Chapter 2 - The Constitution - POS 150

What amendment answered Hamilton's argument about the danger of specifically listing citizens' rights? Multiple choice question. First Amendment Ninth Amendment Fifth Amendment Tenth Amendment

Ninth Amendment

What aspect of the congressional charge to the delegates at the Constitutional Convention ensured that the new constitution would preserve state sovereignty? Multiple choice question. The constitution had to be approved by the current Congress, which was made up of state government representatives. The constitution had to be approved by popular vote in each of the states. The delegates had already come to consensus on the issue of supremacy. The congressional charge requested that the distribution of sovereignty be clearly articulated in the constitution.

The constitution had to be approved by the current Congress, which was made up of state government representatives.

There was conflict surrounding which of the following issues at the Constitutional Convention? (Choose all correct answers) Multiple select question. The structure of the new national government Whether the economy should embody capitalism or socialism Whether states should keep their sovereignty The issue of slavery

The structure of the new national government The issue of slavery

In working to create the new government, the delegates to the Constitutional Convention had to balance which two considerations? Multiple choice question. Their own preference for a strong central government with citizens' distrust of such a government The need for a strong central government with the lawlessness of the expanding frontier Their opposition to direct elections with the states' preference for them Their desire to give all citizens the vote with wealthy merchants' wish to exclude most citizens

Their own preference for a strong central government with citizens' distrust of such a government

Which of the following statements are true about the justices of the Supreme Court? Multiple select question. They have to worry about retaliation from the other branches if they make a decision that goes against popular opinion. They must answer to the president and the Senate. They have the power to interpret laws. They are cautious in any reinterpretation of laws. They are only occasionally able to enforce laws.

They have to worry about retaliation from the other branches if they make a decision that goes against popular opinion. They have the power to interpret laws. They are cautious in any reinterpretation of laws.

What are some of the powers of the president that are established under Article II of the Constitution? (Choose every correct answer.) Multiple select question. To command the military To negotiate treaties To make laws To ensure that laws are faithfully executed To override Supreme Court decisions

To command the military To negotiate treaties To ensure that laws are faithfully executed

Why did critics of the new constitution want a list of protected individual rights to be included in the document? Multiple choice question. Because they did not understand that the rights were already protected in the main body of the document To point out the Constitution's weaknesses and lobby for return of the Articles of Confederation To protect individual rights by restraining the power of the new national government Because they were more trusting of a national government and wanted an explicit contract with it

To protect individual rights by restraining the power of the new national government

In a political system, the word bicameral means Multiple choice question. a constitution with two main parts. a legislature with two chambers, like the House and Senate. the separation of powers between the executive and the legislature. two governments—for example, federal and state governments.

a legislature with two chambers, like the House and Senate.

The brief success of Shays' Rebellion demonstrated the weaknesses of the national confederacy stemming from the Articles of Confederation and the need for Multiple choice question. a stronger central government. the state government of Massachusetts to tax its farmers. aid from the British. interstate commerce.

a stronger central government.

Under the Articles of Confederation, the states were Multiple select question. able to pursue their own interests domestically. adversaries in some international matters. allies when it came to international matters. weaker domestically than internationally. mutually dependent on one another domestically.

able to pursue their own interests domestically. allies when it came to international matters.

The Senate's power to approve or reject the president's appointments is called ______ and consent. Multiple choice question. overrule confirmation advice veto

advice

The U.S. Constitution is rarely amended because Multiple choice question. the Supreme Court often blocks proposed amendments. the president often blocks proposed amendments. citizens have voted down many amendments. amending the Constitution is a difficult two-step process.

amending the Constitution is a difficult two-step process.

According to Article VI, the laws and treaties that are made by the U.S. government in compliance with the Constitution Multiple choice question. must be ratified by state legislatures. are the supreme law of the land. can be negated by conflicting state law. are advisory.

are the supreme law of the land.

Critics of the new constitution were concerned about the lack of a list of individual liberties, known as a __ __ __

bill of rights

The Great Compromise settled a dispute over Multiple choice question. executive power. judicial appointments. the voting rights of slaves. congressional representation.

congressional representation

Which of the following prompted calls to fix the defects of the confederal system created under the Articles of Confederation? Multiple select question. economic problems central government being too powerful lack of central government interaction with citizens domestic rebellions

economic problems domestic rebellions

The Bill of Rights addressed a major objection the Anti-Federalists had to the Constitution by Multiple choice question. enumerating the power of the executive. limiting the rights of citizens. limiting the power of states' rights. enumerating the individual liberties people possessed.

enumerating the individual liberties people possessed.

