Question 1

Revolutionary War veteran Daniel Shays, frustrated by a postwar economic downturn that harmed the colonial elite class, led a mob in a rebellion against the national government, as constituted under the Articles of Confederation.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 2

During the Constitutional Convention, the motion to include a bill of rights was:

Accepted Answer

A)   tabled at the insistence of a few of the most powerful delegates.
B)   approved almost unanimously, on the day before the convention concluded.
C)   never raised.
D)   almost unanimously rejected.E) A) and B)
F) A) and C)

Question 3

The Constitution implies that any power not explicitly granted to the federal government is not granted at all.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 4

The framers developed four constitutional principles that prevent the threat of excessive democracy: bicameralism, checks and balances, staggered terms of office, and indirect election.What are these principles, and how do they prevent the federal government from directly reflecting the will of the people?

Accepted Answer

Bicameralism is a division of legislatur...

Question 5

The power of federal judges to interpret the Constitution in cases that involve questions about federal law or the Constitution is referred to as:

Accepted Answer

A)   judicial review.
B)   stare decisis.
C)   judicial oversight.
D)   judicial sovereigntyE) C) and D)
F) A) and C)

Question 6

What compromises were made during the Constitutional Convention and why?

Accepted Answer

The text highlights two compromises: the...

Question 7

Why did the framers feel a need to replace the Articles of Confederation?

Accepted Answer

The Articles of Confederation establishe...

Question 8

For Congress to send an amendment to the Constitution to state legislatures or to ratifying conventions for approval, it must pass in:

Accepted Answer

A)   either the House or Senate with a simple majority.
B)   both the House and Senate with a three-fourths majority.
C)   either the House or Senate with a two-thirds majority.
D)   both the House and Senate with a two-thirds majority.E) A) and B)
F) A) and C)

Question 9

A right to privacy, while recognized over time by federal judges, is not explicitly mentioned in the Constitution.It can be said that such a right is protected under the Constitution, all the same, because:

Accepted Answer

A)   the Supreme Court, which has the final say in interpreting the document, has said it is.
B)   Congress decided that it was necessary and proper to give Americans privacy protections under federal law.
C)   the Ninth Amendment asserts that a failure to mention a right does not mean it is not possessed by the people.
D)   more democracy in America brought about a greater judicial concern with individual liberty, despite the fact that judges are appointed, and serve lifetime appointments.E) B) and D)
F) None of the above

Question 10

The proposal to alter the Articles of Confederation by providing for a system of representation in the national legislature based on the population of each state, the proportion of each state's revenue contribution, or both was known as the:

Accepted Answer

A)   Virginia Plan.
B)   New Jersey Plan.
C)   Maryland Plan.
D)   Massachusetts Plan.E) A) and B)
F) C) and D)

Question 11

The upper house of Germany's parliament, the Bundesrat, has delegate members selected by their state (or Länder)  governments, not elected members.How, in this manner, is the Bundesrat similar to the U.S.Senate, as originally envisioned by the Constitution's framers?

Accepted Answer

A)   It is much like the original U.S.Senate; prior to direct election under the Seventeenth Amendment, senators were appointed by state legislatures.
B)   It is not similar, since U.S.senators have always been directly elected by state voters.
C)   It is only somewhat similar, since states held elections for senators, with formal state legislative certification of selection winners serving an Electoral College-like buffer function, in allowing senators to withstand democratic pressures.
D)   It is much like the original U.S.Senate; prior to direct election under the Seventeenth Amendment, senators were originally appointed by state governors, in consultation with legislators.E) A) and B)
F) A) and C)

Question 12

Under the Articles of Confederation, the presiding officer of the executive branch was appointed through a nomination and voting process of the assembled delegates in the Electoral College.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 13

Since the Bill of Rights' ratification, thousands of amendments to the Constitution have been proposed, but only 15 have been added.Why have so few made it past the finish line?

