Advanced Government Study GuideChapter 2:The Constitution Mr. Faulhaber
K-1. Wrote Common Sense and advocated separation from Great Britain
D-2. Member of the committee of 5 which wrote the Declaration of Independencea. Richard Henry Lee
b. Thomas Paine
C-3. President of the 2nd Continental Congressc. John Hancock
d. Thomas Jefferson
A-4. Proposed the resolution for American independencee. George Washington
f. Alexander Hamilton
E-5.President of the Constitutional Conventiong. Patrick Henry
h. Roger Sherman
I-6. Father of the Constitutioni. James Madison
j. Gouverneur Morris
G-7. Opponent of the Constitution
F-8. Author of the Federalist Papers and ardent supporter of the Constitution
H-9. Brokered the compromise regarding representation
J-10. Led the committee that worded the preamble
11. “Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” were____.
a. enumerated in the Bill of Rights
b. rights commonly listed in colonial charters
c. incorporated in the First Amendment
d. explicitly named in the preamble to the U.S. Constitution
e. Jefferson’s variation on commonly listed rights of John Locke
12. Under the Articles of Confederation, delegates to the national legislature were____.
a. chosen by the state legislatures
b. appointed by state committees
c. selected by state governors
d. elected by the people
e. None of these
13. Under the Articles of Confederation, the national government could____.
a. levy taxes
b. regulated commerce
c. run the Post Office
d. establish a national judicial system
e. None of these
14. Shay’s Rebellion, an early test of the powers of the Articles of Confederation, took place in____.
a. Rhode Island
b. Massachusetts
c. Virginia
d. Pennsylvania
e. Maryland
15. Jefferson’s phrase, “the pursuit of happiness,” stated in the second paragraph of the Declaration of Independence, was more specifically interpreted by the colonists to mean the right to____.
a. political liberty
b. assemble
c. self-employment
d. taxation only with representation
e. property
16. One of the basic liberties sought by the colonists through independence from Great Britain was____.
a. freedom from taxation without representation
b. the right to bear arms and to defend life and property
c. freedom to assemble in public and to engage in public debate
d. the right to own and trade slaves
e. the right to travel
17. The result of the Annapolis Convention was ______.
a. Shay’s rebellion
b. the Declaration of Independence
c. the Northwest Ordinance of 1783
d. the Constitutional Convention
e. an economic treaty between the United States and Great Britain
18. The Annapolis Convention was convened to ______.
a. discuss problems of commerce
b. discuss the limitations of unicameral government
c. revise the Articles of Confederation
d. establish an Anti-Federalist party
e. all of the above
19. All of the following are fundamental principle under the Articles of Confederation EXCEPT______.
a. limited government
b. separation of powers
c. legislative supremacy
d. representative government
e. state sovereignty
20. When the Articles of Confederations were adopted, the nation’s major concern was dominated by____.
a. slavery
b. religious freedom
c. equality for women
d. political dominance by the central government
e. economic issues
21.Which of the following statements reflects an action taken by the delegates to the Constitutional Convention?
I. setting a date for the abolition of slavery in the North
II. outlawing future importing of slaves
III. setting a number for counting slaves for representation purposes
a. I only
b. II only
c. III. I,II, and III
d. I and III only
e. II and III only
22. What was the result of the Great Compromise?
a. States were represented in the upper house, and individuals were represented in the lower house
b. Individuals were represented in the upper house, and states were represented in the lower house
c. Individuals were given proportional representation in both the House of Representatives and the Senate
d. All members of Congress were selected by direct election
e. Slaves were not counted in the census
23. What is the main result of judicial review?
a. The Supreme Court is protected from the interference by the executive
b. The Supreme Court has the power to revise state laws
c. The Constitution is safeguarded from popular passions
d. The Supreme Court has the power to advise Congress in drafting bills
e. The Supreme Court provides supervision of the lower courts
24. How did the Antifederalists differ from the Federalists?
a. The Antifederalists wanted a stronger central government
b. The Federalists wanted to protect state sovereignty
c. The Antifederalists had a more positive view of human nature
d. The Antifederalists believed that a strong central government would be too distant from the people
e. The Antifederalists were opposed to representative democracy
25. Which of the following is NOT a criticism of separation of powers?
a. It creates gridlock in policy-making
b. It makes it difficult for the government to act decisively in times of crisis
c. It results in prompt, but hasty, decision-making
d. It makes it difficult to stimulate economic growth
e. It damages our position of international leadership
26. Which of the following statements in the Federalist Papers referred to “the most common and durable source of faction?”
I. a new and emerging middle class
II. the absence of a strong national government
III. the unequal distribution of property
IV. the abuse of minority rights
a. I only
b. I and II only
c. III only
d. I,II and III only
e. II and IV only
27. Which of the following statements best reflects the political philosophy established after the colonists achieved their independence?