The authors of the Constitution Multiple choice question. did not want the language of the constitution to change. believed that the president should be the ultimate arbiter of any disputes over its language. believed that they created a near-perfect document. expected that it would need to be amended over the years.

expected that it would need to be amended over the years.

State government officials are not required to uphold the Constitution of the United States. True false question.TrueFalse

false

Unlike the Federalists, the Anti-Federalists (Choose every correct answer.) Multiple select question. feared a strong national government. opposed ratification of the Constitution. feared a weak national government. wanted to ratify the Constitution. believed that a bill of rights would actually limit some rights. believed that individual liberties needed more protection.

feared a strong national government. opposed ratification of the Constitution. believed that individual liberties needed more protection.

legislative >>>> executive >>>> judicial >>>>

formulate policy implement policy resolve conflicts over law

Under the separation of powers, the legislative branch has the authority to Multiple choice question. resolve conflicts over the law formulate policy. bypass the states. implement policy.

formulate policy.

In response to The Federalist Papers, the Anti-Federalists wrote speeches, letters, and essays that were intended to remind citizens that the new Constitution (Choose every correct answer.) Multiple select question. would give the right to vote to former slaves. gave the states too much power. refused women the right to vote. gave too much power to the central government. did not fully guarantee civil liberties.

gave too much power to the central government. did not fully guarantee civil liberties.

Dual sovereignty is a system of government in which Multiple choice question. a king and queen rule side by side. governing authority is separated into distinct branches. governing authority is divided between two levels of government. Congress has the ability to check the actions of the president.

governing authority is divided between two levels of government.

The new constitution limited the ideals of representative democracy by (Choose every correct answer.) Multiple select question. limiting the right to vote to state representatives. having the president elected by the Electoral College. having U.S. senators elected by state legislatures. having U.S. senators elected by the House of Representatives. limiting the right to vote to only natural-born citizens of European descent.

having the president elected by the Electoral College. having U.S. senators elected by state legislatures.

The Articles of Confederation gave the most power Multiple choice question. to the individual states. equally to the central government and the state governments. to the people. to the central government.

individual states

The process of amending the Constitution was Multiple choice question. sometimes overruled by the Supreme Court or the executive. supposed to be rare since the framers had confidence in the document as written. intentionally made difficult to ensure widespread agreement to any changes. intentionally made easy so that government can adapt to the times.

intentionally made difficult to ensure widespread agreement to any changes.

Under Article III, the Supreme Court and other federal courts have the power to resolve lawsuits arising under (Choose every correct answer.) Multiple select question. state laws. international treaties. the Constitution. national laws.

international treaties. the Constitution. national laws.

One way to reinterpret the Constitution is through Multiple choice question. a presidential veto. the override of a presidential veto. congressional veto of a Supreme Court decision. judicial review.

judicial review

The power of the federal judiciary to determine the constitutionality of actions of the other two branches is called Multiple choice question. critical review. judicial review. legal review. constitutional review.

judicial review.

Under the Constitution, eligibility to vote was Multiple choice question. explicitly defined in Article I. left to the states. deemed a federal matter for which the first Congress should make rules. broadly defined so that most were able to vote.

left to the states.

The president's powers can be checked by the Senate's Multiple choice question. role of "advice and consent" on treaties and appointments. requirement to pass bills that the president wants to sign. responsibility to check presidential powers whenever possible. ability to block presidential pardons with which the Senate majority disagrees.

role of "advice and consent" on treaties and appointments.

The Tenth Amendment helped to quell Anti-Federalist fears relating to Multiple choice question. state power. individual liberties. free speech. rights of the accused.

state power

in terms of ratification of the Constitution, the Federalists Multiple choice question. supported only a slight modification of the Articles of Confederation. opposed a stronger national government. supported a stronger national government. opposed the ratification of the Constitution.

supported a stronger national government.

The only court that is specifically outlined in Article III is the ______ Court. Multiple choice question. Appellate Supreme Military District

supreme

Ratifying treaties and confirming federal judges is a duty reserved to Multiple choice question. the U.S. Supreme Court. both houses of Congress. the Senate. the House.

the Senate

Justice Charles Evans Hughes observed, "The Constitution is what the judges say it is." Hughes's statement means that Multiple choice question. the Constitution is not always the highest law of the land. the courts determine the sense of the law. the Constitution must be amended frequently to clarify its meaning. the legal system has gotten away from the framers' original intent.

the courts determine the sense of the law.

True or false: In most cases, Supreme Court decisions are in step with public opinion. True false question. True False

true

How do the two chambers of Congress act as a check on each other? Multiple choice question. All bills must be written by a joint committee of senators and representatives. Each house must consent with the other before any bill is brought to a vote. Each chamber has its own separate functions for creating bills and sending them to the executive independently. A bill must pass both chambers before being sent to the president for approval.

