Deck 1: The Constitution

Question 1

Which of the following was not an act Britain imposed on the colonies to raise revenue?

A) ​The Sugar Act
B) ​The Stamp Act
C) The Townsend Acts
D) The Intolerable, or Coercive, Acts​

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Under the Articles of Confederation, each state operated as​ a

A) ​member of the United States.
B) territory​.
C) ​sovereign nation.
D) ​federal system.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

​Which document's central focus was that self-government was the right of the people and living under a distant hereditary monarchy was incompatible with that right?

A) ​The Bill of Rights
B) ​The Declaration of Independence
C) The Constitution​
D) The Federalist Papers

Answer 3

B

Question 4

​What was not allowed under the Articles of Confederation?

A) ​Imposing taxes
B) Voting on legislative matters
C) ​Requesting funds from states
D) Taxing other states' imports

Question 5

Which of the following was not a feature of the New Jersey Plan?​

A) A unicameral legislature in which each state had a vote
B) A single strong executive
C) ​The ability to impose taxes
D) A supreme court appointed by the executive branch

Question 6

The Virginia Resolves established colonial objection to​ the

A) ​British East India Company.
B) ​British mandate to house British soldiers in colonists' homes.
C) idea of "taxation without representation."​
D) ​French and Indian Wars.

Question 7

Massachusetts appointed a Committee of Correspondence in response to​ the

A) ​Sugar Act.
B) ​Stamp Act.
C) ​Townsend Act.
D) ​Intolerable, or Coercive, Acts.

Question 8

Under the Articles of Confederation, a supermajority of 9 out of 13 states was required to​

A) ​pass an amendment.
B) ​borrow or spend money.
C) ​impose taxes.
D) ​create a regulation for interstate commerce.

Question 9

Which early American leader championed Locke's philosophy?​

A) ​Thomas Paine
B) ​George Washington
C) ​William Randolph
D) ​Thomas Jefferson

Question 10

What action precipitated the Intolerable, or Coercive, Acts?​

A) The Boston Tea Party
B) The publication of Common Sense
C) The signing of the Declaration of Independence​
D) The convening of the Stamp Act Congress

Question 11

The Articles of Confederation provided for a

A) unicameral legislative body.
B) ​central executive.
C) ​judicial system.
D) ​national income tax.

Question 12

?Which of the following statements is not true about the American colonies?

A) ?Time and distance made them difficult for Great Britain to govern.
B) ?They provided revenue for Great Britain.
C) ?They generated a large debt for Great Britain.
D) ?They provided raw material for Great Britain.

Question 13

Which aspect was not part of the Virginia Plan?​

A) ​A unicameral legislature
B) ​Legislative power to overturn state laws
C) ​A "Council of Revision"
D) A judicial branch

Question 14

Why did larger states support the Virginia Plan?​

A) ​It provided for state laws to be overturned, giving larger states the ability to control anti-slavery laws.
B) ​It created a judicial system appointed by the legislature, allowing larger states more votes in appointing judges.
C) ​It gave the most power to the legislative branch, increasing the political influence of larger states.
D) It was population based, giving larger states a majority of representatives.​

Question 15

Who wrote the Great Compromise?​

A) ​William Paterson
B) ​Thomas Jefferson
C) ​Roger Sherman
D) ​William Randolph

Question 16

In what year was the Constitutional Convention?​

A) ​1783
B) ​1785
C) 1787​
D) ​1789

Question 17

What state did not have delegates at the Constitutional Convention?​

A) ​New York
B) ​Rhode Island
C) ​Pennsylvania
D) ​New Jersey

Question 18

The first national legislative body to meet in the United States was​ the

A) ​Virginia House of Burgess.
B) ​Stamp Act Congress.
C) ​Second Continental Congress.
D) ​Constitutional Convention.

Question 19

Why were the principles contained in Common Sense significant?​

A) ​They outlined the forms of resistance colonists should take against the British.
B) ​They became key parts of the arguments for independence.
C) ​They addressed the natural rights of all to life, liberty, and property.
D) ​They created the structure of a new government.

