‎2.1 Pages 32-36

1) The right of eighteen-year-olds to vote in all elections was firmly established by
A) Article I of the Constitution.
B) Article II of the Constitution.
C) the Bill of Rights.
D) the Twenty-Sixth Amendment.
E) an act of Congress.

2) Which of the following accurately describes constitutional amendments?
A) Amending the Constitution is easy.
B) Amending the Constitution is difficult.
C) Amending the Constitution is frequently successful.
D) Very few constitutional amendments have been proposed.
E) Very few constitutional amendments have been sent to the states for ratification.

3) Why did the British Parliament enact the Sugar Act of 1764, which taxed goods imported by
the colonists such as sugar, wine, and coffee?
A) to punish the colonists for ʺtreacherous rebellions and insurrectionsʺ
B) to fund the Louisiana Purchase
C) to help pay for the French and Indian War
D) to discourage the use of ʺitems whose sinful nature compromises the sanctity of Her
Majestyʹs subjectsʺ
E) to provoke the colonists into rebellion

4) In 1765, American colonists were especially upset over
A) the Treaty of Paris.
B) the Stamp Act.
C) the Articles of Confederation.
D) the Magna Carta.
E) the Boston Tea Party.

5) A major complaint of the Sons of Liberty was
A) taxation without representation.
B) excessive immigration.
C) the selection of delegates to the Virginia House of Burgesses.
D) infrequent mail delivery from Britain.
E) the ineffectiveness of the Mayflower Compact.

6) How did Britain respond to the Boston Tea Party?
A) The king hosted his own British Tea Party in the English Channel.
B) The king ignored the incident and hoped the insurrection in the colonies would go away.
C) Parliament hired Indians to burn the property of Bostonʹs merchants.
D) Parliament enacted a law that blockaded Boston Harbor.
E) British soldiers were told disband the Sons of Liberty ʺby any means necessary, be they
legal or otherwise.ʺ

7) The First Continental Congress was most concerned about
A) the ongoing French and Indian War.
B) the extent of British authority over the colonies.
C) ensuring access to imported tea and sugar.
D) establishing a written Constitution for the newly united colonies.
E) punishing the Sons of Liberty for various illegal acts.

8) The First Continental Congress had delegates from
A) nine of the 13 colonies.
B) every colony except Georgia.
C) all 13 colonies.
D) all 13 colonies and the British Parliament.
E) all 13 colonies, the Indians, and the British Parliament.

9) Fighting in the American Revolution broke out in the battle at
A) Saratoga, New York.
B) Trenton, New Jersey.
C) Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts.
D) New York, New York.
E) Yorktown, Virginia.

10) In Common Sense, Thomas Paine argues
A) for independence from Great Britain.
B) in favor or mercantilism.
C) that Great Britain should use the might of the British military to keep the colonies in line.
D) in favor or quartering British soldiers.
E) for a colonial government with its capital in Washington.

‎2.2 Pages 36 to 43

1) The Declaration of Independence was drafted by
A) James Madison.
B) Thomas Jefferson.
C) George Washington.
D) John Stewart.
E) John Locke.

2) The Declaration of Independence contains
A) Hobbesʹs Second Treatise on Government.
B) the Bill of Rights.
C) arguments in support of the Constitution.
D) a list of complaints against the British government.
E) no references to Great Britain.

3) A type of government in which the national government is weaker than the sum of its parts is
called
A) a confederacy.
B) federalism.
C) a unitary system.
D) pluralism.
E) totalitarianism.

4) The government established after the Declaration of Independence was the
A) Constitution.
B) Federation Treaty.
C) Articles of Confederation.
D) Magna Carta.
E) Declaration of the Rights of Man.

5) Which of the following is a weakness of the Articles of Confederation?
A) The federal government had the power to regulate interstate commerce.
B) The federal government had the power to regulate commerce with foreign nations.
C) Congress collected excessive taxes from the states.
D) Congress could rarely muster a quorum.
E) Federal government spending was lavish.

6) Under the Articles of Confederation, the executive branch was
A) the workhorse of the federal government.
B) virtually nonexistent.
C) quite strong.
D) dominated by Torries.
E) responsible for enacting all laws.

