Name: __________________
1
Class:
Date: _____________
Which document sets forth the basic rules and procedures for how the people of a country shall
be governed?
a. writ
b. constitution
c. decree
d. warrant
2
Colonists opposed taxation without
a. tangible benefits.
b. monarchy.
c. representation.
d. independence.
3
The First Continental Congress met in Philadelphia in
a. 1801.
b. 1781.
c. 1722.
d. 1774.
4
Who authored the influential pamphlet Common Sense, which called for colonial independence
from Britain?
a. Locke
b. Hobbes
c. Paine
d. Jefferson
5
Which document was unanimously adopted in 1781 and gave most of the governing power to
the states?
a. the Declaration of Independence
b. the Constitution
c. the Articles of Confederation
d. the Magna Carta
PAGE 1
Name: __________________
6
Class:
Date: _____________
Which plan for new government proposed a strong central government with a national executive
and a national judiciary, both chosen by the legislature?
a. Florida Plan
b. Maine Plan
c. Virginia Plan
d. New Jersey Plan
7
Which plan for new government strengthened the Articles by providing Congress with the
authority to regulate commerce and to directly tax imports and paper items?
a. Florida Plan
b. New Jersey Plan
c. Virginia Plan
d. Rhode Island Plan
8
What was the Connecticut Compromise?
a. Representation in the House of Representatives would be proportional to population,
but the Senate would represent each state equally.
b. An Electoral College would be used to elect the president rather than allowing the
people to choose.
c. Representation in the Senate would be proportional to population, but the House of
Representatives would represent each state equally.
d. Slaves would be counted as three-fifths of a person for representation in the House.
9
Which of the following is NOT an enumerated power given to Congress by the Constitution?
a. the authority to veto state laws
b. the authority to regulate commerce
c. the authority to declare war
d. the authority to tax
10 The president of the United States is elected using which system?
a. Australian ballot
b. popular vote
c. Electoral College
d. Runoff election
PAGE 2
Name: __________________
Class:
Date: _____________
11 Which amendment granted the American people the right to elect senators directly?
a. First
b. Fourth
c. Seventeenth
d. Twenty-First
12 What are the two chambers of Congress called?
a. the Assembly and the Council
b. the Executive Council and the Cabinet
c. the legislature and the judiciary
d. the House of Representatives and the Senate
13 What is required for Congress to override the president's veto?
a. a simple majority in the House
b. a unanimous vote in the Senate
c. a two-thirds majority in each chamber
d. a one-half vote in each chamber
14 How old must the president of the United States be by the time he or she takes office?
a. 40
b. 25
c. 21
d. 35
15 One very important check the president has on the authority of the legislature is the
a. veto.
b. authority to impeach legislators.
c. presidential filibuster.
d. authority of censure.
16 Which landmark Supreme Court case gave rise to judicial review?
a. Plessy v. Ferguson
b. Marbury v. Madison
c. Gibbons v. Ogden
d. Roe v. Wade
PAGE 3
Name: __________________
Class:
Date: _____________
17 ________ prevents a concentration of power by dividing authority between the state and federal
governments.
a. Federalism
b. Judicial review
c. A system of checks and balances
d. Democracy
18 The Constitution forbids Congress from taking away a prisoner's right to go before a judge to
have the legality of their confinement determined. This is called the
a. ex post facto.
b. separation of powers.
c. necessary and proper clause.
d. writ of habeas corpus.
19 Individuals who opposed the ratification of the Constitution became known as
a. Antifederalists.
b. Democrats.
c. Republicans.
d. Federalists.
20 Which of the following pieces of legislation particularly alarmed Antifederalists?
a. the commerce clause
b. the advice and consent clause
c. the full faith and credit clause
d. the general welfare clause
21 What was the MOST serious charge against the Constitution?
a. It lacked a bill of rights.
b. It gave Congress too much power.
c. It gave the president too little power.
d. It did not establish a judicial branch.
PAGE 4
Name: __________________
Class:
Date: _____________
22 Which amendment protects the right to bear arms?
a. First
b. Second
c. Fifth
d. Eighth
23 Which amendment gave women the right to vote?
a. Twenty-Fifth
b. Nineteenth
c. Fifth
d. First
24 A situation known as ________ occurs when the majority in Congress is from a different party
than the president.
a. unified government
b. nonpartisan debate
c. divided government
d. branch politics
25 Voting rights in 1787 varied from state to state. Which state was the first to allow women to
vote?
a. Vermont
b. Virginia
c. New Jersey
d. South Carolina
PAGE 5
ANSWER KEY
Copy of
1. b
10. c
19. a
2. c
11. c
20. d
3. d
12. d
21. a
ANSWER KEY - Page 1
4. c
13. c
22. b
5. c
14. d
23. b
6. c
15. a
24. c
7. b
16. b
25. c
8. a
17. a
9. a
18. d