Accepted Answer

A)   The overwhelming majority of proposals dealt with social policy issues, while those ultimately accepted dealt with the structure or composition of government.
B)   Not only is the amendment process challenging, but established procedures and institutions are hard to change once people have a vested interest in defending the status quo.
C)   The Constitution's framers included just enough vague wording in the document to leave it open to almost any interpretation over time.
D)   Consensus against changing the Constitution has been built among the nation's elites and leadership over time.E) B) and D)
F) B) and C)

Question 14

The idea that the federal government can exercise only the powers specifically articulated in the Constitution is known as the doctrine of:

Accepted Answer

A)   reserve powers.
B)   expressed powers.
C)   separation of powers.
D)   implied powers.E) A) and B)
F) All of the above

Question 15

It is accepted among historians and political scientists that sectional and economic differences, especially ones involving slavery, shaped debate among delegates to the Constitutional Constitution.Madison, in his convention notes, suggested that it even shaped his idea of the indirect selection of the president through the Electoral College, rather than direct election, despite the fact that he thought that latter would clearly be the best means of selecting the executive.More people could vote in the nonslave states of the North, he noted, something that he thought would lead the southern states to reject a direct election.
Given that slavery was outlawed by the Thirteenth Amendment, would it be useful to reconsider the Electoral College and other aspects of the Constitution, or even its basic framework, in light of how sectional differences shaped its ratification?

Accepted Answer

The Three-Fifths Compromise gave souther...

Question 16

On his last full day in office in 2016, President Barack Obama commuted the sentences of 330 federal inmates, most of them drug offenders who he felt were serving overly harsh sentences.His actions were an example:

Accepted Answer

A)   the president's right to grant unconditional reprieves and pardons of federally convicted persons.
B)   how presidents give orders to the executive branch, including federal prisons.
C)   how presidents sometimes exercise veto power over congressionally written sentencing rules and guidelines.
D)   how presidents may act only when fully free of any democratic or public pressure.E) A) and D)
F) B) and C)

Question 17

The Constitution's framers decided to have senators appointed for six-year terms because:

Accepted Answer

A)   they would not have to worry about reelection campaigns for several years, freeing them to take a long-term view of policymaking.
B)   the Senate was asked to handle important deliberative duties, such as conformation of presidential appointments and treaty approval, that required more time and knowledge to handle.
C)   the framers saw senators as more important than presidents or representatives, who were to serve shorter terms.
D)   this would insulate the lawmakers from what they called "excessive democracy."E) A) and B)
F) None of the above

Question 18

Federal judges are given lifetime appointments.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 19

Which government institution has the power to create inferior (lower)  courts, change the jurisdiction of federal courts, add or subtract federal judges, and even change the size of the Supreme Court?

Accepted Answer

A)   Congress
B)   The Senate
C)   The House of Representatives
D)   The executive branchE) B) and C)
F) All of the above

Question 20

All American states have their own constitutions, ones that establish their institutional frameworks, much like the national Constitution.They are considered subordinate to the latter document, however, under:

Accepted Answer

A)   the supremacy clause.
B)   a series of early Supreme Court rulings.
C)   the comity clause.
D)   the principle of judicial review.E) B) and C)
F) None of the above

Exam 2: The Founding and the Constitution

Revolutionary War veteran Daniel Shays, frustrated by a postwar economic downturn that harmed the colonial elite class, led a mob in a rebellion against the national government, as constituted under the Articles of Confederation.

Correct Answer
verified

The power of federal judges to interpret the Constitution in cases that involve questions about federal law or the Constitution is referred to as:

Correct Answer
verified

For Congress to send an amendment to the Constitution to state legislatures or to ratifying conventions for approval, it must pass in:

Correct Answer
verified

The idea that the federal government can exercise only the powers specifically articulated in the Constitution is known as the doctrine of:

Correct Answer
verified

What compromises were made during the Constitutional Convention and why?

Correct Answer
verified
The text highlights two compromises: the...
View Answer

Why did the framers feel a need to replace the Articles of Confederation?

Correct Answer
verified
The Articles of Confederation establishe...
View Answer

On his last full day in office in 2016, President Barack Obama commuted the sentences of 330 federal inmates, most of them drug offenders who he felt were serving overly harsh sentences.His actions were an example:

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified
Bicameralism is a division of legislatur...
View Answer

The Constitution implies that any power not explicitly granted to the federal government is not granted at all.

