Posted on 07/03/2003 11:49:21 AM PDT by Lurking Libertarian
Test your constitutional knowledge
By WILLIAM BUNCH
We're hopeful the new National Constitution Center on Independence Mall will accomplish at least two things. The first is to attract hordes of tourists who will toss wads of money at our hotels, restaurants and shops.
The second is to teach its visitors all about America's one-of-a-kind Constitution. From the war in Iraq to affirmative action to sodomy, this historic 18th century document and its amendments continue to shape our world, yet few of us know the nitty-gritty of how the document was written or has evolved.
With that in mind, the Daily News presents 76 questions about the U.S. Constitution. If you can answer more than 60, you're the kind of history buff who will love visiting the new center. If you score lower, you better get your butt down there - and learn!
1) Where was the Constitutional Convention held?
A) Trenton. B) Philadelphia. C) Valley Forge. D) Vegas.
2) In what year?
A) 1776. B) 1787. C) 1801. D) 1997.
3) During the American Revolution and its immediate aftermath, the United States was governed under a different document, called:
A) The Magna Carta. B) The Federalist Papers. C) The Articles of Confederation. D) The Patriot Act.
4) Among the major problems with the Articles of Confederation were:
A) Congress had no way to impose taxes and raise money. B) There was nothing that compelled the members of Congress to show up for work. C) The states had far too much power. D) All of the above.
5) In September 1786, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton and others met at the Annapolis Conference to:
A) Sail Hamilton's new yacht. B) Discuss the sorry state of commerce in the new nation and plot a new government. C) Create the Whig Party. D) Eat boiled crab claws.
6) Who is widely known as "The Father of the Constitution"?
A) Shawn Kemp. B) Benjamin Franklin. C) James Madison D) George Washington.
7) The Constitutional Convention was held in Independence Hall, which at the time was known as:
A) Lincoln Financial Hall. B) The State House. C) Independence Hall Presented by Bank One. D) City Hall.
8) The convention was presided over by:
A) Georgie Jessel. B) Benjamin Franklin. C) Thomas Jefferson. D) George Washington.
9) What state did not send a delegate?
A) New York. B) Pennsylvania. C) Rhode Island. D) New Jersey.
10) Early in the convention, Edmund Randolph proposed what was known as the Virginia Plan, also known as the:
A) Honeybaked Ham Plan. B) Large State Plan. C) King George Plan. D) Marshall Plan.
11) William Patterson countered with the New Jersey plan, also known as the:
A) Exit 8A Plan. B) Springsteen Plan. C) Small State Plan. D) Modified American Plan.
12) According to the Columbia Encyclopedia, the delegates to the convention "mainly came from...":
A) "Delaware." B) "the great unwashed masses." C) "the wealthier and more conservative ranks of society." D) "money."
13) Two Philadelphians, John Dunlap and David Claypoole, played a prominent role in the convention. They were its:
A) Caterers. B) Printers. C) Lawyers. D) Emcees.
14) What key figure became known as "the penman of the Constitution"?
A) Robert Stroud. B) Thomas Jefferson. C) Gouverneur Morris. D) Ebenezer Bic.
15) Morris, the governor of Virginia, refused to sign the document. He called it:
A) "an accident waiting to happen." B) "the foetus of a monarchy." C) "the seeds of anarchy." C) "full of feces."
16) Charles Pinckney, the prominent South Carolina delegate, lied to the other delegates about:
A) His marital status. B) His age. C) His race. D) His nationality.
17) The oldest delegate to the Constitutional Convention was:
A) George Washington. B) Benjamin Franklin. C) Merkin Muffley. D) Strom Thurmond.
18) Why didn't Thomas Jefferson attend the convention?
A) He was defending himself against a paternity suit. B) He was U.S. ambassador to France. C) He was U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. D) He had a weak constitution.
19) Madison's vision for the United States was a government based on the:
A) Republican model. B) Democratic model. C) Corporate model. D) Supermodel.
20) The key debate during the convention was over how many members of the Senate each state would have. It was decided each would have two, elected by:
A) A bunch of rich white guys. B) The people. C) State legislatures. D) A and C.
21) Alexander Hamilton had a very different idea for the U.S. government. His plan was based on:
A) Dueling with anyone who disagreed with him. B) The French Revolution. C) The British monarchy and parliament. D) An episode of "The West Wing."
22) Fill in the blanks for this famous statement by Madison: "If men were _ _, no government would be necessary."
A) "Like women." B) "Not so gosh-darned aggressive." C) "Angels." D) "Incorruptible."
23) Much of the concept for a strong presidency was drafted by a Pennsylvanian. His name was:
A) John Wanamaker. B) Benjamin Franklin. C) James Wilson. D) Pat Croce.
