Ch.2 Exam Questions The Constitution Morone

Chapter 2: The Constitution

Test Bank

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 1

1) The document America considers its “owner’s manual” is the

Feedback: factual

a. Declaration of Independence.

b. Articles of Confederation.

c. Constitution.

d. Mayflower Compact.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 2

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

Feedback: factual

a. Articles of Confederation.

b. Magna Carta.

c. Mayflower Compact.

d. Constitution.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 3

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

Feedback: applied

a. seven, ten

b. seven, twenty-seven

c. ten, seventeen

d. seven, twenty-six

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 4

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

Feedback: factual

a. all

b. thirteen

c. six

d. nine

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 5

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

Feedback: conceptual

a. representation.

b. violent borders.

c. social mobility.

d. abolitionism.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 6

6) The nation with the oldest constitution still in use is

Feedback: factual

a. the United States of America.

b. England.

c. Luxembourg.

d. France.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 7

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

Feedback: conceptual

a. constituency service.

b. trustee representation.

c. delegate representation.

d. “better men” representation.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 8

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

Feedback: conceptual

a. lobbied for representation in Parliament.

b. ignored it.

c. filed a petition of grievance.

d. held public demonstrations.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 9

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

Feedback: applied

a. Stamp Act.

b. Impressment Act.

c. Quartering Act.

d. English Occupation Act.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 10

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

Feedback: conceptual

a. the Townshend Act.

b. the tax on tea.

c. the Impressment Act.

d. the Stamp Act.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 11

11) The Boston Massacre was precipitated by the

Feedback: factual

a. Impoundment Act.

b. Boston Tea Party.

c. Townshend Acts.

d. Amistad.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 12

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

Feedback: factual

a. whiskey

b. tea

c. molasses

d. cotton

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 13

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?

Feedback: applied

a. The Fifth Amendment

b. The Fourth Amendment

c. The Third Amendment

d. The Second Amendment

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 14

14) Armed colonists were labeled

Feedback: factual

a. insurgents.

b. guerillas.

c. patriots.

d. minutemen.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 15

15) The first battle between the British and American colonists occurred at

Feedback: factual

a. Lexington and Concord.

b. Philadelphia.

c. Boston.

d. New York.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 16

16) The key statement of American ideals is

Feedback: applied

a. the Constitution.

b. the Articles of Confederation.

c. the Mayflower Compact.

d. the Declaration of Independence.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 17

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

Feedback: conceptual

a. trustee representation.

b. parliamentary representation.

c. delegate representation.

d. politico representation.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 18

18) The Declaration of Independence was signed on

Feedback: factual

a. July 4, 1774.

b. July 4, 1775.

c. July 4, 1776.

d. July 4, 1787.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 19

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

Feedback: conceptual

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.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 20

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

Feedback: applied

a. Tocqueville

b. Robespierre

c. Hobbes

d. Locke

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 21

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

Feedback: factual

a. God-given rights.

b. principles of government.

c. grievances against King George III.

d. principles of democracy.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 22

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

Feedback: applied

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

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 23

23) The Declaration of Independence states that liberty is a right that

Feedback: factual

a. was not respected in England.

b. is fundamental to happiness.

c. is unalienable.

d. can be taken away.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 24

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

Feedback: applied

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.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 25

25) The Founding Father who argued there must be “a wall of separation between church and state” was

Feedback: factual

a. George Washington.

b. James Madison.

c. Thomas Jefferson.

d. John Adams.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 26

26) When the Constitution was ratified, slavery existed in

Feedback: factual

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.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 27

27) When the Constitution was ratified, women could vote

Feedback: factual

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.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 28

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

Feedback: factual

a. 1620.

b. 1776.

c. 1777.

d. 1787.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 29

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

Feedback: factual

a. thirteen

b. seven

c. four

d. nine

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 30

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

Feedback: conceptual

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.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 31

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

Feedback: conceptual

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.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 32

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

Feedback: conceptual

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.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 33

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

Feedback: factual

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.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 34

34) Compared with the Articles of Confederation, the Constitution of 1787

Feedback: applied

a. focused on states’ rights.

b. was more democratic.

c. centralized power.

d. decentralized power.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 35

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

Feedback: factual

a. George Washington.

b. Alexander Hamilton.

c. Thomas Jefferson.

d. James Madison.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 36

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

Feedback: conceptual

a. impressment.

b. war reparations.

c. slavery.

d. taxation.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 37

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

Feedback: factual

a. Benjamin Franklin.

