Chapter 3 Test Form A The Constitution Answer Key

Popular Sovereignty

ANSWER : Popular – appealing to the general public Sovereignty – having supreme power or authority

Electoral College

ANSWER : Electoral – consisting of elections or electors College – an institution for higher learning

Judicial Review

ANSWER : Judicial – pertaining to judgement Review – a critical report

Executive Agreement

ANSWER : Executive – a group of people having administrative authority Agreement – the act of agreeing

Divides power between federal and state governments

ANSWER : C – Federalism

Against the principles of the Constitution

ANSWER : E – Unconstitutional

Group of advisers to the President

ANSWER : B – Cabinet

A change to the Constitution

ANSWER : A – Amendment

To take back

ANSWER : D – Repeal

Basic _ , or laws, are outlined in the Constitution

ANSWER : Principles

Soon after the Constitution became effective, _ amendments were added to it. It now has _ 

amendments

ANSWER : 10; 27

Article _ says the Constitution is the law of the land

ANSWER : 6

The idea that the federal government gets its power from _ _ is called popular sovereignty

ANSWER : The people

Limited government means that the government is never _ the law

ANSWER : Above

Government must follow the principles authorized by the people. This is the _ of _

ANSWER : Rule of law

The division of government into three _ is called the separation of powers

ANSWER : Branches

The Constitution states that only _ can make laws

ANSWER : Congress

The President cannot make laws, but must _ all laws passed by Congress

ANSWER : Ratify

Congress can _ the President’s veto

ANSWER : Override

Courts can decide whether or not actions of the government are _. This power is called judicial review

ANSWER : Constitutional

Federalism is a system of government in which powers divided between a _ _ and _ governments

ANSWER : Central government; regional

One way to make a change to the Constitution is for two-thirds of the members of _ to approve an 

amendment. Because we have a federal system, three-fourths of the _ _ must then ratify the amendment for it to become part of the Constitution

ANSWER : Congress; state legislatures

The first _ amendments to the Constitution are known as the Bill of Rights

ANSWER : 10

The _ Amendment limited a President to two full terms in office

ANSWER : 22

The 27th Amenment was first proposed in _ but was not ratified until _

ANSWER : 1789; 1992

_ passed by Congress have helped shape the basic frameworks of the Constitution

ANSWER : Laws

Presidents have brought about constitutional change by making _ agreements with leaders of foreign countries

ANSWER : Executive

The Supreme Court _ the Constitution as it hears and decides cases

ANSWER : interprets

Many of the framers dislike the idea of political parties. Despite this fact, much of American government today is conducted on the basis of _

ANSWER : Party

One way parties have brought about constitutional change in taking over selection of candidates for the – and –

ANSWER : President; vice president

The Constitution does not mention the President’s _ , his group of advisers. Instead, it came about through tradition and custom

ANSWER : Cabinet

Some customs were followed for years before being written into the Constitution, such as the _ _ _ 

tradition

ANSWER : No Third Term

Anti-Federalists

ANSWER : a person who opposed ratification of the Constitution

Article III

ANSWER : creates the judicial branch

Article V

ANSWER : the amendment process

Checks and Balances

ANSWER : a system in which each branch of government is able to check, or restrain, the power of the 

others

Confederation

ANSWER : a group of individuals or state governments

Constitution

ANSWER : a formal, written plan of government

Executive Branch

ANSWER : the branch of government that carries out laws

Federalism

ANSWER : a form of government in which power is divided between the federal, or national, government and the states

Limited Government

ANSWER : a government that can only do what the people allow it to do

Popular Sovereignty

ANSWER : the idea that powers lies with the people

Amendment

ANSWER : any change in the Constitution

Bicameral

ANSWER : a legislature consisting of two parts, or houses

Constitutional Convention

ANSWER : meetings of state delegates in 1787 leading to adoption of a new Constitution

Electoral College

ANSWER : a group of people named by each state legislature to select the president and vice president

Judicial Branch

ANSWER : branch of government that interprets the laws

Legislative Branch

ANSWER : the lawmaking branch of government

Ratify

ANSWER : to vote approval of

Rule of Law

ANSWER : the principle that the law applies to everyone, even those who govern

Separation of Powers

ANSWER : the split of authority among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches

Three-Fifths Compromise

ANSWER : agreement providing that enslaved persons would count as three-fifths of other persons in 

determining representation in Congress

Believes of Federalists

ANSWER : -Federal law should be supreme over state law -U.S. could not survive without a strong national government; this was needed to protect property rights -only a strong national government could solve the country’s problem at home and defend its interests abroad

Believes of Anti-Federalists

ANSWER : -New constitution would destroy the liberties won in the American Revolution -Ignore the 

rights of the states -feared that government would favor the wealthy over the few common people -new constitution had no bill of rights

How did Federalist get the Anti-Federalist to ratify the new constitution?

