Deck 2: The Constitution and the Founding

Question 1

The enumerated powers are the specific list of powers granted to Congress in Article I of the Constitution.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

A separation of powers system creates different branches of government with completely independent realms of power.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

The Constitution places more limits on government power than the Articles of Confederation.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Which of the following is the main argument behind the Tea Party movement?

A) The Federal Reserve should have expanded powers to regulate the economy.
B) The expansion of the federal government has grown beyond what the founding fathers intended.
C) Presidents have been granted too much power by the Constitution.
D) The Supreme Court should be more proactive in striking down unconstitutional legislation.
E) Taxes should only be used to help the neediest in society.

Question 5

The reason the Constitution did not outlaw slavery was because the framers did not object to the practice.

Question 6

Attendees at the Constitutional Convention chose the electoral college as a means of selecting a president because it helped tie the executive branch to the legislative branch.

Question 7

America's relative economic equality compared to Europe influenced the context of debates at the Constitutional Convention.

Question 8

Members of the Tea Party tend to believe that the federal government has overreached its constitutional authority.

Question 9

According to James Madison, factions must be set against each other to control majority tyranny.

Question 10

The framers of the Constitution believed both in the need for a stronger central government and in the need to limit the national government through the separation of powers.

Question 11

The framers believed that protecting natural rights of citizens would be accomplished through a government that relied on the "consent of the governed."

Question 12

The Antifederalists pushed for the inclusion of the national supremacy clause.

Question 13

Northern states feared that southern states would gain more political prominence in the House of Representatives if slaves were counted as full citizens.

Question 14

Antifederalists favored a stronger national government while Federalists favored stronger state governments.

Question 15

The Bill of Rights is a list of limits on the control that the federal government has over state governments.

Question 16

The Great Compromise guaranteed that large states would hold more power in the constitutional balance by having membership in both houses of Congress based on population.

Question 17

The Constitution accomplishes the following tasks: it sets up our basic rules of governance, limits government actions against citizens, and provides for specific individual rights.

Question 18

Among the president's powers are the power to pass the federal budget, the ability to recognize representatives from other countries, and the responsibility for executing the law.

Question 19

The Supreme Court gained the power of judicial review after the decision in Marbury v. Madison.

Question 20

The Great Compromise said that slaves would count as three-fifths of a person for the purposes of representation and taxation.

Question 21

Which of the following events exposed discontent with the new government and led to the Annapolis Convention?

A) Shays's Rebellion
B) the publication of Common Sense
C) the Revolutionary War
D) the Declaration of Independence
E) Washington's election as president

Question 22

Those colonists who remained supportive of the British monarchy during the Revolutionary War were called:

A) Tories.
B) Republicans.
C) Monarchists.
D) Whigs.
E) Democrats.

Question 23

Which part of the national government was formed under the Articles of Confederation?

A) the power to regulate commerce between states
B) the power of the people to elect their representatives directly
C) an independent executive branch
D) special panels of judges to resolve disputes between states
E) a bicameral Congress

Question 24

When the interests of the people are represented through their elected leaders, it is an example of what kind of government?

A) monarchy
B) tyranny
C) republic
D) oligarchy
E) authoritarian state

Question 25

Which of the following was NOT an idea discussed by John Locke?

A) natural rights
B) property rights
C) checks and balances
D) self-rule through elections
E) the need for rule by a strong monarch

Question 26

Which of the following was NOT a part of the lead-up to the Revolutionary War?

A) Stamp Act
B) Tea Act
C) Coercive Acts
D) Boston Tea Party
E) Shays's Rebellion

Question 27

Which political thinker argued that in order to preserve liberty, one branch of government should be able to check the excesses of the other branches?

A) John Stuart Mill
B) Thomas Hobbes
C) Baron de Montesquieu
D) Jean-Jacques Rousseau
E) Thomas Paine

Question 28

The authors of the Federalist Papers included:

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

Question 29

Why did the Articles of Confederation fail?

A) The document did not adequately address demands for limited government.
B) Americans rebelled against any document that supported a monarchy.
C) The document accorded the legislative branch too much power.
D) The document placed too many limits on governmental power.
E) The states failed to ratify the document.

Question 30

The separation of powers in U.S. government refers to:

A) the division of governing authority between states and the national government.
B) the limits on the kind of authority government can exercise over individual citizens.
C) the division of governing authority among the presidency, the Congress, and the Supreme Court.
D) the division of governing authority between the House of Representatives and the Senate.
E) the protections for citizens' rights found in the Bill of Rights.