24) The most deplorable aspect of the convention was the way it handled issues of slavery and race. It decided that for governmental purposes, slaves would be counted as:
A) One-fifth of a person. B) Two-fifths of a person. C) Three-fifths of a person. D) Four-fifths of a person.
25)To serve in the House of Representatives a person needs to be at least as old as:
A) He looks. B) 25. C) 18. D) 30.
26)To serve in the Senate, a person needs to be at least as old as:
A) All get out. B) 18. C) 12. D) 30.
27) Although the delegates debated the need for a Bill of Rights, one was not enacted until:
A) The delegates' wives started nagging them to come home. B) 1791. C) 1971. D) 1865.
28) One of the leading delegates to the convention was Elbridge Gerry of Massachusetts. He later was behind the phrase:
A) Gerry and the Pacemakers. B) Gerryrigged. C) Gerrymandering. D) Ben and Gerry's.
29) Gerry told delegates that the problems facing America in 1787 flowed "from the excess of...":
A) "Drink." B) "Demagoguery" C) "Democracy." D) "Debt."
30) The debates of the Constitutional Convention in 1789 took place:
A) In public. B) In the newspapers. C) Behind closed doors, guarded by sentries. D) In the men's room.
31) The Constitution is built upon a system of checks and:
A) Credit cards. B) Double-checks. C) Balances. D) Measures.
32) Fill in the blank from the preamble to the Constitution: "We, the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic _ "
A) Violence. B) Security. C) Tranquility. D) Privacy.
33) The presidential oath of office, contained in Article II, Section 1, states, "I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States..."
A) "so help me God." B) "from weapons of mass destruction." C) "as long it serves my political interest." D) That's all it says.
34) Article I, Section 4, states that "The President, Vice President and all civil officers of the United States, shall be removed from office on impeachment for, and conviction of, treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors." How is "misdemeanor" defined?
A) "More than five parking tickets." B) "Sexual encounters with White House interns." C) "A third-rate burglary." D) It's not defined.
35) Article I, Section 3, says the President "shall from time to time give to the Congress information of the state of..."
A) "Rhode Island." B) "his marriage." C) "the union." D) "national defense."
36) Article III, Section 3, states that: "No person shall be convicted of treason unless..."
A) "they are first declared enemy combatants." B) "on the testimony of two witnesses to the same overt act." C) "they really did it." D) "guilty of high crimes and misdemeanors."
37) Article III, Section 1, states "the judicial power of the United States shall be vested in one Supreme...."
A) "Chalupa." B) "Being." C) "Court." D) "Legislature."
38) Fill in this blank from Article VI: "... but no _ _ test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States."
A) "IQ" B) "multiple-choice" C) "religious" D) "loyalty"
39) The president and vice president cannot be from the same:
A) Ivy League college. B) State. C) Party. D) Sexual orientation.
40) The final draft of the Constitution was signed on Sept. 17, 1787. How many of the 55 delegates actually signed it?
A) 55.
b) 54.
c) 39.
d) 11.
41) What did Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Mifflin, Robert Morris, George Clymer, Thomas Fitzsimmons, Jared Ingersoll, James Wilson, and Gouverneur Morris have in common?
A) They are all Larry Brown draft picks for the 76ers. B) They were all candidates in the 1788 Democratic presidential primary. C) A friendly waitress at the City Tavern. D) They were Pennsylvania's signers of the Constitution.
42) In addition to serving as delegates, Madison and Hamilton wrote an extraordinary collection of papers aimed basically at selling the new Constitution to America. These were called:
A) Common Sense. B) The Federalist Papers. C) The Pentagon Papers. D) The Rolling Papers.
43) The Constitution became law on July 2, 1788, when it was ratified by its 9th state, which was:
A) Pennsylvania. B) Delaware. C) New Hampshire. D) East Virginia.
44) Congress then moved to establish the capital of the new government in:
A) Philadelphia. B) Washington. C) New York. D) The Cayman Islands, for tax purposes.
45) Everyone knows that George Washington was elected the first president under the new Constitution in 1789. His opponent was:
A) John Adams. B) Thomas Jefferson. C) Strom Thurmond. D) Nobody.
46) The first Thanksgiving Day was declared in 1789 by President George Washington to give thanks for:
A) His election. B) The invention of wooden teeth. C) The selection of a site for the nation's new capital. D) The Constitution.
47) The first two amendments proposed to the Constitution in 1789 were not ratified at the time, but one was finally approved in 1992 - 195 years later! It dealt with the thorny issue of:
A) Sodomy. B) Slavery. C) Women's sufferage. D) Congressional pay.
48) The first 10 amendments to the Constitution are known as:
A) A Few Things We Forgot. B) Top Ten Reasons For Dumping the Brits. C) The Bill of Rights. D) The Bill of Goods.
