Foundations of Government
What are rights that people are born with called?
A. Rights given only to voters
B. Rights people are born with
C. Rights created by Congress
D. Rights given only to states
Answer: B — Rights people are born with
What were the Articles of Confederation?
A. The Bill of Rights
B. The current Constitution
C. The first U.S. government plan
D. The Federalist Papers
Answer: C — The first U.S. government plan
What rebellion showed that the national government was too weak?
A. Shays' Rebellion
B. Boston Tea Party
C. Whiskey Rebellion
D. Lexington Rebellion
Answer: A — Shays' Rebellion
What was the original purpose of the Constitutional Convention?
A. Write the Bill of Rights
B. Elect a president
C. Create new states
D. Fix the Articles of Confederation
Answer: D — Fix the Articles of Confederation
What did the Great Compromise create?
A. A national court system
B. A two-house Congress
C. A one-house Congress
D. A new presidency
Answer: B — A two-house Congress
According to John Locke, which are natural rights?
A. Speech, voting, and privacy
B. Safety, equality, and religion
C. Voting, property, and education
D. Life, liberty, and property
Answer: D — Life, liberty, and property
Under the Articles, how many votes did each state have in Congress?
A. One vote
B. Two votes
C. Three votes
D. Votes based on population
Answer: A — One vote
How many states had to agree to change the Articles of Confederation?
A. Seven states
B. Nine states
C. All 13 states
D. Ten states
Answer: C — All 13 states
Which plan was supported mostly by larger states?
A. New Jersey Plan
B. Virginia Plan
C. Great Compromise
D. Articles Plan
Answer: B — Virginia Plan
Representation in the House of Representatives is based on:
A. Population
B. Equal state votes
C. Land area
D. State age
Answer: A — Population
What does popular sovereignty mean?
A. The people hold political power
B. Judges hold political power
C. States control all government
D. The president holds all power
Answer: A — The people hold political power
Under the Articles of Confederation, most government power belonged to:
A. Congress
B. The president
C. The courts
D. The states
Answer: D — The states
Which two separate national branches did NOT exist under the Articles?
A. State and local
B. Executive and judicial
C. House and Senate
D. Legislative and executive
Answer: B — Executive and judicial
The Virginia Plan wanted representation based on:
A. Equal votes
B. State size
C. Population
D. State age
Answer: C — Population
Which group worried that the national government might become too powerful?
A. Federalists
B. Delegates
C. Representatives
D. Anti-Federalists
Answer: D — Anti-Federalists
What does rule of law mean?
A. Only citizens must obey laws
B. States may ignore federal laws
C. Everyone must obey the law
D. Leaders may change laws anytime
Answer: C — Everyone must obey the law
Which was a weakness of Congress under the Articles?
A. It controlled state elections
B. It could not effectively collect taxes
C. It had too many national courts
D. It controlled all interstate trade
Answer: B — It could not effectively collect taxes
Why was Congress's inability to collect taxes a major problem?
A. States could not elect governors
B. Citizens could not own property
C. Courts could not hear cases
D. The government struggled to raise money
Answer: D — The government struggled to raise money
Which plan gave each state equal representation?
A. New Jersey Plan
B. Virginia Plan
C. Federalist Plan
D. Three-Fifths Plan
Answer: A — New Jersey Plan
What does ratification mean?
A. Writing a document
B. Changing a law
C. Official approval
D. Rejecting a proposal
Answer: C — Official approval
A government leader says, “Because I am in charge, the law does not apply to me.” Which principle is being violated?
A. Popular sovereignty
B. Rule of law
C. Representative government
D. Consent of the governed
Answer: B — Rule of law
Why did Americans originally create a weak national government?
A. They wanted a king
B. They disliked state governments
C. They feared a powerful central government
D. They wanted Congress to control everything
Answer: C — They feared a powerful central government
How did problems under the Articles help lead to the Constitutional Convention?
A. Leaders believed the government needed to be stronger
B. Leaders wanted each state to become independent
C. Leaders wanted to eliminate Congress completely
D. Leaders believed the Articles worked too well
Answer: A — Leaders believed the government needed to be stronger
A delegate says, “My small state deserves the same voice as a large state.” Which plan would the delegate support?
A. Virginia Plan
B. Great Compromise only
C. Three-Fifths Compromise
D. New Jersey Plan
Answer: D — New Jersey Plan
How did the Great Compromise settle the disagreement between large and small states?
A. Both houses used population
B. The House used population and the Senate gave states equal representation
C. Both houses gave every state one vote
D. Small states controlled the House while large states controlled the Senate
Answer: B — The House used population and the Senate gave states equal representation