4. Multiple Choice

Question 1

When the first Congress under the new Constitution met in 1789, the most important item of business was the consideration of a proposal to …

Answer 1

add a Bill of Rights to the Constitution

Question 2

Why was the proposal by Virginia delegate George Mason for a bill of rights turned down with little debate in the waning days of the Philadelphia Constitutional Convention in September 1787?

Answer 2

The delegates thought a Bill of Rights unnecessary for a government with such limited powers.

Question 3

Why did Alexander Hamilton and other Federalists argue that a Bill of Rights was not necessary?

Answer 3

The national government could not abuse powers not given to it in the first place.

Question 4

Although James Madison was initially opposed to the addition of a bill of rights to the Constitution, why did he subsequently support the proposal?

Answer 4

because of his pragmatic recognition of political realities

Question 5

The Bill of Rights is a series of restraints designed to limit government’s jurisdiction. These restraints best reflect which principle of politics?

Answer 5

he institution principle

Question 6

The Bill of Rights is basically a series of amendments on what …

Answer 6

the federal government must not do.

Question 7

What is the Bill of Rights?

Answer 7

a series of substantive and procedural restraints on government

Question 8

The establishment of procedural and substantive limitations on government to protect civil liberties reflects which of the five principles of politics?

Answer 8

the institution principle

Question 9

Which is a general term for rules that restrict the range of outcomes from collective action?

Answer 9

civil liberties

Question 10

The role of precedent in guiding and constraining Supreme Court decision making illustrates which of the five principles of politics?

Answer 10

history

Question 11

Which term defines the protection of citizens from improper governmental action?

Answer 11

civil liberties

Question 12

The constitutional amendment protecting citizens from being forced to quarter troops in private homes during peacetime is an example of which concept?

Answer 12

civil liberty

Question 13

In the past, solid majorities of the American public and U.S. Congress have supported laws to punish anyone who burns an American flag, yet these laws have not been allowed. Which principle explains how preferences are constrained by institutions?

Answer 13

policy principle

Question 14

The Bill of Rights was added to the Constitution soon after the first meeting of Congress convened in 1789 as a response to the concerns of Antifederalists. Which principle of politics holds that political decision making requires actors to work together to accommodate the interests of critical groups and institutions?

Answer 14

collective action

Question 15

The constitutional prohibition against the government establishing a religion is an example of a …

Answer 15

substantive restraint

Question 16

The constitutional prohibition against the government depriving a citizen of life, liberty, or property without due process of law is an example of a …

Answer 16

procedural restraint

Question 17

Which of the following is an example of a procedural restraint that protects our civil liberties?

Answer 17

A person is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

Question 18

Which amendment in the Bill of Rights explicitly addresses itself exclusively to the national government?

Answer 18

the First Amendment

Question 19

The fact that John Barron was treated separately as a citizen of the state of Maryland (and was thus entitled to certain protections from the Maryland state government) and as a citizen of the United States (which entitled him to a different set of protections valid only against infringements on his liberty by the U.S. government) exemplifies the principle of …

Answer 19

dual citizenship

Question 20

The notion that each American is a citizen of the national government and separately a citizen of one of the states is known as …

Answer 20

dual citizenship

Question 21

The 1833 case of Barron v. Baltimore revolved around the city of Baltimore’s deprivation of …

Answer 21

property

Question 22

What constitutional concept did the 1833 case Barron v. Baltimore confirm?

Answer 22

dual citizenship

Question 23

Which constitutional amendment sought to nationalize citizenship and the Bill of Rights?

Answer 23

the Fourteenth Amendment

Question 24

In an important 1873 decision known as the Slaughter House Cases, the Supreme Court rejected the notion that …

Answer 24

the Fourteenth Amendment fully incorporated the Bill of Rights to apply to the states.

Question 25

The Supreme Court case McDonald v. Chicago (2010) declared unconstitutional state laws that infringed on the individual right to bear arms. This application of the Second Amendment to state laws is an example of ..

Answer 25

selective incorporation/”incorporation”

Question 26

The piecemeal application of the Bill of Rights to the states is known as …

Answer 26

selective incorporation

Question 27

The incorporation of the Bill of Rights into the Fourteenth Amendment took place by …

Answer 27

action of the U.S. Supreme Court gradually over time.

Question 28

Which provision of the Bill of Rights was the first to be selectively nationalized, or applied to the states, by the U.S. Supreme Court?

Answer 28

the Fifth Amendment’s guarantee that private property shall not be taken for public use without just compensation

Question 29

What was the ultimate result of the Palko v. Connecticut case when it was reviewed by the U.S. Supreme Court?

Answer 29

Palko was executed.

Question 30

The Supreme Court’s deliberation on whether or not Frank Palko could be tried twice for the same crime in the case Palko v. Connecticut exemplifies questions about constitutional protection against …

Answer 30

double jeopardy