A bill must pass both chambers before being sent to the president for approval.

The amendments ratified since the Bill of Rights fall into which three of the following categories? Multiple select question. Placing limitations on judges' rights to change the meaning of the Constitution Updating the language of the Constitution Altering selection of officials or operation of the branches of national government Extending civil rights and liberties Addressing policy issues

Altering selection of officials or operation of the branches of national government Extending civil rights and liberties Addressing policy issues

Citizens worried about having a strong central government were concerned about the lack of which items in the new constitution? (Choose all correct answers) Multiple select question. An absolute prohibition against any kind of monarch An indication of matters over which states had sovereignty A list of each state's responsibilities A bill of rights

An indication of matters over which states had sovereignty A bill of rights

What two ways can an amendment to the Constitution be ratified? (Choose every correct answer.) Multiple select question. At least three-quarters of special state conventions must vote to ratify it At least three-quarters of both houses of Congress must vote to accept it At least three-quarters of state legislatures must vote to ratify it At least three-quarters of U.S. citizens must vote to accept it The Supreme Court must certify its constitutionality

At least three-quarters of special state conventions must vote to ratify it At least three-quarters of state legislatures must vote to ratify it

For the framers of the Constitution, what did the balance between a strong central government and state sovereignty hinge on? (Choose all correct answers) Multiple select question. Allowing the national government to intervene in disputes between and among the states Delegating power to the national government where policy issues were problematic under the Articles Leaving domestic matters that had not cause problems under the Articles to the states Giving the states some powers in the area of international trade while withholding others

Delegating power to the national government where policy issues were problematic under the Articles Leaving domestic matters that had not cause problems under the Articles to the states

Article I of the Constitution does which of the following? (Choose every correct answer.) Multiple select question. Establishes the legislative branch Establishes the executive Specifies ways to amend the Constitution Describes the powers and limits of the executive Outlines the powers of Congress

Establishes the legislative branch Outlines the powers of Congress

What are the main points of the Great Compromise, also called the Connecticut Compromise? (Choose every correct answer.) Multiple select question. It called for a bicameral Congress. It gave the states more power than the central government. It gave each state equal representation in the Senate. It gave the House population-based representation. It called for proportional representation in the Senate.

It called for a bicameral Congress. It gave each state equal representation in the Senate. It gave the House population-based representation.

How did the new constitution deal with the issue of slavery? (Choose every correct answer.) Multiple select question. It did not outlaw slavery, but it immediately prohibited the importation of new slaves. It prohibited Congress from addressing the importation of new slaves until a future date. It allowed southerners to continue to own slaves but outlawed all other aspects of slavery and the slave trade. It established the states' obligation to deliver all fugitive slaves back to their owners. It forbid slavery in any areas of the United States where it did not already exist.

It prohibited Congress from addressing the importation of new slaves until a future date. It established the states' obligation to deliver all fugitive slaves back to their owners.

The federal court case that established judicial review was Multiple choice question. Gibbons v. Ogden. McCulloch v. Maryland. Marbury v. Madison. Roe v. Wade.

Marbury v. Madison

Which of the reasons below describes why the authors of the Constitution did not originally include a bill of rights? Multiple choice question. Federalists thought the rights were self evident. George Mason successfully argued against it. The Supreme Court said that it was not needed. State constitutions already contained bills of rights.

State constitutions already contained bills of rights.

What are two methods of proposing an amendment to the U.S. Constitution? Multiple select question. Two-thirds of state legislatures must request a special constitutional convention. Congress must pass it by at least a two-thirds majority of both chambers. The president proposes the amendment, which is then submitted to Congress. U.S. citizens vote for the proposed amendment in a referendum. The U.S. Supreme Court must certify its constitutionality before it goes to state legislatures.

Two-thirds of state legislatures must request a special constitutional convention. Congress must pass it by at least a two-thirds majority of both chambers.

To allow later generations to interpret its meaning, the language of the Constitution is often Multiple choice question. flowery and hard to read. clear and precise. vague and ambiguous. meant for the overly educated.

vague and ambiguous.

The president can stop Congress from passing bills by using the Multiple choice question. veto power. power of judicial review. power of advice and consent. interpretation power.

veto power

At the Constitutional Convention, the southern states wanted a Multiple choice question. strong central government, to keep taxes low. strong central government, to check the northern states. weak central government, in order to keep slavery. system that did not count slaves for representation.

weak central government, in order to keep slavery.