Name ______
4th Grade Social Studies Common Assessment
A New Nation
1. Because Americans feared a strong government like British rule under King George, they created the Articles of Confederation to give most of the power to the ______.
a. national government
b. state governments
c. King of England
d. none of the above
2. Which statement about the Articles of Confederation is TRUE?
a. Congress had strong power to collect taxes.
b. The Articles created two houses of Congress.
c. Government lacked an executive and a judicial branch.
d. A President was to be elected to control the government.
3. Which document replaced the Articles of Confederation in 1787 and is still used today?
a. The Bill of Rights
b. The Constitution
c. The Monroe Doctrine
d. The Declaration of Independence
4. ______is known as the "Father of the Constitution."
a. John Hancock
b. James Madison
c. Thomas Jefferson
d. Benjamin Franklin
5. Dividing Congress into the Senate and House of Representatives settled the argument over how states would be represented in Congress. This agreement is known as ______.
a. the New Deal
b. Manifest Destiny
c. the Great Compromise
d. the Congressional Compromise
6. What is the name of the agreement that solved the problem of how slaves would be counted for purposes of taxation and representation?
a. The Bill of Rights
b. Manifest Destiny
c. the Great Compromise
d. the three-fifths compromise
7. ______was the oldest member at the Constitutional Convention who worked tirelessly to convince delegates that compromise was important in a free society.
a. John Hancock
b. James Madison
c. Benjamin Franklin
d. George Washington
8. The Constitution separated the government into 3 branches. This division of the U.S. government is known as ______.
a. Congress
b. The Bill of Rights
c. Checks and balances
d. Separation of powers
9. Which branch of government creates and passes laws?
a. legislative
b. judicial
c. military
d. executive
10. Which branch of government carries out and enforces laws made by Congress?
a. legislative
b. judicial
c. military
d. executive
11. Which branch of government interprets and applies the law?
a. legislative
b. judicial
c. military
d. executive
12. The ability of each branch of government to check the power of the other two is called ______.
a. checkmate
b. power check
c. balance of power
d. checks and balances
13. The legislative branch can pass a bill, but the ______branch can veto it.
a. legislative
b. judicial
c. military
d. executive
14. The executive branch can veto a bill, but the ______can pass the bill over the veto if there are enough votes.
a. legislative
b. judicial
c. military
d. executive
15. The executive branch can appoint a judge but the ______branch has the power to approve or reject the judge.
a. legislative
b. judicial
c. military
d. executive
16. What is the name given to the 1st ten amendments to the Constitution?
a. The Preamble
b. The Bill of Rights
c. The Articles of Confederation
d. The Declaration of Independence
17. Which of these is NOT a right listed in the First Amendment?
a. freedom of speech
b. freedom of religion
c. freedom of assembly
d. freedom from discrimination
18. Why was the Bill of Rights included in the Constitution?
a. to strengthen the powers of the president
b. to protect the rights of individual citizens
c. to provide for national defense at times of crisis
d. to force the states to pay taxes to the national government
19. This freedom allows newspapers and television broadcasts to criticize the government. ______.
a. freedom of religion
b. freedom of the press
c. freedom to bear arms
d. freedom from unreasonable searches
20. The American war with England in the early 1800's was the ______.
a. War of 1812
b. 1812 Overture
c. French and Indian War
d. American and English War
21. Which of these was the MAIN reason for the War of 1812?
a. French attacks on British merchant ships.
b. British attacks on American merchant ships.
c. Disagreements between the United States and Britain over slave trade.
d. British refusal to recognize the Louisianan Purchase.
22. During the War of 1812, the British set fire to ______.
a. the Alamo
b. the Pentagon
c. the Mississippi
d. the White House and Capitol Building
23. The War of 1812 ended with______.
a. a clear British victory
b. a clear British defeat
c. a clear American victory
d. the signing of a peace treaty
24. At the beginning of the Constitution, the phrase “We the people…” emphasizes which of these principles?
a. federalism
b. popular sovereignty
c. separation of powers
d. checks and balances
25. Which statement is TRUE about our federal system of government?
a. The national governments shares power with the states.
b. The judicial branch elects the president and vice president.
c. The executive is the strongest of the three branches of government.
d. All states, no matter how large or how small, have the same representation in Congress.
26. In a federal system of government, the national government would take care of things that ______.
a. affected the whole country
b. that affected individual states
c. that did not affect the whole country
d. that did not concern the states or the country
27. The table below describes the federal government.
Executive Branch / President
Legislative Branch / Congress
Judicial Branch / ?
Which of these belongs in the box with the question mark?
a. Senate
b. Cabinet
c. Supreme Court
d. House of Representatives
28. Who can introduce a bill to become a law?
a. a member of Congress
b. a law enforcement officer
c. the president
d. the judicial branch
30. A bill passed by Congress becomes a law when it ______.
a. is signed by the president
b. is vetoed by the president
c. is sent to a Congressional committee
d. is voted on and approved in a general election
31. Who is commander-in-chief of the armed forces?
a. the president
b. the vice-president
c. the head of the Department of Defense
d. the highest ranking officer in the military
32. There are conflicts in our society every day. Which of these is an example
of how the government manages conflicts while protecting rights?
a. The president vetoes bills.
b. Congress passes new laws to resolve every conflict.
c. People take their conflicts to court and a judge helps decide who is
right.
d. The government expects people to resolve all of their conflicts by
calling the police.
Read the following information to help you answer questions 33 – 35.
The first amendment gives people the freedom of speech, religion, press, assembly, and the right to petition the government.
33. In your opinion, which part of the First Amendment is the most important?
______
______
34. Give an example of why you think it is the most important.
______
______
______
35. Draw a picture in the box below to illustrate the meaning of the freedom you
chose as the most important.