All 10 questions and answers
Try each question before you open the answer. Recalling first, then checking, is what makes a quiz stick (the testing effect).
-
Where and when was the Constitution written?
Show answer
Philadelphia, 1787. The Constitutional Convention met in Philadelphia from May to September 1787. It took effect in 1788 and the new government began in 1789.
-
Which document did the Constitution replace?
Show answer
The Articles of Confederation. The Articles created a weak central government with no power to tax. The Convention was called to fix them and wrote a new constitution instead.
-
What were the Great Compromise's rules for Congress?
Show answer
Equal votes per state in the Senate, seats by population in the House. Large states wanted representation by population, small states wanted equality. The Connecticut Compromise gave each side one chamber.
-
Which branch of government interprets the laws?
Show answer
The judicial branch. Congress (legislative) makes laws, the president (executive) carries them out, and the courts (judicial) interpret them.
-
How can Congress override a presidential veto?
Show answer
With a two-thirds vote in both the House and the Senate. The veto and the override are a textbook example of checks and balances. Three-quarters of the states is the threshold for ratifying amendments.
-
How many states had to ratify the Constitution for it to take effect?
Show answer
9 of the 13. Article VII set the threshold at nine states. New Hampshire became the ninth in June 1788.
-
What are the first ten amendments called?
Show answer
The Bill of Rights. Anti-Federalists demanded guarantees of individual rights. The Bill of Rights was ratified in 1791. The Federalist Papers were essays arguing for ratification.
-
Which amendment protects freedom of speech?
Show answer
The First Amendment. The First Amendment covers speech, religion, the press, assembly and petition.
-
Which amendment abolished slavery?
Show answer
The Thirteenth Amendment. The Thirteenth Amendment was ratified in 1865. The Fourteenth (1868) guarantees equal protection, the Nineteenth (1920) women's suffrage.
-
What is federalism?
Show answer
Dividing power between the national government and the states. Federalism is the vertical split between national and state governments. The split among three branches is the separation of powers, and courts striking down laws is judicial review.
Want this quiz for your own notes?
Photograph a page of notes or upload a PDF, and Quizcam writes the questions, the wrong answers and the explanations. Three quizzes a month are free.
Try Quizcam free