FCLE Constitution 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the purpose of the Fourteenth Amendment's Equal Protection Clause?
- To guarantee equal voting rights regardless of race
- To prevent states from denying equal protection of the laws to any person (Correct answer)
- To abolish segregation in schools
- To provide equal pay for equal work
Correct answer: To prevent states from denying equal protection of the laws to any person
The Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment prohibits states from denying any person within their jurisdiction equal protection of the laws.
Question 2: How many electoral votes does a presidential candidate need to win the presidency?
- 218
- 270 (Correct answer)
- 300
- 435
Correct answer: 270
A presidential candidate must receive at least 270 of the 538 total electoral votes to win the presidency under the Electoral College system.
Question 3: The Fifth Amendment's Double Jeopardy Clause protects individuals from:
- Being tried twice for the same crime after acquittal or conviction (Correct answer)
- Being forced to testify against themselves
- Serving as a witness in civil cases
- Having property seized without compensation
Correct answer: Being tried twice for the same crime after acquittal or conviction
The Double Jeopardy Clause of the Fifth Amendment prevents the government from trying a person twice for the same offense after they have been acquitted or convicted.
Question 4: Which amendment to the Constitution established the federal income tax?
- Fifteenth Amendment
- Sixteenth Amendment (Correct answer)
- Seventeenth Amendment
- Eighteenth Amendment
Correct answer: Sixteenth Amendment
The Sixteenth Amendment, ratified in 1913, gave Congress the power to collect taxes on income from whatever source derived.
Question 5: What does judicial review allow the Supreme Court to do?
- Write new laws to fill legal gaps
- Declare laws unconstitutional (Correct answer)
- Remove elected officials from office
- Approve presidential appointments
Correct answer: Declare laws unconstitutional
Judicial review, established in Marbury v. Madison (1803), gives the Supreme Court the power to strike down laws that violate the Constitution.
Question 6: The Seventeenth Amendment changed how U.S. Senators are chosen by providing for:
- Appointment by state governors
- Direct election by the people (Correct answer)
- Election by state legislatures
- Selection by the Electoral College
Correct answer: Direct election by the people
The Seventeenth Amendment, ratified in 1913, established the direct election of U.S. Senators by popular vote rather than by state legislatures.
Question 7: Which constitutional amendment prohibits the denial of voting rights based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude?
- Thirteenth Amendment
- Fourteenth Amendment
- Fifteenth Amendment (Correct answer)
- Nineteenth Amendment
Correct answer: Fifteenth Amendment
The Fifteenth Amendment, ratified in 1870, prohibits the federal government and states from denying a citizen the right to vote based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude.
FCLE Constitution 5
What is the purpose of the Fourteenth Amendment's Equal Protection Clause?