I. The former colonists eliminated property criteria for political office.
II. The former colonists recognized the need for a strong executive.
III. The former colonists believed that the states should become the dominant political and social force.
a. I only
b. I and II only
c. I,II, and III
d. III only
e. II and III only
28. Which of the following documents created a compromise that led to the formation of a bicameral legislature?
a. Articles of Confederation
b. Connecticut Compromise
c. New Jersey Plan
d. Virginia Plan
e. Three-Fifths Compromise
29. The goal of the Framers of the U.S. Constitution was to create a____.
a. republic based on a system of representation
b. an autonomous collective
c. political system in which majority rule was supreme
d. pluralist democracy ruled by a political elite
e. pure democracy modeled after the New England town meeting
30. The constitution of the United States established what form of government?
a. direct democracy
b. populism
c. indirect democracy
d. oligarchy
e. aristocracy
31. Ratification of U.S. Constitution took place by____.
a. unanimous acclaim by all thirteen states
b. the Congress elected under the Articles of Confederation
c. state legislatures
d. popular vote in state elections
e. special conventions by the people
32. The power of judicial review was established in____.
a. the Constitution.
b. Marbury v. Madison
c. McCulloch v. Maryland
d. the Bill of Rights
e. a Presidential executive order
33. What is federalism?
a. a political party at the time of the Founding
b. a set of political essays defending the Constitution
c. a political system where the national government has ultimate power
d. a political system where the state and national governments share power
e. the belief that America should be unified with a trans-continental railroad
34. The liberties that the colonists fought to protect were based on____.
a. natural rights granted by God
b. colonial charters
c. the rights proclaimed originally by the King of Great Britain
d. the language of the individual states’ constitutions
e. a historical understanding of the essentials of human progress
35. Which statement most accurately summarizes the aftermath of the American Revolution?
a. Cities were booming and the currency was strong
b. Many cities were in ruins and the British were still a powerful presence
c. The economy was strong and the British military was on the verge of complete collapse
d. Taxes were low and the currency was sound
e. Spain and Britain were no longer relevant on this continent
36. What is the basis for James Madison’s argument in the Federalist No. 10?
a. factions are dangerous and must be destroyed
b. the government can eliminate the cause of factions
c. political parties should be encouraged to form so that all viewpoints are represented
d. a balanced government can control factions and prevent one faction from gaining too much power
e. state governments will prevent factions from forming
37. Which of the following statements best describes most of the Founding Fathers?
a. They were older, wealthy, and very experienced politicians
b. They were relatively young, wealthy, and well educated
c. They were representative of the population as a whole
d. They were radicals who favored states’ rights and the protection of individual liberties
e. They were young and inexperienced
38. What is the result of the Great Compromise?
a. Both the House of Representatives and the Senate directly represent the population as a whole.
b. The House of Representatives represents the interests of the states, while the Senate represents individuals within a district
c. The Senate represents state interests, while the House of Representatives mirrors the population proportionally
d. The Electoral College vote does not always mirror the popular vote
e. Large states have more power in the Senate than small states.
39. Which of the following is specifically mentioned in the Constitution?
a. Freedom of thought
b. Political parties
c. Judicial review
d. Presidential electors
e. None of these
40. Which of the following was NOTamong the ideas that underlay the American Revolution?
a. the priority of human liberty over government
b. the necessity of a written constitution
c. the tendency of human nature toward ambition
d. legislative supremacy over the executive branch
e. the importance of tradition
41. Which of the following statement about Founders who drafted the Constitution in 1787 is incorrect?
a. they divided powers between the national and state governments
b. they provided a system of checks and balances by separating power among the three major branches of government
c. they limited government by specific constitutional restrictions
d. they made the people sovereign by requiring members of the Congress and the president to be elected directly by the voters
e. they waited to resolved the issue of slavery by not allowing debate to occur until 1808
42. The Declaration of Independence relies most obviously on the political thought of____.
a. Plato
b. Niccolo Machiavelli
c. David Hume
d. John Locke
e. Georg Hegel
43. In the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson’s list of complaints against George III and his ministers spoke of____.
a. specific violations of political liberties
b. economic conditions in the colonies
c. social conditions in the colonies
d. the lack of equality among the colonists
e. all of these
44. A “representative democracy” is a form of government in which____.
a. all or most citizens govern directly
b. a monarch is elected to represent a people
c. citizens exhibit wide ethnic and cultural diversity
d. a president’s cabinet is popularly elected
e. those elected by the people govern on their behalf
45. The goal of the American Revolution was____.
a. liberty
b. control
c. power
d. equality
d. understanding
46. The Articles of Confederation____.
a. gave the federal government the power to levy taxes
b. gave the federal government the power to regulate commerce between the states
c. retained state sovereignty and independence
d. gave the states the power to ratify treaties
e. established a national judicial system
47. The Great Compromise attempted to resolve the dispute between dispute between the Virginia Plan and New Jersey Plan by recommending that____.
