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Chapter 2: The Constitution

Multiple-Choice Quiz

Multiple-Choice Quiz

Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or answers the question.

This activity contains 33 questions.

	After the Revolutionary War, some states passed "stay" laws. What did "stay" laws do?   required soldiers to remain in the army for 90 days after the end of the war required all British citizens to remain in the United States for one year helped poor farmers by postponing tax and mortgage payments required farmers to stay on the land and not migrate to newly developing cities prevented citizens from migrating to other states

	What major complaint motivated farmers to become involved in Shays's Rebellion?   They were tired of taxation without representation in the British Parliament. They felt that they were overtaxed by the state of Massachusetts because the state was paying off the Revolutionary War debt to wealthy creditors in Boston. They did not want the state of Massachusetts to belong to the union. They wanted higher prices for their crops. They wanted an end to slavery.

	Many people were alarmed about Shays's Rebellion, not so much because of the fear of the insurrection itself but because:   of the inability of government under the Confederation to maintain public order. the rebellion was led by Daniel Shays with the blessing and support of General George Washington. of the tens of thousands of farmers who participated in the rebellion. the French sent troops to support the farmers participating in the rebellion. slaves had never before been allowed to carry weapons.

	For the most part, the Declaration of Independence was written by:   Benjamin Franklin. George Washington. Thomas Jefferson. James Madison. Thomas Paine.

	Which of the following statements is a principle part of the political philosophy of Jefferson and Locke that is embodied in the Declaration of Independence?   Government must be obeyed if society is to work efficiently. Rule by a monarchy is inherently evil. People can create a new government if the government fails to protect their rights or if the government itself becomes a threat to those rights. Governments should have written constitutions. Slavery is inherently evil.

	The principal philosophical influence on the writing of the Declaration of Independence was:   Thomas Paine's Common Sense. John Locke's The Second Treatise on Government. Karl Marx's Das Kapital. Plato's Republic. Benjamin Franklin's Almanac.

	Under the "confederation" established by the Continental Congress:   a single, unified nation comprised of 13 states was created. each state retained most of its powers and independence. state governments were subordinate to the central government. the President of the Continental Congress was the most powerful leader in the United States. the idea of any central government was disgarded.

	Under the Articles of Confederation, the Continental Congress:   was all-powerful. was comprised of a House of Representatives and a Senate. frequently declared state laws unconstitutional. had little to do and had virtually no power. was dissolved.

	Which of the following was a power held by the central government under the Articles of Confederation?   the power to tax the power to regulate commerce between the states the power to collect customs duties the power to declare war the power to enforce the laws of Congress

	Which of the following was a problem resulting from the weakness of the central government under the Articles of Confederation?   The confederation government was so powerful it threatened individual liberty. The confederation could not prevent the outbreak of civil war among the states over the issue of slavery. The central government could not force state governments to contribute money to pay off the nation's war debt. The state governments under the confederation were too weak. The resulting national army was too large to support.

	Which of the following is an important attribute of republicanism?   All adults should be allowed to vote, regardless of wealth, race, or gender. Citizens should decide policy issues directly, without the participation of legislators or other elected officials. Election of representatives by an electorate with a restricted suffrage. Direct democracy is essential for government to work. All power should be invested in the hands of an enlightened monarch.

	As believers in republicanism, one of the central worries of the Founders when the Constitutional Convention was called was:   freedom of religion. an excess of democracy in the states. right to vote. personal privacy. excess capital.

	As believers in republicanism, one of the central worries of the Founders when the Constitutional Convention was called was that people were not being adequately protected in the enjoyment of their:   religion. property. right to vote. privacy. family.

	The delegates at the Constitutional Convention were:   common folk. all representatives from state legislatures. for the most part, wealthy men. representative of all groups, including women and African-Americans. foreign observers, largely from Britain.

	On which of the following general points did most of the delegates at the Constitutional Convention agree?   the method to be used to elect a president the need for a substantially strengthened national government to protect American interests around the world, provide for domestic order, and regulate interstate commerce the method of apportioning representatives in the national legislature slavery location of the nation's capital city

	Which of the following was among the most important debates at the Constitutional Convention?   representation in the national government the status of slavery how to select the president what kind of government would replace the Articles of Confederation All of the answers are correct.

	This "plan" called for a national legislature, with seats apportioned to the states on the basis of population size.   New Jersey Plan Virginia Plan Articles Revision Plan National Plan Pennsylvania Plan

	Under the New Jersey Plan:   the president would be elected directly by the people. senators would be elected by state legislators. each of the states would remain sovereign. a weaker national government would prevail. All of the answers are correct.

	The Connecticut Compromise was an agreement reached at the constitutional convention having to do with which of the following aspects of the new government?   slavery representation in the legislature the system of presidential election the power given to state governments national militia

	What major issue debated at the Constitutional Convention was not resolved because it was so controversial that many delegates feared that an attempt at resolution would ensure that the new Constitution would not be adopted?   taxes slavery election of representatives direct election of senators election of the president

	The electoral college is:   based on the total number of representatives in Congress (House and Senate) from each of the states. the method used to select federal judges. no longer in existence, since the Twenty-Eighth Amendment provides for the direct election of the president. a private university located in the state of Oklahoma. a plural executive with regional vice-presidents.

	Article I of the Constitution provides for which branch of government.   judicial legislative executive bureaucracy legacy factors that has influenced the evolution of American government.

	The Constitution creates what form of government?   direct democracy aristocracy parliamentary republican military

	Article VI, Section 2 of the Constitution states, "This Constitution and the Laws of the United States...shall be the supreme Law of the Land." This phrase is popularly known as:   the national powers act. federalism powers. the supremacy clause. the national sovereignty clause. the elastic clause.

	Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution states Congress has the power to "make all laws which shall be necessary and proper" for carrying out its specific powers and responsibilities. This clause is known as the:   elastic clause. economic clause. expansion clause. commerce clause. reciprocity clause.

	Which of the following limits the power of the national government?   the elastic clause the supremacy clause the Bill of Rights the necessary and proper clause all of the above

	Of the three branches of government, only part of one was made directly accountable to the people under the Constitution. Which part?   the U.S. Senate the president the U.S. Supreme Court the House of Representatives the Supreme Court

	Which of the following features best illustrates the concept of mixed or balanced government?   the necessary and proper clause separation of powers the elastic clause the president is chief diplomat a democratic state that supports slavery

	The concept "checks and balances" means that:   the president must submit a balanced budget to Congress. each branch of government is supreme. legislative, executive, and judicial powers are arranged such that each branch can check the others. Congress cannot appropriate more money than the U.S. government receives in revenue. all government debate must be resolved in a timely fashion.

	Which of the following provisions of the Constitution aids in the protection of property rights?   the provision that allows states to coin money the provision that forbids states from impairing the obligation of contracts the three-fifths compromise the Great Compromise the supremacy clause

	According to Article VII of the Constitution, how many states had to ratify the Constitution for it to become the supreme law of the land?   13 11 9 8 6

	Those who opposed the Constitution were known as:   Federalists Royalists Whigs Anti-Federalists Carpetbaggers

	Formally amending the Constitution:   is quite easily done. requires a vote of the people for each proposed amendment. is extremely difficult. requires the approval of five justices on the U.S. Supreme Court. can be done by Executive Order.

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