Question 1

Which branch of government has the power to create inferior (lower)courts,change the jurisdiction of federal courts,add or subtract federal judges,and even change the size of the Supreme Court?

Accepted Answer

Only Congress has the power to create inferior courts, change the jurisdiction of federal courts, add or subtract federal judges, and change the size of the Supreme Court. This power is granted in Article III, Section 1 of the Constitution and has been exercised numerous times throughout history, including the Judiciary Act of 1789, which created the federal court system, and the Judiciary Act of 1801, which increased the number of federal judges.

Question 2

The Constitution grants the power to ratify treaties to the:

Accepted Answer

According to Article II, Section 2 of the Constitution, the president has the power to make treaties with other countries, but they must be ratified by a two-thirds vote of the Senate before becoming effective. The State Department is involved in the negotiation of treaties, but it does not have the power to ratify them. The House of Representatives and Supreme Court also do not have the power to ratify treaties.

Question 3

The political significance of the Great Compromise and the Three-fifths Compromise was to:

Accepted Answer

The Great Compromise and the Three-fifths Compromise were essential in balancing the interests of different states and economic sectors, particularly between the mercantile North and the agrarian South, thus reinforcing unity.

Question 4

The issue of counting slaves for purposes of representation was settled by the:

Accepted Answer

The issue of counting slaves for purposes of representation was settled by the Three-Fifths Compromise, which established that slaves would be counted as three-fifths of a person for determining both representation in Congress and taxation. This compromise was reached during the Constitutional Convention of 1787.

Question 5

Under the unamended Constitution of 1787,what were U.S.senators selected by?

Accepted Answer

Under the unamended Constitution of 1787, U.S. senators were selected by state legislatures. It was not until the 17th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified in 1913 that U.S. senators began to be directly elected by the citizens of their respective states.

Question 6

Under the American Constitution,the part of elected government designed to be directly responsible to the people was the:

Accepted Answer

The House of Representatives is the branch of elected government that is directly responsible to the people. Members of the House are elected by the people in their respective districts, and they are meant to represent their constituents' interests in the federal government. Senators are also elected by the people, but they are intended to represent the interests of their entire state, not just their district. The judiciary and bureaucracy are not elected and therefore not directly accountable to the people. The Electoral College is an indirect method of electing the president and not a branch of the government responsible to the people.

Question 7

The framers of the American Constitution sought to prevent the perceived threat of "excessive democracy" through a number of institutional innovations.Which constitutional provision did NOT prevent the threat of excessive democracy?

Accepted Answer

Electing members of the House of Representatives every two years did not necessarily prevent the threat of excessive democracy as the House was designed to be a more immediate reflection of the people's will. However, it did provide for more frequent elections and therefore more opportunities for the people to hold their representatives accountable.

Question 8

The state legislature of Georgia,known as the Georgia General Assembly,with its upper chamber (the Georgia Senate)and lower chamber (the Georgia House of Representatives),is an institution that exemplifies the principle of:

Accepted Answer

The principle exemplified here is bicameralism, which means having two chambers or houses in a legislative assembly. In this case, the Georgia General Assembly has an upper chamber (Senate) and a lower chamber (House of Representatives). This is a common feature of many modern democracies, including the United States.

Question 9

The question of counting slaves for purposes of representation was ultimately resolved by counting:

Accepted Answer

The Three-Fifths Compromise, also called the Three-Fifths Clause, was a compromise reached during the drafting of the United States Constitution in 1787 that determined how enslaved people would be counted for representation in the House of Representatives. It specified that for purposes of representation, every five enslaved people would be counted as three free persons. This compromise was ultimately included in the Constitution.

Question 10

Which state did NOT send delegates to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia?

Accepted Answer

Rhode Island did not send delegates to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia.

Question 11

In 2012,the five smallest states held roughly 0.5 percent of the seats in the U.S.House of Representatives and 10 percent of the seats in the U.S.Senate.These differing levels of representation of the five small states were the result of which decision during the Constitutional Convention?

