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