b. James Madison.

c. George Washington.

d. Patrick Henry.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 38

38) The Constitutional Convention was a secret meeting because

Feedback: applied

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.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 39

39) A major dilemma for the framers was

Feedback: conceptual

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.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 40

40) An example of filtration in the Constitution is

Feedback: applied

a. the Bill of Rights.

b. the system of checks and balances.

c. indirect elections.

d. the bicameral legislature.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 41

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

Feedback: applied

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.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 42

42) The Founders adopted a federal system

Feedback: conceptual

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.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 43

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

Feedback: factual

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.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 44

44) The Great, or Connecticut, Compromise

Feedback: applied

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.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 45

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

Feedback: conceptual

a. too powerful.

b. too weak.

c. too subject to “the whims of the people.”

d. someone who was not an American.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 46

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

Feedback: conceptual

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.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 47

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

Feedback: applied

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.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 48

48) The number of electors in a state is based on

Feedback: factual

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.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 49

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

Feedback: factual

a. 2000

b. 2008

c. 1820

d. 1824

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 50

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?

Feedback: factual

a. Six times

b. Five times

c. One time

d. Twelve times

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 51

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

Feedback: conceptual

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.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 52

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

Feedback: applied

a. the imperial presidency.

b. the imperial Congress.

c. checks and balances.

d. judicial neutrality.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 53

53) How did the Founders treat slavery in the Constitution?

Feedback: conceptual

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.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 54

54) The practice of counting slaves as fractional “persons” for representation in the House of Representatives is known as

Feedback: factual

a. the Not-Quite Compromise.

b. the Three-Fifths Compromise.

c. the Two-Thirds Compromise.

d. the Three-Quarters Compromise.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 55

55) A state that threatened to leave the convention over slavery was

Feedback: factual

a. Virginia.

b. Massachusetts.

c. Texas.

d. South Carolina.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 56

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

Feedback: applied

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.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 57

57) The first three words of the Constitution are

Feedback: factual

a. “Fourscore and seven….”

b. “In order to….”

c. “We the People….”

d. “My fellow Americans….”

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 58

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

Feedback: applied

a. 50,000.

b. 150,000.

c. 350,000.

d. 750,000.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 59

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

Feedback: applied

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.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 60

60) By far the longest section of the Constitution is

Feedback: factual

a. the First Amendment.

b. Article 1.

c. Article 2.

d. Article 3.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 61

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

Feedback: factual

a. eighteen

b. twenty-five

c. thirty

d. thirty-five

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 62

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

Feedback: factual

a. eighteen

b. twenty-five

c. thirty

d. thirty-five

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 63

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

Feedback: applied

a. power to declare war.

b. power to command the armed forces.

c. power to collect taxes.

d. power to coin money.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 64

64) The necessary and proper clause

Feedback: conceptual

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.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 65

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

Feedback: applied

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.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 66

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

Feedback: factual

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.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 67

67) Treaties made by presidents are constitutionally valid if

Feedback: factual

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.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 68

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

Feedback: factual

a. Wickard v. Fillburn.

b. Gibbons v. Ogden.

c. Marbury v. Madison.

d. Barron v. Baltimore.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 69

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

Feedback: applied

a. Article 1.

b. Article 2.

c. Article 3.

d. Article 4.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 70

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

Feedback: applied

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.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 71

71) Why is the Constitution the “supreme law of the land”?

Feedback: applied

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

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 72

72) The only amendment to be ratified by state convention was

Feedback: factual

a. the Eleventh.

b. the Twelfth.

c. the Sixteenth.

d. the Twenty-first.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 73

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

Feedback: conceptual

a. pacify Rhode Island.

b. satisfy the demands of Thomas Jefferson.

c. pacify Anti-Federalists.

d. pacify Federalists.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 74

74) Federalists

Feedback: applied

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.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 75

75) The process of ratifying the Constitution

Feedback: applied

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.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 76

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

Feedback: conceptual

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.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 77

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

Feedback: applied

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.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 78

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

Feedback: applied

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

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 79

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

Feedback: applied

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.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 80

80) In Madison’s political thought, a large government

Feedback: conceptual

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.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 81

81) Which states were most eager to sign the Constitution of 1787, feeling they were getting a good deal?

