Deck 1: Constitutional Democracy

Question 1

Which of the following is the best characterization of the Framers of the Constitution?

A)visionary idealists
B)political philosophers
C)experienced,practical politicians
D)spokesmen for the average person

Answer 1

C

Question 2

How is democracy defined?

A)all people must be involved in politics and policy making
B)government by the people
C)the fragmentation of powers
D)government by the few

Answer 2

B

Question 3

What was Shays' Rebellion?

A)the initial uprising by the Americans against the British in 1753
B)a demonstration of the need for every state to deal with domestic unrest on its own
C)a revolt by slaves in South Carolina that led to the inclusion of the three-fifths compromise in the Constitution
D)an uprising by farmers in western Massachusetts protesting mortgage foreclosures

Answer 3

D

Question 4

What is the idea that a just government must derive its powers from the people it governs called?

A)equality
B)popular consent
C)electoral politics
D)statism

Question 5

What is meant by constitutional democracy?

A)government by representative politicians
B)required voting by law
C)simple participatory democracy
D)voting rights tied to property ownership

Question 6

Creating stable and enduring governments that respect basic human rights is referred to as __________.

A)nation building
B)federalism
C)democratic consensus
D)constitutionalism

Question 7

What role did George Washington play in the Constitutional Convention?

A)He represented the views of the Antifederalists.
B)He was the chief negotiator of the three-fifths compromise.
C)He presided over the meeting,but spoke little during deliberations.
D)He did not attend the convention,though he supported the creation of a new constitution.

Question 8

The U.S.government's commitment to public education through Head Start,a program for disadvantaged preschool children,reflects Americans' belief in __________.

A)balanced government
B)political equality
C)individualism
D)equal opportunity

Question 9

What is the term for an election in which a candidate can win by getting the most votes,even if it is less than 50 percent of the votes?

A)a runoff election
B)a plurality
C)a recall election
D)a majority

Question 10

Under the Articles of Confederation,how were disputes between the states settled?

A)by the Supreme Court
B)by the president
C)by state courts
D)by state legislatures

Question 11

Which of the following is true about the Annapolis Convention?

A)It was held in 1777.
B)It issued the call for another convention to consider amendments to the Articles of Confederation.
C)It was attended by delegates from all of the states.
D)It drafted the Constitution.

Question 12

Statism is the idea that the rights of the nation are supreme over the rights of the __________.

A)region
B)individual
C)community
D)government

Question 13

Governance according to the expressed preferences of the majority is known as which of the following?

A)tyranny of the majority
B)individual rights
C)majority rule
D)plurality principle

Question 14

What is a favorable condition for democracy?

A)a prosperous upper class
B)ideological separation of groups in society
C)instability in society
D)an educated citizenry

Question 15

__________ was the primary author of the Declaration of Independence and a champion of constitutional democracy.

A)Thomas Jefferson
B)George Washington
C)John Adams
D)John Locke

Question 16

Most delegates to the Constitutional Convention accepted the idea of __________.

A)state supremacy
B)direct democracy
C)republican government
D)executive hegemony

Question 17

Which of the following is a central feature of capitalism?

A)private property
B)separation of powers
C)political equality
D)freedom from poverty

Question 18

Historian Charles Beard argued that the primary motive of the Framers of the Constitution was which of the following?

A)protection from foreign threats
B)the enshrinement of the majority rule principle
C)protection of their own economic self-interests
D)westward expansion of the country

Question 19

In the spring of 1787,delegates gathered in Philadelphia to accomplish which of the following tasks?

A)write the Declaration of Independence
B)amend the Articles of Confederation
C)abolish state laws
D)secede from Great Britain

Question 20

Which of the following is true in a balanced government?

A)No single interest dominates.
B)The president and Congress have no shared powers.
C)State governments can veto laws of the national government.
D)The people must approve constitutional amendments by popular vote.

Question 21

Many of our political values come together in the __________,a complex set of ideas that holds that the United States is a land of opportunity where individual initiative and hard work can bring economic success.

Question 22

Self-determination means that all individuals have the opportunity to realize their own goals.

Question 23

Initiatives and referendums are not permitted in all states.

