Constitution Scavenger Hunt
PART I: THE OVERALL STRUCTURE OF THE CONSTITUTION
Summarize the general purpose or subject of each article in one sentence in the chart
below.
Article I
Article II
Article III
Article IV
Article V
Article VI
Article VII
PART II: A CLOSER EXAMINATION OF THE ARTICLES
Article I
1. How often are Representatives to be elected?
2. How old must a Representative be to be elected?
3. How long is the term for a senator?
4. How were senators originally chosen? Which amendment changed that?
5. How old does someone have to be to be a senator?
6. Who is the president of the Senate and when may that person vote?
7. Which legislative body as the power of impeachment and which body has the power to try an
impeached official?
8. Who shall officiate when a president is tried for impeachment?
9. What is the required vote that is necessary to convict someone who has been impeached?
10. What is the only penalty that can be imposed on someone who has been impeached?
11. Who decides the times, places, and manner for holding elections for Congress?
12. In what federal body do all bills concerning taxes originate?
13. What fraction of both houses must vote to override a veto?
14. What happens when a president doesn’t return a bill in 10 days and what is the exception to
that rule?
15. In Section 8, the Constitution lists or enumerates the powers of Congress. List six of them.
16. In Section 8, which clause gives Congress the most general, non-specific powers?
17. In Section 9, there are three limitations on the power of Congress to deny people rights.
What are those three limitations? (If you don’t understand what these phrases mean, don’t
worry – I’ll explain.)
18. When may the writ of habeas corpus be suspended?
19. Name three limits on the powers of the states.
Article II
20. How old does someone have to be to be elected president?
21. How is it determined how many electors each state has?
22. Name three powers of the President.
23. Name the body of Congress that must approve a treaty that the president has negotiated
and the fraction of the vote they must approve it by.
24. Which body of Congress approves nominations?
25. When can the president appoint people without approval by anyone else?
26. What can a president or other officers be impeached for?
Article III
27. What is the term of office for Supreme Court justices? When may they be removed?
28. Who gets to decide how many federal courts we have?
29. In which cases does the Supreme Court have original jurisdiction?
30. What must be necessary to convict someone of treason?
31. The Constitution has comparatively little to say about the structure and composition of the
Supreme Court. Identify two aspects of the Court’s structure and composition that the
Constitution does not specify. (The Constitution does specify these two basic aspects of
structure and composition for the other two branches).
Article IV
32. What is the topic of Article IV?
33. What does the Constitution say about how one state must regard the laws of another state?
34. What limitation is put on admitting new states to the Union?
Article V
35. What fraction of the houses of Congress is necessary to approve a proposed amendment?
36. What fraction of the states must approve a proposed amendment for it to be ratified?
37. What fraction of the states can ask for a convention to propose new amendments?
38. What is the only limitation in the Constitution as to what can be the basis of an amendment?
Article VI
39. What does the Constitution say about which law shall predominate if there is any conflict
between laws?
40. What qualification for holding any public office is forbidden?
Article VII
41. How many states had to ratify the Constitution?
PART III: THE AMENDMENTS
Some parts of the Constitution require a simple majority, others a supermajority, while still
others protect citizens from the will of the majority. The first ten amendments to the Constitution,
the Bill of Rights protects citizens from the will of the majority. In other words, no majority could
vote to take these rights away. Read each amendment to the Constitution and answer the
questions below.
First, outline the general purpose of the first ten amendments called the Bill of Rights.
Amendment 1
Amendment 2
Amendment 3
Amendment 4
Amendment 5
Amendment 6
Amendment 7
Amendment 8
Amendment 9
Amendment10
Amendments 1-27
42. List the five basic civil liberties guaranteed in the First Amendment.
43. Which amendment extended the vote to 18 year olds?
44. Which amendment outlaws “cruel and unusual punishments?”
45. Which amendment ended slavery?
46. Put the Ninth Amendment in your own words.
47. Put the Tenth Amendment in your own words.
48.Which amendment prevents a citizen of North Carolina suing the state of Georgia?
49. Which amendment said that states couldn’t prevent people from voting based on their race?
50. Which amendment said that a person couldn’t be tried twice for the same crime?
51. When can the government take private property and what must the government give the
owners? Which amendment establishes this?
