FCLE Articles of Confederation and the Constitutional Convention

Question 1

Under the Articles of Confederation, Congress could NOT do which of the following?

Accepted Answer

Levy (collect) taxes directly from citizens

Answer

One of the most critical weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation was that Congress had no power to tax citizens directly. It could only request funds from the states, which frequently refused, leaving the national government chronically underfunded and unable to pay war debts.

Question 2

The Constitutional Convention of 1787 was originally called to:

Accepted Answer

Revise and improve the Articles of Confederation

Answer

The Convention was convened in Philadelphia in 1787 with the stated purpose of revising the Articles of Confederation. However, delegates quickly concluded that the Articles were too flawed to fix and instead drafted an entirely new Constitution.

Question 3

The Great Compromise reached at the Constitutional Convention resolved a dispute over congressional representation by:

Accepted Answer

Creating a bicameral Congress — equal representation in the Senate, population-based in the House

Answer

Large states favored the Virginia Plan (representation by population) while small states favored the New Jersey Plan (equal representation). The Connecticut Compromise (Great Compromise) created a two-house Congress: the Senate with two senators per state, and the House with seats proportional to population.

Question 4

The Three-Fifths Compromise reached at the Constitutional Convention determined that enslaved people would be counted as:

Accepted Answer

Three-fifths of a person for both representation and direct taxation

Answer

The Three-Fifths Compromise (Article I, Section 2) counted each enslaved person as three-fifths of a free person for determining a state's population for both House representation and direct taxation. This increased Southern states' political power while not granting enslaved people any rights.

Question 5

Which of the following was a major weakness of the Articles of Confederation that led to calls for a new Constitution?

Accepted Answer

It required unanimous consent of all 13 states to amend, making reform nearly impossible

Answer

Under the Articles, any amendment required unanimous approval from all 13 states — an impossibly high bar. Combined with the inability to tax, regulate commerce, or enforce laws, the Articles created a weak central government that could not address Shays' Rebellion or economic crises.

FCLE - Florida Civic Literacy Exam Practice Test

FCLE - Florida Civic Literacy Exam Practice Test

FCLE Articles of Confederation and the Constitutional Convention