Regents Prep #2

Name: Date:
1. The Constitutional Convention of 1787 was called
primarily because
A. the issue of settlement of western land needed
solution
B. no procedure existed for admitting new states
C. the central government needed additional
power
D. mounting urban problems required Federal
help
2. In the late 1780's, some key states were persuaded
to ratify the Constitution by the promise that
provision would be made for
A. low taxes
B. a bill of rights
C. a national court system
D. national assumption of state debts
3. Which constitutional provision indicates that
the authors of the original Constitution did not
completely trust the common voter to make
decisions?
A. the electoral college
B. the veto power of the President
C. direct election of Senators
D. election to the House of Representatives
4. A primary aim of the writers of the United States
Constitution was to
A. strengthen the power of the central government
B. change from a government based on division
of powers to one based on a single power
C. develop a governmental system based on the
principle of supremacy of the states
D. weaken the power of the executive
5. The most signicant change from the Articles of
Confederation to the United States Constitution
was the
A. establishment of a written form of government
B. strengthening the power of the Federal
Government
C. expansion of voting rights
D. increased emphasis on States rights
page 1
6. Base your answer to the following question on
the chart below and on your knowledge of social
studies.
RATIFICATION OF THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION
POPULATION
(1790)
DATE OF
RATIFICATION
VOTE
NUMBER OF
DELEGATES
VOTING FOR THE
CONSTITUTION
NUMBER OF
DELEGATES
VOTING AGAINST THE
CONSTITUTION
Delaware 59,096 Dec. 1787 Unanimous
Pennsylvania 433,611 Dec. 1787 46 23
New Jersey 184,139 Dec. 1787 Unanimous
Georgia 82,548 Jan. 1788 Unanimous
Connecticut 237,655 Jan. 1788 128 40
Massachusetts 475,199 Feb. 1788 187 168
Maryland 319,728 April 1788 63 11
South Carolina 249,073 May 1788 149 73
New Hampshire 141,899 June 1788 57 46
Virginia 747,610 June 1788 89 79
New York 340,241 July 1788 30 27
North Carolina 395,005 Nov. 1789 195 77
Rhode Island 69,112 May 1790 34 32
Source: The American Pageant, Bailey
Based on the chart, which statement is most
accurate concerning sectional attitudes toward the
United States Constitution?
A. The South showed only weak support.
B. New England took the lead in ratication.
C. The Middle States were the most divided in
their support.
D. Mixed support was evident in all sections of
the nation.
7. The Preamble of the United States Constitution
was written to
A. outline the organization of the government
B. protect the people from abuses of the Federal
Government
C. describe the purposes of the government
D. provide for ways to amend the Constitution
8. The authors of the United States Constitution
believed that the voice of the people should be
heard frequently. Which part of the Government
was instituted to respond most directly to the will
of the people?
A. Senate
B. House of Representatives
C. Supreme Court
D. Presidency
9. During the debates over the ratication of
the United States Constitution, Federalists and
Anti-Federalists disagrees most strongly over the
A. division of powers between the national and
state governments
B. provision for admitting new states to the
Union
C. distribution of power between the Senate and
the House of Representatives
D. method of amending the Constitution
10. In the 1780's, the publication of The Federalist
Papers was intended to
A. justify the American Revolution to the
colonists
B. provide a plan of operation for the delegates
to the Constitutional Convention
C. encourage ratication of the United States
Constitution
D. express support for the election of George
Washington to the Presidency
page 2 Regents Prep #2
11. One dierence between the Constitution and the
Articles of Confederation is that the Constitution
A. created separate, independent branches of
government
B. granted greater power to the States than to
the Federal Government
C. granted more authority to the Chief Executive
than to the national legislature
D. reduced the power of the Federal courts
12. The Federalist Papers were a series of newspaper
articles published in 1787 and 1788 to win support
for the
A. right of the colonies to rebel against Great
Britain
B. right of a state to secede from the Union
C. ratication of the United States Constitution
D. construction of an interstate canal system
13. The major reason Antifederalists opposed
ratication of the Constitution was because they
believed
A. amending the Constitution was too easy
B. too much power was given to the states
C. a federal court system would be too weak
D. individual rights were not adequately protected
14. Which statement describes the status of individual
rights in United States society?
A. Amendments and Supreme Court decisions
have expanded individual rights
B. The rst ten amendments were repealed by
later amendments.
C. There has been no substantial changes since
1791.
D. State court decisions have canceled several
rights guaranteed by the Federal Constitution.
15. The framers of the Constitution gave voters the
most direct participation in the selection of the
A. House of Representatives
B. Senate
C. President
D. Supreme Court
16. The Bill of Rights of the United States Constitution
includes a guarantee of the right to
A. assemble peacefully
B. have a job
C. strike against an employer
D. vote in elections
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17. During times of war, civil liberties in the United
States have often been restricted because
A. the majority of Americans opposed the war
eort
B. marital law was usually adopted
C. national security received greater priority
D. enemy spies encouraged antiwar protests
18. Which title would be the most appropriate heading
for the list below?
I.
