Unit 2 Test: Constitution

Question 1

What are the 3 weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation

Answer 1

1. Measures passed by Congress had to be approved by 9 of the 13 states
2. Congress couldn’t collect money via taxes; relied on states’s obedience, and couldn’t force them to do anything
3. The articles were very hard to change because changes required a unanimous vote.

Question 2

What’s are the 2 strengths of the articles

Answer 2

1. was made of delegates chosen by the states, and they could conduct foreign affairs, make treaties, declare war, maintain an army and a navy, coin money
2. kept country together

Question 3

What is the articles of confederation

Answer 3

the first constitution of the USA

Question 4

when was the articles of confederation passed and by who

Answer 4

in 1777 by the same continental congress that passed the declaration of independence

Question 5

what are the states fear in creating a national government, and how does to address this fear

Answer 5

that their needs would be ignored by a too strong government, and it would create an abuse of power. The articles addressed this by giving a lot of power to states.

Question 6

what’s the land ordinance of 1785

Answer 6

land will be surveyed, and divided into six square mile grid. each township was split into 36 sections of one square mile each, and 16th was for school. resulted in orderly settlement of north west.

Question 7

what’s the northwest ordinance of 1787

Answer 7

when congress created a procedure for admission of new states into the Union

Question 8

how many people have to live in a territory to become a state

Answer 8

60,000

Question 9

what was forbidden in the territories of the Old Northwest

Answer 9

slavery

Question 10

what’s the philadelphia convention

Answer 10

when state representatives decided to meet in 1787 to create a new government rather than fix articles.

Question 11

what are the 6 key figures of the philadelphia convention

Answer 11

george washington, james madison, alexander hamilton, ben franklin, george mason, roger sherman

Question 12

what’s the virginia plan

Answer 12

to base representation in congress on each states population. it was favoured by states with large populations

Question 13

what’s the new jersey plan

Answer 13

representation is equal for all states. was favoured by states with small populations

Question 14

what’s the great compromise

Answer 14

when they decided to allocate two people to the senate for each state, and house representatives based on population.

Question 15

what’s the 3/5 compromise

Answer 15

when they counted slaves as 3/5 of a person for population counting.

Question 16

what’s federal law

Answer 16

national laws that are the supreme law of the land. states have power but can’t contradict federal law. limits the power of the government to those in the constitution.

Question 17

what’s checks and balances

Answer 17

avoids a power central government by creating three branches: legislative, executive and judicial

Question 18

what does the legislative branch do

Answer 18

make laws

Question 19

what does the executive branch do

Answer 19

enforce laws

Question 20

what does the judicial branch do

Answer 20

interpret laws

Question 21

what can the legislative branch do to check judicial branch

Answer 21

impeach and approve judges

Question 22

what can the legislative branch do to check the executive branch

Answer 22

override veto, impeach president

Question 23

how can the executive branch check the judicial branch

Answer 23

appoint federal judges

Question 24

how can the executive branch check the legislative branch

Answer 24

veto legislation, call congress back

Question 25

how can the judicial branch check the executive branch

Answer 25

declare executive actions unconstitutional

Question 26

how can the judicial branch check the legislative branch

Answer 26

can declare laws unconstitutional

Question 27

how many people in house of representative

Answer 27

total of 435, each state has a minimum of 1. the number is based on state population, and they do 2 yr terms. elected by voters of congressional district

Question 28

how many senators are there

Answer 28

2 per state, run for 6 years, elected

Question 29

how many supreme court judges are there

Answer 29

9 (not in constitution). they serve lifetime terms

Question 30

what powers are denied to national government

Answer 30

changing state boundaries, taxing exports, shorten bill of rights

Question 31

powers denied to state government

Answer 31

coin money, tax imports/exports, enter into treaties, tax federal govt agencies

Question 32

powers denied to both

Answer 32

grant titles of nobility, deny due process, pass bill of attainder, suspend the writ of habeas corpus, pass ex post facto laws

Question 33

what is the amendment process

Answer 33

how the condition can be formally amended, as stated in article 5.

Question 34

how to propose an amendment

Answer 34

pass 2/3 of the house of reps, or pass 2/3 of the states at a national constitution convention.

Question 35

how to ratify a amendment

Answer 35

3/4 of state legislatures must vote yes

Question 36

what’s judicial review

Answer 36

the supreme court reviews cases which involve possible conflicts with the constitution and federal laws

the supreme court can declare laws unconstitutional

Question 37

what is the unwritten constitution

Answer 37

the norm that isn’t actually part of constitution; presidential cabinet, political parties, judicial review

Question 38

what are the 8 major principles of the constitution

Answer 38

popular sovereignty, representative government, limited government, federalism, separation of powers, checks and balances, bicameralism, judicial review

Question 39

what is popular sovereignty

Answer 39

government that may only act with the consent of the governed