Deck 2: The Constitution

Question 1

Which of the following documents allowed colonists to gain crucial political experience?

A) The Fundamental Orders of Connecticut
B) The Massachusetts Body of Liberties
C) The Pennsylvania Frame of Government
D) The Pennsylvania Charter of Privileges
E) All of these are correct.

Answer 1

E

Question 2

Which colony was not represented when the Second Continental Congress first met in May of 1775?

A) Delaware
B) Georgia
C) Rhode Island
D) New Hampshire
E) They were all represented.

Answer 2

E

Question 3

Which of the following states was not represented at the First Continental Congress when it opened in September of 1774?

A) Virginia
B) Georgia
C) Rhode Island
D) New Hampshire
E) Delaware

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Thomas Paine's work, Common Sense, was important for both his ideas, and which of the following?

A) His continuing loyalty to aristocratic ideals
B) His orations included in the text
C) A new take on the arguments for independence
D) His ability to make the arguments in plain language to the readers
E) His ties to Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, and George III

Question 5

Thomas Paine's pamphlet Common Sense advocated which of the following?

A) The formation of a new government still loyal to the king
B) The formation of a new government that would limit further immigration
C) An end of hostilities with Great Britain
D) The repeal of all taxes, including those imposed on themselves
E) The formation of the country's own government as a way to gain independence

Question 6

One result of the Second Continental Congress was which of the following?

A) A brief reconciliation with Great Britain
B) A plan for the Boston Tea Party
C) The decision to create thirteen colonies
D) The adoption of the Declaration of Independence
E) Increases in colonial taxes paid to Great Britain

Question 7

All of the following states called for the First Continental Congress with the exception of which of the following?

A) Massachusetts
B) New York
C) Rhode Island
D) Pennsylvania
E) Virginia

Question 8

The first draft of the Declaration of Independence was written by whom?

A) Benjamin Franklin
B) John Locke
C) John Adams
D) Thomas Jefferson
E) George Washington

Question 9

The successful boycott leading to the repeal of which of the following acts of Parliament generated the first true feeling of unity among the colonies?

A) The Sugar Act
B) The Stamp Act
C) The Tea Act
D) The Coercive Act
E) The Intolerable Acts

Question 10

When the First Continental Congress passed resolutions requiring colonies to raise their own troops and boycott British trade, the British response was which of the following?

A) They understood it and went along.
B) They condemned Congress's actions and treated them as acts of rebellion.
C) They immediately put high tariffs on French and Spanish goods coming into the colonies.
D) They brought in troops to end the meetings of the First Continental Congress.
E) They withheld all funding for colonial legislatures.

Question 11

The first permanent English colony in America was set up in what present-day state?

A) Massachusetts
B) Pennsylvania
C) New York
D) Maryland
E) Virginia

Question 12

The Mayflower Compact was designed to stay in effect until which of the following occurred?

A) Until the colony became part of an independent nation
B) Until the colony came under the rule of a state government
C) Until the receipt of a royal charter
D) Until the arrival of a governor
E) Until a colonial council could be established

Question 13

Which of the following was one of the main actions of the Second Continental Congress?

A) Establishing an army and appointing a commander-in-chief
B) Signing a treaty with Britain prohibiting trade with France
C) Signing a treaty with France to declare war on Great Britain
D) Creating a unitary government in America
E) Establishing a document with ambitious designs to join with Great Britain in a war against Spain

Question 14

Which of the following is true of the First Continental Congress?

A) It declared independence from Great Britain.
B) It encouraged the colonists to petition King George III to express their grievances.
C) It was held in Boston, Massachusetts.
D) It urged colonists to purchase British goods to win favor with the king.
E) It produced a document that the colonists found to be coercive.

Question 15

In the period following the signing of the Declaration of Independence, those who were against a strong central government, monarchy, executive authority, and virtually any form of restraint on the power of local governments were known as which of the following?

A) Democrats
B) Socialists
C) Independents
D) Republicans
E) Libertarians

Question 16

Theoretically, the colonies were governed by England, but the colonists were able to exercise a large measure of self-government for which of the following reasons?

A) The British crown had little interest in any activities in the colonies.
B) The distance between the mother country and the colonies allowed more freedom.
C) The British were more concerned with colonies elsewhere.
D) Colonial representatives in Parliament had lobbied for more freedom.
E) The British had not issued a charter to each of the colonies, thus allowing greater individual rights.

