The delegates to the Constitutional Convention were realists. They knew that the 1.
1.The author is primarily concerned with
greatest battles would take place after the convention, once the Constitution had (A) contrasting the opposing sides in a battle
already been drafted and signed. The delegates had overstepped their bounds. (B) analyzing the effects of an event
Instead of amending the Articles of Confederation by which the American states (C) urging a reassessment of history
had previously been governed, they had proposed an entirely new government. (D) describing the background of conflict
Under these circumstances, the convention was understandably reluctant to
submit its work to the Congress for approval. 2.In stating that the Antifederalists “were opposing something with nothing”, the
author suggests that the Antifederalists
Instead, the delegates decided to pursue what amounted to a revolutionary (A) based most of their arguments on their antidemocratic sentiments
course. They declared that ratification of the new Constitution by nine states (B) lacked leaders who were as articulate as the Federalist leaders
would be sufficient to establish the new government. In other words, the (C) were unable to rally significant support for their position among the populace
Constitution was being submitted directly to the people. Not even the Congress, (D) offered no alternative plan of government of their own
which had called the convention, would be asked to approve its work.
3. Which of the following statements about Elbridge Gerry can be inferred from
The leaders of the convention shrewdly wished to bypass the state legislatures, the passage?
which were attached to states’ rights and which required in most cases the (A) He was a delegate to the Massachusetts state ratifying convention.
agreement of two houses. For speedy ratification of the Constitution, the single- (B) He was a delegate to the Constitutional Convention.
chambered, specially elected state ratifying conventions offered the greatest (C) He was the architect of the “policy of drift” advocated by the Antifederalists.
promise of agreement. (D) He claimed to have a more democratic view of government than the
Federalists.
Battle lines were quickly drawn. The Federalists, as the supporters of the
Constitution were called, had one solid advantage: they came with a concrete 4.The author’s quotation of John F. Mercer serves which of the following
proposal. Their opponents, the Antifederalists, came with none. Since the functions in the passage?
Antifederalists were opposing something with nothing, their objections, though (A) It summarizes the last paragraph.
sincere, were basically negative. They stood for a policy of drift while the (B) It furnishes a concrete example.
Federalists were providing clear leadership. (C) It articulates the main point of the passage.
(D) It clarifies the preceding quotation
Furthermore, although the Antifederalists claimed to be the democratic group,
their opposition to the Constitution did not necessarily spring from a more 5.Which of the following would be the most appropriate title for the passage?
democratic view of government. Many of the Antifederalists were as distrustful of (A) Divided Leadership at the Constitutional Convention
the common people as their opponents. In New York, for example, Governor (B) How the Constitution Became Law
George Clinton criticized the people for their fickleness and their tendency to (C) The U.S. Constitution: Its Strengths and Weaknesses
“vibrate from one extreme to another.” Elbridge Gerry of Massachusetts, who (D) The Battle for Ratification of the Constitution
refused to sign the Constitution, asserted that “the evils we experience flow from
the excess of democracy,” and John F. Mercer of Maryland professed little faith in
his neighbors as voters when he said that “the people cannot know and judge the
character of candidates.”
