Deck 2: The Constitution

Question 1

Patrick Henry's  Common Sense  did which of the following?

A) It called for an immediate repeal of all taxes on the colonies.
B) It called for a boycott of British goods.
C) It called for independence from Britain.
D) It called for military strikes on British outposts.
E) It called for the Second Continental Congress.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

As tensions rose, the colonists continued to resist the Townshend Acts through boycotting. The British responded by doing all of the following EXCEPT

A) dissolving the Massachusetts legislature.
B) seizing a ship owned by John Hancock.
C) conscripting colonists into the British military.
D) firing on a threatening crowd.
E) sending troops to occupy Boston.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Under the Articles of Confederation, Congress had full authority over all of the following EXCEPT

A) foreign affairs.
B) military affairs.
C) Indian affairs.
D) boundary and other disputes between the states.
E) collecting taxes.

Answer 3

E

Question 4

__________ acted as the common government of the states between 1775 and 1781.

A) The First Continental Congress
B) The Second Continental Congress
C) The British Parliament
D) The U.S. Supreme Court
E) The Continental Army

Question 5

The United States of America was formally established under which document?

A) Magna Carta
B) Declaration of Independence
C) Articles of Confederation
D) Constitution of the United States
E) Charter of Great Britain

Question 6

Led by Samuel Adams, the Massachusetts legislature issued a letter declaring that the Townshend Acts were unconstitutional because they violated which principle?

A) "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness"
B) "life, liberty, and property"
C) "no taxation without liberty, peace, and prosperity"
D) "no taxation without representation"
E) "deliberative assembly of one nation with one interest"

Question 7

Who said "Give me liberty or give me death"?

A) Samuel Adams
B) George Washington
C) Patrick Henry
D) John Hancock
E) Edmund Burke

Question 8

The __________established a tax on virtually all forms of paper used by the colonists.

A) Sugar Act of 1764
B) Paper Act of 1764
C) Stamp Act of 1765
D) Tea Tax Act of 1789
E) Sedition Acts

Question 9

In response to the Stamp Act, the colonists reacted angrily by doing all of the following EXCEPT

A) dumping tea into Boston Harbor.
B) forming trade associations.
C) organizing boycotts.
D) publishing pamphlets.
E) rioting against Stamp Act collectors.

Question 10

Due to the fear of a powerful central government, the Articles of Confederation emphasized _______ over order.

A) the right of secession
B) the power of the people
C) freedom from national authority
D) a strong central government
E) strong civil liberties

Question 11

Unlike most modern constitutions, the British constitution is comprised of _______ that developed over time.

A) a single document
B) a series of decrees by the monarch
C) several philosophical texts
D) a series of judicial decrees
E) a series of documents

Question 12

The Declaration of Independence did all of the following EXCEPT

A) declared the right of the people to alter or abolish government.
B) declared the colonies' independence from Britain.
C) contained a stirring call for equality and human rights.
D) contained a stirring call for public participation in government.
E) provided the first draft of the Constitution

Question 13

Under the Articles of Confederation, Congress was granted powers that were _______ in scope and authority.

A) narrow
B) broad
C) enumerated
D) powerful
E) all-encompassing

Question 14

By the late eighteenth century, British subjects believed that the British constitution guaranteed them certain rights, including the right to be tried by a jury of their peers and

A) the right to free speech.
B) the right to free assembly.
C) the right to keep and bear arms.
D) the right to religious freedom.
E) the right not to be taxed without their consent.

Question 15

The Townshend Act replaced the ________ in 1766.

A) Stamp Act
B) Coercive Act
C) Quartering Act
D) Intolerable Act
E) Currency Act

Question 16

John Locke suggests people have certain natural (or inalienable) rights that government cannot take away, including the right to life, liberty, and property. In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson substituted "__________" in place of "property."