52. What phrase is repeated in both the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments?
53. Which amendment defined citizenship?
54. List the rights that the accused has when suspected of a crime.
55. Which amendment prohibited alcohol? Which Amendment repealed the prohibition on
alcohol?
56. Which amendment gave women the right to vote and in what year was it passed?
57. Which amendment decided that a person could be president for only two terms?
58. On what day does the Constitution state that a new president shall be inaugurated? Which
amendment establishes this? When must the new Congress meet?
59. Which amendment prevents the president and vice president from being inhabitants of the
same state? In that same amendment, who should choose the president if no one gets a
majority in the Electoral College? And the vice president?
60. Which amendment requires a warrant to search someone's property?
61. Which amendment gave government the power to impose an income tax?
62. Which amendment establishes what to do if the president is incapacitated and can’t perform
his duties?
FINAL REVIEW
63. According to the principle of checks and balances, each branch of the government must
have control over the other branches. Look again at the first three articles of the Constitution
and identify one of each type of checks and balances. Indicate where each power is listed in the
Constitution.
a. A power that the executive branch has over the legislative branch:
________________________________________________________________
This can be found in what article/section of the Constitution
________________
b. A power that the executive branch holds over the judicial branch.
_________________________________________________________________
This can be found in what article/section of the Constitution
________________
c. A power that the legislative branch holds over the executive branch.
__________________________________________________________________
This can be found in what article/section of the Constitution
________________
d. A power that the legislative branch holds over the judicial branch.
___________________________________________________________________
This can be found in what article/section of the Constitution
_________________
e. A power that the judicial branch holds over the executive branch.
___________________________________________________________________
This can be found in what article/section of the Constitution
f.
_________________
A power that the judicial branch holds over the legislative branch.
__________________________________________________________
This can be found in what article/section of the Constitution?________
64. The court of original jurisdiction is the first court that hears a case. Appellate courts
hear cases on appeal from lower courts. Although the Supreme Court functions primarily as an
appellate court, it is the courts of original jurisdiction in certain kinds of cases. What are those?
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
65. “MAJORITY” AND “SUPERMAJORITY”
The Constitution requires a simple majority for some actions and a supermajority for others. A
simple majority means more than half, while supermajority requirements can involve a 2/3
majority or a 3/4 majority. Most elections in the United States require a plurality, or the most
votes, but not necessarily a majority.
VETO POWER
a. What body has the power to override a presidential veto?
________________________
b. What margin is required to override a presidential veto?
___________________________
c. Where in the Constitution is the veto power described?
____________________________
WAR POWERS
a. According to Article I of the Constitution, who has the power to declare war?
___________________________________________
b. What power does the Constitution give the President in the area of war?
___________________________________________________
TREATIES
a. What body has the power to ratify treaties?
____________________________________
b. What margin is required to ratify treaties?
_____________________________________
c. Where in the Constitution is the ratification power described?
_______________
IMPEACHMENT (To impeach means “to bring charges against” or “to indict”.)
a. What vote is required to impeach? ______________________
b. What body has the power to impeach the president?
______________________________
c. What body has the power to convict the president of charges brought against him
in the impeachment process and thereby remove him from the presidency?
_________________
d. What vote is required to convict and remove a president?
_______________________
e. Where in the Constitution is the impeachment power described?
_____________________
NOMINATIONS
a. What body has the power to accept or reject a president’s nominations to
Supreme Court?
______________________________________________________________
the
b. What margins is required to elevate a president’s nominee to a seat on the
__________
Court?
c. Where in the Constitution are judicial nominations described? _____________
d. What words are used to describe the role of the Senate in Supreme Court nominations?
________________________________________________________________
ELECTIONS
a. If no candidate for the presidency wins a simple majority of the total number of
electoral votes, what body has the power to choose the president?
__________________________
b. What margin is required to choose the president?
_______________________________
c. Where in the Constitution is the Electoral College described? (Hint: there
are
two parts)
________________________________________________________________
THREE-FOURTHS
The Constitution specifies a three-fourths majority for just one process. What?
________________________________________________________________
SUPER MAJORITY
List all parts of the Constitution that require a supermajority. For each,
explain
why you believe there is a supermajority requirement.
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
SUPREMACY CLAUSE
See Article VI. Explain the supremacy clause in your own words.
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
AMENDMENTS
What are two ways that amendments to the Constitution can be proposed?
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
What are two ways that amendments to the Constitution can be ratified?
________________________________________________________________
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