Deck 3: The Constitution

Question 1

The document America considers its "owner's manual" is the

A) Declaration of Independence.
B) Articles of Confederation.
C) Constitution.
D) Mayflower Compact.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

The document that takes the ideas of the Declaration of Independence and turns them into rules is the

A) Articles of Confederation.
B) Magna Carta.
C) Mayflower Compact.
D) Constitution.

Answer 2

D

Question 3

There are _______ articles in the United States Constitution and _______ amendments in the Bill of Rights.

A) seven, ten
B) seven, twenty-seven
C) ten, seventeen
D) seven, twenty-six

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Article 7 requires _______ states to ratify the Constitution of 1787.

A) all
B) thirteen
C) six
D) nine

Question 5

All of the following are features that propelled the framers toward the Constitutional Convention of 1787 except

A) representation.
B) violent borders.
C) social mobility.
D) abolitionism.

Question 6

The nation with the oldest constitution still in use is

A) the United States of America.
B) England.
C) Luxembourg.
D) France.

Question 7

In England in the eighteenth century, the notion that members of Parliament should be guided by their sense of "the general good" regardless of the district they represented was known as

A) constituency service.
B) trustee representation.
C) delegate representation.
D) "better men" representation.

Question 8

Generally, when the colonists disliked a rule or act of Parliament imposed on them by the English government, they

A) lobbied for representation in Parliament.
B) ignored it.
C) filed a petition of grievance.
D) held public demonstrations.

Question 9

One act of Parliament the colonists found particularly repugnant required them to house British troops in barns and warehouses; it was called the

A) Stamp Act.
B) Impressment Act.
C) Quartering Act.
D) English Occupation Act.

Question 10

The one act of the English Parliament that solidified the colonies and got them working together was

A) the Townshend Act.
B) the tax on tea.
C) the Impressment Act.
D) the Stamp Act.

Question 11

The Boston Massacre was precipitated by the

A) Impoundment Act.
B) Boston Tea Party.
C) Townshend Acts.
D) Amistad.

Question 12

On a December night in 1773, fifty Boston colonists "dressed in the Indian manner" dumped 342 chests of _______ into Boston Harbor.

A) whiskey
B) tea
C) molasses
D) cotton

Question 13

Which amendment in the Bill of Rights resulted from continued requirements for the colonists to house, or "quarter," British soldiers at the colonists' expense?

A) The Fifth Amendment
B) The Fourth Amendment
C) The Third Amendment
D) The Second Amendment

Question 14

Armed colonists were labeled

A) insurgents.
B) guerillas.
C) patriots.
D) minutemen.

Question 15

The first battle between the British and American colonists occurred at

A) Lexington and Concord.
B) Philadelphia.
C) Boston.
D) New York.

Question 16

The key statement of American ideals is

A) the Constitution.
B) the Articles of Confederation.
C) the Mayflower Compact.
D) the Declaration of Independence.

Question 17

The colonists favored the model of representation in which members of the legislature responded to constituents' desires, known as

A) trustee representation.
B) parliamentary representation.
C) delegate representation.
D) politico representation.

Question 18

The Declaration of Independence was signed on

A) July 4, 1774.
B) July 4, 1775.
C) July 4, 1776.
D) July 4, 1787.

Question 19

The Declaration of Independence details all of the following American ideals except

A) life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
B) capitalism and the protection of private property.
C) all men are created equal.
D) people form governments to protect rights that they are "endowed" with and which cannot be taken away.

Question 20

Which political philosopher is said to have most influenced revolutionary America and the thinking of the framers?

A) Tocqueville
B) Robespierre
C) Hobbes
D) Locke

Question 21

The second half of the Declaration of Independence lists twenty-seven

A) God-given rights.
B) principles of government.
C) grievances against King George III.
D) principles of democracy.

Question 22

Identify the three complaints against the English Crown that dominated the Declaration of Independence.

A) Representation, occupying army, loss of an independent court
B) Representation, taxes, loss of an independent court
C) Taxation without representation, tax on tea, and British impressments of American sailors
D) Taxation without representation, quartering of soldiers, and the Stamp Act

Question 23

The Declaration of Independence states that liberty is a right that

A) was not respected in England.
B) is fundamental to happiness.
C) is unalienable.
D) can be taken away.

