Question 1

The Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution affected the lives of millions of African Americans by

Accepted Answer

guaranteeing their permanent freedom from slavery

Answer

guaranteeing their freedom of speech

Answer

providing them with access to the court system

Answer

providing them with voting rights

Question 2

The proclamation excerpted above was issued during which of these historical events?

Accepted Answer

The Nullification Crisis

Answer

Shays’s Rebellion

Answer

The War of 1812

Answer

The Civil War

Question 3

With which of the following arguments would the authors of The Federalist Papers most likely have agreed?

Accepted Answer

Having a stronger central government will make the country more stable and prosperous.

Answer

Universal suffrage should be constitutionally guaranteed.

Answer

The Three-Fifths Compromise will result in fair and equal representation.

Answer

A bill of rights should be included in the Constitution before it is ratified.

Question 4

Which provision of the U.S. Constitution reflects this grievance?

Accepted Answer

Congress can override a presidential veto with a two-thirds majority vote in both houses.

Answer

The commerce clause allows Congress to regulate trade among the states.

Answer

The president can appoint justices with the advice and consent of the Senate.

Answer

Congress has the power to establish federal courts.

Question 5

In 1832 the Supreme Court ruled that Georgia did not have legal authority over the Cherokees living in the state. President Andrew Jackson responded to this decision by —

Accepted Answer

ignoring the ruling and allowing Georgia to evict the Cherokee Nation

Answer

ordering state officials in Georgia to negotiate with the Cherokee Nation

Answer

asking Congress to pay reparations to the Cherokee Nation

Answer

filing another petition against the Cherokee Nation

Question 6

The Constitution describes two ways to propose an amendment. Which of the following gives an example of one way?

Accepted Answer

Two-thirds of both congressional houses vote in favor of proposing the amendment.

Answer

Three-fourths of state governors sign a petition in favor of proposing the amendment.

Answer

The president officially requests that Congress propose the amendment.

Answer

A majority of citizens vote in favor of proposing the amendment.

Question 7

The Articles of Confederation allowed each state only one vote in Congress. Which question reflects a major concern states had about this arrangement?

Accepted Answer

Should more populous states receive greater representation?

Answer

Should states attempt to resolve conflicting claims to territory?

Answer

Should states change their procedure for selecting representatives?

Answer

Should unanimous state approval for national laws be required?

Question 8

Those in favor of ratifying the Constitution would most likely respond to this concern by pointing out that —

Accepted Answer

power is divided between the federal government and state governments

Answer

elected representatives are accountable to individual voters

Answer

each branch of government can serve as a check on the other branches

Answer

courts have the right to resolve disputes between states

Question 9

The decision in Marbury v. Madison was significant in U.S. history because it —

Accepted Answer

established the practice of judicial review by the Supreme Court

Answer

upheld the power of the Electoral College to choose the vice president

Answer

reinforced federal authority over American Indian affairs

Answer

confirmed the power of Congress to regulate interstate commerce

Question 10

Which constitutional issue was President Lincoln addressing in this excerpt?

Accepted Answer

The legal ability of states to secede

Answer

The power of states to organize militias

Answer

The right of citizens to choose representatives

Answer

The unalienable rights of citizens

Question 11

These headlines refer to the decision in which Supreme Court case?

Accepted Answer

Dred Scott v. Sandford

Answer

Gibbons v. Ogden

Answer

Worcester v. Georgia

Answer

McCulloch v. Maryland

Question 12

Which U.S. document guarantees protection against these injustices?

Accepted Answer

The Constitution

Answer

The Articles of Confederation

Answer

The Mayflower Compact

Answer

The Declaration of Independence

Question 13

This excerpt provides one example of which constitutional principle?

Accepted Answer

Checks and balances

Answer

Individual rights

Answer

Federalism

Answer

Popular sovereignty

Question 14

The Fifteenth Amendment was ratified in order to —

Accepted Answer

protect the voting rights of African American men

Answer

establish legal requirements for the education of former slaves

Answer

mandate fair labor contracts between African American workers and plantation owners

Answer

abolish the institution of slavery

Question 15

Which of these prompted Congress to propose the Fourteenth Amendment?

Accepted Answer

The Black Codes enacted by southern states after the Civil War

Answer

The opposition by southern states to the Emancipation Proclamation

Answer

The popular sovereignty provision in the Kansas-Nebraska Act

Answer

The positions taken in the Know-Nothing Party platform

Question 16

Patrick Henry was criticizing which aspect of the Constitution in this excerpt?

Accepted Answer

The power granted to the central government

Answer

The establishment of a separate judicial branch

Answer

The difficulty of the amendment process

Answer

The eligibility requirements for congressional office

Question 17

Which excerpt from the Declaration of Independence best explains why colonists were unhappy about their lack of representation in the British parliament?

Accepted Answer

“For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent.”

Answer

“For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences.”

Answer

“He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.”

Answer

“He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people.”

Question 18

Which argument would a Federalist make to support ratification of the Constitution?

Accepted Answer

A strong federal government will be more stable than a loose confederation of states.

Answer

A republican system of government will better represent large states.

Answer

The Constitution will enable states to nullify laws that are harmful to citizens.

Answer

The Constitution will allow states to establish banks to stabilize the national economy.

Question 19

What was the primary question surrounding the 1832 Nullification Crisis?

Accepted Answer

Can a state overturn a federal law?

Answer

Can a state regulate a federal agency?

Answer

Can the federal government regulate interstate commerce?

Answer

Can the federal government levy taxes on states?