Feedback: factual

a. Virginia and Pennsylvania

b. The small states

c. The large states

d. The southern states

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 82

82) The first individual to sign the Declaration of Independence was

Feedback: factual

a. Thomas Jefferson.

b. Benjamin Franklin.

c. John Hancock.

d. James Madison.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 83

83) Once the delegates added the Bill of Rights, the Constitution was ratified in Massachusetts

Feedback: applied

a. immediately and unanimously.

b. by a vote of 350 in favor to 5 against.

c. by all thirteen colonies.

d. narrowly, by a vote of 187 in favor to 168 against.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 84

84) According to the Federalists, the advantage of Federalism over a confederation of states was that this arrangement

Feedback: conceptual

a. gives local governments significant powers.

b. divides power between the federal and state governments.

c. gives most power to state governments.

d. would limit factions.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 85

85) Virginia, the most powerful state,

Feedback: factual

a. voted in favor of the Constitution 89–79.

b. voted unanimously in favor of the Constitution.

c. voted in favor of the Constitution after 17 ballots.

d. did not approve the new Constitution.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 86

86) The state that did not vote in favor of the Constitution, and that reluctantly joined the Union only after two months of George Washington’s presidency, was

Feedback: factual

a. Virginia.

b. Rhode Island.

c. Connecticut.

d. Vermont.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 87

87) The Federalists, especially James Madison, believed that factions were dangerous to a republic, because

Feedback: applied

a. they would create a split between the North and the South.

b. they would create a split between large and small states.

c. they would pit the “haves” against the “have-nots.”

d. some factions, if they gained power, would deny others the right to vote.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 88

88) What was one of the main accomplishments of the Federalist Papers?

Feedback: applied

a. They convinced the colonists to revolt.

b. Without them, New York probably would not have voted to approve the Constitution.

c. They convinced Anti-Federalists that strong state governments were desirable.

d. Without them, there would be no Bill of Rights.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 89

89) In Federalist No. 51, Madison argues for what kind of government structure to ensure that “ambition… be made to counteract ambition”?

Feedback: applied

a. A democracy

b. A direct democracy

c. A separation of powers in the national government

d. A representative democracy

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 90

90) The Supreme Court’s decision striking down school segregation came about, in part, because of which of the following reasons?

Feedback: factual

a. A high school sophomore named Barbara Johns called a student strike to protest the leaking roof and broken furnace in a majority-Black school in Virginia.

b. Native Americans sought justice over treaties that had not been fulfilled.

c. A high school junior named Bobby Jones called a student strike to protest unsafe conditions in a majority-Black school in Alabama.

d. Pressure by international activists challenged America to live up to its ideals.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 91

91) The owner’s manual for the American government is the

Feedback: factual

a. Declaration of Independence.

b. Constitution.

c. Bill of Rights.

d. Mayflower Compact.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 92

92) The document that institutionalizes American ideas is the

Feedback: factual

a. Declaration of Independence.

b. Bill of Rights.

c. Constitution.

d. Mayflower Compact.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 93

93) How many amendments have been added to the Constitution since its approval?

Feedback: factual

a. Eleven

b. Thirteen

c. Fifteen

d. Seventeen

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 94

94) The most recent Constitutional amendment was adopted in

Feedback: factual

a. 1992.

b. 1912.

c. 1865.

d. 1812.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 95

95) Why did the early colonists come to America?

Feedback:

 Religious freedom.

 Political and economic opportunities and freedoms.

 Philosophical reasons.

 Land.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 96

96) What were the major problems of the new nation under the Articles of Confederation?

Feedback:

 No money of its own.

 Impossible to amend articles.

 State governments dominated by legislatures.

 Difficult to stand up to foreign powers.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 97

97) Who were the delegates to the Constitutional Convention, and how did they differ from ordinary citizens?

Feedback:

 They were educated.

 They had held positions of power in state legislatures and other colonial leadership roles.

 They were wealthy.

 They were fairly young.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 98

98) What were some of the important differences between the New Jersey and Virginia plans?

Feedback:

 The Virginia Plan had a stronger, more centralized national government.

 The Virginia Plan weighted both houses of the legislature by population, whereas the New Jersey Plan gave each state one vote.

 The New Jersey Plan had a unicameral legislature, whereas the Virginia Plan called for a bicameral legislature.

 The New Jersey Plan had a multiple-member executive (a committee), whereas the Virginia Plan created a one-person executive.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 99

99) How is slavery treated in the Constitution?

Feedback:

 Importation of slaves cannot be extended after 1808 (twenty years into the future).

 The Three-Fifths Compromise was created for purposes of representation in the House of Representatives.

