Amending the US Constitution

Multiple Select

Which are the two steps of the amendment process?

• proposal

• ratification

• executive confirmation

Multiple Select

Which can officially propose an amendment?

• Congress alone

• state legislatures alone

• state legislatures via Congress and National Conventions

• the executive

Multiple Choice

Describes the process for amending the Constitution

• Article I

• Article V

• Article IV

• Article II

Multiple Select

Which can officially ratify an amendment?

• Congress alone

• state legislatures alone

• state conventions

• the executive

Multiple Choice

How many states must approve of a proposed amendment before it becomes part of the Constitution?

• 2/3s
• 34
• 3/4
• 37.5

Multiple Choice

Ratification of proposed amendments happens

• by popular vote.
• at the state level.
• with a 3/4 approval of both houses of Congress.
• at the national level with a majority vote in Congress and presidential approval.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is necessary to propose a new amendment to the Constitution?

• approval by a popular vote held in every state
• approval by two thirds of the House and Senate
• approval by three quarters of the House and Senate
• approval by the legislatures in at least three fourths of the states

Multiple Choice

How does the formal amendment process reflect the concept of federalism?

• It grants the greatest amount of power to the national government.
• Power to change the Constitution requires both the national and state governments.
• The system for changing the Constitution recognizes popular sovereignty.
• Federal authority is supreme and, as such, has sole power to change the Constitution.

Multiple Choice

The passage above was written by U.S. Senator Barack Obama in his 2006 book, The Audacity of Hope.

Based on the passage, which statement about the amendment process would Senator Obama support?

• The ratification process allows the president to reflect public views.

• The ratification process allows governors to reflect public views.

• The U.S. Constitution is difficult to amend.

• The U.S. Constitution is easy to amend.

Multiple Choice

Which statement accurately reflects the Amendment process to the U.S. Constitution so far?

• All 50 states must approve the Amendment in their legislatures.

• The majority of the U.S. Congress must approve the amendment; state involvement isn’t necessary.

• The process starts in the U.S. Congress and final approval rests with the states.

• The process starts in the State Legislature and final approval is given by the U.S. Congress.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is the method most often used to start the process of amending the U.S.  Constitution?

• an amendment is ratified by the legislatures of three fourths of the states
• an amendment initiative is presented by its sponsors to their state legislature
• an amendment is proposed by two thirds of both the House and the Senate
• an amendent petition is submitted to both Congress and all state legislatures

Multiple Choice

Why did the framers feel it was necessary at times to amend the Constitution?

• amending the Constitution would allow for tyranny.

• amending the Constitution can reflect changing times, beliefs, and social conditions.

• amending the Constitution shows other countries how strong the U.S. government is.

• amending the Constitution allows for a smooth transition of power between political parties.

Multiple Choice

How many states must approve of a proposed amendment before it becomes part of the Constitution?

• 2/3s
• 34
• 3/4
• 37.5

Multiple Choice

How does the formal amendment process reflect the concept of federalism?

• It grants the greatest amount of power to the national government.
• Power to change the Constitution requires both the national and state governments.
• The system for changing the Constitution recognizes popular sovereignty.
• Federal authority is supreme and, as such, has sole power to change the Constitution.

Multiple Choice

At which level of government can changes to the Constitution be proposed?

• local
• state
• national
• executive

Multiple Choice

Ratification of proposed amendments happens

• by popular vote.
• at the state level.
• with a 3/4 approval of both houses of Congress.
• at the national level with a majority vote in Congress and presidential approval.

Multiple Choice

The newspaper headline above describes an event in U.S. history.

Source: Anti-Saloon League Museum

Based on the headline, what happened before the event presented in the image?

• Two-thirds of each house of Congress voted to support the amendment.

• The president rejected the amendment after Congress voted to support it.

• Three-fourths of each house of Congress voted to support the amendment.

• The president forwarded the amendment to the states after Congress voted to support it.

Multiple Choice

Which government institution may vote on constitutional amendments?

• bureaucracy

• executive

• judicial

• legislative

Multiple Choice

The timeline above provides details about a constitutional amendment.

According to the timeline, what happened between 1919 and 1933?

• The 21^st Amendment was approved by state ratifying conventions.

• The 21^st Amendment was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court.

• The 21^st Amendment was vetoed by the president.

• The 21^st Amendment was vetoed by Congress.

Multiple Choice

The passage above was written by U.S. Senator Barack Obama in his 2006 book, The Audacity of Hope.

Based on the passage, which statement about the amendment process would Senator Obama support?

• The ratification process allows the president to reflect public views.

• The ratification process allows governors to reflect public views.

• The U.S. Constitution is difficult to amend.

• The U.S. Constitution is easy to amend.

Multiple Choice

The passage below is from an 1848 speech by Elizabeth Cady Stanton.

"In the United States of America women [are] unrepresented in this government—our rights and interests wholly overlooked."

Source: Public Domain

Based on the passage, which action in the modern political system would Elizabeth Cady Stanton support?

• amending the U.S. Constitution to extend suffrage

• amending the U.S. Constitution to guarantee due process

• Congress enacting a law limiting freedom of speech rights

• Congress enacting a law limiting freedom of association rights

Multiple Choice

Which is the last step in amending the U.S. Constitution?

• The voters approve the amendment in a national election.

• The president signs the amendment in a public ceremony.

• Three-fourths of the state legislatures ratify the amendment.

• Two-thirds of both houses of Congress ratify the amendment.

Multiple Choice

The Congress, whenever two thirds of both Houses shall deem it necessary, shall propose Amendments to this Constitution, or, on the Application of the Legislatures of two thirds of the several States, shall call a Convention for proposing Amendments, which, in either Case, shall be valid to all Intents and Purposes, as Part of this Constitution, when ratified by the Legislatures of three fourths of the several States, or by Conventions in three fourths thereof, as the one or the other Mode of Ratification may be proposed by the Congress....” —United States Constitution, Article V
Which of the following BEST summarizes this excerpt?

• Alterations to the Constitution must be deemed necessary and proposed by the H of R.
• Each state legislature may choose between either mode of ratification to ratify a proposed Amendment.
• New additions to the Constitution can be proposed with backing from a congressional majority. 
• The intent of Article V is to provide the legislative branch with the power of ratification.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is the method most often used to start the process of amending the U.S.  Constitution?

• an amendment is ratified by the legislatures of three fourths of the states
• an amendment initiative is presented by its sponsors to their state legislature
• an amendment is proposed by two thirds of both the House and the Senate
• an amendent petition is submitted to both Congress and all state legislatures