Question 1

The founder who probably had the most influence on the Virginia Plan (which served as the framework for the eventual Constitution) was

Accepted Answer

A) John Adams. 
B) James Madison. 
C) Thomas Jefferson. 
D) Alexander Hamilton. 
E) George Washington.

Question 2

The Constitution grants the power to ratify treaties to the

Accepted Answer

A) Supreme Court. 
B) president. 
C) State Department. 
D) House of Representatives. 
E) Senate.

Question 3

In Section 8 of Article III, the U.S.Constitution discusses the important principle of judicial review.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 4

The Eighteenth Amendment, having the dubious distinction of being the only constitutional amendment designed to deal directly with some substantive social problem and the only amendment to have been repealed, addressed the issue of

Accepted Answer

A) slavery. 
B) the income tax. 
C) presidential disability. 
D) prohibition of alcohol. 
E) poll taxes.

Question 5

The Constitution does not explicitly mention the principle of the separation of powers.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 6

The Stamp Act of 1765 and the Sugar Act of 1764 created incentives for which two groups to engage in collective action?

Accepted Answer

A) small farmers and recent immigrants 
B) artisans and laborers 
C) holders of royal land offices and patents and shopkeepers 
D) New England merchants and Southern planters 
E) Southern planters and royalists

Question 7

In 2016, the five smallest states held roughly 0.5 percent of the seats in the U.S.House of Representatives and 10 percent of the seats in the U.S.Senate.These differing levels of representation of the five small states were the result of which decision during the Constitutional Convention?

Accepted Answer

A) the New Jersey Plan 
B) the Virginia Plan 
C) the Three-Fifths Compromise 
D) the Great Compromise 
E) the Separation of Powers

Question 8

An extension of the policy principle is that rational actors design institutions that help them bring about the outcomes they desire.How did the Three-Fifths Compromise bias outcomes, compared to the Northerners' preference on the issue of slavery and representation?

Accepted Answer

A) Southern states were able to ensure that no more than three-fifths of all federal revenue came from trade tariffs. 
B) It ensured that three-fifths of all new territory acquired by the United States would allow slavery. 
C) States with relatively more slaves gained representation in Congress and thus were better able to protect the interests of slave owners. 
D) It ensured that a vote of three-fifths of the Senate would be required to shut off debate on legislation to restrict slavery. 
E) It guaranteed that enslaved persons would be able to cast votes that counted for 60 percent of the weight of a free person's vote in federal elections.

Question 9

The Federalists understood that temporary majorities could abuse their power in a democracy, but Madison argued that such an outcome is less likely if the nation is

Accepted Answer

A) large with diverse interests. 
B) small with diverse interests. 
C) large with common interests. 
D) small with common interests. 
E) trained to have the same interests.

Question 10

The radicals led by Samuel Adams hoped that the Boston Tea Party would goad the British into strong reprisals.Which principle does this strategy illustrate?

Accepted Answer

A) rationality principle 
B) institution principle 
C) collective action principle 
D) policy principle 
E) history principle

Question 11

The Boston Tea Party was led by

Accepted Answer

A) Patrick Henry. 
B) Thomas Payne. 
C) Samuel Adams. 
D) Alexander Hamilton. 
E) John Burgoyne.

Question 12

Why did the framers feel a need to replace the Articles of Confederation?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Why did the framers feel a need...

Question 13

The best-known arguments supporting ratification of the Constitution were the 85 essays written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay under the name of Publius.These essays are collectively known today as

Accepted Answer

A) Common Sense. 
B) A Modest Proposal. 
C) the Federalist Papers. 
D) The Democracy Dialogues. 
E) The New Yorker.

Question 14

According to the rationality principle, all political actions have a purpose.When the British government attempted to raise taxes on American colonists, what services were they trying to force the colonists to pay for?

