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Review Questions for the Constitution Unit Quizzes and Pretest

Amendment 1 – (SARPP) Speech, Assembly, Religion, Press and Petition

Amendment 2 – (2 fingers making a gun) Right to bear arms

Amendment 3 – (3 fingers up, thumb and forefinger making a circle where a quarter could fit) – No quartering troops in private homes

Amendment 4 – (4 fingers form a fist and knock) No searches and seizures without a warrant (Police need a warrant to search private homes)

Amendment 5 – (5 fingers, with an open hand, cover your mouth) Right to remain silent

Amendment 6 – (3 fingers on each hand racing each other) – Right to a speedy trial

Amendment 7 – (Open hand plus thumb and forefinger from other hand pulling money out of the open palm) Right to trial by jury

Amendment 8 – (Cross wrists and ankles) No cruel punishment

Amendment 9 – Rights reserved for the people (Power to the people)

Amendment 10 – Rights reserved for the states (States Rights)

  1. What is the biggest problem of the Articles of Confederation? No power to tax
  1. What law was passed by the Articles of Confederation Congress that allowed new states to join the union? Northwest Ordinance
  1. What system of government has no executive (president) or no judicial branch (court)? Confederation
  1. What was the Great Compromise? The Great Compromise based representation on population in the House of Representatives (lower house) and based representation on equality in the Senate (upper house).
  1. What kind of states supported the New Jersey Plan? Small states like Delaware because they would have equal representation to the larger states.
  1. What problem did the three-fifths compromise solve? How to decide the number of representatives in the House from each state and keep the balance of power.
  1. Where and when was the Constitution written? Philadelphia 1787
  1. What were three of the issues debated at the Constitutional Convention?

1 – Balance power between state and federal governments

2 – Representation in Congress

3 – Slavery issues

  1. What is the name of the Constitutional principle where each of the two branches holds some power over the other two branches?

Checks and Balances

Give an example:

For example, the President can veto (reject) a law passed by Congress

  1. What is the purpose of Amending the Constitution? To create a living document that changes with the times.
  1. How can the Constitution be amended? It takes three fourths of the states approving an amendment to amend/change the Constitution.
  1. What do the first three words of the Preamble to the Constitution “We, the People” mean? People hold the final authority in the government
  1. The Federalist Papers were written to convince the states to ratify the Constitution. 9/13 states needed to approve of the Constitution for it to become our strong national government. Who wrote the Federalist Papers?

James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay

  1. What did the Anti-Federalists and the Federalists argue about?

Federalists wanted to ratify (approve) the constitution because it provided for a strong national (F=Federalists who were for the Constituion)

Anti-Federalists did not want to ratify (approve) the Constition because it did not have a Bill of Rights that guaranteed individual freedoms

  1. Why was the Bill of Rights added to the Constitution?

The B of R were added to protect individual liberties from the federal (national) government.

  1. Why did the delegates at the Philadelphia Convention create three branches?

So that no one branch would get too much power

  1. What are the three branches of government? Executive

Legislative

Judicial

  1. What make the United States a federal system of government?

Powers are divided between the national government and the states

  1. Name four powers of the President.

Veto Bills

Negotiate Treaties

Commander-in-Chief of the Military

Make executive appointments

  1. Who is the Father of the Constitution?

James Madison