Unit 3 "My Perspectives" Pretest The Preamble to the Constitution; Bill of Rights
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Read each question below. Then, choose the BEST response to answer the question correctly. Good Luck!
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Question 20
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What reasons for writing the Constitution are given in the Preamble to the Constitution? Choose three options.
A. The Constitution was established to ensure peace within the country.
B. The Constitution was established to present a united defense against other countries.
C. The Constitution was established to enable taxes to be raised to support the government.
D. The Constitution was established to promote the welfare of the people of the United States.
E. The Constitution was established to give states more independence from the federal government.
F. The Constitution was established to provide legal standing for the United States in international affairs.
According to the Preamble to the Bill of Rights, why was the Bill of Rights considered necessary?
A. The Bill of Rights was needed to strengthen the power of the federal government.
B. The Bill of Rights was needed to prevent any states from ignoring federal authority.
C. The Bill of Rights was needed to ensure the power of Congress to pass and enforce laws.
D. The Bill of Rights was needed to protect the people against abuse of power by the government.
According to the Preamble to the Bill of Rights, who had to approve the Bill of Rights before it became law?
A. the President
B. the legislatures of three-fourths of the states
C. the President and the Supreme Court judges
D. a strong majority of the general voting public
Which of the following topics are covered in the Bill of Rights? Choose three options.
A. the rights of people charged with crimes
B. the freedom to worship as one chooses
C. the legal definition of the term citizen
D. the procedure for electing a President
E. the right for women to vote
F. the right to speak freely
What is the most likely meaning of exercise in the following sentence?
A. risk
B. ensure
C. understand
D. put into practice
In which of the following situations would one person most likelypetition another?
A. Bill studies all weekend and tells his teacher he is ready to take a test.
B. Mike purchases his first car from the owner of a local car dealership.
C. Sarah and Megan compete for a spot on the high school track team.
D. Elena asks her boss for extra pay for the additional hours she worked.
If taking some action is prescribed by a law, which of the following must be true? Base your answer on the meaning of prescribed.
A. The law prohibits taking an action.
B. The law requires the action be taken.
C. The law offers an action as an option.
D. The law avoids suggesting a specific action.
Read Amendment I from the Bill of Rights.
Amendment I
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
To which of the following situations does this amendment most clearly apply?
A. A local government sets aside a day to celebrate citizens' contributions.
B. A college professor takes her computer home so she can work over the weekend.
C. A group of people demonstrates against a law enacted by the city council.
D. A state court allows the government to take privately owned land to use for a new highway.
Part A
Read this description of a situation, and then answer the question based on your understanding of the Bill of Rights.
During a routine traffic stop, the police checked the driver’s license, and no ticket was issued. However, during the same stop, they took the passenger’s cell phone without her permission and looked through her emails and text messages. A few days later, the passenger went to court to file a formal complaint.
Which of the passenger’s rights may have been disregarded?
A. the right to due process
B. the right to freedom of speech
C. the right to freedom from an unjustified search
D. the right to be informed of the reason for an arrest
Part B
Which statement from the Bill of Rights supports the answer to Part A from Question 9?
A. The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated.… (Amendment IV)
B. No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury.… (Amendment V)
C. In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right … to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defense. (Amendment VI)
D. Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted. (Amendment VIII)
Read Amendment IX from the Bill of Rights.
Amendment IX
The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.
What is the most likely reason this amendment was included in the Bill of Rights?
A. Congress understood that people did not want a strong federal government.
B. Congress was aware that some important rights may have been overlooked.
C. Congress knew that only a few rights needed to be guaranteed in a democracy.
D. Congress worried that too many guaranteed rights would weaken government.
Part A
Read Amendment VIII from the Bill of Rights.
Amendment VIII
Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.
Which of the following choices best explains the rights guaranteed in this amendment?
A. A court cannot require a convicted criminal to pay a sum of money to be released. The court also cannot charge a fine or punish offenders who commit minor crimes.
B. Once someone who has committed a crime is released from jail, the court cannot require that person to return for another trial, and it cannot fine or punish the person in any way.
C. A court cannot require an unreasonable amount of money to ensure that someone who is released from custody will return; unreasonable fines cannot be charged for offenses; and inhumane punishments cannot be imposed.
D. When someone commits a crime, the court can make the person pay money to be released. The money will be returned when the person returns to court for trial. If the person does not return, the money will be used to pay the fine and the case will be dismissed.
Part B
In Amendment VIII from Question 12, which of the following situations illustrates a violation of this amendment?
A. A driver who received a parking ticket is charged $5,000 and has her car confiscated by the court.
B. A protester is arrested while demonstrating outside a business and must stand trial for breaking the peace.
C. A person is declared innocent of a crime by a jury but later is rearrested and tried again for the same crime.
D. A person who is convicted of vandalism is given the choice of working at a homeless shelter for 60 hours or going to jail.
Part A
Which of the following rights is protected by the Bill of Rights?
A. A person who reaches the age of eighteen has the right to vote in all federal elections.
B. A person who applies for a job cannot be turned down because of his or her race or religion.
C. A person who is at least thirty years old and a United States citizen can serve in the U.S. Senate.
D. A person who is arrested for a crime has a right to know what crime he or she has been charged with.
Part B
Which excerpt from the Bill of Rights supports the answer to Part A from Question 14?
A. Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.… (Amendment I)
B. No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury.… (Amendment V)
C. In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right … to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation.… (Amendment VI)
D. The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people. (Amendment IX)
Which of the following is one of the purposes of the Preamble to the Constitution?
A. to summarize each of the main ideas presented in the Constitution
B. to state the specific rights and freedoms that the Constitution protects
C. to describe the process by which the Constitution was written and approved
D. to explain that the Constitution was established by the people of the United States
How does enumeration help make the Bill of Rights easier to understand?
A. It shows which rights are most important so that readers can see which rights are essential and which are less valuable.
B. It organizes the document into ten separate rights so that readers can more quickly understand and refer to them.
C. It explains why certain rights are important so that readers know why they are guaranteed in the Constitution.
D. It provides labels for each of the rights so that readers can quickly find the one that applies to their situation.
What is the practical purpose of the headings used in the Bill of Rights?
A. They provide an example of how each right might apply.
B. They remind people what each right specifically guarantees.
C. They provide a way for people to quickly refer to a specific set of rights.
D. They tell which are individual rights and which are reserved for the states.
The word righthas multiple meanings. One meaning is “something to which one is morally or legally entitled.” In which of the following sentences does righthave this meaning?
A. The post office is right across from the town hall.
B. He had a right to vote for the candidate he believed in.
C. They were right about the date and time of the concert.
D. Go straight at the STOP sign and then turn right onto Broadway.
Read this sentence and think about how the word subjectis used.
The subject for today’s discussion is the history of fingerprinting.
The word subjecthas multiple meanings. Which definition applies to the word as it is used in the sentence?
A. an object or scene represented in a work of art
B. the topic or theme of a conversation or research
C. a person who is under the authority or control of another
D. a specific area of knowledge learned and practiced by a professional