 Slavery was such a divisive issue that the word was not mentioned in the Constitution.

 Any attempt to abolish slavery would have alienated the southern states.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 100

100) Why are the Federalist Papers important?

Feedback:

 They were published as editorials supporting the Constitution and explaining the reasoning that went into it.

 They remain as important historical documents giving insight into the arguments for the Constitution and the political thought of the framers.

 They were written by Hamilton, Jay, and Madison.

 They are brilliant and original essays on political theory.

 They are one of the main texts on early American politics that we have today.

 Without them, New York might not have ratified the Constitution.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 101

101) Which states got the best deal out of the Constitution?

Feedback:

 Small states: the Senate gives them disproportionate representation.

 Small states were the first to ratify.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 102

102) Why was John Locke’s political thought so influential on the framers?

Feedback:

 He proposed that people contract with one another and form government to protect life, liberty, and property.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 103

103) What was the driving force behind the Constitutional Convention?

Feedback:

 To increase the power of the national government.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 104

104) Describe one key difference between the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution of 1787.

Feedback:

 Under the Articles, the states were sovereign; under the Constitution, the people are sovereign.

 The Constitution creates a strong national government, compared with the Articles.

 The Constitution is much more complete and detailed.

 The Constitution can be amended, thus allowing for change.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 105

105) Why did the framers include federalism in the Constitution?

Feedback:

 It retained power for the states.

 It served the logic of checks and balances.

 It allowed for dual sovereignty.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 106

106) Describe what the Connecticut Compromise accomplished.

Feedback:

 Created a bicameral legislature.

 Solved the most difficult problem facing the Founding Fathers.

 Convinced the delegates that a Constitution was politically possible.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 107

107) Discuss checks and balances, including examples. Why were checks and balances included in the Constitution?

Feedback:

 Congress passes legislation but president signs.

 President negotiates treaties but Senate must ratify.

 President appoints Cabinet officials but Senate must approve.

 Other examples.

 Included so no one branch becomes too powerful.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 108

108) Why is the Constitution so important?

Feedback:

 The supreme law of the land (Article 6).

 Constitution prevails over any conflicting or inconsistent state power.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 109

109) How are amendments proposed?

Feedback:

 Two-thirds vote of both Senate and House of Representatives.

 National convention called by Congress at the request of two-thirds of the states.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 110

110) How are constitutional amendments ratified?

Feedback:

 Approval by the state legislatures of three-quarters of the states.

 Approval by the ratifying conventions in three-quarters of the states.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 111

111) What events in American colonial history led to the U.S. Constitution?

Feedback:

 Distance from England (salutary neglect).

 Colonies elected legislatures.

 Ordinary people owned land and experienced social mobility.

 Some colonies began with mutual agreements between settlers.

 Different religions flourished; beginning of individual freedom.

 Border violence led to strong central government.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 112

112) Discuss the difference between delegate representation and trustee representation. Which is predominant in England? Which in the United States?

Feedback:

 Delegate representation: representatives follow the wishes of the voters.

 Found in United States.

 Trustee representation: representatives look to best interest of constituents, even if constituents do not agree.

 Found in England.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 113

113) Discuss the tax acts that led to the Revolution and why they were passed.

Feedback:

 Stamp Act passed to raise money to pay for protection of colonists.

 Townshend Acts passed to pay for American Board of Customs to collect taxes.

 Tea tax passed to provide a monopoly for East India Tea Company.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 114

114) Why was so little written in the Constitution regarding the office of president, and how did this affect the office?

Feedback:

 All knew George Washington would be first president.

 He was trusted to rule well.

 The presidency has since evolved.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 115

115) Why was the Constitutional Convention of 1787 held in secret, and should it have been?

Feedback:

 Students should be aware of the need felt by Constitutional Convention delegates for anonymity and freedom of argument.

 Answer should reflect the overall spirit of compromise in light of deep disagreements.

 Answer should recognize the committee nature of the discussions and the fact that no delegates, or states, got everything they wanted—as well as the difficulty, 225 years later, of trying to interpret the intent of a committee.

 Politicians like anonymity and secrecy because they won’t be tied to any given position.

 The Constitution was a patchwork of compromises; indeed, some of our most traditional institutions are the result of last-minute compromises.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 116

116) What were the major changes from the Articles of Confederation to the Constitution? What problems did the framers “fix”?

Feedback:

 Lack of a centralized government and conflicting and confusing policies under the Articles made the nation vulnerable and inefficient.