A. Suspension of Habeas Corpus
B. Espionage and Sedition Acts
C. Internment of Japanese Americans
A. Problems of immigration
B. Wartime Constitutional Issues
C. Preparations for War
D. United States Foreign Policy
19. The major reason the Bill of Rights was added to
the United States Constitution was to
A. limit the power of state governments
B. protect individual liberties against abuse by
the Federal Government
C. provide for equal treatment of all people
D. separate powers between the three branches of
government
20. In United States history, the Cabinet and
congressional committees developed as a result of
A. specic provisions of the original Constitution
B. constitutional amendments
C. decisions of the Supreme Court
D. custom and precedent
21. Which characteristic of the United States
Government is part of the unwritten constitution?
A. the two-year term for the members of the
House of Representatives
B. the development of a two-party system
C. the power to coin money
D. Senate approval of Supreme Court nominees
22. Which Presidential action is an example of the
unwritten constitution?
A. appointing justices to the Supreme Court
B. granting pardons for Federal crimes
C. submitting a treaty to the Senate for
ratication
D. consulting with the Cabinet
page 4 Regents Prep #2
23. An example of the unwritten constitution of the
United States is the
A. sharing of power by the national and state
governments
B. development of the political party system
C. separation of powers among the three
branches of government
D. guarantees of due process of law
24. The fourteenth amendment is important because, in
addition to awarding citizenship to former slaves, it
A. guarantees women the right to vote
B. abolishes the poll tax
C. guarantees equal protection under the law
D. provides protection against illegal search and
seizure
25. Which action could legally change a ruling of the
United States Supreme Court
A. congressional debate on the ruling
B. ratication of a constitutional amendment
C. a decision by a Federal district court
D. a rejection of the ruling by a majority of the
state governors
26. The long-term eect of the 13th, 14th, and 15th
amendments to the United States Constitution has
been to
A. extend civil rights to all citizens
B. permit the Congress to restrict immigration
C. limit the power of the executive branch
D. institute reforms in the structure of government
27. The change to the direct election of senators, the
lowering of the voting age to eighteen, and the
establishment of a two-term limit for presidents
are all examples of the use of
A. judicial review
B. checks and balances
C. executive privilege
D. the amendment process
28. Before ratication of the 22nd amendment in 1951,
most presidents served no more than two terms
because of
A. a federal law
B. a Supreme Court decision
C. the elastic clause
D. custom and tradition
page 5 Regents Prep #2
29. Base your answer(s) to question(s) on the map
below and on your knowledge of social studies.
Equal Rights Amendment (ERA)
Ratication by State: 19721982
Source: Edward L. Ayers et al., American
Passages: A History of the United States,
Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, 2009 (adapted)
Based on this map, the Equal Rights Amendment
(ERA) received the least support in the
A. Rocky Mountain states
B. Pacic Coast states
C. northeastern states
D. southeastern states
30. At the Constitutional Convention of 1787, the
Great Compromise was concerned mainly with
A. representation of the states in Congress
B. the powers of the executive
C. the question of slavery
D. control of interstate commerce
31. At the Constitutional Convention of 1787, the Great
Compromise settled the issue of representation in
Congress by
A. giving each state two senators and a number
of representatives based on population
B. allowing all states to have equal representation
in Congress
C. having both houses of Congress chosen by
state legislatures
D. having both houses of Congress elected
directly by the people
32. At the Constitutional Convention of 1787,
the Three-fths Compromise and the Great
Compromise dealt with the issue of
A. amendments to the Constitution
B. women's rights
C. representation in Congress
D. the rights of the accused
33. The principle of federalism as established by the
United States Constitution provides for the
A. separation of powers of the three branches of
government
B. placement of ultimate sovereignty in the
hands of the state governments
C. division of power between the state
governments and the national government
D. creation of a republican form of government
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34. One way in which the authors of the Constitution
tried to create limited government was by
providing for
A. a loyal opposition through a two-party system
B. a division of power between the national and
state governments
C. the establishments of naturalization laws
D. the popular election of Federal judges
35. Which action demonstrates the President's role as
chief legislator?
A. asking members of the Cabinet to serve as
members of Congress
B. asking executive department sta to propose
and support legislation
C. selecting chairpersons of congressional
committees
D. participating in congressional debates
36. The concept of balance of power is based on the
assumption that
A. nations will not start wars when faced with
equal or superior forces
B. nations will ght only when provoked
C. blocs of nations can never be equal
D. all nations need nuclear weapons to have a
balance of power
37. The Presidential veto is an example of
A. reserved powers
B. federalism
C. checks and balances
D. executive privilege
page 7 Regents Prep #2
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Regents Prep #2 06/12/2014
1.
Answer: C
2.
Answer: B
3.
Answer: A
4.
Answer: A
5.
Answer: B
6.
Answer: D
7.
Answer: C
8.
Answer: B
9.
Answer: A
10.
Answer: C
11.
Answer: A
12.
Answer: C
13.
Answer: D
14.
Answer: A
15.
Answer: A
16.
Answer: A
17.
Answer: C
18.
Answer: B
19.
Answer: B
20.
Answer: D
21.
Answer: B
22.
Answer: D
23.
Answer: B
24.
Answer: C
25.
Answer: B
26.
Answer: A
27.
Answer: D
28.
Answer: D
29.
Answer: D
30.
Answer: A
31.
Answer: A
32.
Answer: C
33.
Answer: C
34.
Answer: B
35.
Answer: B
36.
Answer: A
37.
Answer: C