Question 31

A faction is a group of ________ that seek to control government power to ________.

A) minority interests; protect themselves from everyone else
B) majority interests; promote the public good
C) minority interests; promote the public good
D) minority or majority interests; pursue their own interests
E) minority or majority interests; promote the public good

Question 32

Which influential thinker's writings led many of the Constitution's framers to reject monarchy as a method of self-rule?

A) Jean-Jacques Rousseau
B) Thomas Paine
C) Edmund Burke
D) Thomas Hobbes
E) John Stuart Mill

Question 33

Who authored the influential pamphlet Common Sense in 1776?

A) Thomas Jefferson
B) John Locke
C) Thomas Hobbes
D) John Stuart Mill
E) Thomas Paine

Question 34

Which key part of the government was formed under the Articles of Confederation?

A) direct election of members of Congress by the people
B) a federal court system
C) a weak national government
D) the electoral college
E) an executive branch led by the president

Question 35

How did the Articles of Confederation limit government?

A) The Articles of Confederation included an executive and judicial branch but no legislative branch.
B) The Articles of Confederation included a legislative and executive branch but no judicial branch.
C) The Articles of Confederation did not create a federal level of government.
D) Federal power was given to the legislative branch, where each state had one vote.
E) Federal power was given to the judicial branch, where each state had one vote.

Question 36

What are the three branches of the federal government?

A) executive, judicial, and legislative
B) electoral, judicial, and legislative
C) electoral, federal, and legislative
D) executive, federal, and judicial
E) electoral, executive, and judicial

Question 37

The most significant economic differences among the framers of the Constitution were:

A) based on wealth, with debates arising between the rich and the poor.
B) grounded in regional differences, with the South favoring free trade and the North preferring tariffs on foreign goods to protect domestic industries.
C) based on labor differences, with debates arising between the interests of factory workers and the interests of farmers.
D) between those with a college education who had studied economics and those who had not.
E) based on whether or not to create an income tax for citizens.

Question 38

Who had executive power under the Articles of Confederation?

A) a president
B) the legislature
C) a tribunal of executives
D) the court system
E) the army

Question 39

Which of the following best describes the context in which the Constitution was created?

A) quarrels among the states and the growing perception of the collapse of the rule of law
B) relative peace and tranquility
C) mild dissatisfaction with the Declaration of Independence
D) clear goals held by every American after the Revolutionary War
E) broad agreement among the states about forming a national government

Question 40

Which three principles stated in the Declaration of Independence were generally agreed upon by the Constitution's framers?

A) natural rights, equality under the law, and divine right
B) equality under the law, self-rule, and natural rights
C) equality under the law, an end to all forms of taxation, and divine right
D) self-rule, an end to all forms of taxation, and natural rights
E) natural rights, the right to rebellion for transient causes, and popular democracy

Question 41

The balanced perspective of the Constitution reflects all BUT:

A) the political ideas of the framers.
B) the ideas of both Federalists and Antifederalists.
C) northern and southern economic interests.
D) the economic interests of the framers.
E) the political ideas and economic interests of average citizens.

Question 42

Which of the following was implemented in order to protect minorities from majority tyranny?

A) a stronger presidency than under the Articles of Confederation
B) separation of powers between three branches of government
C) a representative democracy
D) a parliamentary system of governance
E) a direct democracy

Question 43

Which agreement gave the legislature two houses?

A) Great Compromise
B) Three-Fifths Compromise
C) Missouri Compromise
D) Virginia Plan
E) New Jersey Plan

Question 44

Which group pushed for the concept of reserved powers?

A) Tories
B) Whigs
C) Antifederalists
D) legislators
E) Federalists

Question 45

Which of the following was true about the Antifederalists?

A) They generally favored relatively strong state governments.
B) They came primarily from southern states.
C) They supported the British Crown during the Revolutionary War.
D) They wanted a stronger national government, even if it came at the expense of state power.
E) They generally favored relatively weak state governments.

Question 46

Despite significant agreement on the need for a ________ national government at the Constitutional Convention, there was serious division about ________.

A) weaker; how much stronger state governments should be
B) weaker; how much weaker the federal government should be
C) stronger; how much stronger the federal government should be
D) stronger; how much stronger state governments should be
E) stronger; how much weaker state governments should be

Question 47

Which of the following concepts best describes the problems associated with the Articles of Confederation?