Question 17

The Constitution defines the structure of the national government, as well as doing which of the following?

A) Restricting the power of county/parish governments
B) Outlining the nomination process for selecting the executive officer
C) Regulating the relationship between government and each individual citizen
D) Restricting the power of the individual citizen
E) Promoting the formation of a confederation of states

Question 18

The Mayflower Compact was written in order to ensure that American colonists lived under which of the following?

A) Rule by the Crown
B) Rule by Parliament
C) Rule of law based on the consent of the governed
D) Roberts' Rules of Order
E) Judeo-Christian ethics

Question 19

Which of the following was done to pay for the defense of the colonies during the French and Indian War?

A) The British government sought compensation from the French.
B) Taxes were imposed equally across the British Empire.
C) The British government decided to impose taxes on the American colonies.
D) American colonists imposed a tax on themselves.
E) The British government imposed a tax on the landed aristocracy of Britain.

Question 20

A legislature composed of individuals who speak for the general population are known as which of the following?

A) Representative assembly
B) Congress
C) Senate
D) House of Burgesses
E) Parliament

Question 21

In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson's statement that "all men are created equal" is similar to which of the following theorist's belief that government is based on the "consent of the governed"?

A) John Locke
B) James Madison
C) John Hancock
D) Joseph Ellis
E) John Adams

Question 22

Under the Articles of Confederation, Congress had the power to do which of the following?

A) Establish and control the armed forces
B) Compel the states to meet military quotas
C) Collect taxes directly from the people
D) Regulate interstate and foreign commerce
E) Compel states to pay their share of government costs

Question 23

Which of the following is true with regard to the Great Compromise?

A) It was advanced by delegates from Georgia.
B) It proposed a bicameral legislature with equal representation in the Senate.
C) It was presented too late to be considered.
D) It was proposed by Delaware.
E) It proposed a unicameral legislature in which each state would have one vote.

Question 24

The American system, with multiple points at which powers can block action, often leads to which of the following?

A) Effective government
B) Caretaker government
C) Limited government
D) Impeachment of government officials
E) A call for new elections

Question 25

A similarity that exists between the states of Pennsylvania and Georgia during the Revolutionary War and the state of Nebraska is which of the following for all three?

A) They instituted a nonvoluntary state militia.
B) They imposed a state income tax.
C) They established a plural executive.
D) They adopted a unicameral legislature.
E) They rejected the idea of a Bill of Rights.

Question 26

The Declaration of Independence listed grievances against which of the following people, 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 27

The concept of separation of powers was included in the Constitution to prevent which of the following?

A) Disputes between the federal and state governments
B) The imposition of export taxes
C) A major dispute over power between the House and the Senate
D) Disputes over power between Congress and the president
E) Tyranny by either the majority or the minority

Question 28

The Articles of Confederation did which of the following?

A) Provided for a bicameral legislature
B) Established a strong executive branch
C) Allowed the states to retain most of their power
D) Created a way to raise taxes to fund an army
E) Ended slavery

Question 29

The Virginia Plan included which of the following?

A) It called for a bicameral legislature.
B) It worked to the advantage of the small states.
C) It provided for the direct election of the president by the people.
D) It settled all of the controversies.
E) It called for Supreme Court justices to select the president.

Question 30

The most basic weakness of the Articles of Confederation was which of the following?

A) Tax levels that were too high for most Americans
B) An overpowering executive
C) Congress's lack of power to conduct foreign affairs
D) Congress's lack of power to declare war
E) The inability of Congress to raise funds

Question 31

The president of the United States is selected by which of the following?

A) A popular vote of the people
B) The U.S. Senate
C) The House and Senate combined
D) The Electoral College
E) The governors of the states

Question 32

The concept of a social contract existing between people and the government first occurred in the United States in which of the following situations?

A) During the Civil Rights era
B) In the Plymouth colony
C) When the Declaration of Independence was signed
D) When the Articles of Confederation were passed
E) When the Constitution was ratified

Question 33

Under the Articles of Confederation, which of the following headed Congress?

A) No one
B) A presiding officer selected from among its members
C) A popularly elected president
D) A president chosen by the Electoral College
E) A three-person presiding cabinet

Question 34

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal" are the first words of which of the following documents?

