WGU C963 AMERICAN POLITICS AND THE US CONSTITUTION OBJECTIVE
ASSESSMENT(SOLVED 100%) CORRECT!!
Question 1
Which group of philosophers is most closely associated with the development of Social Contract
Theory, which influenced the American Founders?
A) Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle
B) Machiavelli, Hobbes, and Marx
C) Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau
D) Jefferson, Madison, and Hamilton
E) Smith, Ricardo, and Mill
Correct Answer: C) Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau
Rationale: Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau were the primary
contributors to Social Contract Theory. This theory suggests that individuals exist in a
"state of nature" and agree to form a society by giving up some freedoms to a government
in exchange for the protection of their remaining rights. Locke’s specific focus on natural
rights (life, liberty, and property) was the cornerstone of the American Revolution's
ideological foundation.
Question 2
According to Social Contract Theory, what is the primary justification for the existence of
government?
A) To enforce the divine right of kings
B) To protect the individual's ability to obtain food, clothing, and shelter without interference
C) To ensure that one specific religion is practiced by all citizens
D) To eliminate the need for any individual property ownership
E) To allow elites to rule over the working class without challenge
Correct Answer: B) To protect the individual's ability to obtain food, clothing, and shelter
without interference
Rationale: Social Contract Theory posits that humans have basic needs for survival and
individual definition. Government is created as a tool to protect these individual pursuits
and prevent a "war of all against all." If the government interferes with the ability of
individuals to sustain themselves or define their own existence, it has violated the contract.
Question 3
The Enlightenment’s emphasis on individual protections and the fear of a powerful central
government is most clearly reflected in which part of the Constitution?
A) The Preamble
B) The Elastic Clause
C) The Supremacy Clause
, 2
D) The Bill of Rights and the Second and Ninth Amendments
E) The Electoral College
Correct Answer: D) The Bill of Rights and the Second and Ninth Amendments
Rationale: The Enlightenment emphasized that individuals have inherent rights that the
government cannot infringe upon. The Bill of Rights (the first ten amendments) was added
to the Constitution to satisfy Anti-Federalist concerns, specifically listing protections like
the right to bear arms (2nd) and the reservation of unlisted rights to the people (9th).
Question 4
Which foundational document explicitly states that people have the rights to "life, liberty, and the
pursuit of happiness"?
A) The U.S. Constitution
B) The Articles of Confederation
C) The Declaration of Independence
D) Federalist #10
E) The Magna Carta
Correct Answer: C) The Declaration of Independence
Rationale: Drafted primarily by Thomas Jefferson and heavily influenced by John Locke,
the Declaration of Independence argued that these rights are "unalienable." It served as a
formal notice to the world that the American colonies were breaking away from British
rule because the King had violated their natural rights.
Question 5
What was considered a major weakness of the Articles of Confederation?
A) The executive branch was too powerful
B) The national government had no power to tax or regulate trade
C) There were too many federal courts
D) The national government could easily override state laws
E) The Senate had too much control over the House of Representatives
Correct Answer: B) No executive, no judicial, no power to tax, no power to regulate trade
Rationale: The Articles of Confederation created a "firm league of friendship" rather than
a strong unified nation. Because the central government lacked the power to tax, it could
not pay off revolutionary war debts or maintain a standing army. The lack of an executive
meant there was no one to enforce the laws passed by the weak unicameral legislature.
Question 6
Which of the following was a strength or achievement of the Articles of Confederation?
A) It established a strong national currency
B) It allowed the government to regulate interstate commerce
, 3
C) It provided the ability to conduct diplomacy and deal with Native American relations
D) It created a system of checks and balances between branches
E) It allowed the President to veto state laws
Correct Answer: C) Provided direction for the Revolution, the ability to conduct diplomacy
with Europe, and deal with territorial issues and Native American relations.
Rationale: Despite its structural flaws, the Articles were successful in providing a legal
framework to win the Revolutionary War, negotiate the Treaty of Paris, and establish the
Northwest Ordinance for managing new territories and relations with Native American
tribes.
Question 7
During the Constitutional Convention, the New Jersey Plan was proposed to protect the interests
of:
A) Large states with high populations
B) Southern states with many slaves
C) Small states by providing equal representation in Congress
D) The federal government against state power
E) The executive branch against the legislative branch
Correct Answer: C) The proposal at the Constitutional Convention that called for equal
representation of each state in Congress regardless of the state's population.
Rationale: The New Jersey Plan was a response to the Virginia Plan. Smaller states feared
that if representation were based solely on population, larger states (like Virginia) would
dominate the national government. New Jersey proposed a unicameral legislature where
every state had one vote, similar to the Articles of Confederation.
Question 8
The Virginia Plan called for a strong national government with:
A) A single-house legislature where each state had one vote
B) A system where the President was elected for life
C) Proportional representation based on state population
D) A committee of three executives instead of one President
E) The total abolition of state governments
Correct Answer: C) Proposal to create a strong national government
Rationale: The Virginia Plan, favored by larger states, proposed a bicameral legislature
where representation in both houses would be based on population. This shifted power
away from the states and toward a centralized government that could act directly on the
people.
, 4
Question 9
The Three-Fifths Compromise addressed which of the following issues?
A) How to elect the President
B) How to count slaves for the purposes of representation and taxation
C) How many states were needed to ratify an amendment
D) The division of power between the House and the Senate
E) The length of a Supreme Court Justice’s term
Correct Answer: B) Agreement that each slave counted as three-fifths of a person in
determining representation in the House for representation and taxation purposes
Rationale: Southern states wanted slaves to count for representation (to increase their
power in the House) but not for taxation. Northern states argued the opposite. The
compromise settled on counting 60% of the slave population for both, a decision eventually
negated by the 13th Amendment.
Question 10
Which constitutional principle ensures that each branch of government can limit the power of the
other branches?
A) Federalism
B) Popular Sovereignty
C) Checks and Balances
D) Judicial Review
E) Reapportionment
Correct Answer: C) Checks and Balances
Rationale: While Separation of Powers divides the tasks, Checks and Balances provides the
specific "tools" each branch uses to stop the others. For example, the President can veto a
law (check on Legislative), but Congress can override that veto (check on Executive).
Question 11
What is the primary difference between the Separation of Powers and Checks and Balances?
A) Separation of Powers is for state governments; Checks and Balances is for the federal
government
B) Separation of Powers divides functions; Checks and Balances provides tools to prevent abuse
C) They are exactly the same thing
D) Separation of Powers was an Anti-Federalist idea
E) Separation of Powers only applies to the Judicial branch
Correct Answer: B) Constitutional division of powers among the legislative, executive, and
judicial branches... with a system that allows each branch to limit the powers of the other
Rationale: Separation of Powers is the "horizontal" division of the government into three
distinct branches (Legislative, Executive, Judicial). Checks and Balances is the system of
ASSESSMENT(SOLVED 100%) CORRECT!!
Question 1
Which group of philosophers is most closely associated with the development of Social Contract
Theory, which influenced the American Founders?
A) Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle
B) Machiavelli, Hobbes, and Marx
C) Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau
D) Jefferson, Madison, and Hamilton
E) Smith, Ricardo, and Mill
Correct Answer: C) Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau
Rationale: Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau were the primary
contributors to Social Contract Theory. This theory suggests that individuals exist in a
"state of nature" and agree to form a society by giving up some freedoms to a government
in exchange for the protection of their remaining rights. Locke’s specific focus on natural
rights (life, liberty, and property) was the cornerstone of the American Revolution's
ideological foundation.
Question 2
According to Social Contract Theory, what is the primary justification for the existence of
government?
A) To enforce the divine right of kings
B) To protect the individual's ability to obtain food, clothing, and shelter without interference
C) To ensure that one specific religion is practiced by all citizens
D) To eliminate the need for any individual property ownership
E) To allow elites to rule over the working class without challenge
Correct Answer: B) To protect the individual's ability to obtain food, clothing, and shelter
without interference
Rationale: Social Contract Theory posits that humans have basic needs for survival and
individual definition. Government is created as a tool to protect these individual pursuits
and prevent a "war of all against all." If the government interferes with the ability of
individuals to sustain themselves or define their own existence, it has violated the contract.
Question 3
The Enlightenment’s emphasis on individual protections and the fear of a powerful central
government is most clearly reflected in which part of the Constitution?
A) The Preamble
B) The Elastic Clause
C) The Supremacy Clause
, 2
D) The Bill of Rights and the Second and Ninth Amendments
E) The Electoral College
Correct Answer: D) The Bill of Rights and the Second and Ninth Amendments
Rationale: The Enlightenment emphasized that individuals have inherent rights that the
government cannot infringe upon. The Bill of Rights (the first ten amendments) was added
to the Constitution to satisfy Anti-Federalist concerns, specifically listing protections like
the right to bear arms (2nd) and the reservation of unlisted rights to the people (9th).
Question 4
Which foundational document explicitly states that people have the rights to "life, liberty, and the
pursuit of happiness"?
