Unit 1 Reading Quiz 2

Unit 1 Reading Quiz 2

Multiple Choice- Bubble in the letter of the best answer on the answer sheet provided

1.  In the 1760s, why did the British government more rigorously enforce tax legislation in North America? (B.1.g)

a.  Increasing colonial resistance to foreign rule demanded a punitive response.

b.  Declining population levels resulted in an overall decrease in revenue.

c.  Economic competition from France required increased investment in a commercial fleet.

d.  Growth of its colonial possessions resulted in increased administrative costs.

2.  During the 1760’s and 1770’s the most effective American tactic in gaining the repeal of the
Stamp and Townshend Acts was? (B.1.g)

a.  Tarring and feather British tax agents.

b.  Sending petitions to the king and Parliament.

c.  Boycotting British goods.

d.  Destroying private property, such as tea, on which a tax was levied.

3.  Given that only five people died in the Boston Massacre, why was it labeled a “massacre”? (B.1.g)

a.  British commanders ordered troops to shoot into rioting crowd in an effort to restore order.

b.  The victims were innocent bystanders who were caught in the barrage of gunfire.

c.  The victims had done little to provoke the confrontational and hostile British troops.

d.  Boston radicals sensationalized the incident to take advantage of heightened tensions.

4.  The most important consequence of the Boston Tea Party was the? (B.1.g)

a.  Failure of other colonies to support Boston’s action.

b.  Opening of negotiations between Britain and Massachusetts.

c.  Reopening of the Port of Boston to foreign trade.

d.  Enactment by Parliament of the Coercive (Intolerable) Acts.

5.  Why did Americans use guerilla-style warfare against retreating British troops after the battles at Lexington and Concord? (B.1.g)

a.  Americans had learned in earlier conflicts the utility of unconventional tactics against European rules of war

b.  Americans adopted the same philosophy that governed the European military rules of engagement.

c.  American militiamen were vastly outnumbered by the heavily armed British soldiers.

d.  American field commanders were unprincipled in their indiscriminate use of violence against the British.

6.  Thomas Paine’s common Sense ______? (B.1.g)

a.  Blamed King George III for the colonies’ problems and urged Americans to declare their independence.

b.  Was a call for the abolition of slavery.

c.  Insisted that the British allow the colonies to elect their own representatives to Parliament.

d.  Criticized the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation.

7.  The Battle of Saratoga resulted in? (B.1.g)

a.  An embarrassing defeat for the Continental Army.

b.  An unsuccessful peace overture from Lord North.

c.  France entering the war on the side of the colonies.

d.  Renewed efforts of the Loyalists to enlist colonial support.

8.  During the Revolutionary War the American victory over superior British military power was most attributable to: (B.1.g)

a.  Overconfident British generals’ inability to effectively counter French aid to the colonists.

b.  Vast numbers of British soldiers being deployed to the western front to counter the threat from French and Indian forces.

c.  The British government’s preoccupation with managing domestic unrest due to the influence of French revolutionary ideals.

d.  Napoleon’s troops posing a much greater threat to British imperial sovereignty than the loss of the North American colonies.

9.  The Treaty of Paris in 1783 stipulated? (B.1.g)

a.  British recognition of American independence.

b.  Establishment of the boundaries of the US from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mississippi River between the Great Lakes and Spanish Florida.

c.  That Americans honor all British collection of prewar debts from colonists.

d.  All of the above

10.  The Declaration of Independence state that? (B.1.h)

a.  Men are created unequal.

b.  It was not right that a small island should rule a large continent.

c.  People have the right to abolish governments destructive of their rights.

d.  There shall be no taxation without representation.

11.  Under the Articles of Confederation, what was the major revenue source for the federal government? (B.1.h)

a.  Import duties

b.  Land sales

c.  Taxes

d.  Trade

12.  What was the main significance of Shays’ Rebellion? (B.1.h)

a.  It exemplified the adverse impact of currency laws on the independence of small farmers.

b.  It revealed the inability of the weak central government to maintain order.

c.  It established paper currency as a solution to economic problems caused by unfair trade.

d.  It suggested merchants’ interests were less significant than those of the agricultural class.

13.  John Jay believed the Articles of Confederation needed changes that would “Let Congress legislate. Let others execute. Let others judge.” Jay’s words express what constitutional principle? (B.1.i)

a.  Bipartisan compromise

b.  Democracy

c.  Federalism

d.  Separation of Powers

14.  To prevent power from becoming too concentrated in one branch of government, the delegates of the Constitutional Convention incorporated which feature into the U.S. plan of government? (B.1.i)

a.  Due process

b.  Bill of Rights

c.  Executive privilege

d.  Checks and balances

15.  Which clause in the Constitution gives Congress the most general, non-specific powers? (B.1.i)

a.  The declare war clause

b.  The power to tax clause

c.  The Elastic clause

d.  The power to create an army clause

16.  President Washington urged ratification of the Bill of Rights to strengthen the rights of individuals. Why did other politicians support ratification of the Bill of Rights? (B.1.j)

a.  It reaffirmed the supremacy of federal laws over state laws.

b.  It established a system of checks and balances among the three branches of government.

c.  It calmed the fears of people who believed the federal government had been given too much power.

d.  It provided a means by which corrupt government officials could be removed from office.

17.  Which of the following conclusions can most reasonably be drawn from the events and outcome of the Whiskey Rebellion? (B.1.j)

a.  Social reformers who favored prohibition realized that rebellion would reduce public support for their cause.

b.  The new government’s ability to suppress the rebellion demonstrated its power and authority.

c.  Pennsylvania’s inability to avoid rebellion revealed a significant weakness of the Confederation government.

d.  The landed aristocracy demonstrated its strength by asserting its unyielding support for the rebellion.

18.  All of the following were aspects of Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton’s economic plan EXCEPT (B.1.j)

a.  Assumption of all states debt incurred during the Revolutionary War

b.  Paying off the national debt to encourage foreign investment in America

c.  Establishing a national bank to print money and handle the nation’s finances

d.  Creating the Federal Reserve System

19.  Based on Alexander Hamilton’s proposal for a national bank, which of the following can most reasonable be inferred about his interpretation of the U.S. Constitution? (B.1.j)

a.  He adhered to a strict conception of the supreme law.

b.  He preferred a decentralized system of strong state governments.

c.  He believed in the concept of implied powers and a loose interpretation of the Constitution.

d.  He supported a system of checks and balances.

20.  Many critics of the Alien and Sedition Acts held the viewpoint that states should retain the power to: (B.1.j)

a.  Nullify federal laws that threatened their sovereignty.

b.  Nullify federal laws that violated the Bill of Rights.

c.  Regulate immigration.

d.  Regulate interstate commerce.