Constitutional Convention Practice Quiz

The Virginia Plan was written by

• George Washington

• James Madison

• Ben Franklin

• Thomas Jefferson

Answer explanation

Future President, James Madison, was a delegate from Virginia, hence the name. Most people regard him as the Father of the Constitution since the Virginia Plan makes up the bulk of the Constitution

Which plan called for having two houses of legislature?

• Virginia Plan

• New Jersey Plan

• Connecticut Compromise

• New York Plan

Answer explanation

Connecticut made the compromise between Virginia and New Jersey, basically smashing the two plans together

Which plan favored bigger states?

• Virginia Plan

• New Jersey Plan

• Connecticut Compromise

• New York Plan

Answer explanation

Basing representation (in Congress) on population means that states like Virginia will have more votes than states like New Jersey. Less-populated states would always be drowned out by more-populated states

Which plan favored less populated states?

• Virginia Plan

• New Jersey Plan

• Connecticut Compromise

• New York Plan

Answer explanation

By giving all states equal representation, small states like New Jersey would have the same amount of influence as bigger states like Virginia, despite having a fraction of their population

How did the Virginia Plan determine a state's representation in congress?

• By population

• By geographic size

• Equally

• By their economies

Answer explanation

Basically, according to this plan, your state matters more if it has more people

How did the New Jersey Plan determine a state's representation in congress?

• By population

• By geographic size

• Equally

• By their economies

Answer explanation

Seems logical tat al states should have equal representation, but on the other hand, should small states be able to overrule big states?

Define bicameral

• having two houses

• having two presidents

• having two courts

• having two plans

Answer explanation

This is how our Congress is set up today. Two Houses: The House of Representatives and the Senate. It is the major part of the Connecticut/Great Compromise

The Three-Fifths compromise settled a dispute between

• Northern and southern states

• Large and small states

• rich states and poor states

• eastern and western states

Answer explanation

Just like the Civil War, 80ish years later, the divide for the slavery argument was North and South

The Three-Fifths Compromise dealt with counting _______ as part of the population

• slaves

• women

• immigrants

• Native Americans

Answer explanation

The major issue revolved around representation. If the Southern states count slaves as part of their pop., then they would become way more powerful than free-states. By counting slaves as 3/5 of the pop, Southern states were happy enough with representation and abolitionist felt they could build off of this in their fight against slavery

Why is the Three-fifths Compromise controversial?

• The Founders missed a chance to eliminate slavery

• It left the smaller states with less power

• It gave larger states too much power

• It gave Northern states more representation than the South

Answer explanation

We had a chance to avoid future problems because of slavery. Not to mention, we talked a big game about equality when writing the Constitution. But in the end, the Southern States would never go along with a Constitution that banned slavery.