49) The First Amendment establishes the right to:
A) Create a monolithic media monopoly in radio, print, and cable TV. B) Free speech. C) Free love. D) Free Willy.
50) The much-debated Second Amendment includes language about the right to:
A) "Bear arms." B) "Arm bears." C) "Bare midriffs" D) "Assault rifles."
51) Fill in this blank from the Third Amendment:"No _ _ shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the owner."
A) Pets. B) Soldiers. C) Lawyers. D) Members of Congress.
52) The Fourth Amendment upholds "the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable...":
A) "Demands." B) "Members of Congress." C) "Searches and seizures." D) "Telephone solicitations."
53) The Fifth Amendment doesn't only protect against self-incrimination but also bars a second trial for a defendant found innocent in his first, also known as "double":
A) "Trouble." B) "Jeopardy." C) "Wheel of fortune." D) "Play."
54) The Sixth Amendment says every criminal defendant has the right to:
A) An alibi. B) An attorney. C) A beeper. D) A sense of humor.
55)The Seventh Amendment established the right to trial by:
A) fire. B) error. C) jury. D) the end of one year.
56) The Eighth Amendment specifically bars:
A) The death penalty. B) Torture. C) Declaring captives "enemy combatants." D) "cruel and unusual punishment."
57) The Ninth Amendment states that "The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the...":
A) "Client." B) "People." C) "States." D) "King."
58) The 10th Amendment states that "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to..."
A) "Big corporations." B) "Our campaign contributors." C) "The states respectively, or to the people." D) "Us."
59) The 12th Amendment was ratified in 1804 to fix one of the biggest screw-ups by the framers of the Constitution. It called for:
A) The end of the use of so-called "butterfly ballots." B) The end of the Electoral College. C) The end of slavery. D) Separate election of the president and vice president.
60) The 13th Amendment, in 1865, finally abolished slavery. It was never ratified by:
A) Pennsylvania. B) Delaware. C) Texas. D) Mississippi.
61) Amendments 13, 14 and 15 are known as the "Reconstruction Amendments" because they:
A) allowed for the rebuilding of Atlanta after the Civil War B) were designed to unify the nation after the Civil War. C) Tried to fix all the things that got screwed up in 1787. D) Restored faith in the presidency.
62) Even today, many activists rail against the 16th Amendment, enacted in 1913. That's because it gave the federal government the power to:
A) Control thought. B) Start a pre-emptive war. C) Confiscate everybody's guns. D) Impose an income tax.
63) Another amendment ratified in 1913, the 17th Amendment, is something Americans take for granted today, which is:
A) How much their parents sacrificed to put them through college. B) The right to waste electricity. C) The right to a jury trial. D) The right to vote directly for their U.S. senator.
64) In 1919, the 18th Amendment was enacted, barring the sale and consumption of alcohol. It became more popularly known as:
A) The Great Depression. B) Prohibition. C) The Mafia Empowerment Act of 1919. D) The Stupidest Idea to Ever Come Down the Pike.
65) In 1920, the 19th Amendment finally gave women the right to:
A) Smoke Virginia Slims cigarettes. B) Serve in the military. C) Vote. D) Read about "The Sex Tricks Guaranteed to Drive Him Wild In Bed."
66) The 20th Amendment, ratified in 1933, ensured the president would now take the oath of office:
A) After the third Florida recount. B) On a Bible. C) On Jan. 20. D) On March 4.
67) The 22nd Amendment, which was ratified in 1951, said that no president could serve more than two terms. It was inspired by:
A) The future prospect of Bill Clinton. B) The future prospect of George W. Bush. C) The unpopularity of Harry Truman. D) The recent four elections of Franklin Roosevelt.
68) The 1954 Supreme Court decision in "Brown vs. Board of Education" ruled that:
A) Larry Brown could not coach high school basketball. B) UPS could not deliver packages to public schools. C) Separate public schools for black and white students was inherently unequal and thus unconstitutional. D) Student newspapers had a constitutional right to free speech.
69) The 23rd Amendment gave voting rights to:
A) Florida. B) Guam. C) The District of Columbia. D) Liberals.
70) The 25th Amendment, ratified in 1967 because of questions raised by the John F. Kennedy assassination, provided for the selection of a vice president in the event of a vacancy. Had it not passed, the following man would not have become president:
A) Dick Cheney. B) Gerald Ford. C) Jimmy Carter. D) Merkin Muffley.
71) The Equal Rights Amendment for women was ratified:
A) In 1920. B) In 1977. C) In 1994. D) Never.
72) How many amendments have been introduced in Congress?
A) Too many to count. B) 1,047. C) 28. D) More than 11,000.
73) Where is the Constitution currently housed?
A) In an undisclosed location. B) Under John Achcroft's bed. C) The Smithsonian. D) The National Archives.
