WorksheetsUnit 2: A New Nation
Total questions: 50
Worksheet time: 25mins
Name
Class
Date
1.
The original purpose of the Constitutional Convention held in May 1787 in Philadelphia's Independence Hall was to
a)
grant citizenship to free African Americans.
b)
draft a Constitution of the United States.
c)
distribute power among the states.
d)
improve the Articles of Confederation.
2.
According to George Washington's Farwell Address, what was the key to national success?
a)
political unity
b)
neutrality in foreign policy
c)
economic security
d)
checks and balances
3.
After Shays's Rebellion, Americans admitted that the Articles of Confederation failed to
a)
create limited governments.
b)
uphold the ideals set forth in the Declaration of Independence.
c)
expand sufferage to include women.
d)
preserve the rights laid out in the Magna Carta.
4.
Which statement best characterizes American farmers in 1790?
a)
They didn't want the government interfering with their daily lives.
b)
They took every opprotunity to organize and participate in community events.
c)
They wanted to have thier tax money distributed to those less fortunate.
d)
They refudes to accept any law designed to protect them from foreign rivals.
5.
An amendment to the Constitution is
a)
a suggested addition.
b)
an official change.
c)
a legal clarification.
d)
a judicial opinion.
6.
How was a vice president chosen in 1796?
a)
He ran alongside the presidential candidate.
b)
He was elected by popular vote.
c)
He was the presidential candidate who came in second.
d)
He was appointed by the president-elect.
7.
What is federalism?
a)
a governmetn system in which the central government holds supreme power
b)
a system that keeps each branch of government and the states of a country
c)
the sharing of power between a central government and the states of a country
d)
the part of a government responsible for mking the laws of a county or nation
8.
How does a search warrant protect a person's individual rights?
a)
It allows law enforcement to preserve evidence in emergency situations.
b)
It permits the victim of a theft or burglary to make a citizen's arrest of the criminal at any time.
c)
It requires authorities to repay citizens whose property is taken for public use.
d)
It guards someone suspected fo a crim from having officials go through their property for no reason.
9.
Which of these contributed to the Whiskey Rebellion?
a)
The federal government was overprotective of the settlers.
b)
Spain was blocking trade along the Mississippi River.
c)
Farmers could not afford the tax on whiskey.
d)
Farmers found whiskey difficult to transport.
10.
The Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom was one of the earliest expressions of which basic principle of American government?
a)
equality of opprotunity
b)
freedom of speech
c)
separation of church and state
d)
due process of law
11.
Concurrent powers, or those shared by the states and the federal government, include the powers to
a)
coin money and regulate trade.
b)
tax, borrow money, and enforce laws.
c)
create local governments and hold elections.
d)
draft an army and conduct foreign policy.
12.
Citizens accept responsibility for protecting others' Sixth Amendment rights to a public trial by
a)
serving on juries.
b)
watching court cases on television.
c)
reading newspapers.
d)
discussing court cases with friends.
13.
People who buy items at low prices and hope to sell them for a profit are called
a)
delegates.
b)
representatives.
c)
bondholders.
d)
speculators.
14.
Which of these duties of a citizen is encouraged, but not required?
a)
serving on a jury
b)
paying taxes
c)
signing up for the draft
d)
voting in elections
15.
Interstate commerce is the act of
a)
states following their own trade interests.
b)
states having different trade laws.
c)
trade between two or more states.
d)
setting tariffs on trade between states.
16.
To which person or group did the framers of the Constitution grant legislative power?
a)
Congress
b)
the President
c)
the Supreme Court
d)
state governments
17.
What is an executive order?
a)
a presidential command that has the power of law
b)
a judicial ruling that frees those convicted of federal offenses.
c)
a congressional override of a presdent's veto
d)
a declaration of war by any elected official in the president's cabinet
18.
What is the electoral college?
a)
a body of delegated from each state that represents the people's vote in choosing the president
b)
a school for the advanced to study of voting practices and political campaigning
c)
a group of voters hand picked for cabinet
d)
a name given to all voters who cast ballots in presidential elections
19.
In the opinion of the French diplomat Alexis de Tocqueville, why should american citizens be motivated to take political actions to become members of interest groups?
a)
Interest groups have greater access to political cadidates than any single individual.
b)
Political associations do important work that even the largest government could not accomplish on its own.
c)
The best answer to propganda is intelligent material that expresses the values of unified citizens.
d)
Money is essential to the functioning of democracy and groups can raise more cash than any individual.
20.
Signed in 1215, the _________ made the king subject to law.
a)
Magna Carta
b)
Articles of Confederation
21.