Question 24

In 1776, for the first time in world history, the American colonists made the claim that government

A) must be limited.
B) must protect private property.
C) derives its power from the consent of the governed.
D) must be maintained by frequent elections.

Question 25

The Founding Father who argued there must be "a wall of separation between church and state" was

A) George Washington.
B) James Madison.
C) Thomas Jefferson.
D) John Adams.

Question 26

When the Constitution was ratified, slavery existed in

A) all the states.
B) the states in the Deep South.
C) the states below the Mason-Dixon Line.
D) nine of the thirteen states.

Question 27

When the Constitution was ratified, women could vote

A) in all the states.
B) in some states, such as New Jersey, if they owned property.
C) in Massachusetts.
D) in nine of the thirteen states.

Question 28

The Articles of Confederation were approved by the First Continental Congress in

A) 1620.
B) 1776.
C) 1777.
D) 1787.

Question 29

Under the Articles of Confederation, the approval of _______ states was required on important matters.

A) thirteen
B) seven
C) four
D) nine

Question 30

Which was a serious obstacle to the new government under the Articles of Confederation?

A) Congress could not raise taxes and had no money of its own.
B) Virginia dominated all policy discussions.
C) The southern states were threatening rebellion.
D) North Carolina had brokered treaties with foreign powers.

Question 31

The provision that all thirteen states must approve any changes to the Articles of Confederation

A) facilitated the amendment process.
B) made it difficult to conduct foreign affairs.
C) gave the states too little power.
D) made it virtually impossible to amend the Articles.

Question 32

A major lesson learned from our experience under the Articles of Confederation was that

A) a strong confederation of states was impossible.
B) a weak central government left the nation vulnerable.
C) a Supreme Court was needed.
D) some states took advantage of others.

Question 33

An event in 1786 that dramatized the problems of governing the new nation under the Articles of Confederation was

A) Benedict Arnold's treachery.
B) George Washington's refusal to run for president without a new Constitution.
C) Shays's Rebellion.
D) the French and Indian War.

Question 34

Compared with the Articles of Confederation, the Constitution of 1787

A) focused on states' rights.
B) was more democratic.
C) centralized power.
D) decentralized power.

Question 35

The Founding Father often described as the "architect of the Constitution" and the first to arrive at the Constitutional Convention in 1787 was

A) George Washington.
B) Alexander Hamilton.
C) Thomas Jefferson.
D) James Madison.

Question 36

The principle of which the authors of the Constitution were ashamed was

A) impressment.
B) war reparations.
C) slavery.
D) taxation.

Question 37

The chairman of the Constitutional Convention of 1787, and the delegate who was expected to be elected the first president under the new Constitution, was

A) Benjamin Franklin.
B) James Madison.
C) George Washington.
D) Patrick Henry.

Question 38

The Constitutional Convention was a secret meeting because

A) delegates wanted to speak their minds freely without worrying about how their words would appear in newspapers.
B) Anti-Federalists had vowed to prevent a convention.
C) foreign powers were planning to interfere with the convention.
D) some states had threatened to secede if the meeting became public.

Question 39

A major dilemma for the framers was

A) balancing states' rights with property rights.
B) wanting the government to answer to the public yet fearing a system that responded to the people.
C) balancing property rights with the rights of free speech.
D) balancing the rights of those accused of a crime with Second Amendment rights.

Question 40

An example of filtration in the Constitution is

A) the Bill of Rights.
B) the system of checks and balances.
C) indirect elections.
D) the bicameral legislature.

Question 41

How involved in government did the convention delegates think the public should be?

A) They should be less involved.
B) They should be very involved.
C) Their involvement should be based on socioeconomic status.
D) They should vote only.

Question 42

The Founders adopted a federal system

A) because they hoped King George III would disapprove.
B) because they were inspired by John Locke, who advocated such a division of powers.
C) because the division of sovereignty between a strong central government and regional governments is a basic principle of all democratic governments.
D) as a compromise between those who wanted a strong central government and those who wanted to retain strong state governments.