Accepted Answer

A) universal health care 
B) moving new colonists to Quebec 
C) pensions and disability for retired sailors 
D) an invasion of Russia 
E) defense of the colonies and its shipping

Question 15

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 two-thirds vote and then been ratified by a majority vote of the legislatures of three-fourths of the states. 
B) the House and Senate by two-thirds vote and then been ratified by conventions that called for the purpose in three-fourths of the states. 
C) a national convention called by Congress in response to petitions by two-thirds of the states and 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 ratified by conventions called for the purpose in three-fourths of the states. 
E) a national popular vote on amendments proposed by Congress.

Question 16

Institutions shape politics.Why did the institutions designed by the Articles of Confederation lead to pressures to draft a new Constitution?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Institutions shape politics.Why did the institutions designed...

Question 17

Which branch of government was designed to make the federal government capable of timely and decisive action to deal with public issues and problems?

Accepted Answer

A) executive 
B) legislative 
C) judicial 
D) state governments 
E) Federal Reserve

Question 18

The framers intended an active and powerful government, so they included language to ensure that Congress could take any step to achieve its enumerated responsibilities.This elastic clause is most commonly known as the

Accepted Answer

A) necessary and proper clause. 
B) separation of powers clause. 
C) national supremacy clause. 
D) privileges and immunities clause. 
E) federal caveat.

Question 19

The power of the courts to render the final decision in cases involving a conflict of interpretation of the Constitution or of laws between the courts and Congress, the courts and the executive branch, or the courts and the states is referred to as

Accepted Answer

A) judicial review. 
B) ceteris paribus. 
C) juridic oversight. 
D) contra bonos mores. 
E) lex suprema.

Question 20

During the 1750s, the British crown's North American colonies on the whole paid remarkably little in taxes to the mother country.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Exam 2: Constructing a Government: the Founding and the Constitution

The founder who probably had the most influence on the Virginia Plan (which served as the framework for the eventual Constitution) was

The Constitution grants the power to ratify treaties to the

In Section 8 of Article III, the U.S.Constitution discusses the important principle of judicial review.

The Eighteenth Amendment, having the dubious distinction of being the only constitutional amendment designed to deal directly with some substantive social problem and the only amendment to have been repealed, addressed the issue of

The Constitution does not explicitly mention the principle of the separation of powers.

The Stamp Act of 1765 and the Sugar Act of 1764 created incentives for which two groups to engage in collective action?

In 2016, the five smallest states held roughly 0.5 percent of the seats in the U.S.House of Representatives and 10 percent of the seats in the U.S.Senate.These differing levels of representation of the five small states were the result of which decision during the Constitutional Convention?

An extension of the policy principle is that rational actors design institutions that help them bring about the outcomes they desire.How did the Three-Fifths Compromise bias outcomes, compared to the Northerners' preference on the issue of slavery and representation?

The Federalists understood that temporary majorities could abuse their power in a democracy, but Madison argued that such an outcome is less likely if the nation is

The radicals led by Samuel Adams hoped that the Boston Tea Party would goad the British into strong reprisals.Which principle does this strategy illustrate?

The Boston Tea Party was led by

Why did the framers feel a need to replace the Articles of Confederation?

The best-known arguments supporting ratification of the Constitution were the 85 essays written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay under the name of Publius.These essays are collectively known today as

According to the rationality principle, all political actions have a purpose.When the British government attempted to raise taxes on American colonists, what services were they trying to force the colonists to pay for?

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

Institutions shape politics.Why did the institutions designed by the Articles of Confederation lead to pressures to draft a new Constitution?

Which branch of government was designed to make the federal government capable of timely and decisive action to deal with public issues and problems?

The framers intended an active and powerful government, so they included language to ensure that Congress could take any step to achieve its enumerated responsibilities.This elastic clause is most commonly known as the

The power of the courts to render the final decision in cases involving a conflict of interpretation of the Constitution or of laws between the courts and Congress, the courts and the executive branch, or the courts and the states is referred to as

During the 1750s, the British crown's North American colonies on the whole paid remarkably little in taxes to the mother country.