Great Britain forces American merchants to pay high ___________ on imports and exports and closed many of its ports to American ships in the late 1700s.
a)
tariffs
b)
insurance
22.
____________ led a forces shut down of the Supreme Court in Springfield, Massachusetts to protest the way the state had decided to pay its debts.
a)
Daniel Shays
b)
James Wilson
23.
A series of anonymously written essays called the ______________ tried to reassure Americans that a strong central government would not overpower the states.
a)
Federalist Papers
b)
Articles of Confederation
24.
The Three-Fifths Compromise helped settle the debate over ___________ at the Constitutional Convention.
a)
representation
b)
taxation
25.
The Second Continental Congress passed the Articles of Confederation, the new national constitution on November 15, 1777. Then it sent the Articles to each state for ____________, or official approval.
a)
amendment
b)
ratification
26.
In the United States in the late 1700s, inflation and the loss of trade with Great Britain led to a period of low economic activity and high unemployment called a ______________.
a)
depression
b)
national debt
27.
To stop larger stated from gaining too much power in the federal government, William Paterson proposed the ____________ Plan at the Constitutional Convention.
a)
Virginia
b)
New Jersey
28.
____________ opposed the Constitution because they though it gave too much power to the central government.
a)
Federalists
b)
Anitfederalists
29.
Under the Articles of Confederation, Congress passed the _______________, which created a system for bringing new states into the Union.
a)
Land Ordinance of 1785
b)
Northwest Ordinance of 1787
30.
According to Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, the most serious flaw in Alexander Hamilton's plan for a national bank was that it would not help the economy grow.
a)
True
b)
False
31.
Supreme Court decisions can be vetoed by the president and overridden by Congress.
a)
True
b)
False
32.
Supporters of gun-control laws have generally argued that the Second Amendment was designed to protect the individual’s right to self-defense.
a)
True
b)
False
33.
Once someone has become a naturalized U.S. citizen, it is impossible for his or her citizenship to be taken away.
a)
True
b)
False
34.
The framers of the Constitution set up a federal system to make the government more elastic, or flexible.
a)
True
b)
False
35.
James Madison’s promise to add a bill of rights to the Constitution made it possible for the document to pass.
a)
True
b)
False
36.
Two-thirds of both houses of Congress must vote in favor of a bill in order to override a president’s veto.
a)
True
b)
False
37.
Private citizens can only influence government if they act as members of interest groups.
a)
True
b)
False
38.
According to the Constitution, the vice president plays the role of president of the Senate.
a)
True
b)
False
39.
A person accused of a serious crime cannot be tried in a court of law unless he or she has been indicted by a grand jury.
a)
True
b)
False
40.
The right to a prompt and fair trial is protected by the Bill of Rights.
a)
True
b)
False
41.
signed in November 1794 to settle disputes between the United States and Britain that arose in the early 1790s
a)
Judiciary Act of 1789
b)
Pinckney's Treaty
c)
Jay's Treaty
d)
Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions
42.
signed in October 1795 to settle border and trade disputes between the United States and Spain
a)
Judiciary Act of 1789
b)
Pinckney's Treaty
c)
Alien and Sedition Acts
d)
Treaty of Greenville
43.
supported the idea that states could challenge the federal government
a)
Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions
b)
Jay's Treaty
c)
XYZ Affair
d)
Battle of Fallen Timbers
44.
gave the United States claim to most Native American lands in the Northwest Territory
a)
French Revolution
b)
Treaty of Greenville
c)
XYZ Affair
d)
Alien and Sedition Acts
45.
rebellion of French people against their king in 1789
a)
French Revolution
b)
Battle of Fallen Timbers
c)
the U.S. Mint
d)
Pinckey's Treaty
46.
set of laws passed by the Federalist-controlled Congress in 1798 to crush opposition to war
a)
Alien and Sedition Acts
b)
Judiciary Act of 1789
c)
Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions
d)
Martha Washington
47.
Congress enacted its charter in February 1791 to make the economy more stable
a)
the U.S. Mint
b)
Bank of the United States
c)
Judiciary Act of 1789
d)
Jay's Treaty
48.
bribery scandal that caused Federalists in Congress to call for war with France
a)
XYZ Affair
b)
Watergate
c)
the U.S. Mint
d)
Alien and Sedition Act
49.
set up the federal court system and the court’s location
a)
Judiciary Act of 1789
b)
Alien and Sedition Acts
c)
French Revolution
d)
Martha Washington
50.
fight between General Wayne’s troops and Native Americans that ended the frontier war
a)
French Revolution
b)
Battle of Fallen Timbers
c)
XYZ Affair
d)
the Alamo
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