A) order
B) just compensation
C) national security
D) the pursuit of happiness
E) interstate commerce

Question 17

The Declaration of Independence listed grievances against __________, including the suspension of popularly elected colonial legislatures, taxing without representation, and trials without juries.

A) King George II
B) King George III
C) Queen Elizabeth
D) George Washington
E) Thomas Jefferson

Question 18

A _______ is the fundamental law undergirding the structure of government.

A) parliament
B) social contract
C) constitution
D) congress
E) federal system

Question 19

Benjamin Franklin proposed a congress in order for the colonists to present a more unified front. This congress met in 1774 and is called

A) the U.S. Congress.
B) the Colonial Congress.
C) Bundestag.
D) Parliament.
E) the First Continental Congress.

Question 20

In a modern democracy, a __________ sets forth the basic rules and procedures for how the people shall be governed, including the powers and structure of the government, as well as the rights retained by the people.

A) charter
B) constitution
C) bill
D) treaty
E) legislature

Question 21

Under the Virginia Plan, __________ would have final approval over all legislative acts.

A) a council of revision
B) a council of governors
C) a national executive
D) a national judiciary
E) Parliament

Question 22

Under the Virginia Plan, each legislative chamber would have representation proportional to the population of the states, meaning that

A) the smaller the population, the more representation a state would have.
B) each state would have equal representation regardless of size.
C) each state would vie for representation in open national elections.
D) the larger the population, the more representation a state would have.
E) geographic size was as important as population.

Question 23

The Framers did not trust the people, so they created which two important gates against popular influence?

A) the selection of judges and the election of the Senate
B) the election of the House and the selection of ambassadors
C) the election of the president and the election of the House
D) the election of the president and the election of the Senate
E) direct democracy in the states

Question 24

The Constitution established a bicameral Congress, which means that

A) it is popularly elected.
B) all members are elected every two years.
C) it consists of two chambers.
D) all hearings are opened to the public.
E) all hearings are closed to the public.

Question 25

Under the Connecticut Compromise,

A) the House of Representatives would be proportional to population, but the Senate would represent each state equally.
B) the Senate would be proportional to population, but the House of Representatives would represent each state equally.
C) the House of Representatives and the Senate would have equal representation.
D) the House of Representatives and the Senate would have proportional representation.
E) Connecticut would be considered the seat of government.

Question 26

The Constitution explicitly limits state authority from all of the following EXCEPT

A) collecting taxes.
B) making treaties with foreign nations.
C) coining money.
D) creating bills of attainder.
E) creating ex post facto laws.

Question 27

The delegates at the Philadelphia convention compromised on a number of issues, including

A) a strong national government versus strong state governments.
B) the power to make international treaties versus isolationism.
C) regulation of interstate commerce versus no regulation.
D) proportional representation versus direct democracy.
E) a military draft or voluntary military service.

Question 28

Under the ________, states were granted extra representation based on the number of slaves they held.

A) slavery population clause
B) equal population compromise
C) three-fifths compromise
D) five-eighths compromise
E) census clause

Question 29

The indirect election of senators was intended to serve as a check on

A) state legislatures.
B) the Senate.
C) popular will.
D) the president.
E) larger states.

Question 30

Which was the only state to decline the invitation to all thirteen states to meet in Philadelphia to consider revising the Articles of Confederation?

A) Delaware
B) Massachusetts
C) New York
D) North Carolina
E) Rhode Island

Question 31

The ________ Plan proposed a strong central government that could act without the states acting as intermediaries, a two-chamber legislative branch, a national executive, a national judiciary, and a council of revision.

A) Madison
B) New Jersey
C) Virginia
D) Hamilton
E) Rhode Island

Question 32

Under the New Jersey Plan, each state would have equal representation, meaning that

A) regardless of population, each state would have an equal say in Congress.
B) states with larger populations would have a larger say in Congress.
C) states with smaller populations would have less of a say in Congress.
D) states with a higher population of slaves would have a larger say in Congress.
E) only states in the North could count slaves as part of the population.