Question 43

Which of the following is not a difference between the Virginia Plan and the New Jersey Plan?

A) The Virginia Plan created a stronger national government than the New Jersey Plan.
B) The New Jersey Plan proposed a unicameral legislature, whereas the Virginia Plan called for a bicameral legislature.
C) The Virginia Plan strengthened the national government, whereas the New Jersey Plan weakened the national government.
D) The New Jersey Plan proposed that a committee act as chief executive, whereas the Virginia Plan proposed a one-person executive.

Question 44

The Great, or Connecticut, Compromise

A) gave stronger powers to state governments.
B) established a legislature in which all the states were equally represented in the Senate.
C) limited the importation of slaves until 1808.
D) created a confederacy of state governments.

Question 45

Some delegates at the Constitutional Convention were concerned that an executive would be

A) too powerful.
B) too weak.
C) too subject to "the whims of the people."
D) someone who was not an American.

Question 46

According to the text, one of the reasons the delegates to the Constitutional Convention were not heated was that

A) everyone knew the president would have little formal power.
B) America was so small at the time, there was not much danger of a president abusing power.
C) everyone knew George Washington would be the first president, and he could be trusted.
D) everyone knew John Adams would be the first president, and he could be trusted.

Question 47

Why did the framers decide not to give the presidency to the winner of the popular vote?

A) They did not trust the judgment of voters.
B) Not everyone could vote.
C) The country had a history of electing corrupt politicians.
D) The Electoral College was more efficient.

Question 48

The number of electors in a state is based on

A) the number of people in the state.
B) the number of voters in the state.
C) the number of senators plus the number of members of the House of Representatives.
D) the number of members in the state legislature.

Question 49

In what year did no presidential candidate receive a majority in the Electoral College?

A) 2000
B) 2008
C) 1820
D) 1824

Question 50

How many times has the popular-vote winner not been elected president because that person did not win a majority in the Electoral College?

A) Six times
B) Five times
C) One time
D) Twelve times

Question 51

For each power described in the Constitution for a branch of government,

A) there is an independent appropriation process.
B) there is a "countervailing" power.
C) there is a federal agency.
D) another power is taken away from that branch.

Question 52

The president is the commander-in-chief, but Congress has the power to declare war. This is an example of

A) the imperial presidency.
B) the imperial Congress.
C) checks and balances.
D) judicial neutrality.

Question 53

How did the Founders treat slavery in the Constitution?

A) It was not an important element of the Constitution.
B) It was so divisive that they had to tackle it head-on.
C) They were unified in their desire to eliminate it.
D) It was so divisive that they did not mention it directly.

Question 54

The practice of counting slaves as fractional "persons" for representation in the House of Representatives is known as

A) the Not-Quite Compromise.
B) the Three-Fifths Compromise.
C) the Two-Thirds Compromise.
D) the Three-Quarters Compromise.

Question 55

A state that threatened to leave the convention over slavery was

A) Virginia.
B) Massachusetts.
C) Texas.
D) South Carolina.

Question 56

If the institution of slavery had not been protected in the Constitution,

A) South Carolina and Georgia would have walked out.
B) Massachusetts would have immediately abolished slavery.
C) North Carolina would have seceded from the Union.
D) Texas would never have been admitted to the Union.

Question 57

The first three words of the Constitution are

A) "Fourscore and seven…."
B) "In order to…."
C) "We the People…."
D) "My fellow Americans…."

Question 58

In 1787, a member of the House of Representatives had around 33,000 constituents. Today, that number is approximately

A) 50,000.
B) 150,000.
C) 350,000.
D) 750,000.

Question 59

A large-scale program like Social Security is constitutionally legitimate because

A) Congress can write any law it deems "necessary and proper."
B) the courts have determined that the government has a responsibility to protect older people.
C) older people vote.
D) the executive branch has extensive powers to make laws under Article 2.

Question 60

By far the longest section of the Constitution is

A) the First Amendment.
B) Article 1.
C) Article 2.
D) Article 3.

Question 61

Constitutionally, members of the U.S. House of Representatives must be _______ years of age.