7) The significance of Shaysʹs rebellion is that it
A) forced the banks to foreclose on delinquent farmsteads.
B) forced the banks to foreclose on delinquent merchants.
C) prevented Massachusetts from joining the Articles of Confederation.
D) established the principle of ʺno taxation without representation.ʺ
E) convinced the colonists that the Articles of Confederation were too weak.

8) What was the ʺsole and express purposeʺ for which the Constitutional Convention of 1787 was
called?
A) to declare independence from Great Britain
B) to revise the Articles of Confederation
C) to draft the Constitution
D) to draft the Bill of Rights
E) to find a way to quell Shaysʹs Rebellion

9) The Virginia Plan called for a national system with
A) a weak central government.
B) a single legislature with representation according to population.
C) a strong central government and a bicameral legislature.
D) equality among the states.
E) no state governments whatsoever.

10) The smaller states presented a plan at the Constitutional Convention advocating the
strengthening of the Articles of Confederation. The plan was presented by
A) Maine.
B) Rhode Island.
C) New Jersey.
D) Connecticut.
E) Virginia.

‎2.3 Pages 44 to 47

1) The most serious disagreement in the debate between large and small states at the
Constitutional Convention was the issue of
A) judicial power.
B) whether to create a republic or a monarchy.
C) taxation.
D) human rights.
E) representation in Congress.

2) A committee was appointed at the Constitutional Convention to work out the differences
between the proposals of large and small states; the result was the
A) Virginia Plan.
B) Maryland Plan.
C) Marshall Plan.
D) Congressional Compromise.
E) Great Compromise.

3) What was the Three-Fifths Compromise?
A) A three-fifths majority would be necessary to amend the constitution.
B) A three-fifths majority would be necessary to appoint members of the Supreme Court.
C) Three states would be ʺslave states,ʺ five states would be ʺfree states,ʺ and the remaining
states would be able to decide their own fate after 1820.
D) Each slave would count as three-fifths of one person for purposes of representation in
the House.
E) An agreement reached by three-fifths of the states to remove the Articles of
Confederation and write the Constitution.

4) How does the Electoral College work?
A) Each state determines how it will select its electors; electors then elect the president.
B) Voters elect electors to state conventions; state conventions then elect the president.
C) Congress selects a slate of electors; voters then select electors, who in turn elect the
president.
D) Voters elect electors; electors then select convention delegates, who in turn elect the
president.
E) Congress selects presidential candidates; voters then elect the president.

5) Who has the sole responsibility to hold the impeachment trial for a president who has been
accused of ʺTreason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanorsʺ?
A) the Electoral College
B) the House of Representatives
C) the Senate
D) the associate justices serving on the Supreme Court
E) the presidentʹs cabinet

6) A governmental structure that gives each of the three branches some degree of oversight and
control of each other is called
A) federalism.
B) command and control.
C) oversight powers.
D) incrementalism.
E) checks and balances.

7) The principles of separation of powers and checks and balances originated with
A) Machiavelli.
B) Rousseau.
C) Montesquieu.
D) Chanakya.
E) Voltaire.

8) A system of government in which power is divided between the state and national
governments is called a
A) federal system.
B) parliamentary system.
C) unitary system.
D) pluralistic system.
E) functionalist system.

9) The federal governmentʹs primary lawmaking authority rests with
A) the federal bureaucracy.
B) the judiciary.
C) Congress.
D) the president.
E) state legislatures.

10) When drafting the Constitution, the Framers were careful to create a government that did
NOT
A) separate powers.
B) check the powers of various branches.
C) balance the powers of the various branches.
D) reach politically viable compromises.
E) concentrate powers.

‎2.4 pages 47-57

1) Immediately after the Constitution was adopted, how were Senators selected?
A) by lot
B) by the House of Representatives
C) by state legislatures
D) by popular statewide elections
E) by the Supreme Court

2) Which of the following is an executive branch check on the legislative branch?
A) declaring executive branch actions unconstitutional
B) changing the number of federal courts
C) changing the jurisdiction of federal courts
D) refusing to implement judicial branch decisions
E) calling Congress into special session

3) The legislative branch is established in
A) Article I.
B) Article II.
C) Article III.
D) Article IV.
E) Article V.

