The roots of the American constitutional system and the constitutional document upon which the system was founded run deeply in the constitutional and political history of England (1066-1701) and of the thirteen English colonies in North America (1619-1775). English antecedents to the American constitutional system include -- A. the growth and development of English Common Law;  B. the adoption of Magna Carta in 1215;  C. the evolution of Parliament into a bicameral, representative assembly;  D. all of the above;  E. none of the above.
[Correct Response: D]

English antecedents to the American constitutional system include -- A. the emergence of the principle that Acts of Parliament are legislative statutes binding on all members of English society, including the Monarch;  B. the rising perception that Acts of Parliament are merely requests or recommendations that the Royal Privy Council take certain actions;  C. the relations that existed between and Parliament during the reigns of the Tudor monarchs;  D. A and B above;  E. A and C above.
[Correct Response: E]

English antecedents to the American constitutional system include -- A. the Model Parliament of 1295;  B. the custom of originating all revenue bills in the elective House of Commons;  C. the Monarch as chief executive in the English government;  D. all of the above;  E. none of the above.
[Correct Response: D]

English antecedents to the American constitutional system include -- A. divine right theory;  B. consent theory;  C. royal absolutism;  D. parliamentary supremacy;  E. unicameralism.
[Correct Response: B]

English antecedents to the American constitutional system include -- A. the Petition of Right of 1628;  B. the Habeas Corpus Act of 1679;  C. the English Bill of Rights of 1689;  D. the Trials for Treason Act of 1696;  E. all of the above.
[Correct Response: E]

English, colonial, and early American antecedents to the contemporary American constitutional system include ideas and beliefs regarding -- A. the rule of law;  B. representative government;  C. legislative bicameralism;  D. all of the above;  E. none of the above.
[Correct Response: D]

English, colonial, and early American antecedents to the modern American constitutional system include ideas and beliefs pertaining to -- A. a strong but constitutional chief executive;  B. an independent judiciary;  C. balanced government;  D. all of the above;  E. none of the above.
[Correct Response: D]

Common law -- A. is law based on custom and judicial precedent;  B. consists of the provisions of a written constitution;  C. is the body of written statutory law governing the cases and controversies coming before the courts for judgement and settlement;   D. resulted from the courts' non-observance of the rule of stare decisis; E. reserved exclusively for the agents and favorites of the Crown justice administered by the courts.
[Correct Response: A]

Development of the Common Law in England -- A. entailed acceptance of a uniform system of justice throughout the Kingdom;  B. reflected concern for security and protection of the rights of individuals in their relationships and interactions with one another;  C. provided increasing protection of the rights of individuals in their relationships with the government;  D. did all of the above;  E. did none of the above.
[Correct Response: D]

Private rights under English Common Law were -- A. the rights of individual Englishmen in their relationships and interactions with each other;  B. the rights of individual Englishmen in their dealings with foreign governments and international organizations;  C. the rights of individual Englishmen in their relationships with the English government;  D. economic and social rights dictating an equal distribution of the wealth of the Kingdom;  E. none of the above.
[Correct Response: A]

Civil liberties under English Common Law were -- A. the rights of individual Englishmen in their relationships and interactions with one another;  B. the rights of individual Englishmen in their dealings with foreign governments and international organizations;   C. the rights of individual Englishmen in their relationships with the English government;  D. economic and social rights dictating an equal distribution of the wealth of the Kingdom;  E. none of the above.
[Correct Response: C]

In adopting Magna Carta, it was agreed that -- A. the authority of the Monarch was unlimited;  B. the Crown shared the Royal Prerogative with the Great Council of the Realm;  C. the Crown had to share the power of taxation with the Great Council of the Realm;  D. the Monarch would be powerless to govern English society;  E. all executive offices, other than that of the Monarch, would be filled by direct popular election.
[Correct Response: C]

Magna Carta -- A. stipulated that the King submit proposals for extraordinary taxation to an assembly of his leading subjects;  B. took one small but significant step on the long road to establishing the basic principle of English government that no subject could be taxed without his consent, given by the subject directly in person or indirectly through elected representatives in a legislative assembly;  C. proclaimed fundamental rights and liberties that were to be guaranteed and equally applied to every subject;  D. did A and B above;  E. did A and C above.
[Correct Response: D]

