Test Bank Docx The Constitution Of The United States Ch2 - Complete Test Bank | American Gov Stories of a Nation 2e by Scott F. Abernathy. DOCX document preview.
Chapter 2: The Constitution of the United States
Test Bank
Multiple Choice
1. Who originally penned the words “We the people…”?
a. James Madison
b. Thomas Jefferson
c. Governor Morris
d. Benjamin Franklin
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.1: Describe the ideas and historical context that shaped James Madison’s thinking about republics.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge
Answer Location: Introduction
Difficulty Level: Easy
2. In comparing the Declaration of Independence to the U.S. Constitution, the authors of the Declaration felt the need to ______, while the framers of the Constitution sought to ______.
a. change the structure of existing government; declare American independence to the world
b. outline a blueprint for government; persuade colonists to support separation
c. announce and justify their separation from Great Britain; create a new nation
d. create an organized and structured national government; reinforce the power of state governments
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.1: Describe the ideas and historical context that shaped James Madison’s thinking about republics.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Analysis
Answer Location: Introduction
Difficulty Level: Hard
3. In the years following the revolution, the American states and the government they created struggled against ______.
a. financial crisis, the fear of foreign invasion, and the threat of internal discord
b. British interference, strong national leadership, and state oppression against citizens
c. weak state governments, federal military oppression, and rising currency values
d. a dictatorial executive, a strong national military, and weak state powers
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.1: Describe the ideas and historical context that shaped James Madison’s thinking about republics.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Introduction
Difficulty Level: Medium
4. The delegates to the Constitutional Convention would see the new document they created as a(n) ______.
a. experimental form of government
b. blueprint for a new government
c. license to exercise strong national power
d. way to weaken the power of the states
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.1: Describe the ideas and historical context that shaped James Madison’s thinking about republics.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Introduction
Difficulty Level: Medium
5. Which of the following political issues concerned James Madison the most in 1786 and 1787?
a. how to limit the power of the confederal president
b. how to represent small states in a new federal congress
c. how to ensure the republic would survive
d. how to save capitalism in the United States
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.1: Describe the ideas and historical context that shaped James Madison’s thinking about republics.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Introduction
Difficulty Level: Medium
6. A document that defines and creates a people politically, sets out the fundamental principles of governance, and creates the rules and institutions through which a people choose to self-govern is defined as a ______.
a. confederation
b. political contract
c. constitution
d. statement of purpose
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.1: Describe the ideas and historical context that shaped James Madison’s thinking about republics.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge
Answer Location: Introduction
Difficulty Level: Easy
7. James Madison was one of America’s first ______.
a. industrial engineers
b. academic scholars
c. political scientists
d. philosophical writers
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.1: Describe the ideas and historical context that shaped James Madison’s thinking about republics.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge
Answer Location: James Madison Plans for a Republic That Will Last
Difficulty Level: Easy
8. James Madison researched which of the following topics prior to the Grand Convention?
a. the rise of governments
b. the growth of monarchies
c. the exercise of absolute power
d. the death of republics
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.1: Describe the ideas and historical context that shaped James Madison’s thinking about republics.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: James Madison Plans for a Republic That Will Last
Difficulty Level: Medium
9. Governments that are ruled by representatives who are elected by the people they represent are best described as ______.
a. democracies
b. monarchies
c. oligarchies
d. republics
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.1: Describe the ideas and historical context that shaped James Madison’s thinking about republics.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge
Answer Location: James Madison Plans for a Republic That Will Last
Difficulty Level: Easy
10. Madison’s years of preparation allowed him to ______.
a. shape the agenda of debates
b. dominate the conversations
c. wield power over his adversaries
d. select a specific group of elite politicians
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.1: Describe the ideas and historical context that shaped James Madison’s thinking about republics.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: James Madison Plans for a Republic That Will Last
Difficulty Level: Medium
11. The main question for those who called for political change in America’s early history was ______.
a. how do we change?
b. what impact will change have?
c. what kind of change?
d. who will oversee the change?
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.1: Describe the ideas and historical context that shaped James Madison’s thinking about republics.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: James Madison Plans for a Republic That Will Last
Difficulty Level: Medium
12. Madison’s immediate concern in the spring of 1786 was ______.
a. preparing for the convention in Annapolis
b. taking up his post as U.S. minister to Spain
c. beginning his term as Virginia’s governor
d. putting down Shays’ rebellion
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.1: Describe the ideas and historical context that shaped James Madison’s thinking about republics.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: James Madison Plans for a Republic That Will Last
Difficulty Level: Medium
13. In the minds of Madison and those who shared his views, the hope was that the Annapolis Convention might lead to ______.
a. limitations on the scope and capacity of state power
b. resolution of federal debts so as to stabilize the economy
c. newly established national powers on par with those of the states
d. changes in the fundamental structure of the American government
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.1: Describe the ideas and historical context that shaped James Madison’s thinking about republics.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: James Madison Plans for a Republic That Will Last
Difficulty Level: Medium
14. Madison, together with a group of similarly practical men, sought to create a republic that would be ______.
a. sufficiently powerful to exert control over the states
b. representative of the will of the people with weak national powers
c. strong enough to govern without threatening individual rights
d. respectful of states’ rights while cautiously asserting weak national power
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.1: Describe the ideas and historical context that shaped James Madison’s thinking about republics.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: James Madison Plans for a Republic That Will Last
Difficulty Level: Medium
15. The skills and intellect of which of the following men were perhaps most important in the creation of the Constitution?
