Deck 3: The Constitution

Question 1

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

A)1776
B)1797
C)1791
D)1788
E)1777

Answer 1

D

Question 2

In what year was the Declaration of Independence signed?

A)1776
B)1801
C)1797
D)1789
E)1805

Answer 2

A

Question 3

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

A)John Dewey
B)John Locke
C)Martin Heidegger
D)Michael Foucalt
E)George Berkley

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Which of the following required all paper items in the colonies to carry a stamp of the Crown?

A)Crown Act
B)Paper Act
C)Stamp Act
D)Tax Act
E)Royal Act

Question 5

What is the name given to the law that would govern human beings before governments existed?

A)original law
B)Biblical law
C)natural law
D)Constitutional law
E)universal law

Question 6

Which clause provides that the Constitution shall be the supreme law of the land?

A)full faith and credit
B)legal
C)primacy
D)due process
E)supremacy

Question 7

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

A)twenty-seven
B)ten
C)thirty-six
D)twelve
E)fifteen

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

Question 9

The Boston Tea Party became a symbol of the reaction of the people against which of the following?

A)enemies
B)the government
C)each other
D)war
E)poverty

Question 10

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

A)Congress
B)Supreme Court
C)presidency
D)legislative
E)Senate

Question 11

Who was the author of the Declaration of Independence?

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

Question 12

What items were taxed as a result of the Revenue Act?

A)cattle
B)colonial imports
C)corn
D)molasses
E)tea

Question 13

What does the Declaration of Independence signify?

A)the end of slavery
B)fair trade sanctions
C)the United States as an autonomous nation
D)taxation without representation
E)a presidential pardon

Question 14

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

A)Constitutional Congress
B)Continental Congress
C)Revolutionary Congress
D)American Congress
E)Liberty Congress

Question 15

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

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

Question 16

In which of the following systems is government by representatives of the people instead of directly by the people themselves?

A)republic
B)monarchy
C)democracy
D)oligarchy
E)utopia

Question 17

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

A)Tories
B)Whigs
C)Federalists
D)Anti-Federalists
E)Constitutionalists

Question 18

The U.S.Constitution was adopted in response to the weaknesses of the Articles of __________.

A)Unity
B)Revolution
C)America
D)Democracy
E)Confederation

Question 19

As shown in Figure 3.1,what are the three branches of government recognized for their separation of powers and checks and balances?

A)legislative,executive,judiciary
B)congress,president,supreme court
C)electoral college,president,judiciary
D)congress,judiciary,senate
E)congress,president,house of representatives

Question 20

Which of the following plans proposed proportional representation in both the House of Representatives and the Senate?

A)Ohio
B)Virginia
C)New Jersey
D)Massachusetts
E)Pennsylvania

Question 21

Colonists responded to the "Intolerable Acts" by forming the __________.

A)Republican Party
B)First Continental Congress
C)Democratic Party
D)Third Continental Congress
E)Northeastern Congress of Colonies

Question 22

What types of freedom are emphasized in the Bill of Rights?

A)congressional
B)presidential
C)special interest group
D)individual
E)foreign

Question 23

What were two of the Framers' objectives during the Constitutional Convention?

A)to expand slavery and increase taxes
B)to create a monarchy and protect property
C)to lower taxes and triple the size of the navy
D)to resolve disputes about representation in the new government and protect property
E)to encourage public input and triple the size of the navy

Question 24

According to the "How Do We Know?" box,of the 55 delegates who attended the Constitutional Convention,how many supported the adoption of the U.S.Constitution?

A)twenty-three
B)forty
C)thirty-nine
D)twelve
E)twenty-five

Question 25

Like the British system,the colonists wanted American democracy to __________ power.

A)create
B)control
C)wield
D)balance
E)exert

Question 26

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

A)three-fifths
B)unanimous
C)two-thirds
D)majority
E)three-fourths

Question 27

What is the primary responsibility of the judiciary branch with regard to laws passed by Congress?

A)negotiation
B)interpretation
C)protest
D)financial assistance
E)electing the president

Question 28

What is federalism?

A)the process of seceding from a nation
B)a system that distributes power across national and subnational governments
C)a special election
D)a political party
E)the concept of a nation with no government

Question 29

The modern Tea Party movement uses which historical event as a symbol of protest?

A)the signing of the Declaration of Independence
B)the imposition of the Intolerable Acts
C)the creation of the first taxes against colonists
D)the Battle of Yorktown
E)the Boston Tea Party

Question 30

Which Continental Congress approved the Declaration of Independence?

A)Second
B)Third
C)Fourth
D)Fifth
E)Tenth

Question 31

To avoid placing an emphasis on this issue,although it is addressed,the Constitution makes no specific reference to __________.

A)laws
B)Congress
C)slavery
D)regulation
E)voting

Question 32

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

A)Election College
B)Congressional College
C)Electoral College
D)Presidential College
E)State College

Question 33

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

A)Brown's
B)Smith's
C)Miller's
D)Shay's
E)James's

Question 34

Which of the following advocates for limited government that is based on popular consent,but protects against majority tyranny?

A)democracy
B)republicanism
C)libertarianism
D)federalism
E)constitutionalism

Question 35

The colonists generally believed that a constitution should mark the limits of what type of government power?

A)inherent
B)natural
C)defined
D)legitimate
E)implied

Question 36

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

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

Question 37

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

A)1776
B)1788
C)1789
D)1798
E)1791

Question 38

Under the Articles of Confederation,who selected members of Congress?

A)state legislatures
B)president
C)secretary of state
D)unions
E)public

Question 39

In the United States,the national government derives its power from which of the following?

A)states
B)courts
C)legislature
D)citizens
E)laws

Question 40

What is the principle that each branch of the federal government has the means to thwart or influence actions by other branches of government?