 Without a centralized government, the confederacy had problems with foreign policy, currency, and national defense.

 The framers “fixed” the representation question for both large and small states with a bicameral legislature.

 Federalism fixed the balance of powers question; separation of powers, checks and balances, staggered terms, frequent elections, popular sovereignty, and the Bill of Rights fixed some of the deep divisions on limiting government and preventing it from becoming too intrusive.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 117

117) When the framers gave presidents the “executive power,” what do you think they meant? What, in your opinion, are the proper limits of executive power? Be sure to cite instances where presidents, in your view, have exceeded their executive powers.

Feedback:

 President Obama and “Dreamers.”

 President Trump and reversal of Obama orders.

 Strong answers demonstrate an understanding that the executive power is vague and evolving and dependent on the policy area, the nature of the times (e.g., wartime vs. normal politics), presidential approval, and partisan issues.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 118

118) For many, the process and requirements for changing a constitution are the most important parts of the document. Describe the amendment process in Article 5 and evaluate its effectiveness. How difficult is the process, and did the framers get the right balance between flexibility and stability? Would you make it easier to amend our Constitution?

Feedback:

 Strong answers note that the Article 5 bar is very high, requiring supermajorities; the Founders had a good sense of normal versus constitutional politics, and as a result our Constitution has one of the lowest rates of amendment of any in the world.

 Many will describe the failure of passing legislation at the constitutional level, citing the fact that the Eighteenth and Twenty-first amendments canceled each other out.

 Congress has been a graveyard for constitutional amendments over the decades.

 Framers might be surprised that we have not had another convention and are still using the Constitution of 1787.

 Changes in the Constitution are historically extraconstitutional, arising from different interpretations by the Supreme Court as opposed to eras of major constitutional change such as the Civil War Amendments.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 119

119) What were the main reasons behind the decision to split from England? What did the colonists want, and what were their major complaints? After the revolution, did they achieve what they wanted?

Feedback:

 The colonists rebelled against England’s sudden enforcement of rules (the Stamp Act, the Townshend Acts, the English occupying army, the end of salutary neglect).

 The colonists had become accustomed to governing themselves and were developing a sense of independence.

 Taxation without representation.

 England’s enforcement of mercantile trade policies.

 The Boston Massacre.

 The Boston Tea Party.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 120

120) Discuss the ramifications of the great compromise for our politics today. Only 17 percent of Americans can elect 50 percent of the U.S. Senate. What does that mean for regional representation, and what states are advantaged or disadvantaged by this arrangement? What about the Electoral College—are all states equally represented when it comes to choosing our presidents?

Feedback:

 Strong answers describe the inequalities inherent in the Senate and the Electoral College.

 References to presidential campaigning in large states and the winner-take-all system of the Electoral College (except in Maine and Nebraska).

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 121

121) Does democracy work?

Feedback:

 A sophisticated answer will describe the endurance of our Constitution, our standard of living, and opinion surveys demonstrating Americans’ satisfaction with their form of government.

 Competition is built into the system; therefore, the system is incremental.

 We dislike the system (so we say in some surveys) yet are unwilling to change it.

 We are diverse and divided but frequently come together to solve problems.

 We hate authority but love having government do things for us.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 122

122) Is the Constitution designed for a small, vulnerable nation with a toehold on the Eastern Seaboard going to endure for a nation with a diverse population of 315 million, the world’s largest military establishment, and its most powerful economic engine?

Feedback:

 Americans are reluctant to change the Constitution.

 While a new constitutional convention is always possible, one would be held only if there were dramatic changes in public opinion.

 While the framers all compromised a great deal, they were a homogenous group. It is; it is very difficult to imagine that the diverse and politically divided nation we have become would be able to overcome the political hurdles necessary to craft a new document.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 123

123) Under our Constitution, who is in charge? Give specific examples, and explain how in different times, or over different policy areas, this question has a variety of answers.

Feedback:

 Many good answers are possible, but solid answers will be a form of “it depends.” In certain areas, Congress takes the lead; in foreign policy, usually presidents; in regulation, the executive branch; on important social issues, often courts.

 A discussion of the increasing proliferation and power of interest groups.

 Social movements.

 Issue entrepreneurs.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 124

124) What, in your opinion, has changed either for the better or for the worse in the constitutional division of powers in the last 225 years?

Feedback:

 Most students will mention the rise of the administrative state and the concomitant centralization and reach of the federal government.

 The courts play an increasing role in policy and institutional power.

