Name _________________________________ Class ____________________ Date ______________________
Origins of American Government
Chapter Test
MULTIPLE CHOICE For each of the following, write the letter of the best choice in the
space provided.
____ 1. Parliament imposed a series of
taxes on the colonies beginning
in 1764 in order to
a. help pay Britain’s debts
resulting from the French
and Indian War.
b. help pay for King George
III’s new palace.
c. obtain funds for another
war against France.
d. discourage immigration to
the colonies.
____ 2. Which of the following was a
weakness of the Articles of
Confederation?
a. Congress lacked the power
to tax.
b. Congress was not allowed
to coin money.
c. Congress was not allowed
to conduct foreign policy.
d. The president had too much
power.
____ 3. The Framers took the idea of
separation of powers from
which philosopher?
a. Machiavelli
b. Montesquieu
c. Locke
d. Voltaire
____ 4. Why did large states favor the
Virginia Plan?
a. It was proposed by James
Madison.
b. Representation in the
legislature would be based
on population.
c. It solved the debate over
counting enslaved people
for representation.
d. Representation in the
legislature would be equal
for all states.
____ 5. According to the Three-Fifths
Compromise, three-fifths of a
state’s slave population would
be
a. ignored when determining
representation in Congress.
b. subtracted from a state’s
population to determine
representation in Congress.
c. counted when determining
representation in Congress.
d. added to the slave
population to determine
representation in Congress.
Original content Copyright © by Holt McDougal. Additions and changes to the original content are the responsibility of the instructor.
Chapter 2
Origins of American Government
Name _________________________________ Class ____________________ Date ______________________
Chapter Test
Origins of American Government continued
PRACTICING SOCIAL STUDIES SKILLS Study the map and read the passage below.
Then answer the questions that follow.
____ 6. In which state was the Federalist case strongest?
a. New Jersey
b. North Carolina
c. New York
d. Maine
“My political curiosity . . . leads me to ask, who authorized them to
speak the language of ‘We, the People,’ instead of ‘We, the States?’”
—Patrick Henry, June 4, 1788
____ 7. What document is Patrick Henry talking about?
a. Declaration of Independence
b. Articles of Confederation
c. Declaration and Resolves
d. Constitution
Original content Copyright © by Holt McDougal. Additions and changes to the original content are the responsibility of the instructor.
Chapter 2
Origins of American Government
Name _________________________________ Class ____________________ Date ______________________
Chapter Test
Origins of American Government continued
MATCHING In the space provided, write the letter of the term that matches each
description. Some answers will not be used.
____ 8. One of the earliest English efforts toward
limited government
a. Antifederalists
b. charter colony
____ 9. Opposed ratification of the Constitution
c. Bill of Rights
____ 10. Combined elements from both the Virginia
and New Jersey Plans
____ 11. Essays written in support of the ratification
of the Constitution
d. proprietary colony
e. Federalist Papers
f. Northwest Ordinance
____ 12. Type of colony enjoying greatest
independence from the Crown
____ 13. Passed by Great Britain’s Parliament in the
Glorious Revolution
____ 14. Created a system for admitting new states to
the Union
____ 15. The nation’s first constitution, adopted June
12, 1777
____ 16. Settled disagreement about how enslaved
people should be counted in calculating
congressional representation
g. Magna Carta
h. Federalists
i. Three-Fifths
Compromise
j. Articles of Confederation
k. English Bill of Rights
l. Great Compromise
____ 17. First 10 amendments to the Constitution
FILL IN THE BLANK For each of the following statements, fill in the blank with the
appropriate word, phrase, or name.
18. _________________________ colonies were directly controlled by the king through
an appointed governor who served as the colony’s chief executive.
(Proprietary/Royal)
Original content Copyright © by Holt McDougal. Additions and changes to the original content are the responsibility of the instructor.
Chapter 2
Origins of American Government
Name _________________________________ Class ____________________ Date ______________________
Chapter Test
Origins of American Government continued
19. The _________________________ was one of the Confederation Congress’s
greatest accomplishments. (Northwest Ordinance/Bill of Rights)
20. In May 1787, delegates arrived in Philadelphia to revise the
_________________________. (Articles of Confederation/Constitution)
21. The Federalist Papers were written under the pen name of
_________________________. (Patrick Henry/Publius)
TRUE/FALSE Indicate whether each statement below is true or false by writing T or F
in the space provided.
____ 22. The Framers were influenced by both Enlightenment thought and JudeoChristian beliefs.
____ 23. The colonial assemblies were quick to accept the Albany Plan of Union.
____ 24. The Articles of Confederation provided for a strong national government with
extensive power over the states.
____ 25. At the Constitutional Convention, the Virginia Plan called for a unicameral
national legislature.
Original content Copyright © by Holt McDougal. Additions and changes to the original content are the responsibility of the instructor.
Chapter 2
Origins of American Government