Question 1

Which statement about amendments to the Constitution is MOST accurate?

Accepted Answer

A) No amendment to the Constitution has ever been successfully repealed. 
B) One amendment to the Constitution has been successfully repealed. 
C) Five amendments to the Constitution have been successfully repealed. 
D) Congress has officially proposed thousands of amendments throughout American history and 27 have been added to the Constitution. 
A) No amendment to the Constitution has ever been successfully repealed. 
B) One amendment to the Constitution has been successfully repealed. 
C) Five amendments to the Constitution have been successfully repealed. 
D) Congress has officially proposed thousands of amendments throughout American history and 27 have been added to the Constitution.

Question 2

According to historian Charles Beard,the framers of the Constitution were mostly concerned with

Accepted Answer

A) pursuing military glory and imperialism. 
B) promoting their own economic interests. 
C) creating a religious community. 
D) creating a form of government that maximized popular sovereignty. 
A) pursuing military glory and imperialism. 
B) promoting their own economic interests. 
C) creating a religious community. 
D) creating a form of government that maximized popular sovereignty.

Question 3

How many constitutional amendments throughout American history have been passed in a national convention called for by Congress in response to petitions by two-thirds of the states?

Accepted Answer

A) 0 
B) 1 
C) 13 
D) 27 
A) 0 
B) 1 
C) 13 
D) 27

Question 4

Direct election of senators was instituted with the

Accepted Answer

A) Supreme Court's decision in Marbury v.Madison. 
B) ratification of the Constitution. 
C) passage of the Seventeenth Amendment in 1913. 
D) passage of the Twenty-Fifth Amendment in 1965. 
A) Supreme Court's decision in Marbury v.Madison. 
B) ratification of the Constitution. 
C) passage of the Seventeenth Amendment in 1913. 
D) passage of the Twenty-Fifth Amendment in 1965.

Question 5

Why was the Declaration of Independence a remarkable political statement for its time?

Accepted Answer

A) It convinced southern states to abolish slavery. 
B) It persuaded the British government to give back all of the tax revenue it had collected from the colonies. 
C) It ended the Revolutionary War by offering a compromise with the British government. 
D) It helped unify colonial groups that were divided along economic,regional,and philosophical lines by identifying shared problems,grievances,and principles. 
A) It convinced southern states to abolish slavery. 
B) It persuaded the British government to give back all of the tax revenue it had collected from the colonies. 
C) It ended the Revolutionary War by offering a compromise with the British government. 
D) It helped unify colonial groups that were divided along economic,regional,and philosophical lines by identifying shared problems,grievances,and principles.

Question 6

Which two constitutional provisions have been at the heart of constitutional struggles between federal and state powers throughout American history?

Accepted Answer

A) the Preamble and the elastic clause 
B) the Eighteenth Amendment and the Twentieth Amendment 
C) the Eighteenth Amendment and the Twenty-Fifth Amendment 
D) the elastic clause and the Tenth Amendment 
A) the Preamble and the elastic clause 
B) the Eighteenth Amendment and the Twentieth Amendment 
C) the Eighteenth Amendment and the Twenty-Fifth Amendment 
D) the elastic clause and the Tenth Amendment

Question 7

A ________ is a system of government in which member states retain almost all of their sovereign authority and delegate limited powers to a weak central body.

Accepted Answer

A) republic 
B) confederation 
C) bicameral state 
D) unitary state 
A) republic 
B) confederation 
C) bicameral state 
D) unitary state

Question 8

What led British officials to raise taxes on the American colonists during the 1760s?

Accepted Answer

A) a deficit that was incurred as a result of the French and Indian War 
B) the cost of war against Napoleon in Europe 
C) the expenses incurred in colonizing South Africa 
D) the extensive roads and canals built by the British in North America 
A) a deficit that was incurred as a result of the French and Indian War 
B) the cost of war against Napoleon in Europe 
C) the expenses incurred in colonizing South Africa 
D) the extensive roads and canals built by the British in North America

Question 9

Successful amendments to the Constitution

Accepted Answer

A) are most commonly concerned with the structure or composition of the government. 
B) have often been used to restrict the rights of citizens. 
C) have typically had little effect on the actual workings of the government. 
D) have been those designed to promote economic equality. 
A) are most commonly concerned with the structure or composition of the government. 
B) have often been used to restrict the rights of citizens. 
C) have typically had little effect on the actual workings of the government. 
D) have been those designed to promote economic equality.