Magna Carta -- A. had a significant impact on English political and constitutional development;  B. was utilized in the Courts of Common Law by lawyers, in entering the pleading by their clients, and by judges, in deciding on and pronouncing sentences;  C. demonstrated that a ruler could be compelled to redress the grievances of his subjects and accept legal restraints on his political authority;  D. had all of the foregoing consequences;  E. had none of the foregoing consequences.
[Correct Response: D]

Magna Carta was -- A. designed to restrain the Monarch and compel him to conform to some commonly accepted law;  B. a statement of the law which the Monarch would not be allowed to disregard;  C. a reaffirmation of the rights of the various orders and classes within the Kingdom;  D. characterized by all of the above;  E. characterized by none of the above.
[Correct Response: D]

In adopting Magna Carta, it was agreed that the Crown and his administration would not arrest, outlaw, banish or incarcerate any free man, deprive him of rights, possessions or legal standing, or otherwise take official and forceful action against him, except in accordance with the lawful judgement of his equals or in accordance with the laws of the Kingdom. This was, in embryonic form, the principle of -- A. arbitrary governance;  B. due process of law;  C. divine right to rule;  D. stare decisis;  E. trial by ordeal.
[Correct Response: B]

In 1774, on the eve of the American Revolution, the thirteen English colonies which were located in British North America and which were to become the original member-states of the United States of America were largely self-governing, each having an existing, functioning governmental system. The thirteen colonial governmental systems, patterned after English governmental institutions and based on English political ideas and practices, were a direct source of the political ideas, values, and beliefs which influenced the Framers of the United States Constitution. Important characteristics were shared by the colonial governments in 1774, each colony having -- A. a government based on a written "constitutional" document;  B. a strong chief executive;  C. an independent and powerful legislature;   D. a system of courts;  E. all of the above.
[Correct Response: E]

Colonial antecedents to the American constitutional system include -- A. the Virginia House of Burgesses;  B. Pennsylvania's bicameral legislature;  C. the Politburo;  D. direct popular election of both chambers of the General Assembly;  E. unicameral colonial legislatures.
[Correct Response: A]

In colonial Virginia, the House of Burgesses was -- A. the upper and smaller chamber of the General Assembly;  B. composed of representatives elected by the freeholders of the colony;  C. widely perceived by the colonists to be the colony's equivalent of the House of Lords in the English Parliament;  D. composed of members appointed by the English Crown, on recommendation of the Governor of Virginia;  E. characterized by none of the above.
[Correct Response: B]

The House of Burgesses -- A. represented the interests of the English Crown in Virginia;  B. held the power of absolute veto over taxation and appropriations legislation;  C. was the upper and smaller chamber of the Virginia General Assembly;  D. served as an advisory body to the Governor and assisted him in the performance of his executive duties;  E. functioned as the colony's high court of justice.
[Correct Response: B]

The Governor of Virginia -- A. possessed broad discretionary authority within the colony to enforce the laws of England as well as the laws of Virginia;  B. summoned and adjourned the General Assembly;  C. had the power of absolute veto over all bills passed by the General Assembly;  D. was appointed by and served during the pleasure of the English Crown;  E. was characterized by all of the above.
[Correct Response: E]

In a given colony in British North America, the Governor typically possessed and exercised authority to -- A. appoint, control, and direct subordinate executive officers and administrative officials in the colonial government;  B. command the colonial militia and exercise considerable military power, acting in his capacity as commander-in-chief, captain-general, and vice-admiral;  C. hold the great seal of the colony and use it to authenticate public documents;  D. do all of the above;  E. do none of the above.
[Correct Response: D]

A colonial governor typically possessed authority to -- A. summon and adjourn the colonial legislature;  B. dissolve the legislature and call for new elections;  C. formally introduce bills in either or both chambers of the legislature;  D. do all of the above;  E. do none of the above.
[Correct Response: D]