Accepted Answer

The Great Compromise, also known as the Connecticut Compromise, was a decision made during the Constitutional Convention to create a bicameral legislature that would balance the representation of the states. The House of Representatives would have representation based on population, while the Senate would have equal representation for each state. This resulted in smaller states having a greater proportion of representation in the Senate, as seen with the five smallest states holding 10 percent of the seats, but only 0.5 percent of the seats in the House of Representatives.

Question 12

The terms of appointments for senators are staggered so that the terms of one-third of the senators expire every:

Accepted Answer

The terms of appointments for senators are staggered so that the terms of one-third of the senators expire every two years, ensuring a continuous but partial renewal of the Senate.

Question 13

What was the most difficult issue faced by the framers of the Constitution?

Accepted Answer

Slavery was the most difficult issue faced by the framers of the Constitution as it was a deeply divisive issue between the Northern and Southern states. The North wanted to abolish slavery while the South wanted to protect it and even expand it. This led to intense debates and compromises such as the Three-Fifths Compromise and the Fugitive Slave Clause. Ultimately, slavery was not completely abolished until the passage of the 13th Amendment after the Civil War.

Question 14

The proposal to alter the Articles of Confederation by providing for a system of representation in the national legislature based on the population of each state or the proportion of each state's revenue contribution,or both,was known as the:

Accepted Answer

The Virginia Plan proposed a system of representation in the national legislature based on the population of each state or the proportion of each state's revenue contribution, or both. It was presented by James Madison and Edmund Randolph during the Constitutional Convention in 1787. The New Jersey Plan proposed equal representation for each state, while the Connecticut Plan (also known as the Great Compromise) created a bicameral legislature with representation based on both population and equal representation for the states. The Massachusetts Plan and Rousseau solution are not relevant to this proposal.

Question 15

Article I of the U.S.Constitution provides for the:

Accepted Answer

Article I of the U.S. Constitution outlines the powers and responsibilities of the legislative branch, which includes the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Question 16

Why did Shays's Rebellion enable collective action among those who wanted to revise the Articles of Confederation?

Accepted Answer

Shays's Rebellion provided evidence of the flaws in the Articles of Confederation, which convinced politicians who were already skeptical of the Articles to push for their revision. The rebellion helped to build a broader public support for reforming the Articles. It was the catalyst that brought about the Constitutional Convention in 1787.

Question 17

The agreement reached during the Constitutional Convention to adopt the proposal that gave each state an equal number of senators regardless of population,but linked representation in the House of Representatives to population,became known as the:

Accepted Answer

The agreement reached during the Constitutional Convention to adopt the proposal that gave each state an equal number of senators regardless of population but linked representation in the House of Representatives to population became known as the Great Compromise. It was also referred to as the Connecticut Compromise because it was proposed by Roger Sherman, a delegate from Connecticut.

Question 18

Why did the smaller states object to the Virginia Plan?

Accepted Answer

The Virginia Plan suggested a system of representation based on population, which would give larger and/or wealthier states more representation in the national legislature. This arrangement disadvantaged smaller states who feared that they would have less of a say in the national government under this plan.

Question 19

A legislative assembly such as the Congress that is divided into two chambers (or houses)is best described as:

Accepted Answer

A legislative assembly divided into two chambers is called bicameral. This term refers specifically to the two separate branches of the legislative body, such as the Senate and the House of Representatives in the U.S. Congress. Therefore, the best choice is D) bicameral.

Question 20

The proposal offered by the smaller states during the Constitutional Convention that argued each state should be equally represented in the new regime regardless of its population was known as the:

Accepted Answer

The proposal that argued for each state to have equal representation regardless of population was known as the New Jersey Plan.

Quiz 2: The Founding and the Constitution

Which branch of government has the power to create inferior (lower) courts,change the jurisdiction of federal courts,add or subtract federal judges,and even change the size of the Supreme Court?