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U5a Creating a Government

Total questions: 28

Worksheet time: 19mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

The United States first attempt at a government.

a)

Articles of Confederation

b)

US Constitution

c)

Declaration of Independence

d)

Treaty of Paris

2.

Who had the most power under the Articles?

a)

The national government

b)

The state governments

3.

Under the Articles, the national Congress did not have the power to create or collect taxes. What did this lead to?

a)

The states went bankrupt.

b)

The national/federal government never had enough money to fund things.

c)

The national government overtaxed people, like the British had.

d)

The states gave Congress all of the tax money the country needed.

4.

Why were laws difficult to enact (create)?

a)

There was no set method for making laws

b)

9 out of the 13 states had to approve of each law

c)

2/3 of the people in the country had to vote to approve laws

d)

Every single state had to approve of each law

5.

What did the Northwest Ordinance say about slavery?

a)

It banned slavery in the Northwest Territories

b)

It banned the slave trade throughout the country

c)

It declared slavery legal in the Northwest Territories

d)

It didn't mention slavery

6.

Why did farmers rebel and take over courthouses in Shay's Rebellion?

a)

They were in debt and their farms were being taken

b)

They wanted America to return to Great Britain's control

c)

They were angry about tea taxes

d)

They wanted to become judges

7.

What was the outcome of Shay's Rebellion

a)

It showed that the federal government needed to be stronger to defend and fund itself

b)

It showed that the federal government needed to be weaker to keep the people happy

c)

It led to the U.S. Civil War

d)

It showed that the farmers should not have to pay taxes

8.

According to the idea of Popular Sovereignty, who has the power?

a)

The President of the United States

b)

The Supreme Court

c)

The Senate

d)

The people

9.

What is a Constitution?

a)

A former plan for government

b)

A formal plan of government

c)

A formal pair of shoes

d)

A formal plan of action

10.

The Articles of Confederation had no executive or judicial branches to enforce/interpret the laws

a)

strength

b)

weakness

11.

The Articles of Confederation had NO AUTHORITY to make the states accept its rulings

a)

strength

b)

weakness

12.

The Articles of Confederation could ask states to organize and mobilize militia to help maintain national defense.

a)

strength

b)

weakness

13.
What was the position of the group known as Federalists?
a)
They supported the new Constitution.
b)
They questioned the justice of slavery.
c)
They feared a strong national government.
d)
They believed the states should have equal representation.
14.
What is the federal system of government?
a)
Government run by one political party.
b)
A single leader makes all decisions.
c)
Individual states have more power than the national government.
d)
Power is shared by the national and state governments.
15.
What was the greatest concern/fear of the opponents to the Constitution?
a)
taxation would be eliminated
b)
selection of George Washington as President
c)
Replacement of the Articles of Confederation
d)
giving up state power to form a stronger Union
16.
What did the Great Compromise decide?
a)
representation in Congress
b)
the names of political parties
c)
the system of checks and balances
d)
process of selecting the president
17.
Which was the greatest challenge at the Constitutional Convention?
a)
how to get agreement between eastern and western states
b)
how to balance the interests of large and small states
c)
how to address the concerns of farmers and ranchers
d)
how to respond to the interests of foreign countries
18.

The Constitution handled the issue of slavery by

a)

legalizing it

b)

outlawing it

c)

passing the Great Compromise

d)

putting it off until later

19.
What document replaced the Articles of Confederation and established a new national government? 
a)
The Declaration of Independence 
b)
The Constitution 
c)
The Magna Carta 
d)
The English Bill of Rights 
20.

An agreement made at the Constitutional Convention stating that enslaved persons would be counted as three-fifths a person when determining a state's population for representation in the House of Representatives.

a)

The Great Compromise

b)

The Articles of Confederation

c)

The Three-Fifths Compromise

d)

The Federalist Papers

21.

Federalists secured votes for ratification by promising to add which of the following to the Constitution?

a)

a bill of rights

b)

voting regulations

c)

a new branch of government

d)

state constitutions

22.

To approve the Constitution by a state convention

a)

ratify

b)

amendment

c)

bicameral

d)

rule of law

23.

A formal change to a body of laws, like the Constitution

a)

amendment

b)

ratify

c)

bicameral

d)

separation of powers

24.

Why did the delegates to the Constitutional Convention decide to replace the Articles of Confederation?

a)

They were supposed to be replaced every few years.

b)

State legislatures demanded it.

c)

The government was too weak.

d)

The delegates had never favored the Articles.

25.

"This new national government will have the power to overwhelm the states and exercise tyranny over the people."

Which group would make such a statement about the Constitution?

a)

Anti-Federalists

b)

Enlightenment thinkers like John Locke

c)

Federalists

d)

Members of Shays' Rebellion

26.

What was the purpose of James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay in writing The Federalist Papers?

a)

To win support for the Constitution

b)

To criticize the Constitution

c)

To explain why the government under the Constitution would not work

d)

To praise the Articles of Confederation

27.

Why was the national government under the Constitution stronger than the national government under the Articles of Confederation?

a)

It had the power to enforce its laws.

b)

The supremacy clause made state laws the highest in the land.

c)

It did not have the power to tax the people.

d)

State governments had been dissolved.

28.

The Great Compromise proposed by the committee headed by Roger Sherman called for . . .

a)

a two-house Congress.

b)

backing the New Jersey Plan.

c)

keeping the Articles of Confederation.

d)

creating the Supreme Court.