Government Post Test

How many of the original thirteen states finally ratified the Constitution?

13

The statement, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, or abridging the freedom of speech or of the press..." is found in the

1st Amendment

The amendment that grants citizens the right to bear arms is the

2nd

The amendment that protects Americans from being forced to give self-incriminating testimony is the

5th Amendment

Which of the following is among the purposes of government outlined in the Preamble of the Constitution?

All of the above

Which of the following best describes the concept of limited government?

Government must operate within certain bounds set by the people.

Which of the following served as the first National Government of the United States?

Stamp Act Congress

The Virginia Plan called for

a government with three separate branches

Which of the following is mentioned by the Constitution and its amendments?

a succession of vice president to the presidency

What is the Magna Carta?

an english document that limited powers of the king

The basic constitutional rights of the people were FIRST set out in the

bill of rights

Which of the following accounts for the ability of the Constitution to endure for more than 200 years?

built in provisions for accommodating change

The President's power to veto an act of Congress is an example of

checks and balances

What was one major weakness of the Articles of Confederation?

congress was powerless to collect taxes

The requirement to conduct a census was included in the U. S. Constitution to

determine the number of members from each state in the house of representatives

To whom did the Three-Fifths Compromise refer?

enslaved people

The Supreme Court decision in Marbury v. Madison (1803) was important because it

established the principle of judicial review

The 15th Amendment expanding suffrage to African Americans, and the 24th Amendment's ratification of the Poll Tax can both be described as

expanding voting rights of the american people

Which of the following describes the government of the United States?

federal, presidential, representative democracy

"Our citizens have wisely formed themselves into one nation as to others and several States are among themselves." (Thomas Jefferson, 1801). This quotation refers to what principle?

federalism

Which idea is NOT included in the Declaration of Independence?

god gives certain people the right to govern

Which of the following best describes the concepts of limited government?

government must operate within certain bounds set by the people

The bulk of the Declaration of Independence consists of

grievances against the king of england

In a parliamentary government, the prime minister

is chosen by the legislative branch

Who is called the "Father of the Constitution?"

james madison

The Magna Carta, Petition of Rights, and the English Bill of Rights helped develop which government concept?

limited government

The Connecticut Compromise called for a legislature

made up of two houses. In one house, the representatives would be elected by the States; the President would appoint the members of the second house.

The government set up by the Articles of Confederation had

only a legislative branch, consisting of a unicameral Congress.

The shape of American government is based on the English political idea of ______.

ordered government, representative government, limited government

With the words, "We the People," the Constitution established its authority on the basis of

popular sovereignty

Police can arrest a person in a public place without a warrant, provided they have

probable cause

The delegates to the Constitutional Convention were authorized to

produce a revision of the Articles of Confederation

Which of the following illustrates the concept of equality of opportunity?

public schools may not exclude students because of their sex or race

The United States has what type of democracy?

representative

Which of the following is NOT one of the characteristics of a state?

resources

A representative government

serves the people

Which theory on government origin describes the United States?

social contract

The individual 50 States in the United States lack which basic characteristic of a State?

sovereignty

In order to be ratified a constitutional amendment must be approved by three-fourths of the

state legislatures

Who won the debate over ratifying the Constitution?

the Federalists

In a democracy, sovereignty is located with

the people

Which of the following constitutional plans would have benefited a larger, southern state?

the virginia plan and the three-fifths compromise

Why was the ratification of the Constitution crucial in Virginia and New York?

they were the two largest, most populous states, so without them, the government would probably not succeed

The President's Cabinet is an example of informal amendment by

unwritten custom

The Federalist was written to

win the support for the constitution in new york.

Where does sovereignty rest in a dictatorship?

with a small group or a single person