US Government Structure and the Great Compromise

Why does the US Constitution divide the federal government into three branches?

• to prevent any one branch from becoming too powerful

• to make the government run more efficiently

• to simplify the procedure of electing government officials

• to make the passing of laws easier

How did the Great Compromise resolve the differences between those who favored the New Jersey Plan and those who supported the Virginia Plan?

• A. A Bill of Rights would be added to the Constitution to protect specific rights for all citizens.

• B. Each state would have two senators and a number of representatives based on population.

• C. All states would be equally represented in both the Senate and the House of Representatives.

• D. The president would be elected by the indirect vote of the people through the Electoral College.

What is the primary focus of the first nine amendments of the Bill of Rights?

• the strengthening of federal authority

• the protection of individual rights

• the expansion of states' rights

• the elimination of inequality

Which of the following was a serious difficulty for the national government under the Articles of Confederation?

• It lacked the authority to raise money to support itself.

• It distributed representation among the states unequally.

• It asserted more powers than it could exercise efficiently.

• It used checks and balances that slowed decision making.

At the Constitutional Convention, there was a major debate between large states and small states about representation in the new Congress. This debate was resolved by

• the Wilmot Proviso.

• the Great Compromise.

• the Freedom Ordinance.

• the Newlands Resolution.

Why did Congress pass the Northwest Ordinance of 1787?

• to organize the territory south of the Ohio River

• to provide settlers with free land

• to make it possible to admit new states

• to expand slavery into newly-added territories

Which of the following BEST describes the purpose of the Three-Fifths Compromise during the framing of the US Constitution?

• to determine how enslave people would be counted toward state populations

• to provide checks and balances on the branches of government

• to expand the power of the federal government over the states

• to divide the federal legislature into two separate bodies

During the Constitutional Convention of 1787, delegates from small northern states believed that slaves should not count as part of a state's population, whereas delegates from large southern states believed that they should. Why was this an important question?

• State governments needed to ensure the welfare of their entire populations.

• The federal government needed to ensure the welfare of the entire population.

• Representation in the House of Representatives would be based on population.

• Elected representation in the Senate would be apportioned based on population.

Use the diagram to answer the question. Which name BEST completes the diagram?

• A. Alexander Hamilton

• B. Richard Lee

• C. George Washington

• D. Thomas Jefferson

Which Enlightenment philosophy was used to justify the American colonies' declaration of independence from England?

• Montesquieu's description of a separation of powers

• John Locke's concept of a social contract between people and government

• Mary Wollstonecraft's argument that men and women should have equal rights

• Isaac Newton's evidence for a body of natural laws