politcal science test 2
Which of these was the intention of James Madison's Virginia Plan?
The larger states would have had much more influence in national government than the smaller states
Which statement is an example of the system of federalism?
The national government coins money, but states cannot
Which statement BEST describes a weakness of the Articles of Confederation?
The powers of Congress were weak
The Articles of Confederation established a weak national government. Choose the answer that best completes the chart.
no Executive Branch
The Articles of Confederation are BEST described as a
plan of union for the original thirteen states
Soon after the Constitution of the United States was ratified, the first ten amendments were added because many citizens felt the need for
protecting their liberties from abuses by the federal government
The MAIN criticism of the Articles of Confederation was that they failed to
provide adequate powers for the central government
Which phrase BEST summarizes the New Jersey Plan?
A bicameral legislature with each state having equal representation
A form of government that derives it power directly or indirectly from the people, is administered by officials holding power for a limited time, and incorporates representative institutions." -James Madison Which of the following BEST describes the above quote?
A constitutional government governed by the rule of law
Which of the following was NOT a key influence on the delegates at the Constitutional Convention?
Napoleonic Code and French common law
Antifederalists criticized the United States Constitution primarily because governing power was concentrated in the
National Government
Congress established a minimum wage for workers and regulations on radio broadcasts by regulating interstate commerce with which of the following clauses?
Necessary and Proper Clause
What statement BEST describes the impact of the supremacy clause?
Places federal law above individual state laws
Which of the following is NOT a correct description of the six parts of the preamble?
Secure the blessings of liberty for ourselves and our posterity - stronger central government than what existed under the Articles of Confederation
Which of these is an example of popular sovereignty?
Some states decided to prohibit slavery by a vote of residents
The reserved powers clause in the Constitution reserves powers to the
States
Which of the following was a result of competitive federalism during the late 1900s?
States were given more responsibility
The decision of the United States Supreme Court in Marbury v. Madison established the power of the
Supreme Court to determine the constitutionality of laws
"It is emphatically the province and duty of the judicial department to say what the law is. . ." --Marbury v. Madison, 1803 This statement expresses the Supreme Court's claim that
"It is emphatically the province and duty of the judicial department to say what the law is. . ." --Marbury v. Madison, 1803 This statement expresses the Supreme Court's claim that
Which headline illustrates the use of judicial review?
"New York State's Reapportionment Plan Ruled Unconstitutional"
The branch makes laws, the branch executes laws, and the branch interprets laws.
Legislative, Executive, Judicial
Why are excerpts, sections or entire amendments, of the US Constitution, still studied even though they are outdated or obsolete?
Because they are a permanent part of a document that changes as society changes
"It is equally evident, that the members of each department should be as little dependent as possible on those of the others...Were the executive magistrate, or the judges, not independent of the legislature in this particular, their independence in every other would be merely nominal." Federalist No. 51 Which constitutional principle is described in the quotation?
Checks and Balances
After it was decided that representation in the House would be based on population, the debate turned to whether or not African Americans would be counted in a state's population. Delegates from states with large slave populations wanted the slaves to be counted toward their total population because that meant they would have more representation in the House. Delegates from states with few slaves argued that only free people should count toward population totals.
Connecticut (Great) Compromise
Which part of the Great Compromise benefitted states with smaller populations?
Each state has two representatives in the Senate
The judicial power will operate to effect an entire subversion of the legislative, executive and judicial powers of the individual states...any question that may arise upon the nature and extent of the general government, will affect the limits of the state jurisdiction." This quotation was written in 1788 by an Anti-Federalist. Which statement BEST describes the author's position on the judiciary?
He believes federal judicial power will restrict states' rights
How did federalism limit the powers of government in the United States?
It created two sovereigns, the state government and the federal government, which must share power
Which of the following was the MAIN purpose of the United States Constitution?
It established the governmental structure for the new country
Which of the following BEST describes the US Constitution?
It is the supreme law of the land
A group of poor farmers in Massachusetts, led by Taylor Coutts and John Sullivan is angered by war debts, bad harvests and high taxes. When their debt-ridden farms are taken by the bank, they march on the state capital in protest. Massachusetts sends their militia to try to stop them and appeals to Congress for assistance. Which of the following reasons BEST explains the inability of the Articles of Confederation to deal with this scenario?