a. senators would be elected by the people
b. states would have equal representation in the House of Representatives
c. bills of revenue would originate in the Senate
d. representatives in the House of Representatives would be apportioned by population
e. slaves would be counted as a whole in the total population of a state
48. ____ is a political system in which the national government shares power with the state governments.
a. federalism
b. republicanism
c. democracy
d. antifederalism
e. nationalism
49.John Locke felt strongly that______.
a. people are born with an obligation to obey their rulers
b. people are basically unable to change government
c. the purpose of a government is to protect the natural rights of the people
d. kings rule by divine right
e. all of the above are true
50. The Constitution, as written in 1787, contained____.
I. a Preamble
II. 7 Articles
III. a Bill of Rights
IV. 27 Amendments
a. I and II only
b. I, II, and III
c. II and III only
d. I, III, and IV
e. I, II, III, and IV
51. All of the following were true of the government under the Articles of Confederation EXCEPT____.
a. larger states had more votes in the national legislature
b. amendment required the support of all thirteen states
c. the national government could not levy taxes
d. the national government could not regulate commerce
e. there was no national judicial branch
52. Federalism in the U.S. Constitution meant____.
a. dividing power between state and national levels
b. removing all traces of the monarchy from government
c. separating governmental functions into branches
d. protecting individual and property rights
e. placating mercantile and agrarian interests
53. The principle of the “separation of powers” suggests that____.
a. legislative, executive, and judicial powers should be dispersed
b. government becomes more efficient with division of labor
c. there should always be at least two global superpowers
d. no single political party should dominate any legislature
e. courts should formulate policy during periods of congressional gridlock
54. In Which Federalist Paper does James Madison warn against the danger of factions?
a. Federalist No 1
b. Federalist No 10
c. Federalist No. 25
d. Federalist No. 51
e. Federalist No. 55
MATCHING:
B-55.the power of the courts to declare invalid any laws or actions found unconstitutional
D-56. a system in which each branch of government exercises some control over the others a. popular sovereignty
b. judicial review
A-57. rule of, for, and by the peoplec. limited government
d. checks and balances
C-58. primary reason for a written constitution and the protections in the Bill of Rightse. separation of powers
E-59. a system in which each branch of government has different powers
FILL IN THE BLANK:
60. NEW YORK CITY was the first capital city of the United States
61. The Declaration of Independence was written in the year1776.
62. Like Great Britain’s parliament, the US Congress is BICAMERAL meaning that we have a legislative body with two houses
63. The three branches of government are the JUDICIAL branch which interprets laws, the LEGISLATIVE branch which makes laws, and the EXECUTIVE branch which enforces laws.
64. The first ten Amendments to the constitution are referred to as the BILL of RIGHTS.
65. The ARTICLES of CONFEDERATION was the precursor to the U.S. Constitution and was a plan for a loose union on independent states.
SHORT ANSWER:
1. “The necessity of a Bill of Rights appears to me to be greater in this government than ever it was in any government before...All rights not expressly and unequivocally reserved to the people are impliedly and incidentally relinquished to the rulers...If you intend to reserve your unalienable rights, you must have the most express stipulation; for...if the people do not think it necessary to reserve them, they will be supposed to give them up.”---Patrick henry, 1788
a. What clause concerns Patrick henry? Why did he think the Bill of Rights so necessary?
b. Describe the fears of the antifederalists. Have they been realized or proven by time to be misguided?
2. “We must never forget that is is...a Constitution intended to endure for ages to come, and, consequently, to be adapted to the various crises of human affairs.” –Chief Justice John Marshall, 181
a. John Marshall believed that the Constitution was meant to be adapted. What specific feature of the
Constitution provides for change and adaption?
b. What other means has led to its change and adaption?
c. Would Thomas Jefferson agree with his cousin?
3. Compare and contrast the constitutions of Pennsylvania and Massachusetts and the political environment in each state.
4. Describe the 11 years that elapsed between the Declaration of Independence and the signing of the Constitution in 1787.
a. Why did some Americans want a weak central government after gaining their independence?
b. Explain why many Americans came to desire a stronger central government in the years following
independence
c. Explain what Shay’s Rebellion was all about and why it was such a significant event.
5. List and describe three ways the Framers of the Constitution divided to the responsibilities of governing in order to limit the power of government.