10/20/21, 9:14 AM
Chapter Summary: The U.S. Constitution
Chapter Summary: The U.S. Constitution
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INSTRUCTIONS
Check your understanding with this practice assessment.
1. Which example illustrates the Constitution’s checks and balances in action?
A. A president vetoes a bill passed by Congress.
B. A Republican governor appoints an adviser from the Democratic party.
C. A Senate committee rejects a bill passed by the House of Representatives.
D. A local newspaper publishes a story exposing corruption in the state General Assembly.
2. Which statement explains how the rule of law protects citizens from abusive uses of government power?
A. The president vetoes new laws passed by Congress.
B. Elected officials have to follow the same laws as the people.
C. Judges can selectively enforce laws to control other officials.
D. The president is responsible for enforcing violations of the law.
3. Which statement best describes the position of the Anti-Federalists?
A. The Bill of Rights does not effectively limit the power of the government.
B. The Bill of Rights prevents states from governing according to the people’s will.
C. The Constitution creates a government that will violate state and individual rights.
D. The Constitution needs to assign more power to the courts to keep Congress and the president in
check.
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Chapter Summary: The U.S. Constitution
4. Which action can state governments take to propose an amendment to the U.S. Constitution?
A. organize a convention of state legislatures
B. begin negotiations with the federal government
C. hold a referendum open to all of the state’s voters
D. present an amendment for congressional ratification
5. Which statement explains how Shays’s Rebellion contributed to support for the Constitutional Convention?
A. It showed tension between states that could lead to civil war.
B. It exposed the dangers of unrestricted rights in a divided nation.
C. It showed great anger with laws enacted by the national legislature.
D. It exposed the weakness of the national government in handling crises.
6. The Declaration of Independence includes which complaint against King George III?
A. He made colonists sell their goods in foreign markets.
B. He forced the colonists to sit on juries for lengthy trials.
C. He outlawed groups that did not follow the state church.
D. He dissolved the representative legislatures of various colonies.
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Chapter Summary: The U.S. Constitution
7. Which statement explains a reason why the Framers made the Constitution difficult to amend?
A. Since political parties can benefit from amendments, only amendments supported by both parties
should be passed.
B. As state governments have less power than the federal government, it is important that they be
allowed to work together in the amendment process.
C. As amendments could alter the balance of power among government branches, it is important that all
branches have the option to stop the process.
D. Since amendments can change the relationship between citizens and the government, only
amendments that are overwhelmingly supported should be passed.
8. Which phrase describes the separation of powers found in the Constitution?
A. compelling all branches of government to work together
B. dividing authority among co-equal branches of government
C. giving one branch of government authority over other branches
D. ensuring that each branch of government performs similar functions
9. The statement below is from the United States Bill of Rights (1791).
“The powers not delegated to the United States by
the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States,
are reserved to the States respectively, or to the
people.”
-Amendment 10 to the U.S. Constitution
In which way does the Tenth Amendment limit the powers of the federal government?
A. It assigns specific powers to state governments.
B. It determines which powers are the most important.
C. It denies the federal government all powers within the states.
D. It prevents the federal government from assuming additional powers.
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Chapter Summary: The U.S. Constitution
10. The excerpt below is from the Federalist Papers.
"[European dislike of the U.S.] will naturally indicate
the policy of fostering divisions among us, and of
[taking from] us, as far as possible… an ACTIVE
COMMERCE in our own [ports]. This would answer
the threefold purpose of preventing our interference
in their [shipping], of monopolizing the profits of our
trade, and of clipping the wings by which we might
soar to a dangerous greatness…
If we continue united, we may counteract a policy so
unfriendly to our prosperity in a variety of ways."
-Alexander Hamilton, Federalist Papers No. 11,
edited for modern spelling
This excerpt argues that a federal Constitution could solve what problem?
A. European use of trade power to cause a breakup of the United States
B. European manufactured goods becoming popular in American markets
C. European refusal to send ships to trade in the ports of the United States
D. European nations using their greater resources to control American trade
11. Why did the Anti-Federalists support the inclusion of the Bill of Rights in the Constitution?
A. to ensure equal rights among people in different states
B. to prevent the federal government from overstepping its authority
C. to ensure that the judicial branch could check the legislature’s power
D. to prevent interference by the federal government in the affairs of states
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Chapter Summary: The U.S. Constitution
12. The statement below is from the Anti-Federalist Papers (1788).
“The liberties of a people are in danger from a large standing army…
because the rulers may employ them for the purposes of supporting
themselves in any [seizure] of power…”
-Anti-Federalist Papers, Brutus No. 10
Which Federalist belief shows disagreement with this statement?
A. The president would not allow a standing army to support a rebellion.
B. A standing army would be more likely to protect the rights of the people.
C. A responsible federal government would not want to raise a standing army.
D. The legislature could effectively limit the power of a standing army by passing laws.
13. Which statement describes the difference between concurrent powers and reserved powers in a federal system?
A. Reserved powers are kept for the state/local governments, and concurrent powers belong to the
national government.
B. Concurrent powers are shared between the levels of government, and reserved powers are kept
exclusively for the state and local governments.
C. Reserved powers are responsibilities that only the national government exercises, and concurrent
powers are shared powers between all levels.
D. Concurrent powers are shared between the different levels of government, and reserved powers are
kept only for the national government.
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Chapter Summary: The U.S. Constitution
14. The excerpt below is from the Articles of Confederation (1777).
“And the Articles of this Confederation shall be…
observed by every State…nor shall any alteration at
any time hereafter be made in any of them; unless
such alteration be agreed to in a Congress of the
United States, and be afterwards confirmed by the
legislatures of every State.”