Question 33

__________ helped convince the states that, in addition to the Articles' other problems, neither the federal nor the state governments could maintain order.

A) The Boston Tea Party
B) Shays's Rebellion
C) The Boston Massacre
D) Bloody Thursday
E) The Farmers Rebellion

Question 34

________ was a protest movement of debt-ridden farmers facing foreclosures on their homes and farms.

A) The Boston Tea Party
B) The Boston Massacre
C) Shays's Rebellion
D) Bloody Thursday
E) The Farmers Rebellion

Question 35

Under the new Constitution, Congress was not granted general legislative power, but rather, __________ powers, that explicitly listed powers in which it could engage.

A) absolute
B) enumerated
C) inherent
D) implied
E) necessary

Question 36

Under the Constitution, Congress is NOT granted the power to

A) tax.
B) regulate commerce.
C) determine constitutionality of laws.
D) provide for the general welfare.
E) coin money.

Question 37

The ________ would have included a plural national executive selected by the legislature.

A) Virginia Plan
B) Washington Proposal
C) Delaware Plan
D) Connecticut Compromise
E) New Jersey Plan

Question 38

At the time of the Constitutional Convention, slavery existed in every state EXCEPT

A) Connecticut.
B) Massachusetts.
C) New Jersey.
D) New York.
E) Rhode Island.

Question 39

The power of impeachment, meaning to bring charges against federal officials, belongs to

A) the House of Representatives.
B) the Senate.
C) the Supreme Court.
D) the president and vice president.
E) the states.

Question 40

Not all northern delegates at the Convention opposed slavery, but those who were __________ wanted an immediate ban on importing slaves from Africa, prohibitions against the expansion of slavery into the western territories, and the adoption of a plan for the gradual freeing of slaves.

A) abolitionists
B) absolutists
C) Anti-Federalists
D) secessionists
E) Federalists

Question 41

Which of the following changes to government CANNOT be attributed to the rise of political parties in the United States?

A) president and vice president run for office together
B) establishment of judicial review
C) members of Congress organize themselves along party lines
D) greater responsiveness of politicians to national welfare
E) more responsive to the interests of the people

Question 42

Why didn't the Articles of Confederation work as a governing document?

Question 43

The Senate has the authority to do all of the following EXCEPT

A) try cases of impeachment.
B) declare laws unconstitutional.
C) confirm executive branch appointments.
D) confirm judicial branch appointments.
E) ratify treaties.

Question 44

One way to amend the Constitution allows __________ of the states to request a national constitutional convention that can propose amendments that go into effect when approved by __________ of the states.

A) two-thirds; three-fourths
B) three-fourths; two-thirds
C) two-thirds; all
D) three-fourths; all
E) all; three-fourths

Question 45

If Congress passes a law because of "foregoing powers," it is likely based on the _________ of the Constitution.

A) commerce clause
B) necessary and proper clause
C) equal protection clause
D) general welfare clause
E) amendment clause

Question 46

Which amendments are referred to as the Civil War Amendments?

A) Eleventh, Twelfth, and Thirteenth Amendments
B) Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments
C) Sixteenth, Seventeenth, and Eighteenth Amendments
D) Nineteenth, Twentieth, and Twenty-First Amendments
E) Twenty-First, Twenty-Second, and Twenty-Third Amendments

Question 47

In the historical case Marbury v. Madison , the Supreme Court first exercised its authority to strike down laws passed by Congress, which is known as

A) basic law.
B) advisory opinion.
C) judicial oversight.
D) stare decisis.
E) judicial review.

Question 48

Explain the key concepts in the Declaration of Independence.

Question 49

What issue was NOT a main area of contention between the Federalists and the Antifederalists?

