Unit 2 Test Bank – Amendment Questions
Bill of Rights – the First 10 Amendments:
1) Soon after the Constitution of the United States was ratified, the first ten amendments
were added because many citizens felt the need for
(1) strengthening the power of the federal courts
(2) ensuring the division of powers between the state and federal governments
(3) establishing a national bank
(4) protecting their liberties from abuses by the federal government
2) “The enumeration [listing] in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed
[interpreted] to deny or disparage [weaken] others retained by the people.”
— 9th Amendment to the United States Constitution
The most likely reason this amendment was included in the Bill of Rights was to
(1) increase federal power over the people
(2) expand state control over individual citizens
(3) protect rights beyond those listed in the Constitution
(4) prevent Congress from granting additional rights to individuals
3) The due process clause in the 5th Amendment and the right to an attorney in the 6th
Amendment were designed to
(1) protect freedom of expression
(2) assure that laws are properly enacted
(3) ensure fair treatment for those accused of crimes
(4) provide for judicial review of laws
4) The Bill of Rights was added to the United States Constitution to
(1) provide the president with the power to enforce the laws
(2) protect individuals’ civil liberties
(3) establish a presidential cabinet
(4) guarantee voting privileges to all citizens
5) “. . . Now, one of the most essential branches of English liberty is the freedom of one’s
house. A man’s house is his castle; and whilst he is quiet, he is as well guarded as a
prince in his castle. . . .”
James Otis, Against the Writs of Assistance, 1761
Which provision in the Bill of Rights includes this same belief?
(1) right to a fair trial
(2) protection against unreasonable search and seizure
(3) guarantee against double jeopardy
(4) prohibition of cruel and unusual punishment
6) Court decisions in the trial of John Peter Zenger (1735) and the case of New York
Times Co. v. United States (1971) strengthened
(1) freedom of religion
(2) freedom of the press
(3) due process rights
(4) the right to counsel
7) “It is not the cause of one poor printer, nor of New York alone, which you are now
trying. No! It may in its consequence affect every free man that lives under a British
government on the main [continent] of America. It is the best cause. It is the cause of
liberty. . . . Nature and the laws of our country have given us a right to liberty of both
exposing and opposing arbitrary power (in these parts of the world at least) by speaking
and writing the truth.”
— Andrew Hamilton, 1735
This courtroom summation helped establish which democratic principle in colonial
America?
(1) trial by jury
(2) equal voting rights
(3) protection of private property
(4) freedom of the press
8) “Illegally obtained evidence cannot be used in a court of law.”
This statement is based on a person’s constitutional right to
(1) face an accuser in open court
(2) protection against double jeopardy
(3) a speedy and public trial by an impartial jury
(4) protection against unreasonable searches and seizures
9) The constitutional basis for the separation of church and state is the
(1) establishment clause of the 1st Amendment
(2) double jeopardy provision of the 5th Amendment
(3) reserved powers of the 10th Amendment
(4) equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment
10) The first amendment of the Constitution deals primarily with
(1) states’ rights
(2) property rights
(3) rights of the accused
(4) rights of self-expression
11) The first amendment guarantee of freedom of speech was added to the United States
Constitution primarily because its supporters believed it was essential to
(1) discourage criticism of government policies
(2) ensure the functioning of democracy
(3) limit political debate in Congress
(4) encourage more candidates to run for office
12) “. . . no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, . . . and particularly
describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.”
This section of the 4th Amendment to the United States Constitution addresses the issue
of
(1) states’ rights
(2) separation of powers
(3) implied powers
(4) limits on governmental power
13) The basic purpose of the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution is to
(1) describe the powers of the three branches of government
(2) limit the powers of state governments
(3) guarantee the rights of individuals
(4) establish a system of checks and balances
Answers for Bill of Rights – the First 10 Amendments:
1) 4 2) 3 3) 3 4) 2 5) 2 6) 2 7) 4 8) 4 9) 1
12) 4 13) 3
10) 4 11) 2
Amendments 11 through 27:
1) Since the 1950s, no United States president has run for a third term as president
because
(1) vice presidents are usually eager to succeed presidents
(2) the public has not wanted a president to serve more than two terms
(3) opposition within each president’s political party has discouraged long tenure
in office
(4) a constitutional amendment was passed denying a president a third term in
office
2) Which long-awaited goal of the women’s rights movement was achieved during the
Progressive Era?
