US Constitution and Individual Rights Quiz

What are the U.S. Constitution's requirements a person must meet in order to vote in a general election?

• U.S. Citizen, at least 25 years old

• U.S. Citizen, at least 16 years old

• U.S. Citizen, at least 21 years old

• U.S. Citizen, at least 18 years old

What additional requirement does Illinois have for voting?

• Register to vote

• Have a college degree

• Pass a political knowledge test

• Pay a voting fee

What three groups of people have gained the right to vote because of amendments that have been added to the Constitution?

• Hispanics; men; residents of Washington, DC (voting for president); 21-year-olds

• Asian-Americans; women; residents of Washington, DC (voting for president); 16-year-olds

• Native Americans; men; residents of Washington, DC (voting for president); 25-year-olds

• African-Americans; women; residents of Washington, DC (voting for president); 18-year-olds

How is the number of electors per state determined? (be specific)

• # of Senators - number of members the state has in the US House of Representatives

• # of Senators + number of members the state has in the US House of Representatives

• # of Senators * number of members the state has in the US House of Representatives

• # of Senators / number of members the state has in the US House of Representatives

How is it determined which candidate will get that state's electoral votes? (This is true in all but two states.)

• In most states, it's winner-take-all. The candidate who wins the popular vote in that state wins all of the state's electoral votes.

• In most states, it's proportional representation. The candidate who wins a percentage of the popular vote in that state gets a corresponding percentage of the state's electoral votes.

• In most states, it's based on a random lottery. The candidate's name is drawn from a hat to determine who gets the state's electoral votes.

• In most states, it's based on the candidate's party affiliation. The candidate from the majority party in that state gets all of the state's electoral votes.

What is the number of electoral votes needed to win the presidency? What portion of the vote is needed to win the presidency?

• 150; simple majority - half of the votes plus one

• 300; supermajority - two-thirds of the votes

• 200; plurality - the most votes but not necessarily a majority

• 270; majority - one more than half

Why did the writers of the Constitution create the Electoral College? Give four reasons.

• It created a confederal system; helped the medium-sized states; communication and travel were moderate then; some of the writers trusted the voters to have too much power

• It created a unitary system; helped the larger states; communication and travel were fast then; some of the writers trusted the voters to have too much power

• It created a federal system; helped the smaller states; communication and travel were slow then; some of the writers did not trust the voters to have too much power

• It created a parliamentary system; helped the independent states; communication and travel were advanced then; some of the writers trusted the voters to have too much power

Sometimes a state loses or gains members in the House of Representatives. Why?

• If the population of a state grows faster than other states, it might gain one or more members in the House.

• If the population of a state declines (or doesn't grow as fast as other states), it might lose one or more members in the House.

• If the population of a state remains the same, it might gain one or more members in the House.

• If the population of a state remains the same, it might lose one or more members in the House.

In Illinois, the state legislature redraws the boundary lines for congressional districts after each 10-year census. Why is this a problem? (A Congressional district is the area in a state represented by a particular member of the U.S. House of Representatives.)

• The district boundary lines are drawn randomly, leading to unfair representation.

• The district boundary lines can be drawn in strange shapes in order to help or hurt certain political parties. ('Gerrymandering')

• The district boundary lines are drawn by the Supreme Court, leading to unequal representation.

• The district boundary lines are drawn by the federal government, leading to biased representation.

What is meant by 'individual rights' in the context of the U.S. Constitution?

• Each person has rights that cannot be taken away by the government – even if that person holds the majority opinion.

• Each person has rights that cannot be taken away by the government – even if that person holds the minority opinion.

• Each person has rights that can be taken away by the government if they hold the majority opinion.

• Each person has rights that can be taken away by the government if they hold the minority opinion.