Test 1

A confederation can best be described as a. a loose association of independent states. b. a government without a monarch. c. a government ruled by a dictator. d. a form of socialism. e. smaller units of government controlled by a larger government unit.

A

A republic is a government a. resting on the consent of the governed through their representatives. b. based on majority law. c. ruled by two political parties. d. ruled by a monarch. e. divided by two opposing cultures but ruled by one ruler.

A

A result of the Second Continental Congress was a. the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. b. a plan for the Boston Tea Party. c. a brief reconciliation with Britain. d. the decision to create thirteen colonies. e. increases in colonial taxes paid to England.

A

American colonists in the eighteenth century under Great Britain a. enjoyed freedoms denied most other people in the world at that time. b. had considerable economic liberty but saw their freedom of speech and assembly restricted. c. had freedoms of speech and assembly but saw their access to trade and professions restricted. d. were relatively free except they were compelled to follow the official religion of the British crown. e. saw their religion, economic liberties, and freedoms of speech and assembly all severely restricted by the British government.

A

Congress exercises a potential check on the judicial branch through its constitutional power to a. create or eliminate lower federal courts. b. appoint federal judges. c. remove federal judges that declare acts of Congress unconstitutional. d. eliminate the U.S. Supreme Court. e. None of the above is true.

A

Shays's Rebellion indicated the a. urgent need to maintain domestic order. b. unpopularity of the new national taxes. c. inability of the British to maintain a border presence. d. continuing threat to the United States from the Native Americans. e. ongoing religious conflicts between American Protestants and Catholics.

A

The "unalienable rights" identified by the Declaration of Independence are a. life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. b. freedom of speech, press, and assembly. c. life, liberty, and property ownership. d. the right to own property and bear arms to protect it. e. equality, liberty, and equal protection.

A

The U.S. Constitution contains about _________ words. a. 4,300 b. 11,500 c. 17,500 d. 36,000 e. 52,000

A

The __________ Amendment prohibited slavery. a. Thirteenth b. Fourteenth c. Nineteenth d. twenty-sixth e. None of the above is true.

A

The law-enforcing branch of government is known as the a. executive branch. b. legislative branch. c. judicial branch. d. federal branch. e. republican branch.

A

The primary goal of Federalist No. 10 was to demonstrate that the new government a. would not fall under the dominance of any one faction. b. would, if unopposed, become a tyranny. c. would eventually overwhelm the states. d. would honor the Bill of Rights. e. could be abolished if England chose to ignore it.

A

The compact among the thirteen original colonies that established the United States in 1777 was known as the a. Constitution. b. Articles of Confederation. c. Declaration of Independence. d. Fundamental Orders of the Republic. e. Democratic Convent.

B

The idea that the people agree to establish rulers for certain purposes, but they have the right to resist or remove rulers who violate those purposes, is also known as a. socialism. b. social contract theory. c. republicanism. d. the revolutionary right. e. confederalism.

B

The power of Congress to charter a bank is an example of what type of power? a. Inherent b. Implied c. Derived d. Reserved e. Enumerated

B

Under the Constitution, if no candidate wins a majority of the electoral vote, then the president will be selected by the a. Supreme Court. b. House of Representatives. c. Senate. d. nation's governors. e. free vote of the nation's electors.

B

Under the Constitution, the slave trade a. was banned. b. was guaranteed only for Southern states. c. could be ended after twenty years. d. was not mentioned. e. was initially condemned, but this language was removed to win support from Southern delegates to the Convention.

C

When selecting the president, each state has a number of electors equal to a. the size of its population divided by the national population. b. all the other states' number of electors. c. the number of its representatives in Congress. d. the size of its population divided by the number of its eligible voters. e. its number of local units of government.

