Foundations of American Government Quiz

Both the Magna Carta (1215) and the English Bill of Rights (1689) were important because they established the principle of

• universal suffrage

• a limited monarchy

• religious toleration

• a laissez-faire economy

During the ratification debate, the Founding Fathers gained support by promising to add

• voting rights for all free men

• a southern-born president

• a Bill of Rights

• freedom from paying taxes

Which action is an example of one branch limiting the power of another?

• The taxing power of the states

• The military powers of the president

• Senate approval of presidential appointments

• Congressional debate on a proposed law

The Declaration of Independence reflects which major Enlightenment idea?

• Support for states’ rights and slavery

• Belief in the natural rights of citizens

• The need for a federal system of government

• Belief in the benefits of a free-market economy

The statement that governments receive “their just powers from the consent of the governed” is based on

• federalism

• judicial review

• equality before the law

• the Social Contract theory

What issue did the Three-Fifths Compromise settle at the Constitutional Convention?

• Who could be considered free

• Whether American Indians would be taxed

• How direct taxes would be collected

• How enslaved people would be counted for taxation and representation

The purpose of the Federalist Papers was to

• promote the Bill of Rights

• encourage ratification of the Constitution

• persuade delegates in Philadelphia to write a new constitution

• support the Revolutionary War effort

One advantage of checks and balances is that it

• makes it easy for one group to take power

• prevents election fraud and guarantees voter turnout

• gives the executive branch full control

• forces the branches to work together for the common good

If Congress passes a law, the President signs it, and the Supreme Court later declares it unconstitutional, this demonstrates

• supremacy

• veto power

• federalism

• checks and balances

Canada has both a monarch and an elected parliament with a prime minister. This system is called a

• autocracy

• dictatorship

• federal republic

• constitutional monarchy