Free practice · Constitution and the early republic

APUSH Unit 3 Constitution practice test

Practice interpreting constitutional provisions before revealing each answer. These ten questions cover Constitution topics within APUSH Unit 3 (1754-1800). This is not a full-unit or full-length exam, and the score does not predict an AP exam score.

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1. Article I gives Congress the power to collect taxes and regulate trade among states. Which interpretation best fits these provisions?

A. States alone controlled national revenue. B. The federal legislature received tools to address national economic needs. C. The president could levy taxes without Congress. D. The Supreme Court controlled trade.

Reveal answer 1 and explanation

Answer: B. Both powers belong to Congress under Article I, Section 8. The passage supports national legislative authority, not unilateral presidential or judicial taxation.

2. Under the original Constitution, House representation depended on population while every state received two senators. Which tension does this arrangement address?

A. Large-state and small-state influence in Congress. B. The power to declare war versus negotiate treaties. C. Religious freedom versus an established church. D. The length of presidential versus judicial terms.

Reveal answer 2 and explanation

Answer: A. Population-based House seats and equal state representation in the Senate balance two different ways of representing states. See Article I, Sections 2–3.

3. Article I allows a president to return a bill with objections, but two-thirds of each house can pass it over those objections. What does this illustrate?

A. The president controls all legislation. B. States may veto federal laws. C. The courts must approve every bill. D. Branches can limit one another’s power.

Reveal answer 3 and explanation

Answer: D. The veto and congressional override create reciprocal limits between the executive and legislature. Article I, Section 7 does not require court approval.

4. The original Senate was chosen by state legislatures; the House was chosen by eligible voters. What conclusion is supported by this difference?

A. All national officials were directly elected. B. The Constitution abolished state governments. C. The two chambers connected to voters through different selection processes. D. Senators served only when appointed by the president.

Reveal answer 4 and explanation

Answer: C. Article I, Sections 2–3 originally used direct selection for the House and legislative selection for the Senate. The Seventeenth Amendment later changed Senate selection; this question concerns the original arrangement.

5. Article V requires more than an ordinary congressional majority to amend the Constitution. What is the best interpretation?

A. A president can amend the document alone. B. Constitutional change requires broad agreement. C. The Constitution can never be changed. D. An ordinary federal statute automatically changes the Constitution.

Reveal answer 5 and explanation

Answer: B. Article V requires supermajorities for proposing and ratifying amendments through its specified routes. That makes change possible but more demanding than passing an ordinary law.

6. Article VI makes the Constitution and federal laws made under it supreme over conflicting state laws. Which claim does this support?

A. Every state law is invalid. B. States may ignore any federal law. C. Valid federal law prevails in a conflict. D. Federal judges write all state laws.

Reveal answer 6 and explanation

Answer: C. Article VI establishes federal supremacy; it does not eliminate state law.

7. The president nominates federal judges, subject to Senate consent. Which principle is reflected here?

A. Shared appointment power. B. Direct popular election of judges. C. Exclusive presidential control. D. Selection by state governors.

Reveal answer 7 and explanation

Answer: A. Article II, Section 2 involves both president and Senate in appointments.

8. Article III gives federal judges tenure during good behavior. Which effect is most consistent with that design?

A. Annual popular elections. B. Automatic dismissal after each presidential election. C. Removal whenever Congress dislikes a ruling. D. Insulation from routine electoral pressure.

Reveal answer 8 and explanation

Answer: D. Article III does not give judges fixed electoral terms. This supports judicial independence.

9. Congress declares war, while the president commands the armed forces. What does this division suggest?

A. States command the national military. B. War powers are distributed between branches. C. Only the president decides all military funding. D. Courts declare war.

Reveal answer 9 and explanation

Answer: B. Article I assigns declaration and funding powers to Congress; