U.S. Constitution and Articles of Confederation: Key Principles and Structures

Which article of the Constitution primarily addresses relations among the states?

Article IV

Which principle is best illustrated by the Senate confirming presidential nominees?

Checks and balances

Under the Articles of Confederation, which group benefited most from each state having one vote in Congress?

Smaller states

Which limitation under the Articles most directly made it hard to respond quickly to emergencies?

Lack of a strong central government

Which structural feature best explains why national policies under the Articles often went ignored?

Lack of a national executive to enforce laws

Which weakness of the Articles of Confederation most directly prevented Congress from creating a steady national revenue stream?

The inability to levy taxes

Which article of the Constitution outlines the formal amendment process?

Article V

Which article of the Constitution establishes the president's roles and powers?

Article II

Which feature of the Articles of Confederation most strengthened small states' influence in national decision-making

Each state having one vote in Congress

Which article contains the Supremacy Clause?

Article VI

Which statement best describes separation of powers?

The division of government responsibilities into distinct branches to limit any one branch from exercising the core functions of another.

Which statement best defines federalism?

The division of power between a central government and state governments.

Which feature of the Constitution most directly preserved a role for states in choosing the president?

The Electoral College

Why was changing the Articles of Confederation extremely difficult?

It required unanimous consent from all thirteen states.

Which article of the Constitution covers interstate comity issues?

Article IV

Which statement best matches the Tenth Amendment's central idea?

Powers not delegated to the federal government are reserved to the states or the people.

The Great (Connecticut) Compromise primarily resolved which dispute at the Constitutional Convention?

The dispute between large and small states over representation in Congress.

Which constitutional change most directly addressed the Articles' lack of enforcement capability?

The establishment of a national executive branch

Which statement best describes republicanism as used in American constitutional design?

The principle that government is based on the consent of the governed and that representatives are elected to serve the public.

Which weakness under the Articles made disputes between states harder to resolve peacefully?

The lack of a national judiciary

Which action best illustrates checks and balances?

The presidential veto of legislation

Which constitutional design choice best reflects the principle of separation of powers within Congress?

The division of Congress into two houses (the House of Representatives and the Senate)

Which article sets the ratification rule requiring approval by conventions in nine states?

Article VII

Why did the Confederation Congress struggle to pay Revolutionary War debts?

Its inability to levy taxes.

Under the Articles of Confederation, what limited a unified response to domestic unrest like Shays' Rebellion?

The lack of a national army

Which statement best illustrates limited government?

The idea that government powers are restricted by law and a constitution.

Federalism is best defined as the principle that:

The principle that divides power between national and state governments.

Which proposal would most directly fix the Articles' weakness in national defense?

Creating a standing army

Which constitutional mechanism most directly reflects checks and balances by allowing the legislature to remove executive or judicial officers?

Impeachment

Which article contains the Supremacy Clause and requires officials to take an oath to support the Constitution?

Article VI

At the Constitutional Convention, the plan that mainly protected small-state influence in Congress was the:

The New Jersey Plan

Under the Articles of Confederation, the national government's biggest enforcement weakness was that it:

The national government had no power to enforce laws

Which article establishes the formal amendment process for the Constitution?

Article V

Which article of the Constitution focuses on relations among states and between states and the national government?

Article IV

A written constitution that restricts what officials may do most directly embodies:

The principle of limited government

The Preamble's phrase 'We the People' most directly reflects:

The idea of popular sovereignty

A major fiscal consequence of Congress's inability to tax under the Articles was that:

Congress could not pay off debts or fund essential services

Under the Articles of Confederation, the core national defense weakness was that:

The lack of a standing army to protect against threats.

The principle that citizens govern through elected representatives is called:

Republicanism.

Which article of the Constitution primarily establishes the judicial branch?

Article III

The idea that government power is restricted by law and a constitution reflects:

Limited government.

Which constitutional provision directly addresses conflicts between federal and state laws?

The Supremacy Clause

For interstate conflicts under the Articles, the national government lacked:

The authority to resolve interstate conflicts

Under the Articles of Confederation, the central government's biggest taxation weakness was that:

No power to impose taxes

Dividing power between national and state governments is called:

Federalism.

The idea that government authority comes from the people is called:

Popular sovereignty.

Which article of the Constitution primarily establishes the executive branch?

Article II

Under the Articles of Confederation, passing major laws often required:

The approval of nine states

A common source of interstate conflict under the Articles was that:

The imposition of tariffs and trade restrictions by states.

Which event most directly signaled the need for a stronger national government under the Articles?

Shays' Rebellion

Under the Articles of Confederation, one major money-related problem was:

the inability to raise revenue through taxation

Which article of the Constitution primarily establishes the legislative branch?

Article I

The system in which each branch can limit the powers of the others is called:

Checks and balances.

Amending the Articles of Confederation required:

Unanimous consent from all thirteen states.

Which rule under the Articles of Confederation often frustrated larger states?

The one-vote-per-state rule

Which missing feature most limited enforcement of national laws under the Articles of Confederation?

The lack of a national judiciary

A major commerce problem under the Articles of Confederation was that:

States imposed tariffs on each other's goods, leading to trade disputes.