Twenty-five questions you should be able to answer about the U.S. Constitution

[Warph]

Twenty-five questions you should be able to answer about the U.S. Constitution

1.) How does the Constitution of the United States provide for changes, so that it may be fluid with time and appropriate for future generations?

a.) Congress may pass bills which overrule or ignore the Constitution

b.) Judges may redefine the Constitution

c.) The Constitution can be amended

d.) Public opinion can nullify certain parts of the Constitution



2.) An amendment to the Constitution must pass by what minimum margins?

a.) Over 50% of the vote in the House and Senate, a signature by the president, and adoption by at least 3/4 of the states.

b.) Over 50% of the vote in the House and Senate and adoption by at least 3/4 of the states - a signature by the president is not required.

c.) A 2/3 majority in the House and Senate, a signature by the president, and adoption

by at least 3/4 of the states.

d.) A 2/3 majority in the House and Senate and adoption by at least 3/4 of the states - a signature by the president is not required.



3.) When the Constitution was first ratified, how were U.S. Senators elected?

a.) By a vote of the state legislatures.

b.) By a vote of the people

c.) By election from the House

d.) By appointment of the president



4.) The Constitution creates what type of government?

a.) A pure democracy

b.) A Republican form of government

c.) An aristocracy

d.) An oligarchy



5.) In the form of government expressed in the Declaration of Independence and defined by the Constitution, power flows:

a.) From God to the elected officials, then to the people

b.) From the elected officials to the people - God is not involved

c.) From God to the people, then to the elected officials

d.) From the people to the elected officials - God is not involved



6.) The Constitution requires Congress to be assembled:

a.) All year long - except for short recesses - so that it may address any emergencies which might arise in the states.

b.) Only once per year.

c.) Twice per year.

d.) Three times per year.



7.) The powers which are not specifically enumerated in the Constitution as powers of the federal government, are:

a.) Automatically given to Congress

b.) Automatically given to the states.

c.) Given to Congress or to the states by the president

d.) Given to Congress or to the states by the Supreme Court



8.) Choose the only power in the following list which the Constitution does not give to Congress.

a.) The power to borrow money

b.) The power to provide for the common defense of the United States

c.) The power to create a Social Security system

d.) The power to establish post offices



9.) Choose the only power in the following list which the Constitution does not give to the states.

a.) The power to create a Social Security system

b.) The power to create a Welfare system

c.) The power to enter into an agreement with a foreign power

d.) The power to build its own roads



10.) Prior to passage of the 16th amendment in 1913, income taxes were unconstitutional. How did the federal government pay for itself before income taxes were collected?

a.) Import duties, excise taxes and taxes divided among the states by population

b.) It didn't - the U.S. government was in debt and almost bankrupt

c.) A tax was paid to vote (a poll tax)

d.) Property taxes only



11.) The Constitution does not allow any bills of attainder to be passed - bills of attainder are:

a.) Bills which would allow the Congress to attain any of the rights of the people

b.) Bills which allow the president to attain any of the rights of the people

c.) Bills which allow the judiciary to attain any of the rights of the people

d.) Bills which allow forfeiture of rights or property without trial



12.) The Constitution does not allow the passage of any ex post facto law - ex post facto laws are:

a.) Laws which take effect before they are passed

b.) Laws which take effect before the people are notified

c.) Laws which take effect in the next legislature

d.) Laws which take effect after any need for the law exists



13.) The Constitution allows the president to make treaties and agreements with foreign powers, providing that

a.) A 2/3 majority of the Senate concurs

b.) Over 50% of the House and Senate concur

c.) A 2/3 majority of the House and Senate concur

d.) A 2/3 majority of the House concurs



14) According to the Constitution, the minimum infraction necessary for the impeachment of a judge is:

a.) A felony

b.) A misdemeanor

c.) Treason

d.) Bad behavior



15.) The Senate and the electoral college share a common reason for their existence, which is:

a.) To make government more cumbersome

b.) To make government more deliberate

c.) To give a greater voice to the larger states

d.) To give a greater voice to the smaller states



16.) Which of the following phrases does not appear in the Constitution?

a.) ...a wall of separation between Church and state

b.) All legislative powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States,...

c.) No title of nobility shall be granted by the United States:...

d.) No money shall be drawn from the treasury, but in consequence of appropriations made by law;...



17.) The Constitution states that:

a.) The right of the people to keep and bear arms for the purpose of gaining sustenance and for self defense shall not be infringed

b.) The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed unless Congress shall, by a simple majority, deem it necessary for the safety of the people

c.) The right of the military to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed

d.) The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed



18.) The Constitution states that the people have a right to be secure against unreasonable searches and seizures, and requires that warrants specify:

a.) What the police want to see

b.) The crime that has been committed

c.) The place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized

d.) The place to be searched only



19.) According to the Constitution, a trial by jury cannot be denied if the value of the lawsuit exceeds:

a.) $20

b.) $2000

c.) $20,000

d.) $200,000



20.) The Constitution allows government:

a.) to restrict the uses of land for environmental purposes

b.) to declare large tracts of land as wilderness areas

c.) to take private property without compensation for the building of roads

d.) to take private property for public use, but only if the owner is paid a fair price for it



21.) The Constitution states that no person may be deprived of:

a.) Life, liberty or the pursuit of happiness

b.) Life, liberty or property

c.) Life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness or a decent education

d.) Life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness, a decent education or reasonable housing



22.) To whom does the Constitution guarantee a right to vote:

a.) Citizens

b.) Citizens and legal aliens

c.) Anyone residing within the United States for more than seven years

d.) Citizens and all aliens



23.) The Constitution forbids slavery or involuntary servitude, except:

a.) In the military

b.) As a punishment for a crime



24.) The Constitution allows the federal government to promote the progress of science and the useful arts by:

a.) Giving tax money to artists and scientific research

b.) Giving authors and inventors exclusive rights to their work

c.) Establishing an endowmnent for science and the arts

d.) Deciding which of the arts and sciences should be promoted



25.) According to the Constitution, who has the right to govern that part of the military employed in the service of the United States?

a.) The president

b.) The Congress

c.) The Senate

d.) The Joint Chiefs of Staff