A colonial governor -- A. exercised broad executive and administrative authority;  B. exercised important judicial powers;   C. shared the colony's legislative authority with the houses of the colonial legislature;  D. did all of the above;  E. did none of the above.
[Correct Response: D]

In 1774, eight of the thirteen colonies were royal colonies, or crown colonies, i.e., colonies whose original charters had been revoked by the King and replaced with royal commissions, suplemented by royal instructions. The Governor of a royal colony -- was appointed by the British Monarch, on the recommendation of the Privy Council;  B. functioned as the chief deputy and representative of the Monarch in the colony;  C. was responsible for seeing that royal instructions were carried out in the colony;  D. was characterized by all of the above;  E. was characterized by none of the above.
[Correct Response: D]

In each of the three proprietary colonies (Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Delaware), the Governor -- A. was appointed by the Proprietor of the colony;  B. functioned as the chief deputy and representative of the Proprietor in the colony;  C. was expected to represent the interests of the Proprietor in the colony; D. was characterized by all of the above; E. was characterized by none of the above.
[Correct Response: D]

In each of the two charter colonies, or corporate colonies (Connecticut and Rhode Island), the Governor -- A. was elected by the qualified voters in the colony;  B. was chosen by the colonial legislature, meeting in joint session;  C. was expected to represent the interests of the voters of the colony;  D. consistently represented the interests of the British Crown in the colony;  E. was characterized by A and C above.
[Correct Response: E]

During the months prior to the adoption of the Declaration of Independence in July, 1776, the Second Continental Congress called on the thirteen colonies to adopt state constitutions recognizing and taking into account the fact that the colonies had become independent, sovereign states. When the states began to follow suit, this early American enterprise in constitution-making -- A. led to a rash of radical, far-reaching changes in the basic character of government in the former colonies;  B. resulted in some modifications of government which, in some cases, were highly important;  C. the state constitutions established state governments which were, in effect, the old colonial governments operating in a different context;  D. B and C above occurred;  E. none of the above occurred.
[Correct Response: D]

The state constitutions and the governmental systems they established reflected the fact that the goals of the American Revolution were -- A. conservative;  B. radical;  C. totalitarian;  D. truly revolutionary;  E. components of a well-organized plan to sever all ties with the British Empire, overthrow the British Constitution, and replace it with a national constitution uniting the former colonies into a single unitary North American state.
[Correct Response: A]

Each of the state constitutions adopted during the revolutionary and immediate post-revolutionary era -- A. manifested a fear and suspicion of of strong executive power;  B. allocated substantial political authority to the Governor;  C. left the state legislature weak and impotent;  D. granted substantial power to the state judiciary;  E. placed a preponderance of political power in the hands of the Established Church.
[Correct Response: A]

Important political premises and doctrines upon which the early state constitutions rested were -- A. popular sovereignty;  B. limited government;  C. the rule of law;  D. all of the above;  E. none of the above.
[Correct Response: D]

Political ideas, concepts, and theories reflected in the early state constitutions were -- A. recognition of the people as the source of all legitimate political authority;  B. the idea that the legitimate power of government is limited by law and government may exercise only those powers granted by the people through the basic law of the constitution;  C. the idea that the law is supreme and restricts the discretionary authority of government officeholders;  D. all of the above;  E. none of the above.
[Correct Response: D]

Early American antecedents to the modern American constitutional system include -- A. written state constitutions;  B. state constitutions consisting of customs, traditions, judicial precedents, and legislative statutes;  C. state constitutional guarantee and protection of civil liberties;  D. A and C above;  E. B and C above.
[Correct Response: D]

Early American antecedents to the present-day American constitutional system include -- A. state governments characterized by formal separation separation of legislative, executive, and judicial organs of government;  B. unicameral state legislatures;  C. the Second Continental Congress of 1775-1781;  D. A and C above;  E. B and C above.
[Correct Response: D]

Early American antecedents to the contemporary American constitutional system include -- A. the Articles of Confederation of 1781-1789;  B. the scheme of state government under the New York Constitution of 1777;  C. the scheme of state government under the Massachusetts Constitution of 1780;  D. all of the above;  E. none of the above.
[Correct Response: D]

