American Citizen - Chapter 2 Practice Test - Origins of American Government

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Multiple Choice
Identify the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.

The Magna Carta is considered the foundation of English freedom because it

a.	abolished capital punishment.
b.	established the principle of representative democracy.
c.	guaranteed equal treatment under the law for all Britons.
d.	limited royal power for the first time.

The English Bill of Rights includes all of the following EXCEPT the right

a.	to a fair and speedy trial.
b.	of the monarch to print money.
c.	of free speech and debate in Parliament.
d.	of certain subjects to bear arms.

English law is based on

a.	statutes passed by the Parliament in London.
b.	Church law and religious doctrines.
c.	royal commands.
d.	precedent and common law.

Which of the following best describes what the Mayflower Compact did?

a.	It granted a royal charter to the founders of Massachusetts Bay Colony.
b.	It ended the feudal system, which gave the first settlers authority over Native American land and the power to enslave its inhabitants.
c.	It helped set up a social contract for the founders of Plymouth Colony.
d.	It granted religious freedom to the people of Rhode Island.

The Declaration of Independence

a.	explains the British North American colonists' efforts to achieve a peaceful settlement of their grievances.
b.	lists the American colonists' charges against Britain’s King George III.
c.	declares that all bonds between colonial America and Britain are dissolved.
d.	All of the above

Under the Articles of Confederation, the United States Congress had the power to do which of the following?

a.	levy and collect taxes
b.	enforce its own laws
c.	control foreign and interstate commerce
d.	Congress had the power to do none of these things.

The plan at the Constitutional Convention that proposed a plural executive and a unicameral legislature with each state having two representatives, regardless of population, was known as the

a.	Virginia Plan, or “big state plan.”
b.	New Jersey Plan, or “small state plan..”
c.	Connecticut Compromise.
d.	None of these answers is correct.

Which of the following issues was NOT debated at the Constitutional Convention?

a.	how many executives (presidents) there should be
b.	how often elections should be held for members of Congress
c.	how representation should be distributed in the national legislature
d.	who should be allowed to vote in federal elections

The "three-fifths compromise" settled the question of

a.	whether Congress should have the power to regulate interstate commerce.
b.	how the Constitution should be amended.
c.	how the slave population should be counted in apportioning representatives in Congress and levying taxes.
d.	whether men who did not own property should be allowed to vote.

10.

To ensure the Constitution completed in Philadelphia would be ratified by the states, the Federalists at the Constitutional Convention insisted that it should be ratified by

a.	popular vote.
b.	state lawmakers.
c.	the new U.S. Congress.
d.	special ratifying conventions in each of the states.

11.

Which of the following was NOT an argument made by the Federalists at the Constitutional Convention?

a.	The Constitution could remedy the defects of the Confederation government.
b.	The Articles of Confederation were not functioning well, at all, and needed to be tossed aside in favor of a new form of government.
c.	The national government under the Articles of Confederation had too little real power.
d.	A bill of rights was necessary to protect the people from the power of their rulers.

12.

The documents upon which the United States government was founded include which of the following?

a.	the Articles of Confederation
b.	the Declaration of Independence
c.	the United States Constitution
d.	all of these

13.

The evolution of democratic government in Great Britain over the years, before its North American colonies were settled, made which of the following possible?

a.	people began to accept the concept of limiting the powers of government
b.	representative government became popular among British citizens
c.	British citizens insisted that their government protect their individual rights
d.	all of these

14.

After the Constitution was written and signed by the delegates to the Convention in 1787, which of the following occurred?

a.	a debate began within the Convention over the issues of states rights, representation, and taxation
b.	the three-fifths compromise was worked out
c.	the British and their North American colonists fought the War for American Independence
d.	a battle for ratification took place between those who wanted the new Constitution and those who were opposed to it

15.

Which of the following best describes a major weakness of our national government under the Articles of Confederation?

a.	it had a bicameral legislature with a strong president
b.	it included a bill of rights
c.	the nation's government had little unity and even less real power to solve problems
d.	there were only 13 states in the whole nation

16.

In order for the delegates to the Constitutional Convention to complete their work,

a.	they had to re-write the Declaration of Independence.
b.	a second Constitutional Convention was held the next year in New York, to finish the work begun in Philadelphia.
c.	the Declaration of Independence had to be finished by Thomas Jefferson.
d.	numerous compromises had to be made over issues of great importance to the delegates.

17.

Which of the following best describes a purpose of the Declaration of Independence?

a.	it explained the reasons behind the move toward independence, then outlined the principles of government that the new country would practice.
b.	it established new rules for international trade among the British North American colonies.
c.	under this important document, the British were forced to allow royal charters for all of their North American colonies.
d.	it was designed to force Britain to allow British North Americans the freedom to practice their own religion.

18.

Delegates to the First Continental Congress agreed on all of the following measures EXCEPT a

a.	boycott of British goods.
b.	second meeting the following year.
c.	declaration of independence from Britain.
d.	declaration of colonists' rights and grievances.

19.

Which of the following factors did NOT lead to an increased desire among North American colonists for independence from Britain?

a.	the argument of those colonists loyal to Britain
b.	fighting between British and American troops
c.	Thomas Paine's pamphlet titled "Common Sense"
d.	the increasing numbers of respected colonial leaders who supported such a move

20.

In a debate over political philosophy, Thomas Paine would have agreed with which of the following?

a.	the mistrust of government expressed by the Antifederalists
b.	the proposals of the Federalists to increase the powers of national government at the expense of the states
c.	the belief that governments can be trusted to protect the natural rights of their citizens
d.	he would have agreed with all of these