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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Why did delegates argue for a small senate?
(a) They thought it would limit the influence of the executive.
(b) They thought it would make Senators more intimate and therefore more willing to compromise.
(c) They thought it would give the large states fair representation.
(d) They thought it would make for debate that is more dignified.

2. What were opponents of the resolution that was ultimately adopted afraid of?
(a) That foreign countries would be able to divide and conquer.
(b) That trade would be stifled.
(c) That the states would gain too much independence.
(d) That the federal government would become too powerful.

3. What did James Madison support?
(a) A strong federal government.
(b) A government of businesses.
(c) Strong state governments.
(d) A system of checks and balances.

4. How many branches of government did Mr. Madison propose be elected?
(a) Three.
(b) At least one.
(c) He proposed that all government positions should be elected.
(d) Two.

5. What complaints were lodged against the proposal to elect Senators in state legislatures?
(a) It would over-represent the small states.
(b) It would give too much power to large states.
(c) It would dissipate federal power among the states.
(d) It would create a plutocracy.

6. What kind of rulers did James Madison believe the country needed?
(a) Innocent, smart individuals.
(b) Wise, virtuous individuals.
(c) Leaders with frontier experience.
(d) Old world aristocrats.

7. What plan did James Madison favor?
(a) An isolationist plan.
(b) A state-centric plan.
(c) A federal plan.
(d) A diplomatic plan.

8. What were Americans and Britons discussing a great deal during the 1770s?
(a) Warfare against the French.
(b) Political thought and theory.
(c) Warfare against the Native Americans.
(d) The Massachusetts charter.

9. What did James Madison recommend for the appointment of Supreme Court Justices?
(a) That appointments be beyond contest.
(b) That judges should be elected.
(c) That judges should be appointed for seven-year terms.
(d) That appointments be susceptible to two-thirds vote override by the Congress.

10. How did the New Jersey Plan resolve the question of the relationship of state laws to federal laws?
(a) The Supreme Court would decide on a state-by-state basis which laws took precedence.
(b) State laws could still take precedence.
(c) Congressional laws were still the law of the land.
(d) It gave the states priority in matters of trade, but the federal government priority in military matters.

11. What was the benefit of adopting the resolution that was ultimately adopted?
(a) It allowed the federal government to be effective.
(b) It resolved decades of inter-state tension.
(c) It weakened the Articles of Confederation and gave the states more power.
(d) It created a need for a lot of inter-state lawsuits.

12. Who wrote the introduction to this edition of "The Anti-Federalist Papers"?
(a) Sacvan Bercovitch.
(b) Alexander Hamilton.
(c) Ralph Ketcham.
(d) James Madison.

13. What did George Mason argue in the debate of June 4?
(a) He argued for an appointed executive.
(b) He argued for a unified executive.
(c) He argued for an elected executive.
(d) He argued against a unified executive.

14. What did Dr. Johnson advocate during the debate over federal power?
(a) Centralizing power in the federal government.
(b) Instituting a Supreme Court.
(c) Reducing the size of the federal government.
(d) Preserving state power.

15. Where did James Madison argue government legitimacy came from?
(a) Consent of the governed.
(b) The righteousness of laws.
(c) The political process itself.
(d) The power of the government.

Short Answer Questions

1. What did Madison and Jefferson feel about Virginia?

2. What reason did Mr. Mason give for the view he presented at the convention?

3. What thoughts did Mr. Wilson express at the convention?

4. What did Mr. Mason support at the convention?

5. What kind of political thought was flourishing in the 1770s in America?

(see the answer keys)

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