The New York Constitution of 1777 -- A. embodied the principle of legislative supremacy;  B. provided for a comparatively strong governor;  C. gave the Governor a two-year term of office;  D. placed strict limits on the Governor's eligibility for reelection;  E. vested in the Governor the supreme legislative, executive, and judicial power of the State.
[Correct Response: B]

The New York Constitution of 1777 -- A. provided that the Governor would be elected by a joint session of the State Legislature;   B. permitted the Governor to serve as many terms as the voters of New York were willing to elect him to;  C. made the Governor directly responsible to the State Legislature;  D. provided for the Governor's removal from office through a vote of no confidence in the lower house of the State Legislature;  E. created an electoral college to choose the Governor.
[Correct Response: B]

The New York Constitution of 1777 -- A. gave the Governor a power base separate from and independent of that of the State Legislature;  B. made the Governor dependent upon the Legislature for his election and reelection;  C. made the Governor directly responsible to the voters of the entire State;  D. did A and C above;  E. did B and C above.
[Correct Response: D]

Under the New York Constitution of 1777, the Governor had authority and responsibility to -- A. serve as Commander-in-Chief of the State Militia and Admiral of the State Navy;  B. convene the State Legislature on extraordinary occasions;  C. grant reprieves and pardons;  D. do all of the above;  E. do none of the above.
[Correct Response: D]

Under the New York Constitution of 1777, the Governor had authority and responsibility to -- A. inform the State Legislature on the condition of the State;  B. recommend to the Legislature matters for its consideration;  C. take care that the laws be faithfully executed;  D. do all of the above;  E. do none of the above.
[Correct Response: D]

The Massachusetts Constitution of 1780 provided for a state governmental system patterned after -- A. the balanced-government model;  B. the mixed-government model;  C. the legislative-domination model;  D. the unchecked-power model;  E. A and B above.
[Correct Response: E]

The Massachusetts Constitution of 1780 -- A. concentrated the legislatice and executive authority of government in the lower chamber of the State Legislature;  B. allocated political authority among several separate and largely independent organs of government;  C. designed the state governmental system to represent a single uniform statewide popular interest;  D. created a governmental system that was entirely democratic in form and substance;  E. did none of the above.
[Correct Response: B]

Under the Massachusetts Constitution of 1780, the governmental system was designed to -- A. represent both property and numbers of people;  B. represent constituencies with varying and competing interests;  C. limit power by maintaining a balance of forces within the government;  D. do all of the above;  E. do none of the above.
[Correct Response: D]

Under the Massachusetts Constitution of 1780, the organs of state government were expected to -- A. represent similar or identical interests;  B. have a vested interest in checking and opposing each other;  C. maintain an equilibrium of power in the political system;  D. do A and C above;  E. do B and C above.
[Correct Response: E]

The significance of the New York Constitution of 1777 and the Massachusetts Constitution of 1780 lies in their influence on -- A. other American states when, in the future, the matter of state constitutional revision came under consideration;  B. development of the Office of Prime Minister in the British governmental system;  C. those who drafted the United States Constitution;  D. A and B above;  E. A and C above.
[Correct Response: E]

Political theorists who developed the concepts of balanced government and mixed government include -- A. John Adams;  B. Baron Montesquieu;  C. James Harrington;  D. all of the above;  E. none of the above.
[Correct Response: D]

Political writings in which the concepts of balanced government and mixed government were developed include -- A. The Commonwealth of Oceana (1656);  B. The Spirit of the Law (1748);  C. Defense of the Constitutions of Government of the United States (1787);  D. all of the above;  E. none of the above.
[Correct Response: D]

The Second Continental Congress of 1775-1781 -- A. consisted of delegates elected by direct popular vote in their respective states;  B. was a union of states created through formal adoption of a national constitution;  C. served as the de facto central government of the U.S.A. until adoption of the Articles of Confederation in 1781;  D. reflected the states' recognition that they had surrendered important powers to the Continental Congress;  E. exercised no authority during the War of the American Revolution.
[Correct Response: C]

