Question 1

Are written constitutions the best guarantor of equal rights?

Accepted Answer

While written constitutions may provide some guarantee of equal rights, it does not necessarily mean that countries will abide by the protections they have written into law. There are many examples of countries with written constitutions that still violate human rights and discriminate against certain groups. Therefore, written constitutions alone are not necessarily the best guarantor of equal rights.

Question 2

Would political scientists be likely to applaud the constitutional framers' choice of a presidential system?

Accepted Answer

Political scientists would not necessarily applaud the constitutional framers' choice of a presidential system. There is ongoing debate among scholars about the advantages and disadvantages of presidential systems compared to other forms of government, such as parliamentary systems. Some argue that presidential systems are less likely to sustain democracy due to the potential for presidential abuse of power, while others argue that they provide greater stability and separation of powers. Therefore, political scientists would not universally applaud or condemn the choice of a presidential system without considering these different perspectives.

Question 3

Which of the following has most encouraged popular participation in government?

Accepted Answer

The expansion of suffrage, including the 19th Amendment granting women the right to vote and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, has greatly encouraged popular participation in government by allowing more individuals to have a say in the election of public officials. This has increased the diversity of voices and perspectives represented in government.

Question 4

What are the "separation of powers" and "checks and balances"? How are these sets of institutional arrangements related? How are they distinct? How are the separation of powers and checks and balances put into effect in the United States Constitution?

Accepted Answer

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Question 5

How did the Constitution deal with the issue of slavery? How were slaves treated in the apportionment of representation in the House of Representatives and taxes? What powers did Congress have to regulate or eliminate slavery or the slave trade?

Accepted Answer

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Question 6

What was the primary issue in the debates between the Federalists and the Antifederalists over the United States Constitution? What was the Federalist perspective? What was the Antifederalist perspective? What major set of concessions were the Antifederalists able to extract from the Federalists during and after the ratification debates?

Accepted Answer

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Question 7

What major disagreements faced the delegates to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia? How did the delegates choose to compromise in order to resolve these important differences? What major features of the Constitution reflect these compromises?

Accepted Answer

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Question 8

Which is an enumerated power listed in Article I,Section 8,of the U.S.Constitution that empowers Congress to regulate "Commerce with foreign Nations,and among the several states,and with the Indian Tribes?"

Accepted Answer

The power to regulate commerce with foreign nations, between states, and with Indian tribes is known as the commerce clause and is specifically listed as an enumerated power given to Congress in Article I, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution. The other choices listed are not directly related to this power.

Question 9

When the United States was founded,slavery was legally protected and many groups did not vote.Why have changes been possible?

Accepted Answer

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Question 10

The Supreme Court's interpretation of the Constitution has been ____________________.

Accepted Answer

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Question 11

What was Shays's Rebellion? Explain how Shays's Rebellion illustrates a collective-action problem among the states under the Articles of Confederation.What remedies to the collective-action problem at work during Shays's Rebellion are incorporated into the United States Constitution?

Accepted Answer

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Question 12

When deciding what policy areas Congress is allowed to act on,twentieth-century Courts have primarily used ____________________ as a guide,because they interpret it to mean ____________________.

Accepted Answer

Twentieth-century Courts have primarily used the commerce clause as a guide because they interpret it to mean that the federal government has the right to regulate most business and commercial activity in the United States. This has allowed Congress to pass a wide range of legislation related to economic activity, including the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Affordable Care Act. The other options (A, B, D, and E) are important principles in constitutional law, but they have not been the primary basis for determining Congress's policy-making authority in the twentieth century.

Question 13

The federal Food and Drug Administration may enact national bans on medications that it believes to be dangerous to U.S.citizens,even though this is not an enumerated power in the Constitution.The most likely source of this federal power comes from judicial interpretations of ____________________.

Accepted Answer

The commerce clause is the most likely source of federal power to enact national bans on medications. It grants the federal government the authority to regulate commercial activity within the United States, including the sale and distribution of medications. The Supreme Court has consistently held that the commerce clause allows Congress to regulate products that have a substantial effect on interstate commerce, which would likely include medications.

Quiz 2: the Constitution