A) The Constitution of the United States of America
B) The Declaration of Independence
C) The Magna Carta
D) The United Nations Charter
E) The Bill of Rights

Question 35

Which of the following was true of the delegates to the Constitutional Convention?

A) Very few were members of the upper class.
B) Only a few came from professional backgrounds.
C) Most represented a cross-section of American society.
D) Most were senior statesmen with governmental experience.
E) Most were members of the upper class, and a majority came from professional backgrounds.

Question 36

The Articles of Confederation established a voluntary association of independent states that did which of the following?

A) Relied on the national government to resolve all regional conflicts
B) Paid a yearly levy to the national government to enforce state laws
C) Agreed to only limited restraint on their freedom of action
D) Were represented on the basis of population in the Confederate assembly
E) Did not collect tariffs on goods coming into the state

Question 37

Which of the following was a purpose of the final version of the Declaration of Independence?

A) Disband the army headed by George Washington
B) Condemn the growing slave trade
C) Guarantee personal civil rights to all colonists
D) Support the idea of a strong central government
E) Justify the colonists' revolt against Great Britain

Question 38

The Constitutional Convention of 1787 was brought about by which of the following?

A) Publication of the Treaty of Paris
B) A request by President Washington
C) The failure of the Articles of Confederation
D) The publication of the Declaration of Independence
E) The end of the Revolutionary War

Question 39

The Declaration of Independence was necessary for which of the following reasons?

A) To establish a framework for a new system of government that would allow taxation without representation
B) To establish the legitimacy of the new nation in the eyes of foreign governments and the colonists
C) To create a delicate balance between federal and state powers
D) To identify the reasons the British saw separation from the colonies as necessary
E) To demand a separation of church and state

Question 40

The assertion that national law has primacy over state law is in the Constitution in which of the following clauses?

A) The equal protection clause
B) The due process clause
C) The establishment clause
D) The supremacy clause
E) The free exercise clause

Question 41

The rights and liberties enjoyed in the United States are stated in which of the following documents?

A) The Articles of Confederation
B) The Bill of Rights
C) The Constitution as originally written
D) The Constitution as written and the Bill of Rights
E) The Declaration of Independence

Question 42

The Great Compromise resolved the impasse between which of the following two groups?

A) Large and small states regarding the executive branch
B) Large and small states regarding representation
C) Northern and southern states regarding representation
D) Northern and southern states regarding slavery
E) Federalists and Antifederalists regarding the executive branch

Question 43

During the constitutional deliberations, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison, to sway public opinion, wrote 85 essays known as which of the following?

A) The Antifederalist Papers
B) Common Sense
C) The Federalist Papers
D) The Mayflower Compact
E) The Pluralist Papers

Question 44

The Constitution would not have been ratified in several important states if the Federalists had not assured the states of which of the following?

A) A ban on the importation of slaves would be a focus of the first Congress.
B) Amendments to the Constitution would be passed to protect individual liberties against incursions by the national government.
C) Amendments to the Constitution would be passed to protect the rights of states against incursions by the national government.
D) An amendment to prohibit the manufacture, sale, and consumption of liquor would be passed.
E) Slaves that had escaped to free states would not have to be returned to their owners in slave states.

Question 45

The protest movement of debt-ridden farmers facing foreclosures on their homes and farms was known as which of the following?

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

Question 46

Which of the following was true of the Antifederalists?

A) They lived in urban areas.
B) They attended the Constitutional Convention.
C) They supported a strong central government.
D) They opposed the new Constitution.
E) They lived in urban areas and attended the Constitutional Convention.

Question 47

A major weakness of the Articles of Confederation was a lack of which of the following?

A) A bicameral legislature
B) A national system of courts
C) Power to raise funds for the militia
D) Power to tax exports
E) State-supported currencies

Question 48

The scope and authority of power that Congress was granted under the Articles of Confederation can best be described as which of the following?

A) Narrow
B) Broad
C) Implied
D) Powerful
E) All-encompassing

Question 49

The assignment in the Constitution of lawmaking, law-enforcing, and law-interpreting functions to the legislative, executive, and judicial branches, respectively, is known as which of the following?

A) The supremacy clause
B) Inherent powers
C) Direct democracy
D) The implied powers clause
E) Separation of powers

Question 50

Because the delegates wanted to prevent the imposition of tyranny, by either the majority or the minority, the government they proposed had which of the following?