Question 20

The measures in this list are examples of ways southern states weakened the effects of the —

Accepted Answer

Fifteenth Amendment

Answer

Dred Scott v. Sandford decision

Answer

Compromise of 1850

Answer

Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

Question 21

In Marbury v. Madison, the Supreme Court first stated the principle that —

Accepted Answer

the courts may declare a federal law unconstitutional

Answer

only the courts may regulate interstate commerce

Answer

the president may veto federal legislation

Answer

only the president may issue an executive order

Question 22

Which of these is a grievance from the Declaration of Independence?

Accepted Answer

Colonists were forced to quarter troops in their homes.

Answer

Colonists were not eligible to become officers in the British army.

Answer

Colonists were required to serve a year in their colony’s militia.

Answer

Colonists born in America were prohibited from holding elected office.

Question 23

Why was it difficult for Congress to fulfill its duties under the Articles of Confederation?

Accepted Answer

Most congressional decisions required the approval of at least nine states.

Answer

Congress lacked the power to regulate foreign trade.

Answer

Congress lacked the power to declare war.

Answer

Any congressional action required executive approval.

Question 24

Which right best completes the diagram?

Accepted Answer

Protection from cruel and unusual punishment

Answer

The right to bear arms

Answer

Freedom to speak without fear of punishment

Answer

Freedom of the press to report on court proceedings

Question 25

Which of these describes a result of the Thirteenth Amendment?

Accepted Answer

African Americans in the South could move elsewhere.

Answer

State governments were required to protect individual rights.

Answer

African Americans in the North could vote

Answer

Former Confederate officials were prohibited from holding elected office.

Question 26

These speakers are debating an issue that eventually became known as the —

Accepted Answer

Nullification Crisis

Answer

Monroe Doctrine

Answer

Missouri Compromise

Answer

Three-Fifths Compromise

Question 27

Which of the following reversed the Supreme Court ruling in Dred Scott v. Sandford?

Accepted Answer

The Fourteenth Amendment

Answer

The Compromise of 1877

Answer

The Dawes Act

Answer

The Kansas-Nebraska Act

Question 28

Which principle of U.S. government is most clearly reflected in the amendment above?

Accepted Answer

Federalism

Answer

Separation of powers

Answer

Due process

Answer

Checks and balances

Question 29

Which precedent was established by the Supreme Court ruling in Marbury v. Madison?

Accepted Answer

Federal courts determine the constitutionality of a law.

Answer

State governments lack the authority to regulate federal bureaus.

Answer

The federal government has the power to regulate trade among the states.

Answer

State courts lack the authority to hear cases challenging federal law.

Question 30

George Mason refused to sign the Constitution and opposed its ratification because he believed that it —

Accepted Answer

did not adequately protect individuals from potential government abuse

Answer

did not give the executive branch enough power to oversee the military

Answer

prevented the judicial branch from using judicial review to overturn acts of the legislature

Answer

prevented the legislative branch from effectively governing the states

Question 31

Which principle of U.S. government is illustrated in the sequence shown above?

Accepted Answer

Checks and balances

Answer

Judicial review

Answer

Federalism

Answer

Popular sovereignty

Question 32

Which of these occurred as a result of the Fifteenth Amendment?

Accepted Answer

African American men voted in the 1872 presidential election.

Answer

African American families divided by slavery were reunited.

Answer

Newly free men and women were allowed to apply for U.S. citizenship.

Answer

Newly free men and women moved west to claim land.

Question 33

During the Constitutional Convention of 1787, George Mason argued —

Accepted Answer

against increased power for the national government

Answer

for the dissolution of state governments

Answer

for the creation of a strong executive branch

Answer

against the passage of a bill of rights

Question 34

This information was included in a slide-show presentation to a high school history class. Which document was the focus of this presentation?

Accepted Answer

The Articles of Confederation

Answer

The Declaration of Independence

Answer

The Mayflower Compact

Answer

The Virginia Declaration of Rights

Question 35

Which excerpt from the U.S. Constitution best illustrates the principle of popular sovereignty?

Accepted Answer

“The House of Representatives shall be composed of Members chosen every second Year by the People of the several States. . . .”

Answer

“The Times, Places and Manner of holding Elections for Senators and Representatives, shall be prescribed in each State by the Legislature thereof.”

Answer

“Each House shall be the Judge of the Elections, Returns and Qualifications of its own Members. . . .”

Answer

“The Senate shall chuse their other Officers, and also a President pro tempore. . . .”

Question 36

Which political idea was influenced by this provision of the Magna Carta?

Accepted Answer

Due process

Answer

Federalism

Answer

A bicameral legislature

Answer

The social contract

Question 37

The Twelfth Amendment established a new process for choosing a president and a vice president. The purpose of this amendment was to —

Accepted Answer

reduce the likelihood of disputed outcomes in presidential elections

Answer

ease the eligibility requirements for holding federal office

Answer

keep state officials from exerting undue influence on presidential elections

Answer

prevent the concentration of power in the executive branch

Question 38

Conflicting interpretations of this amendment played a major role in the —

Accepted Answer

Nullification Crisis

Answer

Bank War

Answer

XYZ Affair

Answer

Corrupt Bargain

Question 39

This provision is a response to which grievance from the Declaration of Independence?

Accepted Answer

“For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever . . .”

Answer

“He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records.”

Answer

“He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners.”

Answer

“For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government . . .”

Question 40

In Marbury v. Madison, the Supreme Court established a principle that would eventually be used by all courts to —

Accepted Answer

strike down any law that the court deems unconstitutional

Answer

mediate disputes related to commerce between states

Answer

overturn any impeachment that the court deems unsupported by evidence

Answer

decide the outcome of contested election results

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