Deck 2: The Constitution

Question 1

Who was the author of the Declaration of Independence?

A) James Madison
B) Benjamin Franklin
C) Thomas Jefferson
D) John Adams

Answer 1

C

Question 2

In Federalist 10,who wrote,"The most common and durable source of factions has been the various and unequal distribution of property"?

A) Alexander Hamilton
B) Thomas Jefferson
C) John Jay
D) James Madison

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Which of the following is a form of government in which the people select representatives to govern them and make laws?

A) republic
B) monarchy
C) theocracy
D) oligarchy

Answer 3

A

Question 4

While working on the Constitution,what aspect of the new government most concerned James Madison?

A) democratic institutions
B) political parties
C) elitist control
D) tyranny of the majority

Question 5

Which of the following philosophers greatly influenced the colonists' views on the role of government?

A) Daniel Shays
B) John Locke
C) John Boehner
D) Gramm Rudman

Question 6

The Constitution limits the government's ability to suspend writs of habeas corpus.What does this protect individuals against?

A) free speech infringement
B) taxation of private property
C) unlawful incarceration
D) infringement of religious freedom

Question 7

The U.S.Constitution was adopted in response to the weaknesses of which document?

A) Shays's Rebellion
B) the Constitution of the United Kingdom
C) the Declaration of Independence
D) the Articles of Confederation

Question 8

At the Constitutional Convention,the delegates agreed that slaves would be counted as __________ of a person for determining population for representation in the House of Representatives.

A) one-third
B) three-fifths
C) two-thirds
D) four-fifths

Question 9

What did the Connecticut Compromise help to establish?

A) the Senate and the House of Representatives
B) the federalist system
C) an independent judiciary
D) universal male suffrage

Question 10

How many amendments have been made to the Constitution since its ratification?

A) 10
B) 15
C) 27
D) 36

Question 11

Which of the following is a branch of the U.S.government?

A) House of Representatives
B) Supreme Court
C) presidency
D) legislative

Question 12

How many constitutions has the United States had in its history?

A) one
B) two
C) three
D) four

Question 13

In what year was the U.S.Constitution ratified?

A) 1776
B) 1788
C) 1791
D) 1797

Question 14

In what year was the Declaration of Independence signed?

A) 1776
B) 1787
C) 1789
D) 1805

Question 15

In what year was the Bill of Rights added to the Constitution?

A) 1776
B) 1781
C) 1786
D) 1791

Question 16

Burning the flag is generally considered to be __________ that is protected by the Constitution.

A) free speech
B) a private action
C) a form of due process
D) a commercial act

Question 17

What is the name given to the rights that are inherent in all human beings and not dependent on government?

A) inherent rights
B) repatriations
C) natural law
D) Constitutional law

Question 18

The colonists rebelled against the imposition by the British government of which of the following?

A) taxes
B) a military draft
C) curfews
D) religious laws

Question 19

Which of the following generally favored a stronger national government and supported the proposed U.S.Constitution?

A) Daniel Shays
B) Federalists
C) Anti-Federalists
D) Constitutionalists

Question 20

Which of the following debated and drafted the Declaration of Independence?

A) the Common Sense Committee
B) the Continental Congress
C) the Committees of Correspondence
D) the Constitutional Convention

Question 21

John Locke's belief that government derives its authority from the people influenced the Declaration of Independence,which says,"Governments are instituted among men,deriving their just powers from __________."

A) the consent of the governed
B) the right to revolt
C) the laws of Nature and Nature's God
D) government itself

Question 22

__________ was a protest by Massachusetts farmers to stop foreclosures by state courts.

A) The Committee of Correspondence
B) The Federalist Papers
C) Mercantilism
D) Shays's Rebellion

Question 23

How did the Constitution differ from the Articles of Confederation?

A) The Constitution was based on democratic principles; the Articles of Confederation was based on tyrannical principles.
B) The Constitution contained strong protections for individual rights; the Articles of Confederation contained strong protections for collective rights.
C) The Constitution created a stronger federal government than did the Articles of Confederation.
D) The Constitution contained stronger safeguards for states' rights than did the Articles of Confederation.

Question 24

What is the feature of the Constitution that allows each branch of government to limit the power of the other branches?

A) weights and measures
B) checks and balances
C) oversight and influence
D) privileges and immunities

Question 25

Which of the following was part of both the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution?

A) a congress
B) the presidency
C) the federal judiciary
D) the effective collection of taxes by the federal government

Question 26

Under the Constitution,the president is elected by which of the following?

A) King Caucus
B) People's Plebiscite
C) electoral college
D) direct popular election

Question 27

Which of the following is a reason for the separation of powers?

A) to ensure the power of the executive
B) to promote the general welfare
C) to prevent tyranny by any one branch
D) to prevent gridlock in government

Question 28

Which constitutional plan called for representation in Congress to be based on state population?

A) Republican Plan
B) Democratic Plan
C) Virginia Plan
D) New Jersey Plan

Question 29

What type of legislature did the United States have under the Articles of Confederation?

A) one with membership based on a state's population
B) one comprised of a single chamber
C) one that is appointed directly by the president
D) a bicameral one

Question 30

Which of the following concepts most directly helps to make American government legitimate?

A) tradition
B) the divine right
C) consent of the governed
D) executive privilege

Question 31

What was the subject of the Connecticut Compromise?

A) the legality of slavery
B) the form of the legislative branch
D) the number of Supreme Court justices
E) the form of the executive branch

Question 32

Which of the following most directly protects individuals' civil liberties?

A) Second Treatise of Civil Government
B) The Federalist Papers
C) the Bill of Rights
D) the Declaration of Independence

Question 33

Which of the following was a problem under the Articles of Confederation?

