Regents Prep Test 1

In his pamphlet Common Sense, Thomas

Paine urged American colonists to

• establish their own nation

• (1) pay their colonial taxes

• (1) obey the laws of Parliament

Base your answer to question 2 on the chart below and on your knowledge of social studies.

Which conclusion is best supported by the information on the timeline?

• Britain eventually granted the colonies representation in Parliament

• Only elected British officials had the right to levy taxes

• Britain’s efforts to increase control over the colonies were not successful

• (1) Creation of the First Continental Congress was an immediate reaction to the passage of the Stamp Act

… We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.—That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed,—That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government,…

— Thomas Jefferson

The purpose of this statement was to...

• urge support for the Albany Plan of Union

• provide justification for declaring independence

• criticize the Articles of Confederation

• advocate obedience to Great Britain

Which two key principles of

government are included in the Declaration of Independence?

• majority rule and minority rights

• universal suffrage and judicial independence

• direct democracy and equality for women

• consent of the governed and natural rights

The Boston Tea Party was a demonstration of the opposition of colonial merchants to

• a high tax on tea

• taxation without representation

• the British East India Company monopoly

• all of the above

Critics of the Articles of

Confederation argued that it

• imposed unfair taxes on the states

• used a draft to raise a national army

• provided a strong system of federal courts

• placed too much power in the hands of the states

What principle of government is found both in the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution of the United States?

• The right to vote must be guaranteed to all Americans

• Supreme court justices should be elected by the people

• Governing power should be divided between different levels of government

• States have the right to secede from the union

Shay’s Rebellion (1786) became a concern for many national leaders because it…

• indicated there would be future conflicts over the spread of slavery

• exposed fundamental weaknesses in government under the Articles of Confederation

• exposed the need for federal government regulation of interstate commerce

• showed the frontier settlements were vulnerable to raids by Native American Indians

Anti Federalists opposed ratification of the United States Constitution until they were assured that

• a bill of rights would be added to the original document to protect citizens from a tyrannical Federal government

• their supporters would receive a fair share of federal government jobs

• the president was given increased powers

• senators would be elected directly by the people

What is the most democratic feature of the original Constitution of the United States?

• role given to the electoral college in presidential elections

• appointment of ambassadors by the president

• direct election of the members of the House of Representatives

• lifetime appointments for Supreme Court justices