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About This Quiz
The United States Constitution could very easily not have come into being, at least not for all thirteen colonies. Though allies in the revolution, the states were hardly friendly, each with its own currency, culture, and debts. This last item was one of the most significant reasons why the wealthier states were hesitant about joining the union. Between that and disagreements over slavery, not all the representatives at the constitutional convention were even willing to sign their names to the final work product.
Once created, the constitution went through further changes, first with The Bill of Rights, and then with a succession of amendments over the centuries, further expanding and defining the shape of rights. Part of these changes are owed to historical events like the Civil War, but another element that played a role was the changing meaning of language. With the rise of mathematics in the 1800s, English began to be codified more rigidly, double negatives were suddenly frowned on and specificity was key in all things. More than a hundred years later, we use this evolved version of the language to interpret words written in the 1700s by men who might not recognize much of our society as being theirs were they to see it.
The U.S. Constitution is one of the most important documents in history. Though it is "just a piece of paper," its influence is so far-reaching, knowing about it is an essential civic responsibility. Test your constitutional knowledge with this quiz!
Third
First
Fourth
Second
The Articles of Confederation were the first constitution binding the then-colonies together as states, but it was seen as insufficient in the wake of victory. As a result, a new constitution was written.
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13
52
26
74
A grand total of 74 delegates were appointed to the constitutional convention. As mentioned earlier, some states were not keen on the idea of the union, and only 55 delegates attended.
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Rhode Island
Many states were upset with the notion of yoking themselves to states with cultures and practices to which they objected. Out of frustration and protest, Rhode Island sent no delegates to the convention, despite being asked to.
New York
Virginia
Massachusetts
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Lion's Head
King's Head
Indian Queen
Located at the intersection of 4th and Chestnut Streets in Philadelphia, the Indian Queen Tavern was an upscale establishment (unusual in that it sold wine in addition to cider and beer) where many of the constitutional convention's delegates were quartered for the duration.
Crossroads
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The Contract
The Contrast
Revolutionary War veteran Royall Tyler was one of the most vocal members of a camp of Americans unwilling to accept a king, writing a play lampooning the idea of an aristocracy. So successful was the play and its like that the sentiment against a new monarch kept the founding fathers from writing one into the constitution.
The Foolish King
The Glorious King
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Cato
The Federalist Papers, written by John Jay, James Madison and Alexander Hamilton, were a response to the letters published in newspapers criticizing the constitution; they were a defense. The author of these letters (in a preview of how internet culture would take to anonymity and noms de plume) called themselves "Cato."
Tonto
Johnny Dimple
Samuel Lexington
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defense
defence
English was a very different language at the time of the nation's founding, with alternate word spellings that were considered equally acceptable, and haphazard rules regarding punctuation and capitalization. Given the surrounding syntax, it would seem this word, spelled eccentrically, should be capitalized, but it isn't.
de-fence
Defence
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the legislative branch
two Houses of Congress
the Senate
a Congress
With the American governmental system an entirely new prospect, the authors of the constitution wrote of "a congress" as it was still a hypothetical as the idea was put to paper. Understanding the meaning of the documents written in this period often means having to know the circumstances of the authors.
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One
Ten
Seven
The U.S. Constitution lays out a constellation of rules around who is eligible for high office. For Congressmen of the House of Representatives, eligibility requires possessing citizenship for at least seven years.
Four
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Thirteen
Several
Certain word choices in the constitution look deliberate and strange but were likely just customary English at the time it was authored. The use of the word "several" to describe the states sounds unusual but comes up in other documents.
United
American
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Twenty-five
Forty
Thirty-five
Thirty
The rules enumerating the population size of each representative's district are laid out in the constitution at thirty thousand. This requirement is one of the reasons for the clause requiring a census every ten years, in order to apportion representation fairly and accurately. The constitution specifically does not refer to only counting only citizens or eligible voters.
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The legislature
The Veto
War Powers
Impeachment
In a passage so specific that it exists as its own paragraph, the constitution lays out that the House of Representatives is the final word on impeachment. This power is further defined but not delegated.
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State legislatures
In a practice ended by the seventeenth amendment, the states' legislatures chose their U.S. Senators. This had several effects, one of which was that it meant being elected to state office meant a lot, and it was also a product of the lack of mechanisms in place to hold large-scale popular elections.
State governors
Popular vote
State courts
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A majority
All
One half
Two thirds
If the House of Representatives' power to impeach a president is akin to a criminal indictment, the Senate's power is that of the jury trial. Unlike a jury trial, however, the jury need not be unanimous to obtain a conviction.
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Of senators and representatives
The constitution gives the legislative branch the power to regulate how elections are held for their own ranks, dictating to the states. The only exception to this rule is they may not dictate where these elections take place.
Of any federal officeholder
Of any executive office holder
Except in cases of fraud
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Enlarged
Destroyed
Empowered
Given a raise in pay
Members of Congress are forbidden from holding certain offices because it could lead to corruption. This includes any office created or given a raise in pay, meaning that a sitting senator could not create a paid job and have it concurrently with being a senator.
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Majority
Fair
Successful
Two-thirds majority
As with the U.S. Senate's power to remove a president from office, a presidential veto can only be overcome by a two-thirds majority vote by the Congress. This requires a two-thirds majority voting in favor of the bill in the Senate and again in a separate vote in the House.
