Multiple Choice
Identify the
choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.
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The Bill of Rights
The
Constitution has 7 articles and 27 amendments. Amendments make up a major part of the
Constitution. The Bill of Rights, the first ten amendments, became part of the Constitution in 1791,
only a few years after the Constitution was ratified. In fact, the Constitution was ratified in
several important states only after the Federalists promised that amendments would be added to
protect individual liberties. After ratification, Congress turned to the task of drafting the
amendments that would be included in the Constitution.
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1.
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How many articles are there in
the Constitution?
a. | 3
branches | c. | 7 | b. | 10 (Bill of Rights) | d. | 27 |
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2.
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How many amendments are there
in the Constitution?
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3.
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What are the first ten
amendments of the Constitution called?
a. | The Bill of
Rights | c. | The
Articles | b. | The Natural Rights Amendments | d. | The Four Freedoms |
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4.
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What is the main idea of the
passage above?
a. | The Bill of Rights is important but
not as much as the other amendments | c. | The Federalists had to promise to add a Bill of Rights to get people to
support the constitution | b. | The Bill of Rights is important but not more important than the other 17
amendments | d. | The Bill of Rights is an important
part of the constitution |
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Madison's Difficult
Job
James Madison | At the state ratifying conventions, many proposals for amendments had been made. James
Madison, as a member of the new Congress, took on the job of considering all these proposals and
drawing up the amendments that would be presented to Congress for approval. Ironically, a year
earlier, Madison had told Thomas Jefferson, "I have never thought the omission [of a bill
of rights] a material defect" of the Constitution. Jefferson believed strongly in the
need for a bill of rights, however, and his enthusiasm may have influenced Madison. Madison had
also used the issue to gain support for his own election to Congress. He had promised in his campaign
letter that if he was elected, he would force Congress to "prepare and recommend to the States
for ratification, the most satisfactory provisions for all essential rights." Madison sorted
through more than two hundred state recommendations and finally submitted seventeen amendments.
Congress tightened the language of these amendments somewhat and eliminated five of them. Of the
remaining twelve, one-dealing with the apportionment of representatives- was rejected by the states.
Another-dealing with compensation (payment) of members of Congress-was not ratified at the time but
was ratified over two hundred years later, in 1992! The remaining ten are what now form our Bill
of Rights. | | |
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5.
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How did Jefferson feel about
the addition of a Bill of Rights?
a. | Jefferson supported the addition of
a Bill of Rights to the Constitution | c. | Jefferson was an anti-Federalist and did not support the Constitution in any
way | b. | Jefferson thought that a Bill of Rights was not
necessary | d. | Jefferson was ambivalent about the
Bill of Rights |
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6.
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At first Madison did not think
a Bill of Rights was necessary. He later changed his mind. Why?
a. | Madison was an
anti-Federalist | c. | Shay’s
rebellion showed that a Bill of Rights was necessary | b. | Madison was a Federalist | d. | Jefferson supported a Bill of Rights and Madison respected
Jefferson |
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7.
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Jefferson was a careful
planner. Where did he go to get ideas for the Bill of Rights?
a. | The
Constitution | c. | The states
| b. | The Bill of
Rights | d. | Thomas Paine and the other
anti-Federalists. |
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The Difference between Ought and Shall
Madison worked with the proposals that the state ratifying conventions had provided. All
of these proposals used the words ought and ought not. The oughts and ought
nots were typical of the language contained in the English Bill of Rights as well. But wishful
thinking was not good enough or bold enough for Madison. Madison required the language of
command. Consider an example. One constitutional amendment proposed by the state of
Virginia's ratifying convention stated that "excessive bail ought not to be
required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted." Madison
changed that wording to read: "Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines
imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted." Other amendments use this wording, too,
in such phrases as, "Congress shall make no law . . . ," "no soldier shall .... "
and "the accused shall ...... The first ten amendments do not tell the national government
what it should do. Rather, they tell the national government what it must
do.
Which statement has more impact? “You should study for the test,” or
“You shall study for the test?”
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8.
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What is the main idea of the
passage above.
a. | The Bill of Rights are highly
recommended but not required | c. | The Bill of Rights only required things from the states but not the central
government | b. | The Bill of Rights required certain things of the U.S.
government | d. | James Madison wrote the Bill of
Rights |
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9.
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Which statement is true
regarding the Bill of Rights.
a. | The Bill of Rights are a strong
statement | c. | The Bill of Rights
are reflective statements | b. | The Bill of Rights are weak statements | d. | The Bill of Rights are compromising
statements |
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10.
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The first ten amendments tell
the government what it should do.
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Ten Amendments Are Ratified
On December 15, 1791, the Bill of Rights was adopted when Virginia became the eleventh
state to ratify the ten amendments. The basic structure of American government had been established.
After 1791, the fundamental rights of individuals were protected, at least in theory, at the
national level. The Bill of Rights provides constitutional guarantees, such as freedom of
expression and belief. The Tenth Amendment spells out the reserved powers of the states, which
describes our federal system of government.
In the
beginning, the first 10 amendments only applied to the U.S. government. They told the U.S.
government what it could not do but they did not apply to the states. After the Civil War in 1868 the
fourteenth Amendment made the Bill of Rights apply to the states as well as the U.S. government. The
14th Amendment said the laws needed to be applied to everyone equally.
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11.
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There were 13 states when the
Bill of Rights was ratified. How many states were required for ratification?
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12.
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Which statement is
true?
a. | The Bill of Rights guarantees
absolute freedom to all Americans | c. | The 14th Amendment made the Bill of Rights
obsolete | b. | The Bill of Rights only applies to the states but not to the U.S.
government | d. | The Bill of Rights guarantees
certain rights to Americans |
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13.
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You believe that the terrorists
were right in attacking the U.S. on 9/11. Does the Bill of Rights allow you to believe
that?
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14.
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Which amendment contains the
“equal protection” clause?
a. | Bill of
Rights | c. | 14th | b. | 10th | d. | 27th |
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15.
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You are wearing a T shirts that
says, “Viva Bush.” Can you be required to hide the shirt in public if the police tell you
to?
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16.
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What does ratify
mean?
a. | approve | c. | apply equally | b. | disapprove | d. | re-write |
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Matching
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a. | James
Madison | e. | ten | b. | eleven | f. | Bill of
Rights | c. | ought to shall | g. | U.S. Government | d. | fourteen | h. | Thomas Jefferson |
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17.
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Responsible for writing the
Bill of Rights
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18.
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Amendment (not part of Bill of
Rights) that established equal protection of laws
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19.
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Number of states required to
ratify the Bill of Rights
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20.
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Added to the Constitution to
protect individual liberties
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21.
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Number of amendments in Bill
of Rights
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22.
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Anti-Federalist who supported
the Bill of Rights
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23.
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Original Bill of Rights only
applied to
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24.
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Madison changed this
word to
make the Bill of Rights more firm
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a. | checks and
balances | d. | federalism | b. | popular sovereinty | e. | judicial review | c. | limited government | f. | separation of powers |
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25.
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Each branch of government has
its own responsibilities
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26.
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the people rule in the United
States
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27.
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power is shared between the
states and the U.S. government
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28.
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Each branch of government has
some power over the other branches to keep it from becoming too strong
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29.
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the Supreme Court can declare
the acts of the President and Congress to be unconstitutional
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30.
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In the United States the
government is prevented from becoming too powerful
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