(1) right to vote
(2) right to own property
(3) equal pay for equal work
(4) equal access to employment and education
3) Before ratification of the 22nd amendment in 1951, most presidents served no more
than two terms because of
(1) a federal law
(2) a Supreme Court decision
(3) the elastic clause
(4) custom and tradition
4) In 1920, women gained the right to vote as a result of a
(1) presidential order
(2) Supreme Court decision
(3) national election
(4) constitutional amendment
5) The change to the direct election of senators, the lowering of the voting age to
eighteen, and the establishment of a two-term limit for presidents are all examples of the
use of
(1) judicial review
(2) checks and balances
(3) executive privilege
(4) the amendment process
6) “No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges . . . of
citizens . . . nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without
due process of law. . . .”
The major purpose of these provisions of the 14th Amendment was to
(1) limit the power of the federal government
(2) expand the civil rights of women
(3) maintain competition in business
(4) protect the rights of African Americans
7) The institution of slavery was formally abolished in the United States by the
(1) Compromise of 1850
(2) Emancipation Proclamation of 1863
(3) creation of the Freedmen’s Bureau in 1865
(4) ratification of the 13th amendment in 1865
8) Which topic has been the focus of four different amendments to the United States
Constitution?
(1) voting rights
(2) term limits on federal officeholders
(3) the electoral college
(4) prohibition of alcoholic beverages
9) The 14th and 15th Amendments, passed during Reconstruction, resulted in
(1) equal rights for women in the United States
(2) expanded rights for Native American Indians on reservations
(3) increased individual rights for African Americans
(4) additional rights for Southern segregationists
10) “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by
the United States or by any State on account of sex. . . .”
— 19th Amendment, United States Constitution
Which group of women worked for the passage of this amendment?
(1) Harriet Tubman, Jane Addams, and Dorothea Dix
(2) Susan B. Anthony, Carrie Chapman Catt, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton
(3) Madeline Albright, Geraldine Ferraro, and Sandra Day O’Connor
(4) Clara Barton, Amelia Earhart, and Eleanor Roosevelt
11) The ratification of the 26th amendment, which lowered the voting age to 18, was a
result of the
(1) participation of the United States in the Vietnam War
(2) fear of McCarthyism
(3) reaction to the launching of Sputnik by the Soviet Union
(4) reporting of the Watergate scandal
12) “I believe that our young people [18–20 years old] possess a great social conscience,
are perplexed by the injustices which exist in the world and are anxious to rectify
[correct] these ills.”
— Senator Jennings Randolph, 1971, The New York Times
Those who favor this point of view would likely have supported
(1) a constitutional amendment extending voting rights
(2) a presidential decision to raise speed limits
(3) a Supreme Court ruling to reverse desegregation
(4) a law passed by Congress to increase Social Security benefits
13) Reformers of the Progressive Era sought to reduce corruption in government by
adopting a constitutional amendment that provided for
(1) a maximum of two terms for presidents
(2) term limits on members of Congress
(3) voting rights for African Americans
(4) direct election of United States senators
14) The “Holy War” illustrated in the cartoon was an effort to
(1) recruit women soldiers
(2) promote world peace
(3) ban the sale of alcoholic beverages
(4) spread Christian religious beliefs
15) Women gained a victory in the “war” shown in the cartoon through the
(1) ratification of a constitutional amendment
(2) legalization of birth control
(3) expansion of missionary activities overseas
(4) repeal of national Prohibition
16) What does the map show about woman’s suffrage legislation before ratification of the
federal woman’s suffrage amendment in 1920?
(1) Opposition to woman’s suffrage was strongest in the New England states.
(2) New York was the first state to grant women the right to vote in state
elections.
(3) State legislatures never gave women the right to vote.
(4) Many western states granted women suffrage before passage of the 19th
amendment.
Answers for Amendments 11 through 27:
1) 4 2) 1 3) 4 4) 4 5) 4 6) 4 7) 4
12) 1 13) 4 14) 3 15) 1 16) 4
8) 1
9) 3
10) 2 11) 1