Question 20

Which political philosopher held the view that a government was formed from a social contract between citizens and their government?​

A) ​John Locke
B) ​Thomas Paine
C) ​William Randolph
D) ​John Adams

Question 21

When Madison wrote "Ambition must be made to counteract ambition," he was addressing what concern of the Anti-Federalists?

A) The idea of three branches of government
B) Enumerated powers
C) ​The elastic clause
D) The system of checks and balances

Question 22

Which Supreme Court case established that Congress had powers implied through the necessary and proper clause?

A) ​Marbury v. Madison
B) ​McCullough v. Maryland
C) ​Brown v. Board of Education
D) ​Bowers v. Hardwick

Question 23

The Federalist Papers were written by​

A) ​James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and Robert Yates.
B) ​James Madison, Thomas Jefferson, and John Jay.
C) ​James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay.
D) ​James Madison, Thomas Jefferson, and Robert Yates.

Question 24

When Thomas Jefferson wrote, "…half a loaf is better than no bread," he was presenting the idea that​ he

A) ​completely agreed with Madison's perspective on the Bill of Rights, and the Constitution provided enough of what was needed to protect individual rights.
B) ​completely disagreed with Madison, and if there was no bill of rights, then it was best to keep the Articles of Confederation.
C) ​understood Madison's argument that a bill of rights might be limiting, but a bill of rights would secure what rights they could.
D) ​believed a bill of rights was probably useful, but it was politically prudent to overlook it at this time.

Question 25

​Which of the Federalist Papers addressed the issue of the strength of the state government under the Constitution?

A) ​Number 10
B) ​Number 46
C) ​Number 51
D) ​Number 84

Question 26

Which of the following is not an enumerated power of Congress?​

A) The right to levy taxes
B) ​The right to appoint ambassadors
C) The right to raise an army​
D) ​The right to establish post offices

Question 27

Which Federalist Paper addressed the lack of a bill of rights?

A) ​Number 10
B) ​Number 46
C) ​Number 51
D) ​Number 84

Question 28

How did the Three-Fifths Compromise affect the Constitutional Convention?​

A) ​It delayed any conversation regarding slavery in the United States.
B) ​It allowed the process of developing a constitution to continue.
C) ​It clearly answered the question as to whether a slave was person or property.
D) ​It led to the establishment of an abolitionist party.

Question 29

In Federalist No. 10, James Madison speaks to the Constitution's ability to weaken the "mischiefs of faction." What issue was he addressing?​

A) ​Less possibility of one faction gaining a majority
B) ​The threat from small states in gaining a majority
C) ​The idea that the executive could gain control similar to that of a monarchy
D) The concept that elected officials can be impeached

Question 30

Why did the delegates to the Constitutional Convention opt for ratification to occur through ratifying conventions rather than state legislatures?​

A) ​As the states had more power under the Articles of Confederation, they had more to lose if the Constitution was ratified.
B) ​Travel was challenging and relay of information slow. Ratifying conventions were close to each other so problems could be mitigated and concerns addressed efficiently.
C) The delegates wanted to ensure that legislators were included.
D) ​The delegates arranged to have ratification occur in the most open forums possible.

Question 31

Which group strongly supported the addition of a bill of rights to the Constitution?​

A) ​The Federalists
B) ​The Anti-Federalists
C) ​Neither the Federalists nor the Anti-Federalists supported a bill of rights.
D) ​The urban merchant class

Question 32

As designated in the Constitution, enumerated powers are activities that​

A) ​expand with the times and circumstances of society.
B) ​only the executive branch possesses.
C) ​are shared among the three branches of government.
D) ​no other branch of government can undertake.

Question 33

Which article of the Constitution addresses proposing and ratifying amendments?​

A) ​Article III
B) ​Article IV
C) ​Article V
D) ​Article VI

Question 34

The Bill of Rights was ratified in​

A) ​1789.
B) ​1791.
C) ​1793.
D) ​1795.

Question 35

What did the framers of the Constitution hope to avoid by establishing three separate but overlapping branches of government?​

A) ​Tyranny
B) ​Redundancy
C) Inefficiency
D) Ineffectiveness

Question 36

The system of checks and balances does not provide a means

A) ​to stop a single branch of government from acting unilaterally.
B) ​for both houses of the legislative branch to agree in order for legislation to pass.
C) ​for the judicial branch to adjudicate conflicts between the states.
D) to select the best candidates for executive office.