a. Governor Morris
b. James Madison
c. Alexander Hamilton
d. George Washington
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.1: Describe the ideas and historical context that shaped James Madison’s thinking about republics.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge
Answer Location: James Madison Plans for a Reublic That Will Last
Difficulty Level: Easy
16. James Madison, George Washington, and Thomas Jefferson had which of the following in common?
a. a desire to actively change their government
b. a tradition of slave ownership
c. service on the Constitutional Congress
d. a continued desire to serve their country after the revolution
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.1: Describe the ideas and historical context that shaped James Madison’s thinking about republics.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: James Madison Plans for a Republic That Will Last
Difficulty Level: Medium
17. Proponents of the new government seized on which of the following to push their agenda forward?
a. economic decline
b. logical political arguments
c. fear of domestic and foreign crises
d. need for stronger national government
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.1: Describe the ideas and historical context that shaped James Madison’s thinking about republics.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: James Madison Plans for a Republic That Will Last
Difficulty Level: Medium
18. The first form of American government was a ______.
a. monarchy
b. oligarchy
c. republic
d. confederation
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.2: Explain the challenges faced by the nation following the American revolution in trying to form a government strong enough to rule effectively but not so strong as to oppress the rights of Americans.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge
Answer Location: The Confederal System Made Coordination between the States Difficult
Difficulty Level: Easy
19. Delegates to the Second Continental Congress had to confront issues that involved the problem of ______.
a. government mistrust
b. state sovereignty
c. representative equity
d. fiscal resources
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.2: Explain the challenges faced by the nation following the American revolution in trying to form a government strong enough to rule effectively but not so strong as to oppress the rights of Americans.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: The Articles of Confederation Attempted to United the States While Preserving Their Authority
Difficulty Level: Medium
20. It was NOT unnatural at the time of the Second Continental Congress to envision a government in which ______ was/were the real center(s) of power.
a. representatives
b. elites
c. states
d. national authority
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.2: Explain the challenges faced by the nation following the American revolution in trying to form a government strong enough to rule effectively but not so strong as to oppress the rights of Americans.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: The Articles of Confederation Attempted to United the States While PreservingTheir Authority
Difficulty Level: Medium
21. During the debates over the Articles in the Second Continental Congress, mistrust of other colonies crystallized in conflicts over ______.
a. land, representation, and sovereignty
b. foreign trade, taxes, and authority
c. intrastate commerce and trade
d. interstate relations and apportionment
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.2: Explain the challenges faced by the nation following the American revolution in trying to form a government strong enough to rule effectively but not so strong as to oppress the rights of Americans.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: mThe Articles of Confederation Attempted to United the States While Preserving Their Authority
Difficulty Level: Medium
22. The most acrimonious disagreements between colonies were over control of ______.
a. the South Sea
b. the Barbary Coast
c. western lands
d. the Atlantic seaboard
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.2: Explain the challenges faced by the nation following the American revolution in trying to form a government strong enough to rule effectively but not so strong as to oppress the rights of Americans.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: The Articles of Confederation Attempted to United the States While Preserving Their Authority
Difficulty Level: Medium
23. The confederal government was ______.
a. unicameral
b. bicameral
c. tricameral
d. quadracameral
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.2: Explain the challenges faced by the nation following the American revolution in trying to form a government strong enough to rule effectively but not so strong as to oppress the rights of Americans.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Under the Confederal System, States Had Sovereignty and Equal Representation
Difficulty Level: Medium
24. Under the Articles of Confederation, states ______.
a. were authorized to send only one representative chosen by popular election
b. selected their representatives and chose the number of representatives they sent
c. chose the number of representatives who were selected by popular vote
d. were not allowed representation at the national level
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.2: Explain the challenges faced by the nation following the American revolution in trying to form a government strong enough to rule effectively but not so strong as to oppress the rights of Americans.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Under the Confederal System, States Had Sovereignty and Equal Representation
Difficulty Level: Medium
25. Which of the following describes the situation of the thirteen British colonies by the 1770s?
a. a group of disparate peoples who mistrusted others
b. an economically homogenous set of peoples
c. an unified and vital part of the British empire
d. a series of military settlements run by the British Army
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.2: Explain the challenges faced by the nation following the American revolution in trying to form a government strong enough to rule effectively but not so strong as to oppress the rights of Americans.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Under the Confederal System, States Had Sovereignty and Equal Representation
Difficulty Level: Medium
26. Which of the following best describes the judicial branch under the Articles of Confederation?
a. It had the authority to overturn a law and had full enforcement power.
b. It existed to interpret and enforce confederal law at the state level only.
c. It was able to settle disputes between states and had law enforcement authority.
d. It existed primarily to resolve disputes between states and had no enforcement power.
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.2: Explain the challenges faced by the nation following the American revolution in trying to form a government strong enough to rule effectively but not so strong as to oppress the rights of Americans.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: The Confederal Government Was Designed to Be Weak
Difficulty Level: Medium
27. The confederal government had the power to ______.
a. conduct foreign trade and coin money
b. interpret and enforce national laws
c. intervene in disputes between states
d. declare war and conduct foreign policy
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.2: Explain the challenges faced by the nation following the American revolution in trying to form a government strong enough to rule effectively but not so strong as to oppress the rights of Americans.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: The Confederal Government Was Designed to Be Weak
Difficulty Level: Medium
28. In order to get around its lack of money and its inability to borrow from foreign nations, Congress ______.
a. taxed individual citizens
b. forcibly collected from the states
c. made its own money
d. imposed import and export taxes
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.2: Explain the challenges faced by the nation following the American revolution in trying to form a government strong enough to rule effectively but not so strong as to oppress the rights of Americans.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: The Confederal Government Was Designed to Be Weak
Difficulty Level: Medium
29. Congressional currency, known as the continental, was backed by ______.
a. gold reserves in Philadelphia
b. bank deposits in New York
c. the promise of the government to pay its debts
d. tax receipts collected from the states
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.2: Explain the challenges faced by the nation following the American revolution in trying to form a government strong enough to rule effectively but not so strong as to oppress the rights of Americans.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: The Confederal Government Was Designed to Be Weak
Difficulty Level: Medium
30. Changing or amending the Articles required the approval of ______ states.
a. 4
b. 7
c. 10
d. 13
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.2: Explain the challenges faced by the nation following the American revolution in trying to form a government strong enough to rule effectively but not so strong as to oppress the rights of Americans.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: The Prospect of Changes to the Systems of Slavery and Representation Sowed Unrest
Difficulty Level: Medium
31. In response to the Articles of Confederation, some Southern states feared the restriction of ______, while the smaller states feared losing their ______.
a. agricultural production; sovereignty
b. slavery; equal representation
c. currency; security
d. land ownership; businesses
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.2: Explain the challenges faced by the nation following the American revolution in trying to form a government strong enough to rule effectively but not so strong as to oppress the rights of Americans.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: The Prospect of Changes to the Systems of Slavery and Representation Sowed Unrest
Difficulty Level: Hard
32. The vital change that took place between 1776 and 1787 was in the ______.
a. understanding of political philosophy
b. desire for centralized authority
c. shifting population of larger states
d. balance of political power
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.2: Explain the challenges faced by the nation following the American revolution in trying to form a government strong enough to rule effectively but not so strong as to oppress the rights of Americans.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: The Prospect of Changes to the Systems of Slavery and Representation Sowed Unrest
Difficulty Level: Medium
33. The movement to amend and to replace the Articles of Confederation in 1786 was led by ______.
a. only New Yorkers
b. the vast majority of Americans
c. a small subset of elites
d. slaves and white merchants
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.2: Explain the challenges faced by the nation following the American revolution in trying to form a government strong enough to rule effectively but not so strong as to oppress the rights of Americans.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: The Prospect of Changes to the Systems of Slavery and Representation Sowed Unrest
Difficulty Level: Medium
34. The grassroots popular uprising against state government in Massachusetts, which added a sense of urgency to elites, was called ______.
a. Shay’s Rebellion
b. Seward’s Folley
c. Gabriel’s Conspiracy
d. Turner’s Uprising
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.2: Explain the challenges faced by the nation following the American revolution in trying to form a government strong enough to rule effectively but not so strong as to oppress the rights of Americans.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge
Answer Location: Crisis and Fears of Tyranny
Difficulty Level: Easy
35. The roots of the rebellion in Massachusetts were ______.
a. social and cultural
b. economic and political
c. agricultural and religious
d. academic and philosophical
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.2: Explain the challenges faced by the nation following the American revolution in trying to form a government strong enough to rule effectively but not so strong as to oppress the rights of Americans.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Shays’ Rebellion
Difficulty Level: Medium
36. Indebted farmers who focused their protests and attentions on the courts in order to stall or forgo bankruptcy proceedings against their land in 1786 were known as ______.
a. renegades
b. regulators
c. scalawags
d. scoundrels
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.2: Explain the challenges faced by the nation following the American revolution in trying to form a government strong enough to rule effectively but not so strong as to oppress the rights of Americans.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Rebellion Begins
Difficulty Level: Medium
37. Which of the following accurately describes the role Daniel Shays played in the 1786 rebellion that bears his name?
a. Shays put down the rebellion as commander of the Massachusetts state militia.
b. Shays commanded the largest regiment of the rebels and notably served in the American Revolution.
c. Shays wrote the manifesto justifying the rebels’ actions.
d. Shays was the first person to die in the rebellion.