The Second Continental Congress -- A. waged war;  B. issued currency;  C. loaned and borrowed money;  D. exchanged diplomatic representatives with foreign powers;  E. did all of the above.
[Correct Response: E]

The Second Continental Congress -- A. drafted and adopted the American Declaration of Independence;  B. brought the War for American Independence to a successful conclusion;  C. performed functions ordinarily undertaken by the governments of sovereign states;  D. managed to develop an American national consciousness which led to the adoption of the Articles of Confederation; E. did all of the above.
[Correct Response: E]

The Articles of Confederation (1781-1769) -- A. was the first national constitution of the U.S.A.;  B. more or less legalized, or legitimized, the arrangements under which the Second Continental Congress had assumed governing power in 1776;  C. merged the thirteen states into a single sovereign state;  D. was characterized by A and B above;  E. was characterized by A and C above.
[Correct Response: D]

Under the Articles of Confederation -- A. the members of the U.S. Congress, in voting on measures pending in that body, functioned as independent decisionmakers;  B. the U.S. Congress possessed a general, virtually unlimited power to lay and collect taxes;   C. the states were represented in Congress on the basis of population;  D. the central government of the U.S.A. existed and operated at the sufferance of the states;  E. decisions on national legislation were made by simple majority vote in both houses of a bicameral legislature.
[Correct Response: D]

Under the Articles of Confederation -- A. each state retained its sovereignty and independence;  B. a national judicial system was established to settle disputes among the states;  C. Congress possessed authority to levy taxes only on landed property;   D. each state was represented in Congress on the basis of taxable wealth;  E. the national constitution could be amended, if two-thirds of the states agreed to the amendment.
[Correct Response: A]

Under the Articles of Confederation -- A. the national legislature consisted of a three-chamber Congress;  B. the members of Congress were appointed by and received their compensation from the state legislatures;  C. the central government could pressure states into taking action contrary to their own best interests;  D. Congress had the authority to regulate trade with other nations and among the states of the American union;  E. enactment of a national law required a simple majority vote in Congress.
[Correct Response: B]

A movement to revise the Articles of Confederation emerged because -- A. the colonies were having difficulty bringing the Revolutionary War to a successful conclusion;  B. the military establishment was gaining too much power;  C. the young American nation was facing serious problems and the central government lacked sufficient authority to deal with them effectively;  D. the people were beginning to see the central government as possessing and exercising excessive power;  E. of none of the above.
[Correct Response: C]

20. George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, and James Madison were among those American leaders who -- A. believed that a stronger national government was essential to the survival and progress of the U.S.A.;  B. sought to make the Baptist Church the established religion of America's central government;  C. came to view reunion with the British Empire as the only avenue of escape from America's predicament during the late 1780s;  D. advocated a substantial transfer of political authority from the national government to the states;  E. sympathized with and supported revolutionary movements seeking to bring about the violent overthrow of existing state governments.
[Correct Response: A]

The delegates who attended the Federal Constitutional Convention of 1787 and drew up the U.S. Constitution were greatly influenced by -- A. dissatisfaction with unbalanced state governments dominated by their state legislatures;  B. problems created or aggravated by existence of a weak and ineffective central government under the Articles of Confederation;  C. the perceived threat of majoritarian tyranny and mob rule in the states;  D. all of the above;  E. none of the above.
[Correct Response: D]

The motives of those who led the movement to obtain a new national constitution to replace the Articles of Confederation included creation of a national government strong enough to -- A. check and restrain the state legislatures;  B. protect and promote commerce;  C. suppress internal disorders and maintain domestic tranquillity;  D. do all of the above;  E. do none of the above.
[Correct Response: D]

The Framers of the U.S. Constitution sought to structure the central government in such manner as to -- A. establish and maintain a balance of political power in the governmental system;  B. limit the power of popular majorities;  C. protect and preserve liberty;  D. do all of the above;  E. do none of the above.
[Correct Response: D]

The Framers of the U.S. Constitution sought to structure the national government in such a way as to -- A. make decisionmaking by majority in the national legislature slow and difficult;  B. facilitate the formation of cohesive national political parties;   C. make decisionmaking by majority in the national legislature quick and easy;  D. make decisionmaking by majority in national elections quick and easy;  E. do none of the above.
[Correct Response: A]