Question 10

The Boston Massacre occurred when

Accepted Answer

A) five British soldiers were killed by an angry mob of colonists protesting outside the seat of the colonial government in Boston. 
B) five colonists were killed by British soldiers outside the seat of the colonial government in Boston. 
C) 50 colonists were killed by British soldiers outside the seat of the colonial government in Boston. 
D) 50 British soldiers were killed by an angry mob of colonists protesting outside the seat of the colonial government in Boston. 
A) five British soldiers were killed by an angry mob of colonists protesting outside the seat of the colonial government in Boston. 
B) five colonists were killed by British soldiers outside the seat of the colonial government in Boston. 
C) 50 colonists were killed by British soldiers outside the seat of the colonial government in Boston. 
D) 50 British soldiers were killed by an angry mob of colonists protesting outside the seat of the colonial government in Boston.

Question 11

Antifederalists were sharply critical of the structure of the Senate,the executive,and the federal judiciary under the Constitution because they

Accepted Answer

A) wanted a system of direct democracy instead of a system of representative democracy. 
B) worried these undemocratic institutions would lead those in power tyrannize the public. 
C) preferred a government with a unicameral legislature,a multi-member executive council and no federal judiciary. 
D) feared the government would become too deadlocked to pass any meaningful laws by the system of separation of powers and checks and balances. 
A) wanted a system of direct democracy instead of a system of representative democracy. 
B) worried these undemocratic institutions would lead those in power tyrannize the public. 
C) preferred a government with a unicameral legislature,a multi-member executive council and no federal judiciary. 
D) feared the government would become too deadlocked to pass any meaningful laws by the system of separation of powers and checks and balances.

Question 12

Under the Articles of Confederation

Accepted Answer

A) the armed forces of the United States consisted of state militias. 
B) the Continental Congress had the power to levy taxes on citizens. 
C) the president was elected to four-year terms. 
D) states were prevented from discriminating against each other in the competition for foreign commerce. 
A) the armed forces of the United States consisted of state militias. 
B) the Continental Congress had the power to levy taxes on citizens. 
C) the president was elected to four-year terms. 
D) states were prevented from discriminating against each other in the competition for foreign commerce.

Question 13

During the ratification debates,who were the Federalists?

Accepted Answer

A) those who opposed the new Constitution because they wanted a weaker national government 
B) those who opposed the Constitution because it did not create a strong enough central government 
C) those who opposed the Constitution because it did not provide women with the right to vote 
D) those who supported the Constitution because it contained a strong national government 
A) those who opposed the new Constitution because they wanted a weaker national government 
B) those who opposed the Constitution because it did not create a strong enough central government 
C) those who opposed the Constitution because it did not provide women with the right to vote 
D) those who supported the Constitution because it contained a strong national government

Question 14

During the ratification debates,who were the Antifederalists?

Accepted Answer

A) those who opposed the new Constitution because they wanted a weaker central government 
B) those who opposed the Constitution because it did not create a strong enough central government 
C) those who opposed the Constitution because it contained a strong national government 
D) those who believed that the United States should enter into a confederation with Britain and Canada 
A) those who opposed the new Constitution because they wanted a weaker central government 
B) those who opposed the Constitution because it did not create a strong enough central government 
C) those who opposed the Constitution because it contained a strong national government 
D) those who believed that the United States should enter into a confederation with Britain and Canada

Question 15

The three political philosophers whose ideas exerted the greatest influence on the Founders were

Accepted Answer

A) Rousseau,Nietzsche,and Foucault. 
B) Marx,Lenin,and Trotsky. 
C) Lincoln,Washington,and Jefferson. 
D) Hobbes,Locke,and Montesquieu. 
A) Rousseau,Nietzsche,and Foucault. 
B) Marx,Lenin,and Trotsky. 
C) Lincoln,Washington,and Jefferson. 
D) Hobbes,Locke,and Montesquieu.

Question 16

Which of the following statements best summarizes philosopher John Locke's arguments in his treatises on government?