4) What is the significance of the elastic clause?
A) It has been the basis for many implied powers for the federal government.
B) It has been the basis for many implied powers for the state government.
C) It has been the basis for many enumerated powers for the federal government.
D) It has been the basis for many enumerated powers for the state government.
E) It has been the basis for many enumerated powers for both the federal and state
governments.

5) The proposed ʺEqual Opportunity to Governʺ Amendment would most clearly benefit
A) Democratic presidential aspirants.
B) Republican presidential aspirants.
C) third party presidential aspirants.
D) congressional aspirants who are naturalized citizens.
E) presidential aspirants who are naturalized citizens.

6) Who is the commander in chief of the armed forces?
A) the secretary of state
B) the secretary of defense
C) the chair of the joint chiefs of staff
D) the vice president
E) the president

7) What does the supremacy clause say?
A) All elected officeholders must express belief in a supreme power.
B) The federal government can not discriminate on the basis of belief in a supreme power.
C) The Senate is more powerful than the House of Representatives.
D) The House of Representatives is more powerful than the Senate.
E) Legitimate federal laws supersede state laws.

8) When comparing the U.S. Constitution with the Iraqi Constitution, which of the following
statements is false?
A) Both establish a federal system.
B) Both attempt to create a system that accommodates the interests of states of different
sizes.
C) Both attempt to create a system that accommodates regional interests.
D) Both create democratic governmental systems.
E) Both prohibit the government from establishing an official religion.

9) Those who favored ratification of the newly drafted Constitution were known as
A) Torries.
B) Carpetbaggers.
C) Scalawags.
D) Anti-Federalists.
E) Federalists.

10) The Anti-Federalists feared that the newly drafted Constitution would create
A) a confederacy.
B) an endless series of amendments.
C) a strong central government.
D) checks and balances.
E) a separation of powers.

‎2.5 pages 54-62

1) The series of 85 political papers written by John Jay, Alexander Hamilton, and James Madison
in support of ratification of the Constitution were called the
A) Pennsylvania Packet.

B) Federalist Papers.
C) Anti-Federalist Papers.
D) Ratification Debates.
E) Articles of Confederation.

2) The Anti-Federalists were concerned that the newly drafted Constitution did not protect
individual liberties. How was this concern addressed?
A) with the libertarian amendments
B) with the Anti-Federalist amendments
C) with the Bill of Rights
D) with the inclusion of checks and balances
E) through persuasive arguments printed in Publiusʹs Pamphlets

3) The amendment process established in Article V of the Constitution is a
A) fairly easy procedure.
B) two-stage process of proposal and ratification.
C) single-stage process that uses national constitutional conventions.
D) two-stage process with ratification by Congress and validation by the Supreme Court.
E) three-stage process involving state legislatures, Congress, and a majority of voters in a
nationwide referendum.

4) The Twenty-Seventh Amendment was added to the Constitution in 1992. What does the
amendment do?
A) mandates the use of primaries and caucuses for selecting presidential candidates
B) raises the drinking age to twenty-one
C) lowers the voting age to eighteen
D) mandates that congressional pay raises can not take effect until after the next election
E) prevents discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, veteran status,
gender, or age

5) Which of the following best describes the success of recent efforts to ban same-sex marriage?
A) The Senate has consistently voted for a constitutional ban, but the House has not.
B) Congress has passed an amendment banning same-sex marriage, but it has not been
ratified by the requisite number of states.
C) Nearly all efforts to ban same-sex marriage have failed.
D) Most Americans believe that the government should permit same-sex marriage.
E) Several states have passed bans on same-sex marriage.

2001 FRQ on Amending the Constitution

Two formal ways of amending the constitution are having the amendment proposed by 2/3 of both houses of Congress and ¾ of state legislatures ratify the amendment. This way has happened 27 times. The second way is having the amendment proposed by 2/3 of both houses and ¾ of special state conventions ratifying , as with the repeal of prohibition.