A) The U.S. Constitution
B) The Articles of Confederation
C) The Declaration of Independence
D) Federalist #10
E) The Magna Carta
Correct Answer: C) The Declaration of Independence
Rationale: Drafted primarily by Thomas Jefferson and heavily influenced by John Locke,
the Declaration of Independence argued that these rights are "unalienable." It served as a
formal notice to the world that the American colonies were breaking away from British
rule because the King had violated their natural rights.
Question 5
What was considered a major weakness of the Articles of Confederation?
A) The executive branch was too powerful
B) The national government had no power to tax or regulate trade
C) There were too many federal courts
D) The national government could easily override state laws
E) The Senate had too much control over the House of Representatives
Correct Answer: B) No executive, no judicial, no power to tax, no power to regulate trade
Rationale: The Articles of Confederation created a "firm league of friendship" rather than
a strong unified nation. Because the central government lacked the power to tax, it could
not pay off revolutionary war debts or maintain a standing army. The lack of an executive
meant there was no one to enforce the laws passed by the weak unicameral legislature.
Question 6
Which of the following was a strength or achievement of the Articles of Confederation?
A) It established a strong national currency
B) It allowed the government to regulate interstate commerce
, 3
C) It provided the ability to conduct diplomacy and deal with Native American relations
D) It created a system of checks and balances between branches
E) It allowed the President to veto state laws
Correct Answer: C) Provided direction for the Revolution, the ability to conduct diplomacy
with Europe, and deal with territorial issues and Native American relations.
Rationale: Despite its structural flaws, the Articles were successful in providing a legal
framework to win the Revolutionary War, negotiate the Treaty of Paris, and establish the
Northwest Ordinance for managing new territories and relations with Native American
tribes.
Question 7
During the Constitutional Convention, the New Jersey Plan was proposed to protect the interests
of:
A) Large states with high populations
B) Southern states with many slaves
C) Small states by providing equal representation in Congress
D) The federal government against state power
E) The executive branch against the legislative branch
Correct Answer: C) The proposal at the Constitutional Convention that called for equal
representation of each state in Congress regardless of the state's population.
Rationale: The New Jersey Plan was a response to the Virginia Plan. Smaller states feared
that if representation were based solely on population, larger states (like Virginia) would
dominate the national government. New Jersey proposed a unicameral legislature where
every state had one vote, similar to the Articles of Confederation.
Question 8
The Virginia Plan called for a strong national government with:
A) A single-house legislature where each state had one vote
B) A system where the President was elected for life
C) Proportional representation based on state population
D) A committee of three executives instead of one President
E) The total abolition of state governments
Correct Answer: C) Proposal to create a strong national government
Rationale: The Virginia Plan, favored by larger states, proposed a bicameral legislature
where representation in both houses would be based on population. This shifted power
away from the states and toward a centralized government that could act directly on the
people.
, 4
Question 9
The Three-Fifths Compromise addressed which of the following issues?
A) How to elect the President
B) How to count slaves for the purposes of representation and taxation
C) How many states were needed to ratify an amendment
D) The division of power between the House and the Senate
E) The length of a Supreme Court Justice’s term
Correct Answer: B) Agreement that each slave counted as three-fifths of a person in
determining representation in the House for representation and taxation purposes
Rationale: Southern states wanted slaves to count for representation (to increase their
power in the House) but not for taxation. Northern states argued the opposite. The
compromise settled on counting 60% of the slave population for both, a decision eventually
negated by the 13th Amendment.
Question 10
Which constitutional principle ensures that each branch of government can limit the power of the
other branches?
A) Federalism
B) Popular Sovereignty
C) Checks and Balances
D) Judicial Review
E) Reapportionment
Correct Answer: C) Checks and Balances
Rationale: While Separation of Powers divides the tasks, Checks and Balances provides the
specific "tools" each branch uses to stop the others. For example, the President can veto a
law (check on Legislative), but Congress can override that veto (check on Executive).
Question 11
What is the primary difference between the Separation of Powers and Checks and Balances?
A) Separation of Powers is for state governments; Checks and Balances is for the federal
government
B) Separation of Powers divides functions; Checks and Balances provides tools to prevent abuse
C) They are exactly the same thing
D) Separation of Powers was an Anti-Federalist idea
E) Separation of Powers only applies to the Judicial branch
Correct Answer: B) Constitutional division of powers among the legislative, executive, and
judicial branches... with a system that allows each branch to limit the powers of the other
Rationale: Separation of Powers is the "horizontal" division of the government into three
distinct branches (Legislative, Executive, Judicial). Checks and Balances is the system of
