Q 01/05

In which building did the delegates meet to draft the Constitution in the summer of 1787?

A) Independence Hall, Philadelphia

B) Federal Hall, New York

C) Faneuil Hall, Boston

D) The State House, Annapolis

Answer · why

A) Independence Hall, Philadelphia

The same room had hosted the signing of the Declaration of Independence eleven years earlier.

Q 02/05

In what year was the U.S. Constitution signed by the convention delegates?

A) 1776

B) 1781

C) 1787

D) 1791

Answer · why

C) 1787

Signing came on September 17, a date now marked every year as Constitution Day.

Q 03/05

How many times has the Constitution been amended since it took effect in 1789?

A) 27

B) 30

C) 33

D) 36

Answer · why

A) 27

The first ten arrived together in 1791 and the most recent, on congressional pay, in 1992.

Q 04/05

What collective name is given to the first ten amendments?

A) The Declaration of Rights

B) The Bill of Rights

C) The Articles of Freedom

D) The Charter of Liberties

Answer · why

B) The Bill of Rights

They were added in 1791 to honour a promise made to critics during the ratification debates.

Q 05/05

The Constitution superseded which earlier framework of national government on March 4, 1789?

A) The Albany Plan of Union

B) The Mayflower Compact

C) The Northwest Ordinance

D) The Articles of Confederation

Answer · why

D) The Articles of Confederation

Under the old system the chief problem, in Washington's words, was simply "no money".