A) The national government was too strong compared to the states.
B) Amendments were too easy to ratify.
C) Congress imposed excessive taxes.
D) Congress lacked the authority to regulate commerce.

Question 34

The Articles of Confederation required __________ consent from the states for ratification.

A) majority b three-fifths
C) two-thirds
D) unanimous

Question 35

Which of the following accurately describes the Constitutional Convention?

A) The delegates spent more of their time trying to figure out how to revise the Articles of Confederation.
B) A disproportionate number of delegates were economic elites.
C) The Convention was free of significant disagreement.
D) The Convention lasted only one week.

Question 36

The Federalists preferred __________ than did the Anti-Federalists.

A) stronger state governments
B) a stronger national government
C) stronger protections of individual liberties
D) shorter terms of office

Question 37

How is eligibility for voting determined under the Constitution?

A) Congress determines eligibility.
B) States determine eligibility.
C) Counties determine eligibility.
D) The Constitution establishes universal suffrage.

Question 38

Which of the following specifies the procedure for amending the Constitution?

A) Article I
B) Article III
C) Article V
D) Article VI

Question 39

__________ was/were most likely to support a strong state government and a weak national government.

A) James Madison
B) John Jay
C) The Federalists
D) The Anti-Federalists

Question 40

Which of the following urged for the colonies to become independent from Britain?

A) Common Sense
B) Revolution
C) Federalist 10
D) Our American Cousin

Question 41

What was a fear of the Anti-Federalists during the Constitutional Convention and subsequent debate?

A) that a weak national government would undermine the survival of the United States
B) that a strong national government would infringe on the rights of the states
C) that a powerful judiciary would restrict freedom of religion
D) that powerful state governments would infringe on individual liberties

Question 42

The Declaration of Independence asserts that the people have a right to revolt against an oppressive government.

Question 43

The Constitution was ratified in 1776.

Question 44

Which of the following is a method for proposing constitutional amendments?

A) by a majority of voting-age citizens
B) by a majority of state governors
C) by a two-thirds vote in each house of Congress
D) by a two-thirds vote in a special election called for the purpose of voting on the amendment

Question 45

The main weakness of the Articles of Confederation was a weak national government.

Question 46

A constitution is a nation's basic law; it creates political institutions,assigns or divides powers in government,and often provides certain guarantees to citizens.

Question 47

How is a constitutional amendment ratified?

A) either by a majority of state legislatures or by special state conventions in a majority of the states
B) either by three-fourths of state legislatures or by special state conventions in three-fourths of the states
C) either by a majority of state governors or by a majority of the U.S. Senate
D) either by three-fourths of state governors or by three-fourths of the U.S. Senate

Question 48

Under the Articles of Confederation,the federal government had broad power to levy taxes.

Question 49

Many of the Framers were skeptical of democratic government in the sense that we understand it today.

Question 50

The three-fifths compromise specified that only three-fifths of slaves could vote.

Question 51

Which of the following were most likely to oppose the proposed Constitution?

A) lawyers
B) merchants
C) small farmers
D) large landowners

Question 52

The Framers implemented a strong executive after being influenced by Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes.

Question 53

The New Jersey Plan proposed a one-house legislature with one vote for each state.

Question 54

The meaning of the Constitution can change through __________.

A) judicial interpretation
B) presidential decree
C) congressional inaction
D) natural law

Question 55

The New Jersey Plan proposed a powerful central government with three branches.

Question 56

The Constitution prohibits having __________ qualifications for holding public office.

A) residency
B) competency
C) religious
D) citizenship

Question 57

Which of the following was written to encourage passage of the Constitution and remains a compelling source for determining the intent of the Framers?

A) the Declaration of Independence
B) The Federalist Papers
C) Common Sense
D) Two Treatises on Government

Question 58

After the Revolutionary War,power in the state legislatures shifted from the wealthy to a broader,more democratic group.

Question 59

None of the 13 states would ratify the Constitution until after the Bill of Rights was added.

Question 60

Most of the Framers believed that the principal objective of government is to protect the right of individuals to acquire and hold property.

Question 61

The __________ Amendment attempted to give former slaves the right to vote.

Question 62

Explain the processes for amending the Constitution.Which process have most amendments followed?

Question 63

The Constitution has been amended __________ times.

Question 64

The __________ was added to the Constitution to protect personal freedoms.

Question 65

The Federalist Papers are a valuable resource for those who want to reflect on the thinking of the Framers.

Question 66

Explain judicial review.

Question 67

The Continental Congress adopted the __________ in 1777.

Question 68

The Anti-Federalists strongly supported the Bill of Rights.

Question 69

James Madison,Alexander Hamilton,and John Jay authored the __________.

Question 70

Describe the system of checks and balances created by the Framers.Why is this system important?

Question 71

John Locke argued that __________ included life,liberty,and property.

Question 72

The Federalists were a minority.How did they get the Constitution ratified?

Question 73

__________ of indebted farmers exposed the problems under the Articles of Confederation.

Question 74

The __________ favored a weak national government and strong state governments.

Question 75

In Texas v.Gregory Lee Johnson,the U.S.Supreme Court decided that anti-flag-burning laws were an unconstitutional violation of __________.

Question 76

Under a __________ system,power is shared among the executive,legislative,and judicial branches.Each of these three branches is relatively independent so that one cannot control the others.

Question 77

The body whose delegates signed the Declaration of Independence was the __________.

Question 78

At least __________ states had to ratify the proposed Constitution for it to become law.

Question 79

All of the amendments to the U.S.Constitution were ratified by a supermajority vote in the state legislature.

Question 80

Who were the Federalists and what did they want?