The central controversy at the Federal Constitutional Convention was over -- A. counting slaves as part of a state's population for purposes of determining the state's representation in the national legislature;  B. the treatymaking power of the national government;  C. whether the states were to be represented equally in the national legislature or on the basis of population or wealth;  D. the nature and method of selection of the national executive;  E. counting slaves as part of a state's population for purposes of determining the amount in direct taxes the state would have to contribute to the national treasury.
[Correct Response: C]

At the Federal Constitutional Convention, the set of proposals that called for a bicameral national legislature in which the states would be represented according to population or wealth in both chambers was the -- A. Georgia Plan;  B. Virginia Plan;  C. Massachusetts Plan;  D. New Jersey Plan;  E. North Carolina Plan.
[Correct Response: B]

At the Federal Constitutional Convention, the set of proposals that called for a single-chamber national legislature in which the states would be represented equially was the -- A. Georgia Plan;  B. Virginia Plan;  C. Massachusetts Plan;  D. New Jersey Plan;  E. North Carolina Plan.
[Correcy Response: D]

At the Federal Constitutional Convention, the compromise that provided for a two-chamber national legislature, with representation according to population in one chamber and equal representation of the states in the other chamber, was the -- A. Missouri Compromise;  B. Three-fifths Compromise;  C. New York Compromise;  D. Connecticut Compromise;  E. Philadelphia Compromise.
[Correct Response: D]

The Antifederalists -- A. favored ratification of the U.S. Constitution;  B. opposed ratification of the U.S. Constitution;  C. advocated formation of a closely-knit federation of the states;  D. worked for the creation of a unitary state;  E. favored authoritarianism.
[Correct Response: B]

The Federalists -- A. favored ratification of the U.S. Constitution;  B. opposed ratification of the U.S. Constitution;  C. advocated confederation;  D. worked for the creation of a unitary state;  E. favored authoritarianism.
[Correct Response: A]

The Federalist Papers urged -- A. adoption of the Declaration of Independence;  B. ratification of the Articles of Confederation;  C. rejection of the U.S. Constitution;  D. ratification of the Mosaic Code;  E. ratification of the U.S. Constitution.
[Correct Response: E]

The Federalist Papers -- A. offered arguments in favor of the Articles of Confederation;  B. explained how American government would operate under the U.S. Constitution;  C. were politically neutral;  D. were intended to convince New York that it should reject the proposed new Constitution;  E. recommended formation of a constitutional monarchy in the U.S.A.
[Correct Response: B]

During the Ratification Campaign, a concession made by the Federalists to ensure ratification and adoption of the U.S. Constitution was an agreement to amend the Constitution to -- A. provide for a Federal Bill of Rights;  B. provide for representation of the states according to taxable wealth in one house of Congress and representation of the states on the basis of population in the other house;  C. require the President to submit treaties to the U.S. Senate for ratification or rejection;  D. delete all references to civil liberties in the Constitution;  E. withdraw from Congress authority to levy taxes.
[Correct Response: A]

In order to obtain Massachusetts' ratification of the U.S. Constitution, the supporters of ratification allowed a concession on the content of the Constitution that included -- A. counting each slave as three-fifths of a person;  B. election of U.S. Senators by direct popular vote;  C. incorporation of a Bill of Rights into the new Constitution;  D. giving U.S. Supreme Court justices life-time appointments;  E. legal recognition of the legitimate right of a state to secede from the Union.
[Correct Response: C]

In Federalist 51, James Madison asserted -- A. to protect liberty and prevent tyranny, ambition must be made to counteract ambition;  B. separation of powers alone can be depended upon to function as an effective roadblock to tyranny from any source;  C. because the executive tends to predominate in republican governments, the top executive authority should be a plural body, with each member having only one vote in decisions of the executive;  D. to safeguard liberty and prevent tyranny, there must be a total transfer of political authority from the states to the central government;  E. none of the above.
[Correct Response: A]