A)weights and measures
B)checks and balances
C)balances and powers
D)checks and freedoms
E)freedom and power

Question 41

Why is the Defense of Marriage Act an exception to the full faith and credit clause?

A)States are required to recognize same-sex marriages from other states.
B)States are not required to recognize same-sex marriages from other states.
C)It amends the Second Amendment.
D)The Constitution specifies this exception.
E)The Defense of Marriage Act is not subject to the full faith and credit clause.

Question 42

Which statement most accurately describes one aspect of the supremacy clause of the Constitution?

A)National and state laws must be identical.
B)Federal and state laws must be completely different.
C)State law can deviate from national law,if the two are consistent.
D)State law dictates national law.
E)Neither national nor state law can ever be changed.

Question 43

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

A)Congress
B)the presidency
C)the federal judiciary
D)collection of taxes by the federal government
E)unanimous consent for ratification

Question 44

In which system is the prime minister the chief executive and selected by the legislature?

A)American
B)parliamentary
C)European
D)colonial
E)federalist

Question 45

Critics of the parliamentary system believe that it leaves too much power in the hands of which of the following?

A)the executive
B)the people
C)the legislature
D)the judiciary
E)the majority party

Question 46

Why did businessmen in Massachusetts raise funds for a state militia to dismantle Shays's Rebellion?

A)The Massachusetts militia was at war overseas.
B)The Massachusetts militia needed more soldiers to win the battle.
C)The "federal" government refused to assist.
D)The Continental Congress lacked the resources to assist and there was not an established militia in the state.
E)The Continental Congress and the Massachusetts militia could not cooperate to defuse the situation.

Question 47

What was the greatest 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 essential liberties of the people
C)that a powerful judiciary would restrict freedom of religion
D)that powerful state governments would never assent to the new Constitution
E)that a weak judiciary would be unable to enforce the new Constitution

Question 48

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

A)to ensure the power of the executive
B)to promote justice
C)to prevent tyranny by any one branch
D)to create gridlock in government
E)to improve international relations

Question 49

What did supporters of the New Jersey Plan want to do to the Articles of Confederation?

A)repeal them
B)replace them
C)strengthen them
D)weaken them
E)maintain them

Question 50

The publication of which of the following galvanized the colonists' belief that reconciliation with Great Britain was impossible?

A)Common Sense
B)Revolution
C)Federalist No.10
D)American Cousin
E)Articles of Confederation

Question 51

According to Table 3.4,which amendment in the Constitution addresses the right of citizens to bear arms?

A)Second Amendment
B)Third Amendment
C)Eighth Amendment
D)Twenty-First Amendment
E)Thirty-Fourth Amendment

Question 52

What does the proposal in the Great Compromise or Connecticut Plan have in common with the governmental structure in Great Britain?

A)two-house legislature
B)presidential role
C)prime minister role
D)zero taxes
E)parliamentary system

Question 53

Which of the following was a powerful economic group during the colonial era?

A)Massachusetts clergy
B)southern fisherman
C)New England merchants
D)Pennsylvania miners
E)northern farmers

Question 54

Which of the following was most likely to support proposed provisions that strengthened national power?

A)James Madison
B)Patrick Henry
C)George Mason
D)Samuel Adams
E)James Winthrop

Question 55

What was the subject of the Great Compromise?

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

Question 56

During the 1980s,which proposed amendment to the Constitution was rejected?

A)allowing prayer in schools
B)lowering the voting age to 16
C)raising the voting age to 21
D)the right to bear arms
E)limits on freedom of speech

Question 57

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

A)The national government was too strong compared to the states.
B)The government derived its power from the citizens themselves.
C)Congress imposed excessive taxes.
D)Citizens lacked a national identity.
E)Amendments to the Articles were too easy to ratify.

Question 58

According to Article I of the Constitution,what are three areas of responsibility entrusted to the national government?

A)write a mission statement,produce coinage,manage state operations
B)appoint the president,regulate commerce between states,produce coinage
C)write a mission statement,produce coinage,appoint the president
D)produce coinage,regulate commerce between states,establish bankruptcy laws
E)write a mission statement,manage state operations,establish bankruptcy laws

Question 59

Prior to the ratification of the Seventeenth Amendment,how were senators selected?

A)by direct election
B)by the president
C)by state governors
D)by state legislators
E)by the Supreme Court

Question 60

Which of the following remains a compelling source for determining the intent of the Framers?

A)Minutes of the Constitutional Convention
B)The Federalist Papers
C)Common Sense
D)Treatise on Government
E)Declaration of Independence

Question 61

The first ten amendments to the Constitution are known as the Bill of Rights.

Question 62

The New Jersey Plan was drafted to counter the large-state domination of the Virginia Plan.

Question 63

The Three-Fifths Compromise specified that only three-fifths of slaves could vote.

Question 64

Article I describes the powers of the president.

Question 65

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

Question 66

The __________ Continental Congress signed the Declaration of Independence.

Question 67

Generally,smaller states wanted to strengthen the Articles of Confederation,rather than replace them.

Question 68

Article IV of the Constitution requires Ohio to honor an adoption that took place in California.

Question 69

Congress passed the __________ in 1777.

Question 70

The executive is the supreme power in a parliamentary system.

Question 71

North Carolina was the only southern state to vote in favor of the Constitution.

Question 72

The Constitution permits Congress to establish lower national courts.

Question 73

The Constitution has been amended __________ times.

Question 74

The Anti-Federalists strongly supported the Bill of Rights.

Question 75

The Stamp Act was a major catalyst for the American Revolution.

Question 76

The __________ of powers is a key feature of the government established by the Constitution.

Question 77

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

Question 78

The Constitution was ratified in 1776.

Question 79

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

Question 80

The __________ Amendment protects freedom of assembly.