ANSWER : They agreed to add a bill of rights to the constitution

Examples of expressed powers found in Article I

ANSWER : -Creates the three branches of government -The number of representatives from each state is based on their population -Electing Senators -Impeachment – Congressional Salaries -Tax Laws -How bills become laws -Powers of Congress -Habeas Corpus -Limitations on the states

Checks of the Executive Branch

ANSWER : -Can veto legislation -Can appoint judges

Checks of the Judicial Branch

ANSWER : -Can declare acts of legislature unconstitutional -Can declare presidential actions 

unconstitutional

Checks of the Legislative Branch

ANSWER : -Can impeach presidents -Can override veto -Can reject appointments -Can refuse to approve 

treaties -Can impeach judges -Can reject appointment of judges

Leaders of the Federalists

ANSWER : Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, John Jay

The Federalist Papers

ANSWER : essays to defend the constitution

Preamble (six purposes of the government)

ANSWER : 1. To form a more perfect Union 2. To establish justice 3. To insure domestic tranquility 4. To provide for the common defense 5. To promote the general Welfare 6. To secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity

Shay’s Rebellion

ANSWER : -took place in Massachusetts -Farmer owed money because of heavy state taxes -threatened to take his farm to pay his debt -felt citizens should not be punished for a problem that the state created -about 1,200 protesters attacked a federal arsenal -government wondered if they could maintain law and order

From which document did Americans get the idea to add a bill of rights to their own new state constitutions?

ANSWER : Magna Carta and the English Bill of Rights

The Great Compromise

ANSWER : -committee headed by Roger Sherman from Connecticut -congress would have 2 houses (Senate and a House of Representatives) -Senate; each state would have 2 reps (pleased smaller states) -House; reps based on the states population (pleased larger states)

Popular Sovereignty can be practiced by?

ANSWER : voting

Compromises at the constitutional convention

ANSWER : trade – congress could regulate trade between the states and countries, but could not tax exports Congress could also not ban the slave trade before 1808- 20 years

Which branch of government has the power to declare war?

ANSWER : Legislative Branch

Know some reasons why the national government under the Constitution is stronger than the national government was under the articles?

ANSWER : -strong central government with certain powers reserved for the states -congress has the power to tax, regulate trade etc, declare war, make national laws, make treaties -president and supreme court -two house legislature

Necessary and Proper Clause

ANSWER : to interpret the constitution in a broad manner

Why was it difficult to amend the Articles of Confederation?

ANSWER : The articles could not be changed without the agreement of all 13 states

What is Article IV about?

ANSWER : guarantees the people “a republican form of government”explains the relationship of the 

states to one another and to the national government (relations among the states)

Which phrase of the preamble reflects popular sovereignty?

ANSWER : “We the people”

Know the courts that were created by Article III

ANSWER : Supreme Court; federal and state courts

popular sovereignty

ANSWER : the people are the source of any and all governmental power, and government can exist only 

with the consent of the governed

limited government

ANSWER : the government is restricted in what it may do, and each individual has rights that 

government cannot take away

separation of powers

ANSWER : the executive legislative, and judicial powers are divided among three independent and coequal branches of government

checks and balances

ANSWER : system of overlapping the powers of the three branches to permit each branch to check the actions of the others

Veto

ANSWER : chief executive’s power to reject a bill passed by a legislature

Judicial review

ANSWER : the power of a court to determine the constitutionality of a governmental action

unconstitutional

ANSWER : contrary to constitutional provision and so illegal, null and void, of no force and effect

federalism

ANSWER : a system of government in which a written constitution divides power between a central, or national, government and several regional governments

Amendment

ANSWER : a change in, or addition to, a constitution or law

ratification

ANSWER : formal approval, final consent to the effectiveness of a constitution, constitutional amendment, or treaty

formal amendment

ANSWER : change of addition that becomes part of the written language of the Constitution itself through one of four methods set forth in the Constitution

bill of rights

ANSWER : the first ten amendments to the Constitution

executive agreement

ANSWER : a binding internal agreement with the force of law but which does not require Senate consent

treaty

ANSWER : a formal agreement between two of more sovereign states (requires senate consent)

cabinet

ANSWER : presidential advisory body, traditionally made up of the heads of the executive departments 

and other officers

Elastic Clause (Necessary and Proper Clause)

ANSWER : The clause in Article I, Section 8, that grants Congress the power to do whatever is necessary to execute its specifically delegated powers and allows for implied powers.

enumerated powers

ANSWER : Specific powers given to the national government alone