-Article XIII
The excerpt best supports which statement about the Articles of Confederation?
A. It gave equal power over the Articles to each state regardless of population.
B. It was extremely difficult to make changes to the Articles in response to new challenges.
C. It weakened states’ authority by giving Congress the power to begin altering the Articles.
D. It prevented the central government under the Articles from levying taxes in times of war.
15. The statement below regarding the proposed Bill of Rights is from the Federalist Papers (1788).
“Why, for instance, should it be said that the liberty of the press shall
not be restrained, when no power is given by which restrictions may
be imposed?”
-Alexander Hamilton, Federalist Papers No. 84
Which statement describes how an Anti-Federalist would have responded to the argument made in the excerpt?
A. The Constitution’s commerce power could allow Congress to place limits on a free press.
B. Future amendments to the Constitution could increase the power of the government to place limits on
the free press.
C. Supporters of the Constitution secretly believed the government should be authorized to place limits
on the free press.
D. The Constitution’s lack of proper checks and balances within the federal government could result in
the government placing limits on the free press.
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Chapter Summary: The U.S. Constitution
16. The text below is an excerpt from the U.S. Constitution.
The Congress… shall propose Amendments to this
Constitution, or… shall call a Convention for
proposing Amendments, which, in either Case, shall
be valid to all Intents and Purposes, as Part of this
Constitution, when ratified by the legislatures of
three fourths of the several states…
- Article V, Constitution of the United States (1787)
Which statement explains why the underlined portion of the excerpt added to the Constitution?
A. State governments feared that the central government could strip them of their powers.
B. State legislatures needed assurance that states would always have veto power over federal
lawmaking.
C. State governments wanted the popular vote of the people to have more importance to the federal
system.
D. State legislatures worried that a state’s governor could overturn the will of the people regarding the
federal constitution.
17. According to the Declaration of Independence, how do humans acquire “certain inalienable rights”?
A. They fight wars for them.
B. They are born with them.
C. They receive them from governments.
D. They earn them by increasing their social status.
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Chapter Summary: The U.S. Constitution
18. The statement below is from the Supreme Court decision Marbury v. Madison (1803).
“It is emphatically the province and duty of the Judicial Department
to say what the law is. Those who apply the rule to particular cases
must, of necessity, expound and interpret that rule. If two laws
conflict with each other, the Courts must decide on the operation of
each.”
-Chief Justice John Marshall
Based on the excerpt, how did the Marbury v. Madison decision limit government power?
A. It prevented the executive branch from enforcing two conflicting laws.
B. It granted the legislature authority to pass laws affecting court operations.
C. It allowed the judicial branch to review laws passed by the legislative branch.
D. It affirmed the equality of each branch of government when laws are incompatible.
19. Which phrase best explains why the Anti-Federalists insisted upon adding the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution?
A. to maintain national control of all concurrent powers instead of sharing them with the states
B. to address concerns that the states would not have enough power to fulfill their responsibilities
C. to enumerate powers given to the states, while leaving fewer responsibilities for the national
government
D. to ensure that the national government’s powers were limited, so that it would not become tyrannical
20. Which statement best defines federalism?
A. It is the sharing of power among multiple central governments
B. It is the sharing of power between central and state governments
C. It is the distribution of power among different state governments
D. It is the distribution of power between state and local governments
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Chapter Summary: The U.S. Constitution
21. The quotation below is from the Declaration of Independence.
“He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing
armies without the Consent of our legislatures...”
Based on the quotation, what did the colonists believe about King George III?
A. They believed that he violated their natural rights.
B. They believed that he tried to influence their elections.
C. They believed that he wanted to take away privately held land.
D. They believed that he wanted to start a war with the native tribes.
22. How does a federal system of government limit the roles and responsibilities of each level of government?
A. The state and local governments delegate certain tasks to the national government.
B. The state and local governments have more political power than the national government.
C. The national government has some responsibilities and the state and local governments have others.
D. The national government has all of the power and delegates certain tasks to state and local
governments.
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9/11
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Chapter Summary: The U.S. Constitution
23. The excerpt below is from Statement on Signing the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013 from
President Barack Obama.
"As my Administration previously informed the
Congress, certain provisions in this bill…could
interfere with my constitutional authority to conduct
the foreign relations of the United States. In these
instances, my Administration will interpret and
implement these provisions in a manner that does
not interfere with my constitutional authority to
conduct diplomacy."
—President Barack Obama
Based on the excerpt, why does the president have the authority to choose how to implement provisions of bills that he
or she signs into law?
A. The president is more powerful than the Congress.
B. The president is responsible for interpreting the Constitution.
C. The president is required to sign all bills that are passed by Congress.
D. The president is obligated to follow the Constitution when carrying out executive powers.
24. The quotation below is from Federalist #3 (1787), written by John Jay.
“Not a single Indian war has yet been occasioned by
aggressions of the present [government]; but there
are several instances of Indian hostilities having
been provoked by the improper conduct of individual
States…”
The issue described in the excerpt is evidence of which problem with the Articles of Confederation?
A. the nation’s inability to bring criminals to justice if they cross state boundaries
B. the nation’s failure to provide funding for a standing army strong enough to fight off attackers
C. the central government’s lack of authority to address issues that affected the entire nation’s policies
D. the central government’s lack of ability to raise taxes to deal with problems caused by the nation’s
growth
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Chapter Summary: The U.S. Constitution
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