Quiz · Medium
The articles, key clauses and most-tested amendments of the US Constitution, with scenario questions on checks and balances. For AP Gov, civics and citizenship test prep.
Which article of the Constitution creates the legislative branch and lists most of Congress's powers?
Article I
Article II
Article III
Article V
Article I covers Congress, Article II the president, Article III the courts, and Article V the amendment process. Remember the order: make laws, enforce laws, interpret laws.
The 'elastic clause' that lets Congress pass laws needed to carry out its enumerated powers is formally called the:
Commerce Clause
Supremacy Clause
Necessary and Proper Clause
Full Faith and Credit Clause
Article I, Section 8 ends with the Necessary and Proper Clause, the basis for implied powers (see McCulloch v. Maryland). The Supremacy Clause is in Article VI.
A state passes a law that directly conflicts with a valid federal law. Under which clause does the federal law win?
The Tenth Amendment
The Supremacy Clause
The Equal Protection Clause
The Privileges and Immunities Clause
Article VI makes the Constitution and federal laws the 'supreme Law of the Land.' The Tenth Amendment reserves powers to the states only when they are not delegated to the federal government.
What is the most common way a constitutional amendment is added?
Proposed by a national convention, ratified by a national referendum
Proposed by the president, ratified by the Senate
Passed by a simple majority of both houses of Congress
Proposed by two-thirds of both houses of Congress, ratified by three-fourths of the states
All 27 amendments were proposed by Congress, and all but the 21st were ratified by state legislatures. Three-fourths of the 50 states is 38. The president plays no formal role.
The Great Compromise at the Constitutional Convention resolved the dispute over:
How to count enslaved people for representation
Representation in Congress, creating a House based on population and a Senate with equal votes per state
Whether to include a Bill of Rights
How to elect the president
The Connecticut (Great) Compromise blended the Virginia and New Jersey plans. Counting enslaved people was the separate Three-Fifths Compromise.
Which right is NOT protected by the First Amendment?
Freedom of the press
Right to petition the government
Right to keep and bear arms
Freedom of assembly
The First Amendment covers religion, speech, press, assembly and petition (mnemonic RAPPS). The right to bear arms is the Second Amendment.
Police search a student's car without a warrant or probable cause. Which amendment is most directly at issue?
Fourth Amendment
Fifth Amendment
Sixth Amendment
Eighth Amendment
The Fourth Amendment protects against unreasonable searches and seizures. The Fifth covers self-incrimination and double jeopardy, the Sixth trial rights, and the Eighth punishments and bail.
A defendant refuses to answer questions on the witness stand because the answers could incriminate him. He is relying on the:
Fourth Amendment
Fifth Amendment
Sixth Amendment
Fourteenth Amendment
'Pleading the Fifth' protects against self-incrimination. The Fifth Amendment also bans double jeopardy and requires just compensation when the government takes property.
The right to a speedy and public trial, an impartial jury and the assistance of counsel comes from the:
Fifth Amendment
Seventh Amendment
Eighth Amendment
Sixth Amendment
The Sixth Amendment covers criminal trial rights. The Seventh guarantees juries in certain civil cases, a frequent mix-up.
The Tenth Amendment states that:
Powers not delegated to the federal government nor prohibited to the states are reserved to the states or the people
Citizens may not be denied the vote because of race
Rights not listed in the Constitution are still retained by the people
The federal government may tax incomes
The Tenth is the foundation of reserved powers and federalism. The Ninth Amendment is the one about unlisted rights being retained by the people.
Which amendment abolished slavery?
14th Amendment
15th Amendment
13th Amendment
19th Amendment
The Reconstruction amendments in order: 13th (1865) abolished slavery, 14th (1868) citizenship and equal protection, 15th (1870) voting regardless of race.
Which amendment contains the Equal Protection Clause and was later used to apply most of the Bill of Rights to the states?
First Amendment
Tenth Amendment
Fifteenth Amendment
Fourteenth Amendment
Through selective incorporation, the Supreme Court used the 14th Amendment's Due Process Clause to apply Bill of Rights protections to state governments.
Before the 17th Amendment (1913), US senators were chosen by:
The Electoral College
State legislatures
The House of Representatives
Direct popular vote
The original Constitution had state legislatures pick senators. Progressive Era reformers pushed the 17th Amendment to allow direct election by voters.
Which amendment guaranteed women the right to vote?
19th Amendment
15th Amendment
24th Amendment
26th Amendment
The 19th Amendment was ratified in 1920. The 24th banned poll taxes in federal elections, and the 26th lowered the voting age to 18.
Franklin Roosevelt won four presidential elections. Which amendment now prevents this?
20th Amendment
25th Amendment
12th Amendment
22nd Amendment
The 22nd Amendment (1951) limits presidents to two elected terms. The 25th deals with presidential disability and succession.
The 26th Amendment (1971) lowered the voting age to 18. What was the main argument behind it?
Most states already let 16-year-olds vote
Young people could be drafted to fight in Vietnam but could not vote
The Supreme Court had ruled the voting age unconstitutional
It was needed to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment
'Old enough to fight, old enough to vote' was the rallying cry during the Vietnam War. It was ratified faster than any other amendment.
The president signs a treaty with another country. What must happen for it to take effect?
A majority vote in both houses of Congress
Approval by the Supreme Court
Ratification by two-thirds of the Senate
A three-fourths vote of the states
Treaty ratification requires two-thirds of the Senate; the House plays no formal role. This is a check on the president's foreign policy power.
The president vetoes a bill. How can Congress still make it law?
A two-thirds vote in both the House and the Senate
A simple majority in both houses
A two-thirds vote in the Senate only
Asking the Supreme Court to overrule the veto
Overrides need two-thirds of those present in each chamber, which is why overrides are rare.
How is a federal official removed from office through impeachment?
The Senate impeaches by majority vote and the House convicts by two-thirds
The Supreme Court impeaches and Congress convicts
The House impeaches by majority vote and the Senate convicts by two-thirds
Both houses must impeach by two-thirds
Impeachment is like an indictment (House, simple majority); the trial happens in the Senate, where conviction needs two-thirds. Several presidents have been impeached, but none has been convicted.
Which is an example of a concurrent power shared by the federal and state governments?
Coining money
Declaring war
Making treaties
Collecting taxes
Both levels of government can tax, borrow and set up courts. Coining money, declaring war and making treaties are powers reserved to the federal government.
