Question 1

The decision to give the national government control over commerce and finance was motivated primarily by the framers' desire to

Accepted Answer

A)   end slavery in the United States.
B)   eliminate state and local governments.
C)   promote economic development and protect property from radical state legislatures.
D)   build international alliances.
E)   guarantee economic equality for all citizens.

Question 2

What led British officials to raise taxes on the American colonists during the 1760s?

Accepted Answer

A)   the amount spent on fighting the French and Indian Wars
B)   the cost of war against Napoleon in Europe
C)   the expenses incurred in colonizing South Africa
D)   the extensive roads and canals built by the British in North America
E)   the desire to penalize the colonists for their actions during the Boston Tea Party

Question 3

How was political power in Congress divided under the Articles of Confederation?

Accepted Answer

A)   Each state had an equal vote.
B)   Each state's votes were proportionate to its population.
C)   The states were not formally represented in Congress.
D)   Each state's power depended on its geographic size.
E)   Each state's power depended on its economic wealth.

Question 4

Who orchestrated the Boston Tea Party?

Accepted Answer

A)   John Adams
B)   Samuel Adams
C)   John Hancock
D)   James Otis
E)   Paul Revere

Question 5

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 6

Why did the delegates at the Philadelphia Convention turn down the idea of including a list of citizens' rights in the Constitution?

Accepted Answer

A)   They believed that protecting citizens' rights was not an important responsibility for government.
B)   They believed that such a list would limit economic development.
C)   They believed that since the federal government was already limited to its expressed powers, further protection of citizens was not needed.
D)   They believed that citizens should vote directly on which rights should be protected.
E)   They believed that such a list would make government too weak to protect national security.

Question 7

Alexander Hamilton argued that the chief executive office should possess ________.

Accepted Answer

A)   popularity
B)   judgment
C)   energy
D)   gravitas
E)   integrity

Question 8

The system of shared powers, divided between a central government and the states, is called ________.

Accepted Answer

A)   the electoral college
B)   federalism
C)   statism
D)   checks and balances
E)   the separation of powers

Question 9

The idea of a "living constitution" means

Accepted Answer

A)   the Constitution should be continually amended to keep up with the times.
B)   the judiciary can shape the interpretation of the Constitution in line with contemporary problems and values.
C)   each generation must design its own constitution.
D)   only an unwritten constitution can grow with a people.
E)   the president can make changes to the Constitution after each election.

Question 10

________ defended the British soldiers involved in the Boston Massacre.

Accepted Answer

A)   Thomas Jefferson
B)   Samuel Adams
C)   John Adams
D)   John Hancock
E)   George Washington

Question 11

Why was the decision to assign jurisdiction over controversies between citizens of different states to the Supreme Court significant?

Accepted Answer

A)   It meant that the federal judiciary, rather than the state courts, would ultimately become the primary venue for resolving disputes.
B)   It meant that the state courts, rather than the federal judiciary, would ultimately become the primary venue for resolving disputes.
C)   It meant that courts at both the state and federal levels would become irrelevant to the operating of the American political system.
D)   It meant that the federal courts would not be allowed to use the power of judicial review on cases involving economic disputes.
E)   It meant that the state courts would be allowed to use the power of judicial review on cases involving economic disputes. A

Question 12

Compared with the Articles of Confederation, federalism under the Constitution has led to

Accepted Answer

A)   greater centralization of power.
B)   increased state autonomy.
C)   the establishment of unitary government.
D)   more local autonomy, at the expense of the states.
E)   a weaker national military. A

Question 13

A ________ vote by both houses of Congress and a ratification vote of ________ of the states are required to amend the U.S. Constitution.

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 14

Colonial protesters of the Stamp Act and the Sugar Act rallied around ________.

Accepted Answer

A)   "no taxation without representation"
B)   "give me liberty or give me death"
C)   "remember the Alamo"
D)   "a house divided against itself cannot stand"
E)   "don't tread on me"

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 royalists 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 three branches of government created by the Constitution are

Accepted Answer

A)   constitutional, elected, and appointed.
B)   executive, legislative, and judicial.
C)   federal, state, and local.
D)   military, courts, and bureaucracy.
E)   economic, political, and social.

Question 17

The Stamp Act was a

Accepted Answer

A)   tax on commerce.
B)   prohibition on all unofficial mail.
C)   law permitting the Crown to open mail.
D)   prohibition on alcohol.
E)   tax on sugar, molasses, and other commodities. A

Question 18

What did the New Jersey Plan propose for Congress?

Accepted Answer

A)   Representation would be equal for each state.
B)   Representation would be apportioned 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 19

How many amendments to the Constitution have been formally proposed in Congress in U.S. history?

Accepted Answer

A)   fewer than 50
B)   fewer than 100
C)   between 100 and 200
D)   between 1,000 and 1,500
E)   over 11,000

Question 20

The Articles of Confederation were adopted in ________.

Accepted Answer

A)   1763
B)   1768
C)   1777
D)   1787
E)   1791

Exam 2: The Founding and the Constitution

The decision to give the national government control over commerce and finance was motivated primarily by the framers' desire to

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

What led British officials to raise taxes on the American colonists during the 1760s?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

How was political power in Congress divided under the Articles of Confederation?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Who orchestrated the Boston Tea Party?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The Federalists believed that the most apparent source of tyranny was ________.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Why did the delegates at the Philadelphia Convention turn down the idea of including a list of citizens' rights in the Constitution?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Alexander Hamilton argued that the chief executive office should possess ________.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The system of shared powers, divided between a central government and the states, is called ________.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The idea of a "living constitution" means

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

________ defended the British soldiers involved in the Boston Massacre.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Why was the decision to assign jurisdiction over controversies between citizens of different states to the Supreme Court significant?

Correct AnswerverifiedA

Compared with the Articles of Confederation, federalism under the Constitution has led to

Correct AnswerverifiedA

A ________ vote by both houses of Congress and a ratification vote of ________ of the states are required to amend the U.S. Constitution.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Colonial protesters of the Stamp Act and the Sugar Act rallied around ________.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Shays's Rebellion was an attempt to

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The three branches of government created by the Constitution are

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The Stamp Act was a

Correct AnswerverifiedA

What did the New Jersey Plan propose for Congress?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

How many amendments to the Constitution have been formally proposed in Congress in U.S. history?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The Articles of Confederation were adopted in ________.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

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A vote by both houses of Congress and a ratification vote of of the states are required to amend the U.S. Constitution.

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