A) eighteen
B) twenty-five
C) thirty
D) thirty-five

Question 62

Constitutionally, members of the U.S. Senate must be _______ years of age.

A) eighteen
B) twenty-five
C) thirty
D) thirty-five

Question 63

All of the following are powers granted to Congress under Article 1, Section 8, of the Constitution except the

A) power to declare war.
B) power to command the armed forces.
C) power to collect taxes.
D) power to coin money.

Question 64

The necessary and proper clause

A) allows Congress to regulate commerce.
B) allows Congress to control the money supply.
C) gives Congress a great deal of creative leeway.
D) has defined boundaries.

Question 65

According to Article 1, Section 9, of the Constitution, habeas corpus may not be suspended unless

A) Americans gather to protest for the overthrow of the government.
B) an election takes place.
C) a majority of Congress votes to suspend it.
D) cases of rebellion or invasion of the public safety require it.

Question 66

Originally, each state decided how it chose its electors for the Electoral College, but now

A) every state has the state legislature select them.
B) twenty-seven states have the people make the choice.
C) seventeen states have the people make the choice.
D) all states have the people make the choice.

Question 67

Treaties made by presidents are constitutionally valid if

A) two-thirds of the Senate approves.
B) two-thirds of the House of Representatives approves.
C) three-quarters of the Senate approves.
D) three-quarters of the House of Representative approves.

Question 68

The case in which Chief Justice John Marshall established judicial review, giving the Supreme Court the power to overturn an act of Congress, was

A) Wickard v. Fillburn.
B) Gibbons v. Ogden.
C) Marbury v. Madison.
D) Barron v. Baltimore.

Question 69

The section of the Constitution that deals with the relationship between the states is

A) Article 1.
B) Article 2.
C) Article 3.
D) Article 4.

Question 70

Two, and only two, provisions of the Constitution were expressly identified as not being amendable: the continuation of the slave trade until 1808 and

A) the requirement that each state have equal representation in the United States Senate.
B) freedom of the press.
C) freedom of religion.
D) the composition of the House of Representatives.

Question 71

Why is the Constitution the "supreme law of the land"?

A) Because the framers were divinely inspired
B) Because the states don't have constitutions
C) Because Article 6 says so
D) Because the framers had to give it priority over the Articles of Confederation

Question 72

The only amendment to be ratified by state convention was

A) the Eleventh.
B) the Twelfth.
C) the Sixteenth.
D) the Twenty-first.

Question 73

The Bill of Rights was added to the Constitution in order to

A) pacify Rhode Island.
B) satisfy the demands of Thomas Jefferson.
C) pacify Anti-Federalists.
D) pacify Federalists.

Question 74

Federalists

A) were loyal to the Articles of Confederation.
B) advocated the adoption of the Constitution of 1787.
C) were loyal to King George III.
D) wanted stronger states' rights.

Question 75

The process of ratifying the Constitution

A) required ratifying conventions to vote it up or down.
B) sailed easily through the states.
C) took twenty-three years.
D) would have failed had it not been for an impassioned speech by Patrick Henry.

Question 76

During the ratification debate, which of the following was not a major criticism of the new Constitution made by the Anti-Federalists?

A) The president was too similar to a king.
B) The national government was too powerful, and citizens did not have enough influence.
C) The Supreme Court had too much power.
D) There was no Bill of Rights.

Question 77

The central goal of the delegates to the Constitutional Convention was to

A) increase the power of the states.
B) increase the power of the people.
C) increase the democratic nature of government.
D) increase the power of the national government.

Question 78

The Federalist Papers did not serve which of the following purposes?

A) Editorials in favor of the Constitution
B) Examples of American political theory
C) Partisan arguments for a George Washington presidency
D) Guides to the thinking of the framers

Question 79

In Federalist No. 10, James Madison is concerned about the dangers of factions because

A) he anticipated problems with political campaigning.
B) powerful interests can capture and control government at the expense of minorities.
C) he feared they would create political parties.
D) a charismatic leader might take over the government and refuse to recognize election outcomes.

Question 80

In Madison's political thought, a large government

A) will have many diverse interests, so no one interest will be able to dominate.
B) will be more efficient.
C) is inevitable.
D) will more likely be oppressive.