Constitution

how many years passed between the ratification of the first and last US amendment

201 years

which amendment changed the inauguration date from march to January for the president

20th

the right of 18 year olds to vote in all elections was firmly established by the

26th amendment

what is the minimum number of votes (simple majority) one must receive in the electoral college to become president

270

Which amendment has been most effectively used to argue the right to privacy

4

The house of representatives and the senate combined have ___ members with full voting privileges.

535

the right to a speedy and public trial is guaranteed by which amendment

6

since 1869, the supreme court has consisted of ___ justices total

9

The supremacy clause is found in

Article VI (6)

which of the following NOT a correct step in the process of a bill becoming a law

If not returned, nor signed, the bill is dead

the smaller states presented a plan at the constitutional convention advocating the strengthening of the Articles of Confederation. The plan was represented by

New Jersey

if the president dies in office and the vice presidency is vacant, the next in line of succession is the

Speaker of the house

The supreme court usually uses its

appellate jurisdiction

the senate has the sole power to

approve major presidential appointments

_____ contains the privileges and immunities clause.

article 4

Members of the House of Representatives must

be a citizen for the U.S. for at least seven years

The U.S. congress is

bicameral

Which of the following is an executive branch check on the legislative branch?

calling congress into special session

when drafting the constitution the framers were careful to create a government that did not

concentrate powers

Which of the following was a weakness of the Articles of Confederation

congress could rarely pass new laws

which of the following people is placed correctly with their position?

dick durbin- assistant minorty leader of the senate

Which of the following statements is FALSE concerning the slavery compromises made at the constitutional convention?

every three out of 5 slaves could vote for the House of Representatives

a president can serve for a max of eight years

false

the constitution was signed 1 year after the declaration of independence was written

false

the delegated powers, like establishing public schools, are specifically reserved to the states

false

Currently, the total number of executive departments in the cabinet is

fifteen

the constitution originally gave voters the most direct participation in the selection of which of the following?

house of representatives

The McCulloch v. Maryland decision continues to be important today because

it enabled congress to use the necessary and proper clause to widen its policy-making scope

what is the impact of the 16th amendment on federalism

it enabled the federal government to expand its power by giving it more money to spend

What is the significance of the elastic clause?

it has been the basis for many implied powers for the federal government

the first chief justice of the us was

john jay

According to Article I, Section 8 of the constitution, congress has the power to

lay and collect taxes

what does the 27th amendment do

mandates that congressional pay raises can not take effect until after the next election

which of the following people is placed correctly with their positions

mark kirk- junior us senator from illinois

the total number of votes a state has in the electoral college can be found by adding together a number of representative and senators they have in congress

true

A new congress is seated every ____ years.

two

every ____ years ____ of the members of the senate are up for re-election

two/one-third

The power to regulate environmental standards comes from congress's authority

under the necessary and proper clause

How are presidential vetoes overridden?

with a two-thirds majority in each chamber of congress

The anti-federalists were concerned that the newly drafted Constitution did not protect individual liberties. How was this concern addressed?

with the bill of rights

Which of the following happened LAST?

the constitutional convention

which of the following statements is true concerning states' rights and nationalists?

the nationalist position uses the supremacy clause and elastic clause as support

which of the following is a presidential check on judicial power

the pardon

All of the following are checks on the judiciary except

the president appoints judges with the "advice and consent" of the senate

who has the sole responsibility to hold the impeachment trial for a president who has been accused of "treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors"

the senate

who is the ultimate authority on what the Constitution means

the supreme court

Which of the following is a constitutional requirement to become president?

to be at least 35 years old and natural born citizen

the senate and electoral college share a common reason for their existence, which is:

to give more of a role to the smaller states

john Roberts is currently the chief justice of the us supreme court

true

no bill can become law without the consent of both houses of congress

true

ratification of the constitution required approval of nine out of the 13 states

true

the framers intended the amendment process to be difficult

true

the framers paid very little time and attention to the writing of article 3 compared to the other articles

true

the judicial branch is described in article 3

true

the supremacy clause prevents government from establishing an official religion

true

identify the following phrase: "the powers not delegated to the united states by the constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people."

10th amendment

A committee was appointed at the Constitutional Convention to work out the differences between the proposals of large and small states; the result was the

Great compromise

How is a tie broken in the Senate?

The vice president of the United States breaks the tie.

What is the major function of the vice president?

To succeed the president if she dies or becomes disabled

An amendment to the constitution must pass by what minimum margins?

a 2/3rds vote in the house and the senate and the adoption of at least 3/4ths of the states-signature of president not required

what does the eleventh amendment say?

a citizen of one state cannot sue another state in federal court

Supreme Court justices and federal judges serve for

a life with good behavior

the declaration of independence contains

a list of complaints against the British government

which of the following is not included in the first amendment

a well regulated militia

Under the constitution, governments are prohibited from passing

a. block grants b. mandates c. economic regulations d. ex post facto laws e. revenue measures

The house of representatives has the sole power to

a. initiate revenue bills b. try impeached officials c. make agreements with the executive d. approve treaties e. declare war

In ____, the us supreme court held that it had the power to review the constitutionality of acts of congress

a. mccolluch v maryland b. baker v. carr c. marbury v. madison d. texas v. johnson

the fifth amendment guarantees all of the following except which

a. that excessive bail should not be required b. the right of the government to eminent domain c. the no one can be forced to incriminate themselves d. that no one will be placed in double jeopardy e. the right to a grand jury

Judicial review means

a. the federal courts can invalidate only federal laws, not state or local laws b. all federal courts are entitled to declare all acts of state legislatures unconstitutional c. all state courts can review federal laws to see if they agree with state constitutional principles d. that the federal courts, especially the supreme court, have the authority to review acts of congress to determine if they are constitutional e. that judges can do anything they want as long as they don't get in trouble

What exclusion is there concerning amendments

a. the house of representatives must not be changed b. there must always be at least 5 justices on the supreme court c. the commander in chief must always be the president d. no state can lose their equal representation in the senate e. that the slavery clauses can never be altered

which of the following is false concerning treason

a. two witnesses must testify to the same treasonous act to convict someone b. someone can confess to treason, but it must be in open court for a conviction c. the authors of the constitution wanted it to be simple to convict someone d. it consists of levying war against the U.S. or giving aid and comfort to its enemies e. it is explained in article 3

What does the supremacy clause mean?

no state law or state constitution may conflict with any form of national law

U.S. supreme court justices are appointed by the

president

the 25th amendment

provides a means for filling vacancies in the vice presidency

The most serious disagreement in the debate between large and small states at the constitutional convention was the issue of

representation in congress

the 17th amendment

required that us senators be elected directly by the people

_____ was just one example of the weaknesses of the new government under the articles of confederation

shays's rebellion

The full faith and credit clause requires that

states generally honor the laws and rulings of other states

Which of the following is a concurrent power?

taxation

which of the following statements is true concerning amendments

the 4th requires probable cause to get a warrant