Question 37

Which issue did the Great Compromise not address?

A) ​Apportionment based on both population and equal representation
B) ​Selection of an executive through an electoral college
C) ​Requiring all bills dealing with taxing or spending to originate in the lower house
D) ​What constituted a person for purposes of representation and taxation

Question 38

The amendment process was created in direct response to​ how difficult it was to

A) amend the Articles of Confederation.
B) ​have a majority of representatives present to vote.
C) ​maintain a certain degree of flexibility in interpreting the Constitution.
D) ​engage the elite in the political process.

Question 39

One issue the new nation faced under the Articles of Confederation was how the government should respond to changing circumstances. The framers of the Constitution addressed this issue in Article I, Section 8, which created​

A) ​the presidential veto.
B) ​enumerated powers.
C) ​the elastic clause.
D) ​judicial review.

Question 40

Which statement regarding the judicial system is true?

A) ​The ability for the judicial branch to overturn laws is included in Article III of the Constitution.
B) ​The judicial branch can offer an opinion but cannot overturn laws.
C) ​The ability for the judicial branch to find laws unconstitutional was established in its finding of Marbury v. Madison.
D) ​The judicial branch can decide a law is unconstitutional without holding any proceedings.

Question 41

Which step is not required to propose and amend the Constitution via a congressional proposal?​

A) ​Two-thirds of each house must vote in favor of the amendment.
B) ​The president must formally indicate approval of the amendment.
C) ​The amendment is sent to the states.
D) ​Three-fourths of the states must ratify the amendment.

Question 42

Which Supreme Court case reversed the earlier decision of Bowers v. Hardwick?​

A) ​Marbury v. Madison
B) ​Lawrence v. Texas
C) ​Plessy v. Ferguson
D) ​Brown v. Board of Education

Question 43

Which three amendments were known as the Civil War Amendments?​

A) ​Tenth, Eleventh, and Twelfth
B) ​Eleventh, Twelfth, and Thirteenth
C) ​Twelfth, Thirteenth, and Fourteenth
D) ​Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth

Question 44

In 2015, the Court overturned Lawrence v. Texas with its ruling in which case?

A) Bowers v. Hardwick
B) ​Marbury v. Madison
C) Citizens United v. FEC
D) ​Obergefell v. Hodges

Question 45

The Civil War Amendments marked​ a

A) minor shift in how the federal and state governments interacted with citizens, especially those who had just gained their freedom.
B) ​dramatic shift in how the federal and state governments interacted with citizens, especially those who had just gained their freedom.
C) ​dramatic change in how the federal and state governments interacted with citizens who had participated in secession.
D) ​direct punishment for Southern states which had seceded from the Union.

Question 46

The elastic clause translates to​

A) ​an expansive view of government power.
B) ​a strict view of government power.
C) ​a view that if powers are given to government in one area, they must be restricted in another.
D) ​a view that governmental powers can expand for only a given amount of time.

Question 47

Judicial review is​ understood to mean the Supreme Court

A) interpreting the Constitution as it relates to legislation and governmental actions.
B) ​voting on a proposed amendment before it is given to state legislatures.
C) independently reviewing decisions made by previous Courts.
D) participating in the appellate process.

Question 48

Which Supreme Court case reversed the earlier decision of Plessy v. Ferguson?​

A) ​Lawrence v. Texas
B) ​Bowers v. Hardwick
C) ​Brown v. Board of Education
D) ​Marbury v. Madison

Question 49

What forms the foundation for all contemporary discussions about American politics?

A) The Declaration of Independence
B) ​The Articles of Confederation
C) The Federalist Papers
D) ​The Constitution

Question 50

A strict constructionist believes​

A) ​the only way to amend the Constitution is through congressional proposal.
B) ​the only way to amend the Constitution is through judicial review.
C) ​in a broad view of the government's powers.
D) ​that the government's powers outside the enumerated powers of Article I, Section 8, are extremely limited.