Question 1

To amend the Constitution requires a ______ vote by Congress,and approval by ______ of the states.

Accepted Answer

A)  majority;a majority 
B)  two-thirds;three-fourths 
C)  three-fourths;a majority 
D)  majority;two-thirds 
E)  three-fourths;three-fourths

Question 2

Under the United States' first constitution

Accepted Answer

A)  there was no president. 
B)  the president was more powerful than Congress. 
C)  the Senate was the most powerful political institution. 
D)  the president was directly appointed by the state legislatures. 
E)  the Supreme Court was the most powerful political institution.

Question 3

What is the term length of a federal judge?

Accepted Answer

A)  two years 
B)  four years 
C)  six years 
D)  ten years 
E)  barring impeachment,life

Question 4

What was the purpose of the Annapolis Convention?

Accepted Answer

A)  to discuss the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation 
B)  to plot the revolt known as Shays's Rebellion 
C)  to write the Declaration of Independence 
D)  to draft a new Bill of Rights 
E)  to vote on ratifying the Articles of Confederation

Question 5

The Constitution is very difficult to change by amendment.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 6

Whose "political gospel" inspired the framers to adopt the concept of the separation of powers?

Accepted Answer

A)  Aristotle 
B)  Voltaire 
C)  Machiavelli 
D)  Montesquieu 
E)  Hobbes

Question 7

In the national debate over ratification of the new Constitution,the Federalists

Accepted Answer

A)  supported a return to the Articles of Confederation. 
B)  opposed the Constitution and preferred decentralized government. 
C)  supported the Constitution and preferred a strong national government. 
D)  supported a return to British rule. 
E)  refused to support the Constitution unless a Bill of Rights was added.

Question 8

The events that led to the Revolutionary War were triggered by which of the following?

Accepted Answer

A)  The British raised revenue by increasing the tax rate of the colonies. 
B)  The British had established suspicious alliances with Indian tribes during the French and Indian Wars. 
C)  American separatists assassinated King George II. 
D)  Protestant fundamentalists in New England were attempting to establish a theocracy. 
E)  The British were attempting to end slavery in the colonies.

Question 9

The Declaration of Independence was the United States' first governing constitution.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 10

Which of the following possesses the sole power to create revenue bills?

Accepted Answer

A)  the House of Representatives 
B)  the Senate 
C)  the president 
D)  the Office of Management and Budget 
E)  the Treasury Department

Question 11

Who were the writers of the Federalist Papers?

Accepted Answer

A)  James Madison,John Jay,and Alexander Hamilton 
B)  John Adams,Benjamin Franklin,and Thomas Jefferson 
C)  George Washington,Samuel Adams,and William Paterson 
D)  Charles Beard,Daniel Shays,and Paul Revere 
E)  James Madison,John Adams,and Thomas Jefferson

Question 12

What did the New Jersey Plan propose for Congress?

Accepted Answer

A)  Representation would be equal for each state. 
B)  Representation would be appointed according to population. 
C)  Representation would be proportionate to the share of taxes paid by each state to the federal government. 
D)  The powers of Congress would check those of state legislatures. 
E)  Representatives to Congress would be appointed by the state legislatures.

Question 13

The electoral college is

Accepted Answer

A)  an expression of direct democracy. 
B)  designed to select the president. 
C)  established in the Bill of Rights. 
D)  a school attended by all members of Congress. 
E)  the federal organization that oversees the operation of all elections held in the United States.

Question 14

The issue of representation,which threatened to wreck the entire Constitutional Convention,was resolved by the Great Compromise,also called the

Accepted Answer

A)  New Jersey Plan. 
B)  Connecticut Compromise. 
C)  Pennsylvania Compromise. 
D)  Delaware Deal. 
E)  Virginia Plan.

Question 15

Shays's Rebellion was an attempt to

Accepted Answer

A)  prevent the state of Massachusetts from foreclosing on the lands of debt-ridden farmers. 
B)  invade New England by Loyalists from Canada. 
C)  overthrow the federal government under the Articles of Confederation. 
D)  bring a Georgian slave revolt to Virginia. 
E)  force the British government to rescind the Tea Act.

Question 16

The Federalists believed that the most apparent source of tyranny was

Accepted Answer

A)  the king of Great Britain. 
B)  the popular majority. 
C)  the northern merchants. 
D)  George Washington. 
E)  the landowning elite.

Question 17

Successful amendments to the Constitution

Accepted Answer

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

Question 18

What was the most common form of taxation during the colonial era?

Accepted Answer

A)  income tax 
B)  taxes on commercial products and activities 
C)  animal head tax 
D)  taxes for use of governmental services and lands 
E)  taxes on private property

Question 19

The Federalists believed that the powers of government could be limited by

Accepted Answer

A)  providing Congress with larger grant powers. 
B)  decreasing the powers of the executive branch,especially those of the vice president. 
C)  confining the powers of the federal government to certain narrowly defined areas and by adding a bill of rights to the Constitution. 
D)  creating an internal system of checks and controls within government. 
E)  preventing government from collecting revenue through taxation.

Question 20

Which of the following statements best describes the Founders' view of liberty?

Accepted Answer

A)  Liberty is the absence of government. 
B)  Liberty is less important than social and economic equality. 
C)  Liberty is not essential to democratic government. 
D)  Monarchies are better suited to protecting liberty than democracies. 
E)  Government is needed to create liberty by maintaining order.

Exam 2: The Founding and the Constitution

To amend the Constitution requires a vote by Congress,and approval by of the states.