Test 1.1

Question 1

amendment

Answer 1

a change added to a bill, law, or constitution.

Question 2

Antifederalists

Answer 2

those who favored strong state governments and a weak national government and were opponents of the constitution proposed at the American Constitutional Convention of 1787.

Question 3

Articles of Confederation

Answer 3

America’s first written constitution; served as the basis for America’s national government until 1789.

Question 4

bicameral

Answer 4

having a legislative assembly composed of two chambers or houses.

Question 5

Bill of Rights

Answer 5

the first 10 amendments to the Constitution, ratified in 1791; they ensure certain rights and liberties to the people.

Question 6

checks and balances

Answer 6

mechanisms through which each branch of government is able to participate in and influence the activities of the other branches.

Question 7

confederation

Answer 7

a system of government in which states retain sovereign authority except for the powers expressly delegated to the national government.

Question 8

elastic clause

Answer 8

Article I, Section 8, of the Constitution which enumerates the powers of Congress and provides Congress with the authority to make all laws “necessary and proper” to carry them out.

Question 9

electoral college

Answer 9

the presidential electors from each state who meet after the popular election to cast ballots for president and vice president.

Question 10

expressed powers

Answer 10

specific powers granted by the Constitution to Congress (Article I, Section 8) and to the president (Article II).

Question 11

federalism

Answer 11

a system of government in which power is divided, by a constitution, between the central (national) government and regional (state) governments.

Question 12

Federalist Papers

Answer 12

a series of essays written by James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay supporting the ratification of the Constitution.

Question 13

Federalists

Answer 13

those who favored a strong national government and supported the constitution proposed at the American Constitutional Convention of 1787.

Question 14

Great Compromise

Answer 14

the agreement reached at the Constitutional Convention of 1787 that gave each state an equal number of senators regardless of its population, but linked representation in the House of Representatives to population.

Question 15

judicial review

Answer 15

the power of the courts to review and, if necessary, declare actions of the legislative and executive branches invalid or unconstitutional.

Question 16

limited government

Answer 16

a principle of constitutional government; a government whose powers are strictly defined by a constitution.

Question 17

New Jersey Plan

Answer 17

a framework for the Constitution, introduced by William Paterson, that called for equal state representation in the national legislature regardless of population.

Question 18

separation of powers

Answer 18

the division of governmental power among several institutions that must cooperate in decision making.

Question 19

supremacy clause

Answer 19

Article VI of the Constitution, which states that laws passed by the national government and all treaties shall be and superior to all laws adopted by any state or any subdivision.

Question 20

Three-Fifths Compromise

Answer 20

the agreement reached at the Constitutional Convention of 1787 that stipulated that for purposes of the apportionment of congressional seats, five slaves would count as three free persons.

Question 21

tyranny

Answer 21

oppressive and unjust government that employs cruel and unjust use of power and authority.

Question 22

Virginia Plan

Answer 22

a framework for the Constitution, introduced by Edmund Randolph, that provided for a system of representation in the national legislature based upon the population of each state.