C

Which document proclaimed, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights"? a. Locke's Second Treatise of Government b. The Treaty of Lisbon c. The Declaration of Independence d. The Articles of Confederation e. The Constitution

C

Which of the following is not a power granted to the president under the Constitution? a. The power to make treaties b. The power to appoint government officers, diplomats and judges c. The power to declare war d. The power to veto e. The power to convene Congress

C

Which of the following states was not present at the Second Continental Congress' vote for independence? a. Delaware b. Massachusetts c. Rhode Island d. North Carolina e. Georgia

C

A constitutional clause that allows for a broad interpretation of implied powers is known as a(n) __________ clause. a. earmark b. reciprocal c. rudimentary d. elastic e. ornate

D

According to the New Jersey Plan, how was representation to be structured in Congress? a. There would be population-based representation in both houses. b. There would be one house, and representation in it would be based on population. c. States would have equal representation in one house and population-based representation in the other. d. There would be one house, and all states would have equal representation in it. e. Representation was to be based on the three-fifths compromise.

D

Before it could take effect, the Constitution had to be ratified by__________ states: a. 13 b. 8 c. 10 d. 9 e. 5

D

By 2012, members of the European Union (EU) agreed to greater central authority over their respective economies, with the exception of a. Sweden. b. France. c. Germany. d. Great Britain. e. Italy.

D

One similarity between the Virginia Plan and the New Jersey Plan was that both plans a. provided for a legislature with two houses. b. based representation on state population. c. specified the creation of a system of national courts. d. left unspecified how many people the executive might have. e. gave the executive the right to veto legislation.

D

The Articles of Confederation failed because a. they did not provide an effective means for the government to raise money. b. they did not include an independent leader to direct the government. c. they did not give the government the power to regulate commerce. d. Options A, B, and C are true. e. None of the above is true.

D

The United States Constitution was written in a. 1607. b. 1683. c. 1713. d. 1787. e. 1824.

D

The _________ protects against excessive bail, excessive fines, and cruel and unusual punishment. a. First Amendment b. Second Amendment c. Fourth Amendment d. Eighth Amendment e. Thirteenth Amendment

D

The assignment in the Constitution of lawmaking, law-enforcing, and law-interpreting functions to the legislative, executive, and judicial branches respectively is known as a. judicial review. b. direct democracy. c. inherent powers. d. a separation of powers. e. None of the above is true.

D

The primary goal of Federalist No. 51 was to argue for a. republicanism. b. the control of factions. c. freedom of speech, religion, and assembly. d. the separation of powers and checks and balances. e. why a bill of rights would be dangerous for the Constitution.

D

Unless they are impeached, federal judges serve a. for two years. b. for ten years. c. for twenty years. d. for life. e. on the grace of the executive.

D

A group of delegates to the Constitutional Convention proposed a powerful national government to replace the weak confederation of states. This was known as the a. Marshall Plan. b. Virginia Plan. c. New Jersey Plan. d. Connecticut Compromise. e. Grand Compromise.

B

According to the Declaration of Independence, when a government fails to secure the people's unalienable rights, a. the people may use any nonviolent method of protest against it. b. it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it. c. the people still owe the government their loyalty. d. Options A, B, and C are true. e. None of the above is true.

B

According to the text, "it is hard to imagine a government framework better suited [than the Constitution] to __________." a. the majoritarian model b. the pluralist model c. procedural theory d. substantive theory e. republican theory

B

After the Constitution was amended to permit the federal government to levy a progressive income tax, government could more effectively further the goal of a. social order. b. social equality. c. economic freedom. d. minority rights. e. redistribution.

B

Article I of the Constitution refers to the a. Preamble. b. legislative branch. c. executive branch. d. judicial branch. e. None of the above is true.

B

Federalism, or the division of power between a national government and regional units, stands in contrast to a. pluralism. b. unitary government. c. republican government. d. autocratic government. e. majoritarian government.

B

Shays's Rebellion consisted of a. Massachusetts residents protesting New Hampshire's import tax on their state's products. b. farmers trying to prevent foreclosure on their property for debts and taxes owed. c. Massachusetts residents protesting the national government's tax on liquor. d. Bostonians throwing British tea into Boston Harbor. e. tobacco farmers protesting tariffs on their crops.