A) separation of powers
B) tyranny of the minority
C) tyranny of the majority
D) pluralism
E) checks and balances

Question 48

Why did the New Jersey Plan contain a proposal for a legislature with equal representation per state?

A) New Jersey prospered economically under the Articles of Confederation, which had such a system.
B) New Jersey had relatively little population and would therefore gain more representation under an equal system.
C) New Jersey was a slave state and the Three-Fifths Compromise was going to strip it of representation.
D) New Jersey had negotiated a separate treaty with the British that it wanted the new Congress to ratify.
E) Antifederalists controlled the New Jersey legislature and they favored equal representation per state.

Question 49

Which of the following was NOT a source of significant conflict at the Constitutional Convention?

A) whether to throw out or amend the Declaration of Independence
B) how much power to give to the legislative branch
C) how to represent small and large states in the new government
D) what to do about slavery
E) how much power to give to the executive branch

Question 50

Modern-day interest groups such as the National Rifle Association and Emily's List are examples of what concept?

A) factions
B) self-rule
C) natural law
D) Antifederalism
E) republicanism

Question 51

Which of the following concepts reflects the need to balance the principle of self-government against the rights of specific groups?

A) providing for both civil liberties and civil rights
B) protecting small states from powerful large states
C) creating a legislative government while allowing for executive leadership
D) providing for majority rule while protecting minority rights
E) providing for minority rule while protecting majority rights

Question 52

What does the "size principle" refer to?

A) the underlying logic of representing all states equally in the Senate but not in the House
B) a natural limit on majority tyranny where a large, diverse public would be more divided than unified
C) the unified interests of a small group of self-interested citizens
D) the unified interests of a large group of self-interested citizens
E) achieving the largest majority possible in an election outcome

Question 53

To deal with the problem of factions, James Madison proposed:

A) controlling them through checks and balances.
B) controlling them by prohibiting citizens from taking certain actions.
C) reducing factions by encouraging citizens to have the same interests.
D) eliminating factions through limits on individual liberties.
E) eliminating factions through limits on state governments.

Question 54

What modern political philosophy is based in part on James Madison's "size principle"?

A) Antifederalism
B) monarchy
C) democracy
D) republicanism
E) pluralism

Question 55

Which of the following was NOT a contentious issue in the debate over the executive branch?

A) whether or not to have a single executive
B) the method of selecting the president
C) whether or not the executive should have any legislative power
D) whether or not the president should be allowed to serve more than two terms
E) placing adequate checks and balances on presidential power

Question 56

The Federalists generally:

A) supported making both national and state governments much stronger than they were under the Articles of Confederation.
B) supported increasing the authority of the national government.
C) were suspicious of a strong national government.
D) preferred a monarchy to a presidency.
E) wanted to eliminate the national legislature.

Question 57

The main reaction to the failure of the Articles of Confederation was to:

A) focus on resolving debates between the state governments.
B) rein in the power of the national government.
C) encourage stronger state governments.
D) make the national government stronger.
E) eliminate the state governments.

Question 58

People who share a common political interest are best known as:

A) Federalists.
B) self-governed.
C) a faction.
D) Antifederalists.
E) loyalists.

Question 59

For James Madison, the problem associated with a tyranny of the majority was that:

A) large factions might capture control of the government and ignore the rights of those in the minority.
B) large groups of voters might grab power by circumventing elections.
C) the representative legislative branch would exercise too much power over the presidency.
D) regional majorities would become entrenched and prevent government from working for the common good.
E) the president would have too much power over the legislative agenda.

Question 60

How did the framers design the Constitution to protect minority rights?

A) separation of powers and checks and balances
B) allowing majority tyranny to occur to protect the rights of the many
C) through the creation of political parties
D) through the creation of interest groups
E) through a system of direct democracy

Question 61

How many states were needed to ratify the Constitution?

A) eleven out of thirteen
B) ten out of thirteen
C) thirteen out of thirteen
D) seven out of thirteen
E) nine out of thirteen

Question 62

Slave states wanted slaves counted for the purposes of ________ but did not want slaves counted when it came to the issue of ________.

A) representation; determining taxes
B) determining taxes; tariffs
C) determining taxes; representation
D) tariffs; determining taxes
E) tariffs; representation

Question 63

Which part of government was considered the weakest because it did not have "power of the purse or sword"?