74) However, the Constitution was moved once, to Fort Knox, after:
A) The swearing-in of John Ashcroft. B) The Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. C) The bombing of Pearl Harbor. D) The War of 1812.
75) Of all the world's written constitutions, America's is the:
A) Oldest. B) Most endangered. C) Shortest. D) A and C.
76) The reason this quiz has 76 questions is that:
A) The Constitutional Convention was held in 1776. B) People might confuse it with the 76ers - and they sell newspapers! C) There's nothing else newsworthy going on today. D) That's how many my news editor wanted. I have no idea why.
Answers: 1-B; 2-B; 3-C; 4-D; 5-B; 6-C; 7-B; 8-D; 9-C; 10-B; 11-C; 12-C; 13-B; 14-C; 15-B; 16-B; 17-B; 18-B; 19-A; 20-D; 21-C; 22-C; 23-C; 24-C; 25-B; 26-D; 27-B; 28-C; 29-C; 30-C; 31-C; 32-C; 33-D; 34-D; 35-C; 36-B; 37-C; 38-C; 39-B; 40-C; 41-D; 42-B; 43-C; 44-C; 45-D; 46-D; 47-D; 48-C; 49-B; 50-A; 51-B; 52-C; 53-B; 54-B' 55-C; 56-D; 57-B; 58-C; 59-D; 60-B; 61-B; 62-D; 63-D; 64-B; 65-C; 66-C; 67-D; 68-C; 69-C; 70-B; 71-D' 72-D; 73-D; 74-C; 75-D; 76-D.
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© 2003 Philadelphia Daily News and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved. http://www.philly.com
A) Congress had no way to impose taxes and raise money. B) There was nothing that compelled the members of Congress to show up for work. C) The states had far too much power. D) All of the above.
Answer: D
I take offense at this answer... why is Congress having "no way to impose taxes" a "problem"?
A) Congress had no way to impose taxes and raise money. B) There was nothing that compelled the members of Congress to show up for work. C) The states had far too much power. D) All of the above."
What exactly was the problem there?
A) Ivy League college. B) State. C) Party. D) Sexual orientation.
None of the above!
From the 12th ammendment:
The electors shall meet in their respective states and vote by ballot for President and Vice-President, one of whom, at least, shall not be an inhabitant of the same state with themselves;
The electors from a state cannot vote for both President and VP from their own state. That means that if VP Cheney had been a Texas resident, Texas' electors could have voted for Bush to be president, but they would have selected another person to be VP. Then because of the tight election, the Senate would have ended up picking the VP.
A) A bunch of rich white guys. B) The people. C) State legislatures. D) A and C.
Answer: D
Just because the state legislatures were comprised of "rich white guys" doesn't mean that was part of the debate. The state legislatures elected the Senators, if a state decided to have only poor black women in the legislature, then they would elect the senators.
It amazes me, ok it doesn't really, how they manage to interject their liberal leaning, anti-American, Founding Fathers are evil mentality into something as begien as a simple otherwise factual quiz.
A) Congress had no way to impose taxes and raise money. B) There was nothing that compelled the members of Congress to show up for work. C) The states had far too much power. D) All of the above."
What exactly was the problem there?
Are you implying that the Constitution was unnecessary? Keep in mind that the primary issue behind the Constitution was maintaing the Union while protecting the rights of citizens. It was clear that the Articles of Confederation were not going to do that. The biggest failures of the Articles were that they ultimatly had no authority over the states. The states were not compelled to listen to anything the central government called for; including recongizing the rights of citizens of other states, allow trade between states, ensuring the rights of citizens, etc.
In order to improve this system they had to have a stronger central government, that could compel the states on certain issues, but would remain subservant on others. In order to have a government capable of action they have to have money, thus they must have a way to tax. But the writers of the Constitution were wearing of direct taxes upon the people and preferred taxation of the states, according to population size.
Obviously, the Constition (as it was orignally written) was a much better system, that does address points A and C, without falling into the pit of unreasonable taxation or overwhelming central power. Of course, it has been preturbed, amended (16th), twisted and re-interpreted over the years so that it has swung too far the other direction, but A and C are absolutly correct.
As for choice B...
I see how that could have been an issue under the old system. But with the central government having some real influnce it would not be in anyone's interest to just not send representatives to Congress. The state governments and the people would not tolerate a congressman the just blew off his responsiblity and his tenure in Congress would be short lived.
Of course, given the way things are today, I agree with you and don't see a problem with any of these things.
It doesn't amaze me but it saddens me. I usually print interesting historical quizzes out and bring them to the local tavern to educate and enlighten the sheeple, but this piece of garbage is going right into the trashbin where it belongs.
Anwer #76 tells you all you need to know about liberal rags. Why isn't this paper celebrating what actually happened in 1776 (hint-in Philadelphia) on July 4th, instead of the Constitution? DUH.
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