Question 1

The Constitution grants the Supreme Court the unconditional right to grant reprieves and pardons.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 2

The political significance of the Great Compromise and the Three-Fifths Compromise was to:

Accepted Answer

A)  confirm the immorality of slavery. 
B)  ensure the power of established elites in the face of growing radical forces 
C)  ensure that the United States would continue to expand westward. 
D)  reinforce the unity of the North's mercantile forces and the South's planter forces.

Question 3

In organizing the Boston Tea Party of 1773, radical colonial interests succeeded in their hope of _____________, a hope not shared by newfound allies from the New England merchant class.

Accepted Answer

A)  gaining agreement in the colonies on the need to seek independence from Britain 
B)  inciting pirate attacks on East India Company ships, and hurting British commerce 
C)  provoking the British into taking actions that would pave the way for colonial rebellion 
D)  immediately ceasing all taxation without colonial representation

Question 4

A group known as the Antifederalists, including Richard Henry Lee and Patrick Henry of Virginia and George Clinton of New York, argued in writings against the new Constitution that:

Accepted Answer

A)  the document was worth saving, but needed a dramatic overhaul, one that would grant the states more power. 
B)  the framers did an excellent job with most of the Constitution, but erred in giving so much power to the judiciary. 
C)  it was a step toward a monarchy and, as such, a betrayal of the American Revolution. 
D)  it had significant problems, but could be saved with inclusion of a bill of rights.

Question 5

Except for one, all of the amendments that have been added to the Constitution have passed in:

Accepted Answer

A)  the House and Senate by a two-thirds vote and then ratified by a majority vote of the legislatures of three-fourths of the states. 
B)  the Senate by a two-thirds vote and then ratified by conventions called for this purpose in two-thirds of the states. 
C)  a national convention called by the House in response to petitions by two-thirds of the states and then ratified by a majority vote of the legislatures of three-fourths of the states. 
D)  a national convention called by Congress in response to petitions by two-thirds of the states and then ratified by conventions called for this purpose in three-fourths of the states.

Question 6

Since 2010, a conservative organization based in Florida has been pushing, and won support from legislatures in more than half the states, for a national convention of the states in order to pass a balanced budget amendment, and possibly others.This would be unusual in American history, if successful, because:

Accepted Answer

A)  it would likely lead to the creation of an entirely new constitution. 
B)  the one time a national convention was held, no proposed amendments won passage. 
C)  no amendment has ever been passed through a national convention. 
D)  Americans have come to see amendments as requiring democratic approval in the states.

Question 7

Under the Articles of Confederation, Congress was given the explicit power to appoint senior army officers, but not _____________.

Accepted Answer

A)  any way of raising money with which to pay the officers 
B)  the power to build a standing army 
C)  the power to declare war 
D)  the power to regulate trade with Native Americans

Question 8

The First Amendment to the Constitution was specifically concerned with limits on:

Accepted Answer

A)  the courts. 
B)  Congress. 
C)  free speech and expression. 
D)  firearms.

Question 9

Besides the United States under the Articles of Confederation, what is another example of a confederate system of government in which the subunits of government retain sovereignty and virtually all government powers?

Accepted Answer

A)  The United States under the original Constitution of 1787 
B)  The United States today, under constitutional amendments passed after the Civil War 
C)  The United Nations and its member states 
D)  The United Kingdom

Question 10

What strategies are built into the Constitution to prevent the abuse of power?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What strategies are built into the Constitution...

Question 11

At some point in a future America, Congress calls for new U.S.Constitutional Convention.Once it begins, delegates start hashing out a new amendment for dealing with immigration, still a crucial, divisive issue.There is only one major sticking point: In agreeing to a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants now living in the country, southwestern states want concessions.One, delegates from the region assert, is having half of their undocumented, nonvoting immigrant population count as citizens for the purposes of congressional redistricting.In response, states with higher metropolitan area populations, and larger numbers of nonvoting foreign nationals with work visas, want their representation boosted as well.The result of such a compromise would be more congressional representation and greater Electoral College representation for the more Democratic-leaning northeastern and far western states, and Republican-leaning southwestern states. How would this scenario echo the effects of the Three-Fifths Compromise of the existing U.S.Constitution?