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.2: Explain the challenges faced by the nation following the American revolution in trying to form a government strong enough to rule effectively but not so strong as to oppress the rights of Americans.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Rebellion Begins
Difficulty Level: Medium
38. Which of the following men was NOT a delegate to the 1787 Constitutional Convention?
a. James Madison
b. Thomas Jefferson
c. Benjamin Franklin
d. George Washington
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.3: Describe the role that compromise over states’ interests played in shaping the government during the Constitutional Convention.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge
Answer Location: Delegates Reach a Compromise at the Constitutional Convention
Difficulty Level: Easy
39. Which state refused to send a delegate to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia?
a. Massachusetts
b. New York
c. Pennsylvania
d. Rhode Island
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.3: Describe the role that compromise over states’ interests played in shaping the government during the Constitutional Convention.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Delegates Reach a Compromise at the Constitutional Convention
Difficulty Level: Medium
40. Delegates who had been sent to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia were specifically authorized to ______.
a. make any and all changes necessary to form a new government
b. fix the Articles of Confederation as necessary
c. seek a form of government that balanced national and state power
d. create a new Constitution as a blueprint for future government
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.3: Describe the role that compromise over states’ interests played in shaping the government during the Constitutional Convention.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Delegates Reach a Compromise at the Constitutional Convention
Difficulty Level: Medium
41. The delegate who served as president of the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia was ______.
a. James Monroe
b. Governor Morris
c. George Washington
d. Alexander Hamilton
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.3: Describe the role that compromise over states’ interests played in shaping the government during the Constitutional Convention.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge
Answer Location: Delegates Reach a Compromise at the Constitutional Convention
Difficulty Level: Easy
42. On which of the following did the delegates in Philadelphia in 1787 most closely base their deliberations?
a. existing state constitutions
b. the manifesto that emerged out of the Annapolis Convention
c. the writings of John Locke and the Declaration of Independence
d. the Magna Carta and other English historical documents
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.3: Describe the role that compromise over states’ interests played in shaping the government during the Constitutional Convention.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Delegates Looked to America’s State Constitutions for Models, Good and Bad
Difficulty Level: Medium
43. While ______ was one of the greatest proponents of a strong national government, ______ would serve as one of its greatest opponents.
a. Benjamin Franklin; Thomas Jefferson
b. James Monroe; Governor Morris
c. Paul Revere; George Washington
d. Alexander Hamilton; Patrick Henry
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.3: Describe the role that compromise over states’ interests played in shaping the government during the Constitutional Convention.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Delegates Reach a Compromise at the Constitutional Convention
Difficulty Level: Medium
44. The one social factor that all of the delegates to the Constitutional Convention had in common was that they were all ______.
a. elites
b. farmers
c. wealthy
d. slave owners
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.3: Describe the role that compromise over states’ interests played in shaping the government during the Constitutional Convention.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: The Grand Convention in Philadelphia: “Experience Must Be Our Guide” Delegates Reach a Compromise at the Constitutional Convention
Difficulty Level: Medium
45. The most democratic of the state constitutions in 1787 was that of ______.
a. Maryland
b. Georgia
c. Pennsylvania
d. New York
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.3: Describe the role that compromise over states’ interests played in shaping the government during the Constitutional Convention.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Delegates Looked to America’s State Constitutions for Models, Good and Bad
Difficulty Level: Medium
46. The most contentious issue of the Constitutional Convention was ______.
a. who would represent the states
b. how states would be represented
c. the powers of national government
d. matters of interstate and foreign trade
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.3: Describe the role that compromise over states’ interests played in shaping the government during the Constitutional Convention.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Delegates Debated Forms of Representation and the Powers of the National Government
Difficulty Level: Hard
47. Virginia’s delegation recommended a plan for representation that created a ______.
a. strong national government with a bicameral legislature using proportional representation in both houses
b. weak national government with a unicameral legislature based on equal representation
c. strong national government with a bicameral legislature with proportional representation in the lower house and equal representation in the upper house
d. weak national government with a bicameral legislature based on equal representation in both houses
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.3: Describe the role that compromise over states’ interests played in shaping the government during the Constitutional Convention.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: The Virginia Plan Outlined a System of Proportional Representation for the States
Difficulty Level: Medium
48. Delegates from smaller states proposed which of the following?
a. the Delaware Plan
b. the New Jersey Plan
c. the Virginia Plan
d. the Connecticut Plan
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.3: Describe the role that compromise over states’ interests played in shaping the government during the Constitutional Convention.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: The New Jersey Plan Maintained Equal Votes in the Legislature
Difficulty Level: Medium
49. Smaller states supported a government that favored ______.
a. equal representation
b. proportional representation
c. a combination of equal and proportional representation
d. a representation plan based on state choice
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.3: Describe the role that compromise over states’ interests played in shaping the government during the Constitutional Convention..
REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: The New Jersey Plan Maintained Equal Votes in the Legislature
Difficulty Level: Medium
50. What criticism did James Madison level at the New Jersey Plan?
a. It was proposed by his archenemy, Alexander Hamilton.
b. It delegated too much power to the states.
c. It failed to rectify any of the issues for which the convention had been called.
d. It gave the national government too much authority.
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.3: Describe the role that compromise over states’ interests played in shaping the government during the Constitutional Convention.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: The New Jersey Plan Maintained Equal Votes in the Legislature
Difficulty Level: Medium
51. The Great Compromise established which of the following forms of government?
a. equal representation
b. proportional representation
c. a combination of equal and proportional representation
d. a representation plan based on state choice
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.3: Describe the role that compromise over states’ interests played in shaping the government during the Constitutional Convention.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: The Great Compromise Called for a Bicameral Legislature with Different Methods of Representation in Each Chamber
Difficulty Level: Medium
52. Under the Great Compromise, each state would be allowed ______ representatives in the Senate.
a. 2
b. 4
c. 6
d. 9
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.3: Describe the role that compromise over states’ interests played in shaping the government during the Constitutional Convention.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge
Answer Location: The Great Compromise Called for a Bicameral Legislature with Different Methods of Representation in Each Chamber
Difficulty Level: Easy
53. The purpose of Congress was to ______.
a. interpret laws
b. make laws
c. execute laws
d. enforce laws
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.4: Identify the institutions of government established by the Constitution and the distribution of political power among them.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge
Answer Location: The Legislative Branch Was Made the Most Powerful
Difficulty Level: Easy
54. The powers embodied in which of the following strengthened the Congress vis-à-vis under the confederal system?
a. the oversight over the executive branch and the right to print money
b. the commerce and the necessary-and-proper clauses
c. the New Jersey Plan and the Virginia Pan
d. the Three-Fifths Compromise and judicial review
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.4: Identify the institutions of government established by the Constitution and the distribution of political power among them.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: The Legislative Branch Was Made the Most Powerful
Difficulty Level: Medium
55. Alexander Hamilton proposed ______.
a. a weak president that would serve for unlimited one-year terms
b. a strong president that would serve for a single term of four years
c. a weak president that would serve for up to ten years
d. a strong president that would serve for life
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.4: Identify the institutions of government established by the Constitution and the distribution of political power among them.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge
Answer Location: The Executive Branch Was Initially Less Thoroughly Planned Out
Difficulty Level: Easy
56. As chief executive, the president’s responsibility is to ______.
a. propose new laws to be passed by Congress
b. carry out laws passed by Congress
c. act as a strong leader with absolute power over Congress
d. interpret and enforce laws passed by Congress
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.4: Identify the institutions of government established by the Constitution and the distribution of political power among them.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge
Answer Location: The Executive Branch Was Initially Less Thoroughly Planned Out
Difficulty Level: Easy
57. The president is elected by which of the following methods?
a. direct vote of the people
b. a vote of Congress
c. votes in the Electoral College
d. votes from each of the state legislatures
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.4: Identify the institutions of government established by the Constitution and the distribution of political power among them.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: The Executive Branch Was Initially Less Thoroughly Planned Out
Difficulty Level: Medium
58. Who proposed that the presidency be clothed in so much authority that basically the office created a kingship?
a. Benjamin Franklin
b. George Washington
c. James Madison
d. Alexander Hamilton
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.4: Identify the institutions of government established by the Constitution and the distribution of political power among them.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge
Answer Location: The Executive Branch Was Initially Less Thoroughly Planned Out
Difficulty Level: Easy
59. Delegates to the Constitutional Convention decided that judicial power should be held by the ______.
a. local courts
b. state courts
c. district courts
d. Supreme Court
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.4: Identify the institutions of government established by the Constitution and the distribution of political power among them.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: The Judiciary Was Designed to Interpret Constitutional Conflicts
Difficulty Level: Medium
60. In order to hear and decide federal cases, the judicial branch created by the Constitution included a system of ______.
a. federal district courts
b. state supreme courts
c. county courts at law
d. municipal courts
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.4: Identify the institutions of government established by the Constitution and the distribution of political power among them.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: The Judiciary Was Designed to Interpret Constitutional Conflicts
Difficulty Level: Medium
61. Judicial review gives the judicial branch of government the authority to ______.
a. oversee the actions of state and local courts
b. propose new laws for consideration by Congress
c. determine if a law, part of a law, or an act of government is in violation of the Constitution
d. conduct trials in cases involving a violation of federal or state law
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.4: Identify the institutions of government established by the Constitution and the distribution of political power among them.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: The Judiciary Was Designed to Interpret Constitutional Conflicts
Difficulty Level: Medium
62. Which of the following is superior to the others?
a. the Executive Branch
b. the Legislative Branch
c. the Judicial Branch
d. the U.S. Constitution
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.4: Identify the institutions of government established by the Constitution and the distribution of political power among them.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: The Judiciary Was Designed to Interpret Constitutional Conflicts
Difficulty Level: Medium
63. The doctrine of separation of powers is popularly known as ______.
a. the New Jersey Plan
b. judicial review
c. federalism
d. checks and balances
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.4: Identify the institutions of government established by the Constitution and the distribution of political power among them.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Separation of Powers Allowed for Checks and Balances on Government
Difficulty Level: Medium
64. The distribution of powers across institutions including the legislative, executive, and judicial branches is known as ______.
a. a republic
b. the federal system
c. separation of powers
d. constitutionalism
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.4: Identify the institutions of government established by the Constitution and the distribution of political power among them.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge
Answer Location: Separation of Powers Allowed for Checks and Balances on Government
Difficulty Level: Easy
65. The ”full faith and credit” clause of the Constitution was intended to ______.
a. regulate the flow of commerce within and between states
b. ensure that states recognized the contracts and legal proceedings of other states
c. give value to the issuing of federal currency and coins
d. signal to foreign countries that the United States was to be trusted
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.4: Identify the institutions of government established by the Constitution and the distribution of political power among them.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge
Answer Location: Delegates Addressed the “Unfinished Parts” But Left the Problem of Slavery Behind
Difficulty Level: Easy
66. While small states wanted the states themselves to approve new constitutional amendments, the nationalists wanted the ______ to decide.