Accepted Answer

A) Individuals create governments to protect their lives,liberties,and possessions,and if a government fails in its duties,the citizenry has the right to alter or abolish it. 
B) Monarchs rule by "divine right",and citizens can only retain those rights that are approved by the king or queen. 
C) Governments exist to provide their citizens with equality,and the only legitimate use of government force is to provide for the equal distribution of wealth. 
D) All governments necessarily lose their legitimacy after one generation,and every new generation of citizens must determine which rights should be protected in their country. 
A) Individuals create governments to protect their lives,liberties,and possessions,and if a government fails in its duties,the citizenry has the right to alter or abolish it. 
B) Monarchs rule by "divine right",and citizens can only retain those rights that are approved by the king or queen. 
C) Governments exist to provide their citizens with equality,and the only legitimate use of government force is to provide for the equal distribution of wealth. 
D) All governments necessarily lose their legitimacy after one generation,and every new generation of citizens must determine which rights should be protected in their country.

Question 17

James Madison believed that the greatest conflict of interests in the Philadelphia Convention was between ________ and ________.

Accepted Answer

A) large states; small states 
B) northern states; southern states 
C) the wealthy; the poor 
D) Catholics; Protestants 
A) large states; small states 
B) northern states; southern states 
C) the wealthy; the poor 
D) Catholics; Protestants

Which statement about amendments to the Constitution is MOST accurate?

According to historian Charles Beard,the framers of the Constitution were mostly concerned with

How many constitutional amendments throughout American history have been passed in a national convention called for by Congress in response to petitions by two-thirds of the states?

Direct election of senators was instituted with the

Why was the Declaration of Independence a remarkable political statement for its time?

Which two constitutional provisions have been at the heart of constitutional struggles between federal and state powers throughout American history?

A ________ is a system of government in which member states retain almost all of their sovereign authority and delegate limited powers to a weak central body.

What led British officials to raise taxes on the American colonists during the 1760s?

Successful amendments to the Constitution

The Boston Massacre occurred when

Antifederalists were sharply critical of the structure of the Senate,the executive,and the federal judiciary under the Constitution because they

Under the Articles of Confederation

During the ratification debates,who were the Federalists?

During the ratification debates,who were the Antifederalists?

The three political philosophers whose ideas exerted the greatest influence on the Founders were

Which of the following statements best summarizes philosopher John Locke's arguments in his treatises on government?

James Madison believed that the greatest conflict of interests in the Philadelphia Convention was between and .

Introduction: The Citizen and Government

Federalism

Civil Liberties and Civil Rights

Public Opinion

The Media

Political Parties,Participation,and Elections

Interest Groups

Congress

The Presidency

Bureaucracy

The Federal Courts

Domestic Policy

Foreign Policy

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Exam 2: The Founding and the Constitution

Which statement about amendments to the Constitution is MOST accurate?

According to historian Charles Beard,the framers of the Constitution were mostly concerned with

How many constitutional amendments throughout American history have been passed in a national convention called for by Congress in response to petitions by two-thirds of the states?

Direct election of senators was instituted with the

Why was the Declaration of Independence a remarkable political statement for its time?

Which two constitutional provisions have been at the heart of constitutional struggles between federal and state powers throughout American history?

A ________ is a system of government in which member states retain almost all of their sovereign authority and delegate limited powers to a weak central body.

What led British officials to raise taxes on the American colonists during the 1760s?

Successful amendments to the Constitution

The Boston Massacre occurred when

Antifederalists were sharply critical of the structure of the Senate,the executive,and the federal judiciary under the Constitution because they

Under the Articles of Confederation

During the ratification debates,who were the Federalists?

During the ratification debates,who were the Antifederalists?

The three political philosophers whose ideas exerted the greatest influence on the Founders were

Which of the following statements best summarizes philosopher John Locke's arguments in his treatises on government?

James Madison believed that the greatest conflict of interests in the Philadelphia Convention was between ________ and ________.

Introduction: The Citizen and Government

Federalism

Civil Liberties and Civil Rights

Public Opinion

The Media

Political Parties,Participation,and Elections

Interest Groups

Congress

The Presidency

Bureaucracy

The Federal Courts

Domestic Policy

Foreign Policy

Filters

James Madison believed that the greatest conflict of interests in the Philadelphia Convention was between and .