 The commander-in-chief powers have grown well beyond anything the framers envisioned.

 Congress focuses more on reelection and distributive policy—more dependent on constituency and interest group representation than on national lawmaking.

 Parties have become less influential in the electorate and more powerful in government.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 125

125) Do you think the Constitution should be interpreted by the courts in the way the framers envisioned at the time they wrote it or as a “living” document that changes with our society?

Feedback:

 Sophisticated answers will cite the rise in 5–4 Supreme Court decisions, specific cases such as Bush v. Gore, Roe v. Wade, Lopez, Chadha, Kelo v. New London, and the history of affirmative action cases or civil rights cases to illustrate the flexibility or nonflexibility of the Court on social change.

 Recognition that the Supreme Court gets the “hard” cases and a discussion of how lengthy and tortuous is the path to the highest court.

 Sophisticated answers will describe the difficulty in deriving the intent of the framers from the original documents.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 126

126) Is the Constitution perfect?

Feedback:

 No. Strong answers will recognize that the framers believed that the document would change over time—hence, the importance of Article 5 and the description of new constitutional conventions.

 The framers might be quite surprised at only twenty-seven amendments and no new convention.

 The Constitution was a document drawn up to meet the needs of the present in 1787.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 127

127) Who were the Federalists and Anti-Federalists, and what were their respective political philosophies?

Feedback:

 Federalists were property owners, creditors, and merchants who believed that elites were best fit to govern and favored a strong national government.

 Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and George Washington were their leaders.

 Filtration, the tempering of popular will through institutions like the Electoral College and the Senate, was instituted so that elites would gain power.

 The Anti-Federalists, who included small farmers, frontiersmen, debtors, and small-business owners, were “Jeffersonian” in the sense that they wanted government that was closer to the people.

 They were suspicious of centralized government and power held by elites.

 They were the eighteenth century version of states’ rights and the protection of individual rights.

 Their leaders included Patrick Henry, George Mason, Elbridge Gerry, and George Clinton.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 128

128) Discuss the history of segregation in the Constitution.

Feedback:

 The Constitution does not say anything about segregation.

 1896 Supreme Court ruled that segregation did not violate “equal protection.”

 1954 Court ruled that it did.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 129

129) How did individual freedom develop in the New World? Include the importance of religion to this development.

Feedback:

 Different religions flourished in different colonies, and great answers will mention several religions matched to their colonies.

 Rhode Island idea of individual freedom to practice religion.

 Freedom to practice religion followed by other rights: freedom of speech and of the press.

 Rights of citizens became single greatest issue in ratification of new constitution.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 130

130) Explain how an English victory led to the American Revolution.

Feedback:

 French and Indian War.

 Ten thousand English troops remained in the colonies.

 England enforced policies, and period of salutary neglect was over.

 English ran up debt during the war.

 Colonists had to pay the war debt.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 131

131) Discuss the differences between delegate representation and trustee representation. How did this issue affect the colonies?

Feedback:

 Delegate representation: representatives follow the expressed wishes of the voters.

 Trustee representation: representatives do what they regard as being in the best interest of their constituents—even if constituents do not agree.

 England: Trustee representation.

 Colonies: Delegate representation.

 Colonies used to representatives thinking about individual colonies rather than the good of the nation.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 132

132) Discuss how East India Tea Company problems led to the American Revolution.

Feedback:

 Tea tax remained.

 Colonists could buy tea only from East India Tea Company.

 Ships that arrived with tea in Philadelphia and New York could not unload cargo.

 Boston governor kept ships in harbor until tea was delivered.

 Fifty men sneaked aboard and dumped tea.

 Intolerable Acts introduced: Boston Harbor closed, tea must be paid for, town meetings abolished, quartering of troops in homes, military control for Massachusetts.

 First Continental Congress 1774 to discuss Intolerable Acts.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 133

133) Discuss the successes and failures of the Articles of Confederation.

Feedback:

 Northwest Ordinance of 1787.

 Congress could not raise taxes and had no money of its own.

 Unanimity requirement made Articles impossible to amend.

 State governments were dominated by their legislatures.

 Difficulty in standing up to foreign powers.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 03 Question 134

134) Discuss the electoral college.

Feedback:

 Delegates did not want to give Congress the job of choosing the president.

 Each state selects electors, and electors choose the president.

 Each state has the same number of electors as members of Congress.

 If no individual received a majority of electoral votes, House of Representatives would choose from among top five candidates.