A) state governments
B) legislative branch
C) executive branch
D) judicial branch
E) local governments

Question 64

The concept of shared powers means that:

A) the legislative and executive branches have equal powers.
B) in some areas of governmental action no branch has exclusive control.
C) the branches can exercise the same powers.
D) no branch can act without approval from other branches.
E) the judicial branch has more power than the legislative and executive branches.

Question 65

Which article of the Constitution describes the procedures for ratification?

A) Article VII
B) Article VI
C) Article I
D) Article III
E) Article II

Question 66

Which of the following concepts applies most directly to the balance of power between state and national governments?

A) parliamentary system
B) bicameralism
C) separation of powers
D) supremacy clause
E) checks and balances

Question 67

Which of the following is NOT a reason that the framers of the Constitution chose the electoral college as the method for selecting the president?

A) It was a system that had worked well in other democracies.
B) The different groups trying to select a method could all claim victory.
C) It kept the process indirect.
D) It incorporated the role of state legislatures in the selection of a president.
E) The president would not be seen as an agent of Congress.

Question 68

What is a serious technical error of the Constitution, according to the authors?

A) It accords electors two votes each.
B) It fails to give the president the right to introduce legislation.
C) It does not better define judicial review.
D) It created the electoral college.
E) It upholds the provisions of the Three-Fifths Compromise.

Question 69

The elastic clause refers to:

A) the power of Congress to make laws necessary for executing its members' enumerated powers.
B) the broad delegation of executive power given to the president.
C) the list of flexible powers given to Congress in Article I of the Constitution.
D) the ability of Congress to regulate economic exchange between the states.
E) the president's power as commander in chief.

Question 70

What were the two parts of the "double protection" that James Madison believed would protect against minority and majority tyranny?

A) self-rule and federalism
B) federalism and separation of powers
C) separation of powers and self-rule
D) separation of powers and a free press
E) federalism and a free press

Question 71

The Three-Fifths Compromise referred to:

A) giving states with small populations three-fifths of the number of representatives as large-population states.
B) allowing three slave states into the Union for every five nonslave states allowed to enter.
C) counting large states as equal to small states in the Senate but not the House.
D) counting slaves as three-fifths of a person when determining state population.
E) the requirement that three-fifths of the states must approve a constitutional amendment.

Question 72

Which of the following slavery issues was dealt with via logrolling?

A) counting slaves in determining state population
B) importing slaves from other nations and dealing with runaway slaves
C) counting slaves in determining taxation
D) determining which states would be allowed to maintain slavery
E) banning the slave trade

Question 73

The executive power of the United States is given by the Constitution to:

A) the Senate.
B) the Speaker of the House.
C) the Supreme Court.
D) the president.
E) the head of the Pentagon.

Question 74

Which of the following was NOT a tactic used by the Federalists to refute Antifederalist claims during the ratification debate?

A) They pointed out that Antifederalists had no plan of their own.
B) They engaged in a one-sided propaganda campaign.
C) They agreed to support a Bill of Rights in the new Congress.
D) They agreed to public debates with the Antifederalists.
E) They gained the upper hand in the debate by claiming the term "federalist."

Question 75

A form of government in which the leader is chosen by the legislature is called:

A) a separation of powers system.
B) a presidential system.
C) a legislative system.
D) a parliamentary system.
E) a democratic system.

Question 76

Which of the following was NOT a principal concern the Antifederalists had about the Constitution prior to ratification?

A) the transfer of state powers to the national government
B) the lack of civil liberty guarantees
C) the role of the president
D) the bicameral legislature
E) the national government would become tyrannical

Question 77

Which of the following methods of political compromise were used at the Constitutional Convention?

A) bribery and filibustering
B) bribery and logrolling (vote trading)
C) splitting the difference and bribery
D) splitting the difference and logrolling (vote trading)
E) filibustering and logrolling (vote trading)

Question 78

Which of the following powers is NOT exclusive to the legislative branch?

A) the ability to raise revenue
B) the ability to send troops into armed conflict
C) the ability to regulate interstate commerce
D) the ability to establish post offices
E) the ability to coin money

Question 79

Which branch of government has the longest and most specific list of powers?

A) legislative
B) executive
C) judicial
D) All of the branches have comparable lists of powers.
E) military

Question 80

Which of the following addressed Antifederalist concerns about the absence of limits on national governing power?

A) Three-Fifths Compromise
B) separation of powers
C) Great Compromise
D) Ninth Amendment
E) Tenth Amendment