Question 1

Patrick Henry ultimately opposed ratification of the Constitution because he believed it assigned too much power to the national government at the expense of state authority. Patrick Henry is, therefore, best considered a/an ________.

Accepted Answer

A)  Hessian 
B)  Tory 
C)  Federalist 
D)  Antifederalist 
E)  Whig

Question 2

What does the supremacy clause declare?

Accepted Answer

A)  The Supreme Court's interpretation of the Constitution is final. 
B)  The president has supreme authority over the other branches of government. 
C)  The U.S. Constitution supersedes state and local laws. 
D)  The chief justice may override a presidential veto. 
E)  The House of Representatives is superior to the Senate.

Question 3

In what way were colonial charters important models for U.S. governmental structures?

Accepted Answer

A)  Proprietary charters allowed entities like the Virginia Company to experiment with different forms of government. 
B)  Royal colonies' reliance on a strong executive was a model for the U.S. presidency. 
C)  The popular election of charter council members created democratic institutions. 
D)  They typically had bicameral legislatures and an executive. 
E)  The crown's methods of granting colonial charters were the model for granting statehood.

Question 4

Are written constitutions the best guarantor of equal rights?

Accepted Answer

A)  Yes, all countries write equal rights into their constitutions. 
B)  Yes, all countries abide by their written constitutions. 
C)  Yes, most countries mimic the United States' rights-based legal structures. 
D)  No, some countries do not abide by rights protections written into their constitutions. 
E)  No, most countries derive rights protections from international treaties instead of national constitutions.

Question 5

The "Letters from the Federal Farmer to the Republicans" argue ________.

Accepted Answer

A)  for a declaration of independence from Great Britain 
B)  for ratification of the U.S. Constitution 
C)  against a declaration of independence from Great Britain 
D)  against ratification of the U.S. Constitution 
E)  against the New Jersey Plan

Question 6

Officials in North Korea, which is an authoritarian regime, may avoid paying taxes, receive usually banned foreign luxury goods, and arrest everyday people for violating laws that they themselves need not obey. This is a violation of ________.

Accepted Answer

A)  international coordination problems 
B)  natural liberty 
C)  civil liberty 
D)  the rule of law 
E)  statutory protections

Question 7

Which is the enumerated power listed in Article I, Section 8, of the U.S. Constitution that empowers Congress to regulate "Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several states, and with the Indian Tribes"?

Accepted Answer

A)  federalism 
B)  the supremacy clause 
C)  the commerce clause 
D)  the referral clause 
E)  the elastic clause

Question 8

The rule of law ensures that ________.

Accepted Answer

A)  all citizens of a country are subject to the same legal codes and treated equally regardless of the positions they hold 
B)  all visitors to a country are subject to the same legal codes and treated equally regardless of the offices they hold in their home countries 
C)  all government officials are equally subject to laws when not acting in an official capacity 
D)  government officials do not make arbitrary decisions when acting in an official capacity 
E)  legal codes prohibit citizens from making arbitrary laws

Question 9

The federal Food and Drug Administration may enact national bans on medications that it believes to be dangerous to U.S. citizens, even though this is not an enumerated power in the Constitution. The most likely source of this federal power comes from judicial interpretations of ________.

Accepted Answer

A)  the commerce clause, which grants the federal government the right to regulate commercial activity within the United States 
B)  the general welfare clause, which allows the government to override state interests when citizens are in danger 
C)  incorporation, which applies all federal protections to individual citizens regardless of the state in which they live 
D)  the supremacy clause, which gives the federal bureaucracy supremacy over state agencies 
E)  the elastic clause, which gives the federal government the powers needed to protect the common defense and welfare of U.S. citizens

Question 10

Why did the Federalists argue that a strong national government was essential?

Accepted Answer

A)  They felt that power lodged in one branch of government was too easily controlled by one faction. 
B)  They thought that governments are designed to constrain ambitious behavior and lead to better collective outcomes. 
C)  They believed citizens would become primarily loyal to the national government. 
D)  They believed that internal competition between states would overstimulate the economy, leading to inflation. 
E)  They felt that institutions of government are put in place to ensure maximum liberty for state governments.