Two informal ways to change the constitution are by using the elastic/”necessary and proper” clause or by Supreme Court decisions. The elastic clause was used in expanding the role of Congress in interstate commerce. Congress can now regulate anything that crosses state borders. Supreme Court decisions have been used to change the meaning of the Constitution like in cases where they nationalized the Bill of Rights through the 14th Amendment. The elastic clause states that congress can do anything “necessary and proper” to carry out their expressed powers.


Informal methods are used most often because it takes much less work than formal methods. A lot of support is needed to add an amendment to the Constitution. It is much less difficult to change the Constitution with the elastic clause or Supreme Court decisions.

Why We Have a House and a Senate-Questions for Tomorrow

Why We Have a House and Senate
Driven by Their Differences



Why do we have two chambers in Congress, the House1 and Senate2? Since members of both are elected by, and represent the people, wouldn't the lawmaking process be more efficient if bills were considered by only one body?


While it may appear clumsy and often overly time-consuming, the two-chamber or "bicameral" setup of Congress works today exactly the way a majority of the Founding Fathers envisioned in 1787. Clearly expressed in the Constitution is the Founders' belief that power should be shared among all units of government. Dividing Congress into two chambers, with the positive vote of both required to approve legislation, is a natural extension of the Founders' concept of employing "checks and balances" to prevent tyranny. The Founding Fathers explain the formation of Congress to the people in the Federalist Papers 52-663.

Why are the House and Senate so Different?

Have you ever noticed that major bills are often debated and voted on by the House in a single day, while the Senate's deliberations on the same bill take weeks? Again, this reflects the Founding Fathers' intent that the House and Senate not be carbon-copies of each other. By designing differences into the House and Senate, the Founders assured that all legislation would be carefully considered, taking both the short and long-term effects into account.


Why are the Differences Important?
The Founders intended that the House be seen as more closely representing the will of the people than the Senate.
To this end, they provided that members of the House - U.S. Representatives - be elected by and represent limited groups of citizens living in small geographically defined districts within each state. Senators, on the other hand, are elected by and represent all voters of their state. When the House considers a bill, individual members tend to base their votes primarily on how the bill might impact the people of their local district, while Senators tend to consider how the bill would impact the nation as a whole. This is just as the Founders intended.


All members of the House are up for election every two years. In effect, they are always running for election. This insures that members will maintain close personal contact with their local constituents, thus remaining constantly aware of their opinions and needs, and better able to act as their advocates in Washington. Elected for six-year terms, Senators remain somewhat more insulated from the people, thus less likely to be tempted to vote according to the short-term passions of public opinion.


By setting the constitutionally-required minimum age for Senators at 304, as opposed to 25 for members of the House5, the Founders hoped Senators would be more likely to consider the long-term effects of legislation and practice a more mature, thoughtful and deeply deliberative approach in their deliberations. Setting aside the validity of this "maturity" factor, the Senate undeniably does take longer to consider bills, often brings up points not considered by the House and just as often votes down bills passed easily by the House.


A famous (though perhaps fictional) simile often quoted to point out the differences between the House and Senate involves an argument between George Washington, who favored having two chambers of Congress and Thomas Jefferson, who believed a second chamber to be unnecessary. The story goes that the two Founders were arguing the issue while drinking coffee. Suddenly, Washington asked Jefferson, "Why did you pour that coffee into your saucer?" "To cool it," replied Jefferson. "Even so," said Washington, "we pour legislation into the senatorial saucer to cool it."


Why we Have a House and Senate Questions

1. Why is having a House and Senate in the words of the article’s author, a “natural extension of the Founder’s belief in “checks and balances to prevent tyranny?”


2. How does the length of time a bill is debated and voted on in each chamber reflect the differences between the design of the House and Senate?


3. How did the Founders intend the House to be different from the Senate? What was the House supposed to more closely resemble?


4. What different considerations does a bill have in terms of its impact when comparing the House and the Senate?


5. What impacts do the election of House and Senate members have in terms of their respective constituents?


6. How did the Founders’ reason the age of House and Senate members would work?


7. Explain Washington’s coffee pouring metaphor