STANDARD 11.1 ASSESSMENT
Name:
Date:
Choose the letter of the best answer.
1. Enlightenment thinkers stressed all of the following except
A. the use of reason.
B. the scientific method.
C. the importance of the individual.
D. the randomness or unpredictability of the natural world.
Period:
2. The Northwest Ordinance of 1787
A. claimed all lands west of the Appalachian mountains for the United States.
B. established a plan for dividing the land west of the Appalachian mountains.
C. established procedures by which the original states could legalize claims to western lands.
D. all of the above.
3. The Great Compromise proposed that a state's representation in the House of Representatives would be
determined by
A. the size of the state's population.
B. the size of the state's slave population.
C. the size of the state's land area.
D. the number of women and children in the state.
4. The delegates established a system of checks and balances to
A. limit the authority of the national government.
B. ensure a way of changing the Constitution.
C. prevent any one federal branch from dominating the other two.
D. stop the spread of slavery into the western territories.
5. Ratification of the Constitution required approval by
A. seven states.
B. nine states.
C. all thirteen states.
D. the executive branch.
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STANDARD 11.1 ASSESSMENT
6. The elastic clause in the Constitution allows for
A. limiting the power of the government.
B. flexibility to meet the changing needs of the people.
C. detailed descriptions of the powers of each branch of government.
D. the executive and judicial branches to exchange powers.
7. Who wrote a pamphlet called Common Sense arguing that the time had come for American independence?
A. General Thomas Gage
B. John Locke
C. Samuel Adams
D. Thomas Paine
8. What power did the Articles of Confederation give to the national government?
A. declare war
B. collect taxes
C. develop a national court system
D. enforce laws
9. What is the name of the system that maintains the separation of powers among the branches of the federal
government?
A. reserved powers
B. delegated powers
C. checks and balances
D. two-house Congress
10. Which group largely supported adding a bill of rights to the Constitution?
A. small states
B. large states
C. Federalists
D. Antifederalists
If the statement is true, write "true". If it is false, write “false”.
11. The Stamp Act placed a tax on goods imported from Britain, including glass, paper, paint, and tea.
12. The colonies' response to the Intolerable Acts was the assembling of the First Continental Congress.
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STANDARD 11.1 ASSESSMENT
13. English philosopher Thomas Paine's Enlightenment ideas of unalienable rights and a social contract were
incorporated into Thomas Jefferson's Declaration of Independence.
14. The Articles of Confederation, approved by all thirteen states, set up a Congress in which each state had
one vote.
15. Nine states needed to ratify the Constitution for it to become the law of the land.
16. The proposal for a two-house legislature with one house having equal representation for each state and the
other having representation based on population was known as the Three-Fifths Compromise.
17. Fear of a strong central government was the primary reason for the adoption of the Northwest Ordinance.
18. The central government's use of force during the Whiskey Rebellion would have been strongly supported
by the Democratic-Republican Party.
Choose the letter of the best answer.
19. Colonial opposition to the Stamp Act was stronger than opposition to the Sugar Act because
A. merchants feared reduced profits.
B. the Stamp Act included a tax on newspapers.
C. the Stamp Act affected colonists directly.
D. the Sugar Act actually reduced the tax on molasses.
20. One direct result of the Intolerable Acts was
A. the Boston Tea Party.
B. the formation of the First Continental Congress.
C. the Battle of Bunker Hill.
D. outrage over the Boston Massacre.
21. The argument against tyranny found in Common Sense was supported by
A. Patriots.
B. those who favored the Olive Branch Petition.
C. General Thomas Gage.
D. Loyalists.
22. The result of Shay’s Rebellion was to demonstrate that
A. the government set up by the Articles of Confederation was ineffective.
B. the government could function effectively in a time of crisis.
C. individual states had too much power.
D. citizens will always protest new taxes.
23. The use of an electoral college to select a president was
A. an attempt to weaken the executive branch of government.
B. favored by states with large populations.
C. unsuccessful and quickly abandoned.
D. an attempt to limit the power of the masses.
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STANDARD 11.1 ASSESSMENT
24. The Bill of Rights was added to the Constitution in order to
A. protect the rights of black Americans.
B. protect the rights of women.
C. strengthen the authority of the central government.
D. appease the Antifederalists' concern over individual rights.
25. The creation of three departments in the executive branch of government illustrated the new nation's
concern about all of the following except
A. the economy.
B. education.
C. the military.
D. foreign affairs.
26. The principle of nullification was a reaction to
A. the Alien and Sedition Acts.
B. the XYZ Affair.
C. the Bill of Rights.
D. the two-party system.
Read each statement. If it is true, write "true". If it is false, write "false."
27. The Preamble describes the Constitution as an agreement among the thirteen original states.
28. The Elastic Clause allows the legislature to expand its powers as needed to execute the powers specifically
listed in the Constitution.
29. Before the Bill of Rights was added, the Constitution did not define any rights of citizens.
30. The ability of Congress to override a president's veto is an example of checks and balances.
31. The First Amendment guarantees the right to freedom of speech.
32. The Bill of Rights establishes three branches of government.
33. Three amendments to the Constitution were repealed by other amendments.
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STANDARD 11.1 ASSESSMENT
Answer the following question below.
34. The Constitution gave the national government – not the individual states – the power to regulate interstate
commerce and to make treaties with foreign governments. Explain why it is logical for the national
government to have these powers instead of the individual states.
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STANDARD 11.1 ASSESSMENT
Answer Key
1. D. the randomness or unpredictability of the natural world.
2. B. established a plan for dividing the land west of the Appalachian mountains.
3. A. the size of the state's population.
4. C. prevent any one federal branch from dominating the other two.
5. B. nine states.
6. B. flexibility to meet the changing needs of the people.
7. D. Thomas Paine
8. A. declare war
9. C. checks and balances
10. D. Antifederalists
11. False
12. True
13. False
14. True
15. True
16. False
17. False
18. False
19. C. the Stamp Act affected colonists directly.
20. B. the formation of the First Continental Congress.
21. A. Patriots.
22. A. the government set up by the Articles of Confederation was ineffective.
23. D. an attempt to limit the power of the masses.
24. D. appease the Antifederalists' concern over individual rights.
25. B. education.
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STANDARD 11.1 ASSESSMENT
26. A. the Alien and Sedition Acts.
27. False
28. True
29. False
30. True
31. True
32. False
33. False
34. Complete answers should include the following points:
They involve the needs of the American people as a whole rather than as citizens of individual states.
It would be extremely complicated and inefficient to have different laws or policies regarding these issues in
different states.
Giving these powers to the states could cause controversy among the states.
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