Question 11

Would political scientists be likely to applaud the constitutional framers' choice of a presidential system?

Accepted Answer

A)  Yes, because presidential systems are more likely to sustain democracy. 
B)  Yes, because presidential systems have higher levels of education achievement and better economic growth. 
C)  Yes, because presidents, unlike prime ministers, cannot be recalled by their own parties, leading to more presidential autonomy. 
D)  No, because presidential systems are less likely to sustain democracy. 
E)  No, because presidents, unlike prime ministers, cannot be recalled by their own parties, leading to less presidential responsiveness.

Question 12

What proportion of states must approve an amendment to the U.S. Constitution proposed by Congress for that amendment to be ratified?

Accepted Answer

A)  simple majority 
B)  three-fifths 
C)  two-thirds 
D)  three-quarters 
E)  unanimous consent

Question 13

The electoral college represents a compromise between those who wanted ________ to select the president and those who thought the president should be selected by ________.

Accepted Answer

A)  the House of Representatives; the Senate 
B)  Congress; the people 
C)  state legislatures; the people 
D)  state legislatures; the House of Representatives 
E)  the Senate; state legislatures

Question 14

Which Constitutional Convention proposal resolved the conflict between supporters of greater national power and advocates of greater state sovereignty?

Accepted Answer

A)  Virginia Plan 
B)  New Jersey Plan 
C)  Connecticut Compromise 
D)  Three-fifths Compromise 
E)  Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions

Question 15

In 2012, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a highly restrictive Arizona immigration bill was unconstitutional because it conflicted with federal law. The Court's ruling relied on which section of the Constitution in its justification?

Accepted Answer

A)  reserved powers 
B)  checks and balances 
C)  separation of powers 
D)  supremacy clause 
E)  expressed powers

Question 16

Benjamin Franklin supported the Constitution because he believed it provided an effective remedy for the problems facing the United States under the Articles of Confederation. Benjamin Franklin is, therefore, best considered a/an ________.

Accepted Answer

A)  Hessian 
B)  Tory 
C)  Federalist 
D)  Antifederalist 
E)  Whig

Question 17

Early revolutionary activities in the American colonies of Great Britain were principally motivated by opposition to ________.

Accepted Answer

A)  taxes imposed with the consent of colonial legislatures 
B)  continued British support for the slave trade 
C)  the Louisiana Purchase 
D)  the terms of the treaty ending the French and Indian War 
E)  King George III's efforts to promote religious reforms in the Church of England

Question 18

A business in North Carolina has a legal dispute with a business in New York, yet each party is behaving legally according to its own state's laws. How does the Constitution anticipate conflicts like this?

Accepted Answer

A)  by ensuring that both states have the autonomy to change their own laws 
B)  by ensuring that both states have equal representation in Congress, where the two states' Congressional delegations can resolve conflicts of law 
C)  by creating a strong executive who could override states' laws 
D)  by creating an independent federal judiciary to resolve disputes between state laws 
E)  by creating an independent federal judiciary with circuit courts that can hear local disputes

Question 19

The United States needs to pass a law determining whether to enter into a trade agreement with France. The ________ determine(s) who gets to make that decision, because ________.

Accepted Answer

A)  Constitution; it specifies the institutional rules that determine who is in the judiciary 
B)  legislature; it oversees international relations 
C)  Constitution; it specifies the institutional rules that determine which body has power over making trade law 
D)  executive; he or she has power over international treaties 
E)  courts; they revise statutory law

Question 20

What does the elastic clause accomplish?

Accepted Answer

A)  It gives Congress the ability to make laws that are necessary and proper to carry out its enumerated powers. 
B)  It gives the president the ability to propose laws that he or she deems necessary and proper to carrying out his or her powers. 
C)  It gives the Supreme Court the right to review laws it deems unjust. 
D)  It enumerates Congress's powers to avoid confusion with the powers of the other branches. 
E)  It lists the governmental powers of each branch of the government.

Exam 2: The Constitution