were not given fair representation in the Senate of the United States.

Question 21

The government set up under the Constitution is called a federalist system.

Question 22

The Bill of Rights is a declaration of the rights that citizens have against each other.

Question 23

Article I of the United States Constitution:

A) grants Congress the power to regulate interstate and foreign commerce.
B) contains the supremacy clause.
C) protects freedom of speech.
D) delegates to the President the power to declare war.

Question 24

Before the Civil War, the American people viewed the states as the watchdogs of liberty.

Question 25

The Articles of Confederation created a strong federal government.

Question 26

Article II of the United States Constitution:

A) establishes the powers of the President.
B) establishes the powers of the President.
C) guarantees the right to bear arms.
D) guarantees that the federal government will not quarter troops in private homes.

Question 27

Article I of the United States Constitution:

A) grants Congress the power to regulate interstate and foreign commerce.
B) contains the supremacy clause.
C) protects freedom of speech.
D) delegates to the President the power to declare war.

Question 28

The First Amendment addresses the right to bear arms.