a. president
b. Senate
c. people
d. Supreme Court
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.4: Identify the institutions of government established by the Constitution and the distribution of political power among them.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Delegates Addressed the “Unfinished Parts” But Left the Problem of Slavery Behind
Difficulty Level: Medium
67. Amending the Constitution is a ______ process.
a. one-stage
b. two-stage
c. three-stage
d. four-stage
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.4: Identify the institutions of government established by the Constitution and the distribution of political power among them.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge
Answer Location: Delegates Addressed the “Unfinished Parts” But Left the Problem of Slavery Behind
Difficulty Level: Easy
68. The Three-Fifths Compromise stipulated that ______.
a. a three-fifths vote of Congress was required to propose a constitutional amendment
b. a three-fifths vote in the Electoral College was required to be elected president
c. three-fifths of a state’s slave population would be counted for the purposes of representation
d. three-fifths of the justices on the Supreme Court must vote for a judicial decision
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.4: Identify the institutions of government established by the Constitution and the distribution of political power among them.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: The Founders Reached a Fateful Compromise on Slavery
Difficulty Level: Medium
69. Many experts argue that the preservation of slavery was the result of a trading of votes known as a ______.
a. logroll
b. filibuster
c. sequester
d. cloture
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.4: Identify the institutions of government established by the Constitution and the distribution of political power among them.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: The Founders Reached a Fateful Compromise on Slavery
Difficulty Level: Medium
70. According to the original wording of the Constitution, slavery was ______.
a. restricted and regulated
b. unrestricted until at least 1808
c. considered a basic property right
d. not directly addressed
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.4: Identify the institutions of government established by the Constitution and the distribution of political power among them.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: The Founders Reached a Fateful Compromise on Slavery
Difficulty Level: Hard
71. The Three-Fifths Compromise favored which group of people the most?
a. New England merchants
b. white residents of slaveholding states
c. slaves and Native Americans
d. Western farmers
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.4: Identify the institutions of government established by the Constitution and the distribution of political power among them.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: The Founders Reached a Fateful Compromise on Slavery
Difficulty Level: Medium
72. The Three-Fifths Compromise counted which of the following as three fifths of a persons for purposes of Congressional representation?
a. slaves
b. women
c. free blacks
d. Native Americans
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.4: Identify the institutions of government established by the Constitution and the distribution of political power among them.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge
Answer Location: The Founders Reached a Fateful Compromise on Slavery
Difficulty Level: Easy
73. Which triumvirate authored The Federalist Papers in 1787 and 1788?
a. Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and George Washington
b. John Jay, Alexander Hamilton, and Thomas Jefferson
c. James Madison, John Jay, and Alexander Hamilton
d. Patrick Henry, John Jay, and James Madison
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.5: Compare and contrast the arguments put forth by the federalists and anti-federalists during the ratification debates.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge
Answer Location: Federalists and Anti-Federalists Debate the Dangers of Power in a Large Republic
Difficulty Level: Hard
74. Supporters of the Constitution were known as ______ and opponents to the Constitution were called ______.
a. nationalists; regulators
b. constitutionalists; freedom-fighters
c. federalists; anti-federalists
d. Republicans; Democrats
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.5: Compare and contrast the arguments put forth by the federalists and anti-federalists during the ratification debates.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Federalists and Anti-Federalists Fought over Ratification
Difficulty Level: Medium
75. Which foundational concept about politics, based on his studies of previous republics, informed James Madison’s thinking when co-authoring The Federalist Papers?
a. Money will be prioritized over virtue, so a republic’s leaders need to be paid handsomely for the republic to survive.
b. People will not act in a noble manner, so self-interest must be taken into account when constructing a republic.
c. Republican governments function best when the wishes of the people are taken into account at all times.
d. African Americans and Native Americans bring distinct viewpoints into government and their ideas should be welcomed.
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.5: Compare and contrast the arguments put forth by the federalists and anti-federalists during the ratification debates.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Federalists and Anti-Federalists Debate the Dangers of Power in a Large Republic
Difficulty Level: Medium
76. Anti-federalists called for a ______ to be included in the Constitution.
a. Statement of Authority
b. Bill of Rights
c. Guarantee of Sovereignty
d. Declaration of Independence
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.5: Compare and contrast the arguments put forth by the federalists and anti-federalists during the ratification debates.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: A Bill of Rights Was a Key Issue in the Ratification Debates
Difficulty Level: Medium
77. Federalists called for ______.
a. supporting the new Constitution and a strong national government
b. including a Bill of Rights and a strong state government
c. strong restrictions on branches of government
d. controls against the tyranny of the minority
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.5: Compare and contrast the arguments put forth by the federalists and anti-federalists during the ratification debates.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Federalists Argue for a Strong National Government
Difficulty Level: Medium
78. Federalists made their strongest theoretical case for the new republic in a set of eighty-five essays known as ______.
a. Common Sense
b. the Antifederalist Papers
c. Statements of Liberty
d. the Federalist Papers
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.5: Compare and contrast the arguments put forth by the federalists and anti-federalists during the ratification debates.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Federalist Papers
Difficulty Level: Medium
79. James Madison was concerned about groups of people who would collectively try to use the government to get what they wanted. He called these groups ______.
