Creating a Constitution

The Great Compromise overcame the obstacle of state representation by establishing

A. a unicameral Congress, with representation based on population.
B. a unicameral Congress, with an equal number of representatives from each state.
C. a bicameral Congress, with representation in one house restricted to large states.
D. a bicameral Congress, with representation in one house based on population.

D.

Which of the following best states the constitutional principle of limited government?

A. Government can only do what the courts give it authority to do.
B. Government can only do what legislators give it authority to do.
C. Government can only do what the people give it authority to do.
D. Government can only do what the president gives it authority to do.

C.

One purpose of the executive branch is to

A. interpret laws made by Congress.
B. command the armed forces.
C. create and pass new laws.
D. oversee a system of courts.

B.

At the Constitutional Convention, what proposal for state representation was supported by larger states but not by smaller ones?

A. the Virginia Plan
B. the Articles of Confederation
C. the New Jersey Plan
D. the Great Compromise

A.

The constitutional principles of limited government and popular sovereignty apply to

A. the federal government alone.
B. federal, state, and local governments.
C. federal and local governments only.
D. federal and state governments only.

B.

According to Article II of the Constitution, who represents the nation and creates policies?

A. the president
B. the Senate
C. the House of Representatives
D. the Supreme Court

A.

Both state and federal government have the power to

A. regulate interstate trade.
B. collect taxes.
C. negotiate treaties.
D. establish local governments.

B.

The main purpose of the legislative branch is to

A. interpret laws.
B. repeal laws.
C. enforce laws.
D. create laws.

D.

The purpose of the judicial branch is to

A. interpret laws.
B. revise laws.
C. enforce laws.
D. create laws.

A.

What does the Constitution state about the interaction of the judicial branch and new laws?

A. The judicial branch cannot overturn a new law without the approval of the executive branch.
B. The judicial branch can decide how the Constitution should be applied to new laws.
C. The judicial branch does not have the authority to repeal a law for five years.
D. The judicial branch cannot act upon a new law until a state court brings a case to the Supreme Court.

B.

During the Constitutional Convention, the Commerce and Slave Trade Compromise gave Congress the power to

A. choose its own members as well as the nation’s chief executive.
B. regulate commerce in both the North and the South, but could not yet regulate the slave trade.
C. amend the Constitution of the United States with a majority vote.
D. regulate commerce in the South, but not in the North.

B.

The US Constitution limits the power of the executive branch through

A. Congress and the Supreme Court.
B. the Articles of Confederation.
C. the Three-Fifths Compromise.
D. the armed forces.

A.

The Constitutional Convention’s dispute over state representation was settled by the

A. Great Compromise.
B. Three-Fifths Compromise.
C. Virginia Compromise.
D. Commerce and Slave Trade Compromise.

A.

Which of the following issues became an obstacle to the drafting of the United States Constitution?

A. whether to count enslaved people in the North as part of the population
B. how the votes of enslaved people should be counted when electing representatives
C. how to count enslaved people for purposes of state representation
D. whether to free enslaved people from plantations in the South

C.

Which of the following statements best describes the general process of how laws are made in the United States?

A. A law is created by Congress, signed by the president, and interpreted by the courts.
B. A law is created by the president, signed by the courts, and interpreted by Congress.
C. A law is created by the courts, signed by the president, and interpreted by Congress.
D. A law is created by the president, signed by Congress, and interpreted by the courts.

A.

Which of the following statements best describes how popular sovereignty applies to federalism?

A. The people elect local government representatives, who in turn choose national representatives.
B. The people elect representatives, who can only do what the people give them authority to do.
C. The people elect local government representatives, who gather to make federal laws.
D. The people elect representatives, who govern according to the people’s wishes.

D.