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Take the
Constitution Test
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
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