Correct Answer
verified

The proposal to alter the Articles of Confederation by providing for a system of representation in the national legislature based on the population of each state, the proportion of each state's revenue contribution, or both was known as the:

Correct Answer
verified

During the Constitutional Convention, the motion to include a bill of rights was:

Correct Answer
verified

A right to privacy, while recognized over time by federal judges, is not explicitly mentioned in the Constitution.It can be said that such a right is protected under the Constitution, all the same, because:

Correct Answer
verified

Which government institution has the power to create inferior (lower) courts, change the jurisdiction of federal courts, add or subtract federal judges, and even change the size of the Supreme Court?

Correct Answer
verified

The Constitution's framers decided to have senators appointed for six-year terms because:

Correct Answer
verified

Since the Bill of Rights' ratification, thousands of amendments to the Constitution have been proposed, but only 15 have been added.Why have so few made it past the finish line?

Correct Answer
verified

Federal judges are given lifetime appointments.

Correct Answer
verified

All American states have their own constitutions, ones that establish their institutional frameworks, much like the national Constitution.They are considered subordinate to the latter document, however, under:

Correct Answer
verified

The upper house of Germany's parliament, the Bundesrat, has delegate members selected by their state (or Länder) governments, not elected members.How, in this manner, is the Bundesrat similar to the U.S.Senate, as originally envisioned by the Constitution's framers?

Correct Answer
verified

Under the Articles of Confederation, the presiding officer of the executive branch was appointed through a nomination and voting process of the assembled delegates in the Electoral College.

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified
The Three-Fifths Compromise gave souther...
View Answer

Exam 2: The Founding and the Constitution

Revolutionary War veteran Daniel Shays, frustrated by a postwar economic downturn that harmed the colonial elite class, led a mob in a rebellion against the national government, as constituted under the Articles of Confederation.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The power of federal judges to interpret the Constitution in cases that involve questions about federal law or the Constitution is referred to as:

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

For Congress to send an amendment to the Constitution to state legislatures or to ratifying conventions for approval, it must pass in:

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The idea that the federal government can exercise only the powers specifically articulated in the Constitution is known as the doctrine of:

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

What compromises were made during the Constitutional Convention and why?

Correct AnswerverifiedThe text highlights two compromises: the...View AnswerShow Answer

Why did the framers feel a need to replace the Articles of Confederation?

Correct AnswerverifiedThe Articles of Confederation establishe...View AnswerShow Answer

On his last full day in office in 2016, President Barack Obama commuted the sentences of 330 federal inmates, most of them drug offenders who he felt were serving overly harsh sentences.His actions were an example:

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Correct AnswerverifiedBicameralism is a division of legislatur...View AnswerShow Answer

The Constitution implies that any power not explicitly granted to the federal government is not granted at all.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The proposal to alter the Articles of Confederation by providing for a system of representation in the national legislature based on the population of each state, the proportion of each state's revenue contribution, or both was known as the:

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

During the Constitutional Convention, the motion to include a bill of rights was:

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

A right to privacy, while recognized over time by federal judges, is not explicitly mentioned in the Constitution.It can be said that such a right is protected under the Constitution, all the same, because:

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which government institution has the power to create inferior (lower) courts, change the jurisdiction of federal courts, add or subtract federal judges, and even change the size of the Supreme Court?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The Constitution's framers decided to have senators appointed for six-year terms because:

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Since the Bill of Rights' ratification, thousands of amendments to the Constitution have been proposed, but only 15 have been added.Why have so few made it past the finish line?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Federal judges are given lifetime appointments.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

All American states have their own constitutions, ones that establish their institutional frameworks, much like the national Constitution.They are considered subordinate to the latter document, however, under:

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The upper house of Germany's parliament, the Bundesrat, has delegate members selected by their state (or Länder) governments, not elected members.How, in this manner, is the Bundesrat similar to the U.S.Senate, as originally envisioned by the Constitution's framers?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Under the Articles of Confederation, the presiding officer of the executive branch was appointed through a nomination and voting process of the assembled delegates in the Electoral College.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Correct AnswerverifiedThe Three-Fifths Compromise gave souther...View AnswerShow Answer

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified
The text highlights two compromises: the...
View Answer

Correct Answer
verified
The Articles of Confederation establishe...
View Answer

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified
Bicameralism is a division of legislatur...
View Answer

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified
The Three-Fifths Compromise gave souther...
View Answer