a. factions
b. lobbies
c. PACs
d. parties
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.5: Compare and contrast the arguments put forth by the federalists and anti-federalists during the ratification debates.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: A Republic Must Be Able to Handle the Problem of Faction
Difficulty Level: Medium
80. In Federalist 10, James Madison argued that ______ is the main driver of factionalization.
a. political polarization
b. social inequality
c. inequality of wealth
d. societal hierarchy
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.5: Compare and contrast the arguments put forth by the federalists and anti-federalists during the ratification debates.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: A Republic Must Be Able to Handle the Problem of Faction
Difficulty Level: Medium
81. Anti-federalists and federalists both feared ______.
a. some form of tyranny
b. emerging national power
c. the will of the people
d. powerful states
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.5: Compare and contrast the arguments put forth by the federalists and anti-federalists during the ratification debates.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Federalists and Anti-Federalists Feared Different Forms of Tyranny
Difficulty Level: Medium
82. Tyranny of the minority occurs when ______.
a. a large number of citizens use their power to trample on the rights of smaller groups
b. small numbers of citizens trample on the rights of the larger population
c. authoritarian leaders trample on the rights of the citizens through unitary rule
d. liberal leaders give more rights to their supporters than they do to their opponents
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.5: Compare and contrast the arguments put forth by the federalists and anti-federalists during the ratification debates.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge
Answer Location: Federalists and Anti-Federalists Feared Different Forms of Tyranny
Difficulty Level: Easy
83. Tyranny of the majority occurs when ______.
a. a large number of citizens use their power to trample on the rights of smaller groups
b. small numbers of citizens trample on the rights of the larger population
c. authoritarian leaders trample on the rights of the citizens through unitary rule
d. liberal leaders give more rights to their supporters than they do to their opponents
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.5: Compare and contrast the arguments put forth by the federalists and anti-federalists during the ratification debates.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge
Answer Location: Federalists and Anti-Federalists Feared Different Forms of Tyranny
Difficulty Level: Easy
84. Antifederalist writer Mercy Otis Warren warned against ______.
a. the evils of party
b. the threat of aristocratic leaders
c. the danger of pure democratic rule
d. the encroachment of the middle class
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.5: Compare and contrast the arguments put forth by the federalists and anti-federalists during the ratification debates.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: A Bill of Rights Was a Key Issue in the Ratification Debates
Difficulty Level: Medium
85. Given the events at Annapolis and Philadelphia in 1786 and 1787, the best characterization of the Founders of the American Republic is that they were ______.
a. an accurate cross-section of 1780s America
b. idealists unwilling to compromise
c. practical, tactical, and strategic men
d. flawed and short-sighted politicians
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.5: Compare and contrast the arguments put forth by the federalists and anti-federalists during the ratification debates.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Conclusion
Difficulty Level: Medium
True/False
1. James Madison was one of the only Founding Fathers NOT to own slaves.
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.1: Describe the ideas and historical context that shaped James Madison’s thinking about republics.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge
Answer Location: James Madison Plans for a Republic That Will Last
Difficulty Level: Easy
2. Americans would refer to “These United States…” rather than “The United States,” demonstrating a desire to maintain strong states’ rights.
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.2: Explain the challenges faced by the nation following the American revolution in trying to form a government strong enough to rule effectively but not so strong as to oppress the rights of Americans.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: The Articles of Confederation Attempted to Unite the States While Preserving Their Authority
Difficulty Level: Easy
3. States selected their representatives to the unicameral legislature and could choose the number of representatives they sent under the Articles of Confederation.
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.2: Explain the challenges faced by the nation following the American revolution in trying to form a government strong enough to rule effectively but not so strong as to oppress the rights of Americans.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Under the Confederal System, States Had Sovereignty and Equal Representation
Difficulty Level: Easy
4. The confederal government under the Articles of Confederation was intentionally made stronger than the sovereignty of the individual states.
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.2: Explain the challenges faced by the nation following the American revolution in trying to form a government strong enough to rule effectively but not so strong as to oppress the rights of Americans.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: The Confederal System Made Coordination between the States Difficult
Difficulty Level: Easy
5. John Adams was a delegate to the Constitutional Convention in 1787.
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.3: Describe the role that compromise over states’ interests played in shaping the government during the Constitutional Convention.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge
Answer Location: Delegates Reach a Compromise at the Constitutional Convention
Difficulty Level: Easy
6. One Native American was a delegate to the Constitutional Convention.
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.3: Describe the role that compromise over states’ interests played in shaping the government during the Constitutional Convention.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Delegates Reach a Compromise at the Constitutional Convention
Difficulty Level: Medium
7. The delegates who assembled in Philadelphia represented a snapshot of the people living in the thirteen states.
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.3: Describe the role that compromise over states’ interests played in shaping the government during the Constitutional Convention.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Delegates Reach a Compromise at the Constitutional Convention
Difficulty Level: Medium
8. The Virginia Plan laid out a strong national government, while the New Jersey Plan called for a weak one.
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.3: Describe the role that compromise over states’ interests played in shaping the government during the Constitutional Convention.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: The Virginia Plan Outlined a System of Proportional Representation for the States; The New Jersey Plan Maintained Equal Votes in the Legislature
Difficulty Level: Medium
9. The president has unlimited power over the actions of Congress.
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.4: Identify the institutions of government established by the Constitution and the distribution of political power among them.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: The Executive Branch Was Initially Less Thoroughly Planned Out
Difficulty Level: Medium
10. The power of judicial review was explicitly granted to the judicial branch in the Constitution.
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.4: Identify the institutions of government established by the Constitution and the distribution of political power among them.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: The Judiciary Was Designed to Interpret Constitutional Conflicts
Difficulty Level: Medium
11. In drawing the powers of each of the three branches, it is clear that Congress intended for the executive branch to exert power over the others.