A) A guaranteed right to privacy
B) An Electoral College
C) A separation of powers
D) A supremacy doctrine
E) A unicameral legislature

Question 51

The selection of senators by state legislatures was intended to serve as a check on which of the following?

A) State legislatures
B) The Senate
C) Popular will
D) The president
E) Larger states

Question 52

Edmund Randolph's Virginia Plan was a proposal of 15 resolutions that did which of the following?

A) Called for all states to be represented equally in the national legislature
B) Called for a unicameral legislative body
C) Served as a minor variation on the Articles of Confederation
D) Called for a national executive who would be elected by the legislative body
E) Included no provision for a president because of the distrust of so much concentrated power

Question 53

Under separation of powers, the U.S. system keeps power among branches balanced by enabling one branch to counter the actions of another by the use of which of the following?

A) Authority
B) Checks and balances
C) Republicanism
D) Economic manipulation
E) Federalism

Question 54

The Constitution vests all judicial authority of the United States in which of the following, as well as in other inferior courts?

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

Question 55

How many special state conventions had to ratify the U.S. Constitution before it took effect?

A) Seven
B) Nine
C) Ten
D) Eleven
E) Thirteen

Question 56

The Bill of Rights provided for which of the following?

A) The protection of individual liberties from state governments
B) The protection of individual liberties from the national government
C) Equal protection under the law
D) Protection against state infringements on the freedoms of conscience, the press, and jury trial
E) The protection of individual liberties from the national government, and protection against state infringements on the freedoms of conscience, the press, and jury trial

Question 57

States were granted extra representation based on the number of slaves they held under which of the following?

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

Question 58

Shays' Rebellion plays an important role in American history for which of the following reasons?

A) It represents the first major battle to occur in the southern colonies during the American Revolution.
B) It anticipated the states' rights battle.
C) It was the last major battle of the Revolutionary War.
D) It made obvious the weaknesses of the government under the Articles of Confederation.
E) It enabled the colonists to reorganize and gain the upper hand against the British in the Revolutionary War.

Question 59

Which of the following was true of the Federalists?

A) They supported the new Constitution.
B) They were mostly rural people from the lower classes.
C) They did not attend the Constitutional Convention.
D) They supported the status quo.
E) They were worried that the national government would be too powerful.

Question 60

Originally, the Constitutional Convention's purpose was to do which of the following?

A) Adopt a new constitution
B) File a formal tax protest with Great Britain
C) Raise money for a national army to stop Shays' Rebellion
D) Revise the Articles of Confederation
E) Overturn articles amended by the Second Continental Congress

Question 61

Thirty-three amendments have been passed by both houses of Congress by the requisite two-thirds vote by each house, but how many have been ratified by the states?

A) Twenty-seven
B) Thirty
C) Twenty-nine
D) Twenty-six
E) Thirty-two

Question 62

Which of the Federalist Papers brought up the idea of judicial review?

A) #78
B) #51
C) #10
D) #40
E) #48

Question 63

The only state constitution that is shorter than the U.S. Constitution is the constitution of which of the following states?

A) Maine
B) Rhode Island
C) Vermont
D) Texas
E) Hawaii

Question 64

The Supreme Court first declared that the courts have the power to overturn government acts that conflict with the Constitution in which of the following cases?

A) Marbury v. Madison
B) McCullough v. Maryland
C) Gideon v. Wainwright
D) Dred Scott v. Sandford
E) Hamilton v. Burr

Question 65

A constitutional amendment can be proposed in which of the following formats?

A) A national convention called by Congress at the request of two-thirds of the state legislatures
B) A two-thirds vote in each chamber of Congress
C) The legislatures in two-thirds of the states
D) A majority vote in both houses of Congress , provided the amendment is not vetoed by the president
E) A national convention called by Congress at the request of two-thirds of the state legislatures and/or a two-thirds vote in each chamber of Congress

Question 66

The Bill of Rights limits the power of which of the following?

A) The government over the rights and liberties of individuals
B) The national government over the rights of the states
C) State governments over the inherent powers of the national government
D) National and state governments to tax individuals
E) State governments to tax the national government

Question 67

Which of the following represents informal constitutional change specifically through interpretation, custom, and usage?

A) Creation of the DREAM Act
B) Passage of the amendment allowing women to vote
C) The legal interpretation of separate but equal
D) Legislation defining terms and applications of the commerce clause
E) Nominations, campaigns, and electoral processes for presidential elections

Question 68

Which of the following statements regarding constitutional conventions is true?