The Articles of Confederation had no power to tax and pay for an army to put down the rebellion
How is the principle of FEDERALISM reflected in the US Constitution?
The Constitution acknowledges state governments which must share power with the federal government
"We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America." - Preamble, U.S. Constitution How does the Preamble to the United States Constitution suggest the political principle of the social compact?
The Constitution and government are established by the people
Which passage from the U.S. Constitution reflects the principle of popular sovereignty?
The House of Representatives shall be composed of Members chosen every second Year by the People of the several States
Which of these is an example of separation of powers?
The President enforces a law passed by Congress
Supreme Court declares restrictions on election ads unconstitutional." The Supreme Court's ruling in this situation is an example of
judicial review
The delegates to the Constitutional Convention faced a challenge. They wanted to create a strong, central government, yet they also wanted to insure that no individual or small group in the government would become too powerful. Because of the colonies' experience under the British monarchy, the delegates wanted to avoid giving any one person or group absolute control in government. Under the Articles of Confederation, the government had lacked centralization, and the delegates didn't want to have that problem again. To solve these problems, the delegates to the Constitutional Convention created a government with three separate branches, each with its own distinct powers. This system would establish a strong central government, while insuring a balance of power. Why did the Constitutional Congress decide to create three branches of our government?
The three-branch system established a strong central government without giving too much power to any one group
How did the framers of the Constitution approach the issue of slavery?
They chose to remain silent about slavery in the Constitution
Why did the Founding Fathers divide the Congress into two chambers?
They wanted large and small states to be assured representation
Why did the Framers of the Constitution make amending the Constitution so difficult?
They wanted the Constitution to be able to change, but only if it was widely agreed upon
"The national Congress should consist of two houses: one in which representation is based on population, and one in which states are equally represented." Which document was being written when this discussion most likely occurred?
US Constitution
One way in which the authors of the Constitution tried to create "limited government" was by providing for
a division of power between the national and state governments
How would popular sovereignty be supported here in the United States
a person exercising their right to vote in an election
Which of the following was NOT a key issue of the Constitutional Convention?
appointing a dynastic ruler
The U.S. Government is considered a federal system because
both national and state governments exist within the nation
One way in which the United States Constitution differed from the Articles of Confederation was that the Constitution
created a national government having three branches
The Great Compromise reached at the Constitutional Convention resulted in the
creation of a bicameral legislature
During the debates over the ratification of the United States Constitution, Federalists and Anti- Federalists disagreed most strongly over the
division of powers between the national and state governments
Shays' Rebellion (1786) became a concern for many national leaders because it
exposed fundamental weaknesses in government under the Articles of Confederation
The main reason the Articles of Confederation were replaced as the basis of the United States government was that they
failed to give the central government enough power to govern effectively
The Articles of Confederation represented the
first attempt at self-government in the United States
The U.S. Constitution corrected a weakness of the Articles of Confederation by
giving the federal government the power to collect taxes
The flexibility of the original US Constitution is MAINLY due to
its provision for amending process and judicial interpretation
The United States shall guarantee to every state in this Union a republican form of government, and shall protect each of them against invasion; and on application of the legislature, or of the executive (when the legislature cannot be convened), against domestic violence." — United States Constitution, Article IV, Section IV According to this excerpt, a goal of the framers of the Constitution was to ensure that the US
provided for the common defense of every state
What was the primary reason for holding the Constitutional Convention of 1787?
revise the Articles of Confederation
"In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this, you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place, oblige it to control itself." This passage from the Federalist Papers refers to the need for a(n)
system of checks and balances
In the United States, the use of implied powers, the amending process, and Supreme Court interpretations have resulted in
the Constitution being adapted to fit changing times
The US Constitution has survived for more than 200 years primarily because
the language of the Constitution allows for a variety of interpretations
A major weakness of government under the Articles of Confederation was that
the national government could not enforce its laws
The writers of the US Constitution created a federalist government PRIMARILY
to divide power among levels of government
"The privilege of the writ of habeas corpus shall not be suspended, unless when in cases of rebellion or invasion the public safety may require it." This provision is evidence that the writers of the United States Constitution
wanted to balance individual liberty with the needs of the nation