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Tariffs
Fees
Mulcts
Imposts
The constitution uses words that appear as synonyms in many places. Some of these had specific meanings in the time of the founders, while others were just added for clarity. An impost is a tax, but the word is also used to describe a weight added to a racehorse to handicap it.
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Lending fees
Mortgage rates
Weights and Measures
In the time of the founding of the U.S., weights and measures were highly variable, with units like "gallons" and "bushels" being subject to geography and culture. The U.S. briefly considered embracing the new "metric system," which standardized all measurements according to a unified system, but it was thought Americans were too closely tied to the old names of things.
Interest rates
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Books
Discoveries
Labors
Arts
Though not a very flashy passage, this section of the U.S. Constitution grants Congress the power to support science and the arts by protecting "exclusivity." In other words, this is what gives the Library of Congress the power to issue copyrights.
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War powers to the President
Clemency to war criminals
Letters of Marque
Though still technically in the constitution, "Letters of Marque" are an antiquated method of making trouble for a rival nation. In essence, a Letter of Marque is a license to conduct what would be considered piracy on a specific type of vessel, such as Spanish or British ships.
Repose to prisoners of war
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The Migration or Importation of such Persons as any of the States now existing shall think proper to admit
This first listed limit on the powers of Congress, now obsolete, was the compromise the abolitionists made to get the southern states to sign the document. Essentially what it does it prevents Congress from touching the transatlantic slave trade until 1808.
The Regulation and Ordering of arms and armouries
Opposition to the raising of funds for a Standing Armie, being heretofore an abomination to these Several States
Slavery
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Ad coelum
Habeas Corpus
Ex proprio motu
Ex post facto
Ex post facto laws are laws written retroactively, meaning that they make it possible to charge someone with a crime that was not a crime when the act was done. A bill of attainder is a law criminalizing a person or class of person and can mean finding them guilty without a trial.
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Twenty-fifth
The twenty-fifth amendment, enacted in 1967, was put in place because of the assassination of JFK. The event forced the nation to consider not just how a president's death would be handled but also his incapacitation.
Twenty-third
Nineteenth
Twentieth
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To a free press
To peaceably assemble
To exercise their freedom of religion
To petition the government
All of these rights are described in the first amendment. Still, one of them has to be the final one mentioned, and that is the right to petition the government. Interestingly, this is as close to having a right to vote granted by any constitutional document describes.
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Ten
Although the Bill of Rights went through several drafts before passage, and these drafts streamlined the bill and combined some of the amendments into single items, there are only ten in the final published draft. Other amendments would follow this bill.
Five
Twelve
Seven
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Be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law
Answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a grand jury
Be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb
Be a witness against himself
The fifth amendment defines the rules by which the government may try suspected criminals, limiting its powers and giving people rights not present in other countries. While most people associate the fifth amendment with a right against self-incrimination, it is also a host of other protections.
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Thirteen
Fifty
Ten
Nine
All thirteen states eventually ratified the constitution, though it took time for some whose populace's provincial worries made them paranoid about federal intrusion. To ratify the document however, only nine needed ratify it.
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Being necessary to the security of a free state
The second amendment went through many drafts. The appositive part of the sentence (the blank in this case) is meant to clarify the section preceding it. There was language around military service and religious obligations in earlier drafts, but it was removed, leaving this awkwardly constructed syntax; essentially a cut and paste error.
Being the wages of war
Being a threat to the people
Being in need of a check consisting of armed vigilantes
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The houses of Congress propose amendments to the constitution when deemed necessary
Presidential terms last no more than four years
The flag fly on all federal buildings
All debts owed by the states be honored
The matter of debts loomed over the young United States, with huge debts owed from the war, and not all states wealthy enough to pay them. Though the constitution did not come up with a remedy for the debts, it did insist that they remain until paid.
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Conviction of a crime
While most people think of the thirteenth amendment as banning all forms of slavery, it explicitly allows for prisoners to be slaves. Section one reads, "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction."
Going back in time to the years before the thirteenth amendment
Being a prisoner of war
Being a threat to the national security
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Twenty-seven
The U.S. Constitution has been modified numerous times. Some amendments took weeks to pass and others took more than a century. The grand total of amendments thus far is twenty-seven.
Thirty-one
Twenty-five
Thirty-four
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Changed the voting process
Ended prohibition
Began prohibition
Enshrined presidential term limits into law
The twenty-second amendment was passed largely as a reaction to the FDR administration. FDR was elected to three terms, and while he did not live to serve the full twelve years, his reelections horrified his political opponents, who pushed for this bill.
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Started prohibition
Prohibition, called "the noble experiment" was a fourteen year debacle begun with the passage of the eighteenth amendment. The result was a black market that gave birth to American organized crime and ultimately the culture of the drug trade.
Ended prohibition
Redefined how senators are chosen and elected
Freed the slaves
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Speech
Arms
Freedom
Vote
The fifteenth amendment makes reference to the right to vote, protecting it, but given that the right to vote is not guaranteed anywhere else in the document, this can be a bit confusing. In fact, this amendment was essentially pointless when it was passed, as the Supreme Court ruled in apparent contradiction to it, requiring the passage of the Civil Rights Act decades later.
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