B

The Bill of Rights consists of the first __________ amendments to the Constitution. a. five b. ten c. fifteen d. twenty e. twenty-two

B

The Great Compromise provided for a. a two-chamber legislature with equal representation for all states. b. a two-chamber legislature with equal representation for all states in one chamber and population-based representation in the other. c. a one-chamber legislature with representation based on population. d. a two-chamber legislature with representation based on population. e. upper-house members elected separately from lower-house members.

B

The chief obstacle to ratification of the Constitution by the states was a. the power it granted to tax. b. the omission of a bill of rights. c. its failure to abolish slavery. d. the lack of court structure below the Supreme Court. e. inclusion of the plural executive.

B

A greater percentage of the United States population died or was wounded during the Revolution than in any other U.S. conflict except a. the Seven Years' War. b. the War of 1812. c. the Civil War. d. World War II. e. the Vietnam War.

C

A key component of the Virginia Plan was a. equal legislative representation for all states. b. that essential powers would be kept within the states. c. a strong national legislature. d. an executive who would have absolute veto power over legislative actions. e. strong states' rights.

C

Originally, the Constitutional Convention's purpose was to a. eliminate the power of the Second Continental Congress. b. overturn articles amended by the Second Continental Congress. c. revise the Articles of Confederation. d. file a formal tax protest with England. e. adopt a new constitution.

C

The 2007 European Reform Treaty did all but a. plan for an European Union president. b. create a diplomatic service under a single foreign-affairs head. c. create a centralized debt-refinancing agency for indebted countries. d. drop state-like symbols and terminology. e. reduce the number of areas requiring unanimity among member nations.

C

The ________ Amendment protects against unreasonable searches and seizures. a. First b. Second c. Fourth d. Eighth e. Thirteenth

C

The power of the president to veto laws is an example of a. federalism. b. implied powers. c. checks and balances. d. separation of powers. e. enumeration.

C

According to Madison in Federalist No. 10, the most common and durable source of factions has been a. religious disputes. b. monarchy. c. slavery. d. democracy. e. unequal distribution of property.

E

In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson's statement that "all men are created equal" is similar to which theorist's belief that government is based on the "consent of the governed"? a. James Madison b. John Adams c. John Hancock d. Joseph Ellis e. John Locke

E

Including the Bill of Rights, __________ amendments have been added to the Constitution: a. ten b. nineteen c. seventeen d. fifty-four e. twenty-seven

E

Republicanism is a form of government in which power a. is divided between the state and national levels. b. is concentrated in one political party. c. is divided among three branches. d. is separated between some elected and some appointed government officials. e. resides in the people and is exercised by their elected representatives.

E

Supporters of the Constitution named themselves a. Republicans. b. Democrats. c. Sons of Liberty. d. Antifederalists. e. Federalists.

E

The Declaration of Independence was based on input from many people, but its primary author was a. James Madison. b. John Quincy Adams. c. Benjamin Franklin. d. George Washington. e. Thomas Jefferson.

E

The Federalist papers were written by a. Alexander Hamilton. b. John Jay. c. John Adams. d. James Madison. e. Options A, B, and D are true.

E

The Great Compromise was also known as the __________ Compromise because of the state delegation that initially proposed it. a. Virginia b. New Jersey c. Massachusetts d. Pennsylvania e. Connecticut

E

The primary contribution of the Federalist papers is a. they serve as the collective writings of theorists. b. to assert independence from England. c. their insights into the roots of the American Revolution. d. their ideas supporting the Bill of Rights. e. their insight into the meaning of the Constitution.

E

The text of the Constitution deals with slavery by referring to slaves as a. "permanent servants." b. "African natives." c. "Southern property." d. "slaves." e. "all other Persons."

E

To amend the Articles of Confederation required a a. majority vote. b. three-fifths vote. c. two-thirds vote. d. three-fourths vote. e. unanimous vote.

E

Under separation of powers, the U.S. system keeps power among branches balanced by enabling one branch to counter the actions of another by the use of a. federalism. b. republicanism. c. authority. d. economic manipulation. e. checks and balances.

E

Which of the following European nations was not debt-ridden and did not suffer questions from creditors during 2012? a. Greece b. Ireland c. Italy d. Spain e. Germany

E