A) Although there hasn't been a constitutional convention since 1787, more than 430 state constitutional conventions have been held.
B) Although there has not been a constitutional convention held since 1787, 32 amendments have been added to the Constitution.
C) Convening a body that could conceivably create a new form of government causes concern to national political and judicial leaders.
D) Each state has filed an application for a national convention at least twice, but only ten have been held.
E) Congress considered convening a national convention in 2012 to mark the 225th anniversary of the 1787 convention.

Question 69

When the Twenty-Seventh Amendment was ratified in 1992, there was a question as to whether it would take effect for which of the following reasons?

A) It was based on slavery still being in effect.
B) It was not passed by a national convention.
C) It was the shortest of all amendments.
D) It had been over 200 years since it had been passed by Congress.
E) It was superseded by other amendments, including the Twenty-Second.

Question 70

Informal methods of changing the U.S. Constitution include which of the following?

A) Decisions of state courts, judicial activism, and presidential action
B) Congressional legislation, judicial review, and presidential action
C) Acts of international legislatures, stare decisis, and presidential action
D) Stare decisis, referendums, and judicial review
E) Ad hoc juries, judicial review, and bureaucratic action

Question 71

One of the reasons the U.S. Constitution is relatively short is which of the following?

A) The framers weren't sure what should be included.
B) There were so many arguments that many things could not be included.
C) The framers only wanted the Constitution to be a framework for the new government.
D) The framers expected a new constitutional convention every forty to fifty years.
E) President Washington vetoed a number of articles that would have otherwise been part of the Constitution.

Question 72

The Constitution has remained largely intact for over 200 years because of which of the following?

A) The principles set forth in the Constitution are flexible enough to meet new events and concerns.
B) The principles set forth in the Constitution are impractical to amend.
C) The principles set forth in the Constitution can only be changed in certain parts.
D) The principles set forth in the Constitution are unchallenged principles of the Founding Fathers.
E) The principles set forth in the Constitution are mandated to remain unchanged.

Question 73

Which of the following statements represents an informal method used to adapt the Constitution?

A) Congress suspends civil liberties during time of war.
B) The Supreme Court creates a specialized court to review requests for wiretapping for suspected terrorists.
C) The Supreme Court makes recess appointments to lower federal courts when the president delays confirmation of appointees.
D) The president delegates to a federal agency the power to write regulations.
E) Congress passes a law that regulates business conducted between different states because of the commerce clause.

Question 74

Congress has considered more than 11,000 amendments to the Constitution but has approved very few.  Many amendments lack support for which of the following reasons?

A) They address highly specific problems, such as burning or defacing the American flag.
B) They infringe on religious principles.
C) They are too broad in principle.
D) They infringe on the rights of individuals.
E) They are worded poorly and difficult to understand.

Question 75

A constitutional amendment can be ratified in which of the following ways?

A) A positive vote in conventions in three-fourths of the states
B) A positive vote in the legislatures of three-fourths of the states
C) A two-thirds vote in both houses of Congress
D) The legislatures in two-thirds of the states
E) A positive vote in conventions in three-fourths of the states and/or a positive vote in the legislatures of three-fourths of the states

Question 76

The Supreme Court adapts the Constitution to modern situations through which of the following?

A) Formal amendment methods
B) Stare decisis
C) Natural law
D) Judicial review
E) Bills of attainder

Question 77

Which of the following is the term for the fundamental law undergirding the structure of government?

A) Parliament
B) Social contract
C) Constitution
D) Congress
E) Federal system

Question 78

The chief obstacle to ratification of the Constitution by the states was which of the following?

A) Its failure to abolish slavery
B) The omission of a Bill of Rights
C) The power it granted to tax
D) The lack of court structure below the Supreme Court
E) Inclusion of the plural executive

Question 79

The power of the Supreme Court to declare actions of the other branches of government to be unconstitutional is known as which of the following?

A) Judicial review
B) Judicial activism
C) Legislative ratification
D) The supremacy doctrine
E) The Madisonian model

Question 80

Although political parties are considered "extraconstitutional" organizations, what role might they play in government?

A) Make nominations for offices
B) Run political campaigns
C) Organize the members of Congress
D) Change the election system
E) All of these are correct.