A) number of state courts
B) Bill of Rights (or lack thereof)
C) scope of legislative authority
D) scope of executive authority
E) the necessary and proper clause

Question 50

The president appoints federal judges with the advice and consent of the

A) House of Representatives.
B) Senate.
C) people.
D) state legislatures.
E) sitting judiciary.

Question 51

By the time the state ratifying conventions started meeting, two distinct camps had formed: those who supported the Constitution called __________, and those who opposed the Constitution, who became known as __________.

A) Nationalists; Secessionists
B) Nationalists; Abolitionists
C) Federalists; Antifederalists
D) Federalists; Secessionists
E) Federalists; Abolitionists

Question 52

The Seventeenth, Nineteenth, Twenty-Third, and Twenty-Sixth Amendments have which of the following in common?

A) They expand the powers of the national government.
B) They expand the powers of the state governments.
C) The expand the powers of both the national and state governments.
D) They extend gateways to public participation.
E) They helped apply the Bill of Rights to the states.

Question 53

Who were the delegates to the Constitutional Convention?

Question 54

According to James Madison, __________ is (are) the primary means of ensuring that government is responsive to the wishes of the people.

A) the president
B) factions
C) elections
D) the Supreme Court
E) Congress

Question 55

The necessary and proper clause is the basis for the __________ powers.

A) reserved
B) implied
C) war
D) executive
E) judicial

Question 56

The Constitution vests all judicial authority of the United States in one ____________ and other inferior courts.

A) Appeals Court
B) Chief Justice
C) Supreme Court
D) District Court
E) Constitutional Court

Question 57

What has most contributed to Congress's increasing power to tax to provide for the general welfare of citizens?

A) constitutional interpretation by Supreme Court
B) constitutional amendment process
C) direct voting for senators
D) lobbying efforts by interest groups
E) increased power of the executive branch

Question 58

The Civil War Amendments did which of the following?

A) started the Civil War between the North and the South
B) ended the Civil War between the North and the South
C) protected the southern states from the national government
D) gave the national government authority over internal matters of the states
E) allowed slavery to continue in the South, but not the North

Question 59

All powers not granted to Congress remain with the states, as made explicit in the __________ Amendment to the Constitution.

A) Fourth
B) Sixth
C) Ninth
D) Tenth
E) Thirteenth

Question 60

The Constitution provides the president with a general grant of ___________ and certain specific powers.

A) legislative powers
B) executive powers
C) judicial powers
D) immunity powers
E) police powers

Question 61

Explain the implied powers of Congress and where they gain authority in the Constitution .

Question 62

Explain the reason(s) why Congress was prohibited from stopping the foreign slave trade until 1808.

Question 63

Explain the key issues of contention during the Constitutional Convention.  

Question 64

What is the purpose of checks and balances?

Question 65

Explain how amendments get ratified.

Question 66

Why did the Constitutional Convention delegates establish three branches of government?

Question 67

Explain the influence of John Locke's ideas on the Declaration of Independence.

Question 68

Briefly describe major roles of the legislative branch, the executive branch and the judicial branch under the Constitution. Be sure to include a discussion of responsibilities as checks on other branches of government.

Question 69

Explain the controversy over proportional versus equal representation at the Constitutional Convention of 1787.

Question 70

How would you characterize the Federalists and Antifederalists?

Question 71

Why are residents of the District of Columbia unable to vote?

Question 72

Why does the Constitution divide and separate powers?

Question 73

Discuss why the Constitution did not originally contain a Bill of Rights.

Question 74

What is the significance of the  Federalist Papers?

Question 75

Provide a brief summary of the arguments of both the northern and southern states concerning slavery in the Constitution, and explain the nature of the compromise that was made.

Question 76

Explain the two processes for changing the Constitution via amendment.

Question 77

List the major rights protected by the Civil War Amendments.

Question 78

Compare the U.S. and British constitutional systems in regards to direct and indirect gateways for popular involvement.

Question 79

How did the Constitution set explicit limits on state authority?

Question 80

What is the significance of judicial review?