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.4: Identify the institutions of government established by the Constitution and the distribution of political power among them.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Separation of Powers Allowed for Checks and Balances on Government
Difficulty Level: Medium
12. The Constitution is written so as to make it easy to amend it by popular vote.
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.4: Identify the institutions of government established by the Constitution and the distribution of political power among them.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Delegates Addressed the “Unfinished Parts” But Left the Problem of Slavery Behind
Difficulty Level: Medium
13. One of the most important divisions during the Constitutional Convention was over the issue of slavery.
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.4: Identify the institutions of government established by the Constitution and the distribution of political power among them.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: The Founders Reached a Fateful Compromise on Slavery
Difficulty Level: Medium
14. Like George Washington, James Madison freed his slaves upon his death.
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.4: Identify the institutions of government established by the Constitution and the distribution of political power among them.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: James Madison Held Contradictory Views on Slavery
Difficulty Level: Medium
15. The term “federalist” was chosen ironically by Constitutional supporters because it generally meant more of a balance between the power of states and the national government.
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.5: Compare and contrast the arguments put forth by the federalists and anti-federalists during the ratification debates.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Federalists and Anti-Federalists Fought over Ratification
Difficulty Level: Medium
Short Answer
1. What form of government did the United States have prior to adopting the Constitution?
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.1: Explain how conditions in the United States following the American Revolution raised concerns about the new nation, and how advocates for a stronger national government seized upon these concerns to propose a new form of government.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge
Answer Location: The Confederal System Made Coordination between the States Difficult
Difficulty Level: Easy
2. The grassroots popular uprising against the government of Massachusetts that frightened many states into researching a new Constitution was called what?
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.1: Explain how conditions in the United States following the American Revolution raised concerns about the new nation, and how advocates for a stronger national government seized upon these concerns to propose a new form of government.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge
Answer Location: Crisis and Fears of Tyranny
Difficulty Level: Medium
3. During the 1787 Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, the New Jersey Plan was proposed by whom?
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.3: Describe the role that compromise over states’ interests played in shaping the government during the Constitutional Convention.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge
Answer Location: The New Jersey Plan Maintained Equal Votes in the Legislature
Difficulty Level: Easy
4. The ______ clause has enabled Congress to become involved in large areas of the American economy, even within states.
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.3: Identify the ideas behind the structure of the government under the new Constitution.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: The Legislative Branch Was Made the Most Powerful
Difficulty Level: Medium
5. During the ratification debates, federalist arguments were centered around avoiding the tyranny of the ______.
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.5: Compare and contrast the arguments put forth by the federalists and anti-federalists during the ratification debates.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge
Answer Location: Federalists and Anti-Federalists Feared Different Forms of Tyranny
Difficulty Level: Easy
Essay
1. Describe the arguments presented by those in favor of amending or rewriting the Articles of Confederation and those who were opposed.
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.3: Describe the role that compromise over states’ interests played in shaping the government during the Constitutional Convention.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Analysis
Answer Location: Delegates Reach a Compromise at the Constitutional Convention
Difficulty Level: Hard
2. What issues were at the center of the Constitutional Convention as it progressed, and how were these issues resolved?
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.3: Describe the role that compromise over states’ interests played in shaping the government during the Constitutional Convention; 2.4: Identify the institutions of government established by the Constitution and the distribution of political power among them.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Analysis
Answer Location: Delegates Reach a Compromise at the Constitutional Convention; Delegates Worked Out Details of the New Government
Difficulty Level: Hard
3. Why were the founders so concerned about the “danger of factions”? How does the Constitution address this problem?
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.5: Compare and contrast the arguments put forth by the federalists and anti-federalists during the ratification debates.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Analysis
Answer Location: A Republic Must Be Able to Handle the Problem of Faction
Difficulty Level: Hard
4. How were questions over the relative power of states and nation addressed in the Constitution? What new form of governmental organization resulted from these debates?
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.5: Compare and contrast the arguments put forth by the federalists and anti-federalists during the ratification debates.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Analysis
Answer Location: Federalists and Anti-Federalists Debate the Dangers of Power in a Large Republic
Difficulty Level: Hard
5. By 1788, it was clear that the federalists had won the debate over ratification when the Constitution was scheduled to go into effect. How did the federalists win over an American body politic that was, two years earlier, skeptical at best about changing the Articles of Confederation? Though they clearly lost, what effects did the anti-federalists achieve for the political culture of subsequent generations?
TOP: Learning Outcome: Articulate the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
KEY: Learning Objective: 2.5: Compare and contrast the arguments put forth by the federalists and anti-federalists during the ratification debates.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Analysis
Answer Location: Federalists and Anti-Federalists Fought over Ratification
Difficulty Level: Hard
Document Information
Connected Book
Complete Test Bank | American Gov Stories of a Nation 2e
By Scott F. Abernathy