Accepted Answer

A)  It would not be similar, given that the undocumented immigrants and foreign nationals with work visas would not be held in bondage, despite their lack of voting eligibility. 
B)  Only somewhat, since the Three-Fifths Compromise had economic effects, such as keeping the southern states from developing an industrial and commercial economy, that would not be relevant today. 
C)  It would be similar in that the Three-Fifths Compromise gave the South more strength in Congress, as well as an Electoral College advantage. 
D)  It would be only somewhat similar, since it would not necessarily lead to the domination of Congress and the White House by people of one racial or ethnic group from one region.

Question 12

The terms of appointments for senators are staggered so that the terms of one-third of the senators expire every:

Accepted Answer

A)  third year. 
B)  two years. 
C)  four years. 
D)  six years.

Question 13

What was the primary concern of the Constitution of the Continental Congress of 1777?

Accepted Answer

A)  Protecting life and property 
B)  Limiting the powers of the central government, and leaving power in the hands of states 
C)  Generating new tax revenues to help pay for stopping radical rebellions 
D)  Regulating trade among the colonies as well as imports and exports

Question 14

One unforeseen consequence of the Revolutionary War was a weakening of the colonies' elite class.Many royalists, hit hard economically, left for Canada.This led to:

Accepted Answer

A)  fewer persons in the colonies with the education needed to straighten out the country's troubled government. 
B)  the takeover of some state governments by radical factions, ones that aimed to punish established economic interests. 
C)  a hollowing out of the nation's centers of commerce and power. 
D)  several barely foiled attempts to overthrow the national government, as radical factions gained power in a few key states.

Question 15

Under the Articles of Confederation, each state was represented in the Continental Congress in proportion to its population.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 16

The Declaration of Independence was a political as well as a philosophical document in its focus on:

Accepted Answer

A)  the need for an expansion of human rights, which slave-owning delegates to the Second Continental Congress used as a strictly political means of gaining support throughout the colonies. 
B)  the need for government to have checks and balances in order to ensure political liberty for citizens. 
C)  grievances, goals, and principles that would unite disparate colonial factions against the British in the rebellion. 
D)  not only forging national unity, but also on winning international support in what promised to be a difficult war against the British.

Question 17

The Constitution grants the power to ratify treaties to the:

Accepted Answer

A)  Senate. 
B)  Supreme Court. 
C)  House of Representatives. 
D)  Congress.

Question 18

The bulk of the 15 amendments that have won ratification since the Bill of Rights have dealt with:

Accepted Answer

A)  defining eligibility for voting in national elections, something left out of the original Constitution. 
B)  further restrictions on or definition of the boundaries of federal government power. 
C)  voting and elections. 
D)  reductions in state power.

Question 19

In the years after the Revolutionary War, radical populist forces gained power in some states and Congress, after some colonial elites lost power or moved to Canada.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 20

Staggered terms of service in the Senate were intended to make that body even more politically responsive to popular opinion.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Exam 2: The Founding and the Constitution

The Constitution grants the Supreme Court the unconditional right to grant reprieves and pardons.

The political significance of the Great Compromise and the Three-Fifths Compromise was to:

In organizing the Boston Tea Party of 1773, radical colonial interests succeeded in their hope of _____________, a hope not shared by newfound allies from the New England merchant class.

A group known as the Antifederalists, including Richard Henry Lee and Patrick Henry of Virginia and George Clinton of New York, argued in writings against the new Constitution that:

Except for one, all of the amendments that have been added to the Constitution have passed in:

Under the Articles of Confederation, Congress was given the explicit power to appoint senior army officers, but not _____________.

The First Amendment to the Constitution was specifically concerned with limits on:

Besides the United States under the Articles of Confederation, what is another example of a confederate system of government in which the subunits of government retain sovereignty and virtually all government powers?

What strategies are built into the Constitution to prevent the abuse of power?

The terms of appointments for senators are staggered so that the terms of one-third of the senators expire every:

What was the primary concern of the Constitution of the Continental Congress of 1777?

One unforeseen consequence of the Revolutionary War was a weakening of the colonies' elite class.Many royalists, hit hard economically, left for Canada.This led to:

Under the Articles of Confederation, each state was represented in the Continental Congress in proportion to its population.

The Declaration of Independence was a political as well as a philosophical document in its focus on:

The Constitution grants the power to ratify treaties to the:

The bulk of the 15 amendments that have won ratification since the Bill of Rights have dealt with:

In the years after the Revolutionary War, radical populist forces gained power in some states and Congress, after some colonial elites lost power or moved to Canada.

Staggered terms of service in the Senate were intended to make that body even more politically responsive to popular opinion.