Understanding the Constitution Part 1

What is the purpose of the principle of limited government?

• To protect individual liberties and prevent government overreach.
• To ensure government has unlimited power.
• To eliminate individual rights completely.
• To increase government control over citizens.

How did the Virginia Plan propose to structure the legislative branch?

• As a unicameral legislature with equal representation for each state

• As a bicameral legislature with representation based on state population

• As a tricameral legislature with one house elected by the people

• As a unicameral legislature with representation based on state wealth

What event in history brought attention to the fact that the Articles of Confederation were just too weak?

• The Constitutional Convention
• The signing of the Declaration of Independence
• Shays' Rebellion
• The Boston Tea Party

How can the legislative branch check the power of the executive branch?

• By declaring executive actions unconstitutional

• By issuing executive orders

• By impeaching the President

• By appointing federal judges

What was the primary reason for the creation of the Electoral College during the Constitutional Convention?

• To ensure direct election of the President by the people

• To balance the influence of populous and less populous states in presidential elections

• To give Congress the power to elect the President

• To establish a parliamentary system of government

What is the primary function of the legislative branch of the U.S. government?

• To interpret laws

• To oversee the military

• To enforce laws

• To create laws

Which branch of the U.S. government is responsible for interpreting laws as they relate to the Constitution?

• The State Governments

• The Executive Branch

• The Legislative Branch

• The Judicial Branch

In the early part of the Constitutional Convention, many delegates were surprised because instead of making changes to the Articles of Confederation,

• they chose to draft a new Constitution instead of amending the Articles of Confederation.
• they decided to keep the Articles of Confederation as is.
• they formed a committee to review the Articles of Confederation.
• they voted to keep the the Articles of Confederation for 20 more years.

What is the primary purpose of the principle of federalism in the United States?

• To centralize all power in the federal government

• To divide power between national and state governments

• To ensure that states have more power than the federal government

• To eliminate state governments entirely

What is the primary purpose of the separation of powers in a government?

• To allow the judiciary to make all governmental decisions

• To ensure that the executive branch has the most authority

• To prevent any one branch from becoming too powerful

• To concentrate power in a single branch