Question 24

The three-fifths compromise was mainly a compromise between which of the following?

A)Whigs and Democratic Republicans
B)northern and southern states
C)Federalists and Antifederalists
D)large and small states

Question 25

Most delegates at the Constitutional Convention favored limiting voting rights to
white male landowners.

Question 26

Free and fair elections mean that all people have equal political influence.

Question 27

What regions of the country tended to oppose ratification of the new Constitution?

A)urban areas
B)seaboard regions
C)backcountry regions from Maine through Georgia
D)southern states

Question 28

"Government by the people" means that everyone must be involved in politics and policy making.

Question 29

Which country has a statist political system?

A)Germany
B)the United States
C)China
D)Mexico

Question 30

Why were the proceedings of the Constitutional Convention kept secret?

A)to make it difficult for delegates to change their minds after debate and discussion
B)to encourage delegates to speak freely
C)so that opponents of the convention wouldn't have easy arguments against decisions made at the convention
D)so that foreign leaders wouldn't sabotage the convention

Question 31

Why did the Federalists argue against inclusion of a bill of rights in the Constitution?

A)Explicit guarantee of some rights might imply that other rights did not exist.
B)All rights were already covered by the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.
C)Trying to come to an agreement on what rights to include would tear the new country apart.
D)All states currently had their own bills of rights.

Question 32

What did the Federalists favor?

A)strong state governments,relative to the central government
B)an all-powerful central government
C)a strong central government,relative to the state governments
D)strong economic ties to Europe

Question 33

What was The Federalist?

A)a book written by George Washington explaining the reasons for American independence
B)a book written by Thomas Jefferson while he was in Paris as the U.S.ambassador to France
C)a device by the Antifederalists to encourage opposition to the Annapolis Convention
D)a series of essays written to encourage ratification of the proposed Constitution

Question 34

The ideal politician is a myth.

Question 35

Why did Patrick Henry oppose ratification of the new Constitution?

A)He believed that the new Constitution would threaten liberty.
B)He was disappointed that the new Constitution did not abolish slavery.
C)He believed that bicameralism was an inefficient form of government.
D)He preferred equal representation for states in Congress.

Question 36

The word "democracy" can be found in the U.S.Constitution.

Question 37

Aristotle was the political philosopher who first rejected the idea that kings have a divine right to rule.

Question 38

As a delegate from a small state at the Constitutional Convention,you would have been most likely to support which of the following as the basis for representation in the legislature?

A)the Connecticut Plan
B)the bicameral plan
C)the supremacy clause
D)the New Jersey Plan

Question 39

Political scientists use the term __________ to refer to the widely shared beliefs,values,and norms citizens hold about their relationship to government and to one another.

Question 40

How does the Constitution guard against tyranny of the majority?

A)by insulating certain rights,such as freedom of speech
B)by giving states the power to nullify federal laws
C)by requiring the Supreme Court to issue decisions supported by public opinion
D)by requiring free and fair elections

Question 41

Interpret the Articles of Confederation as a guide for democracy in the United States.Were they successful? Why or why not?

Question 42

Explain what is meant by representative democracy.

Question 43

The __________ Compromise was a setback for the large states,which agreed to it only when the smaller states made it clear this was their price for union.

Question 44

__________ wrote the Virginia Declaration of Rights,a document that served as a model for other states and for the Bill of Rights in the U.S.Constitution.

Question 45

Describe the Antifederalists and evaluate their objections to the Constitution.Do you believe their fears were warranted? Why or why not?

Question 46

Referring to Table 1.1 in the text,identify the economic conditions most conducive to democracy.

Question 47

Describe the process of the ratification of the Constitution.

Question 48

Define statism and give an example.

Question 49

Explain the difference between majority rule and plurality rule.

Question 50

Define direct democracy and give two examples of it.

Question 51

__________-the principle of the two-house legislature-reflected delegates' belief in the need for balanced government.

Question 52

Identify three requirements of a constitutional democracy.

Question 53

The __________ Plan would have created a strong national government and given disproportionate power to the more populous states.

Question 54

Referring to Table 1.2 in the text,identify the most important compromises achieved by the delegates to the Constitutional Convention of 1787.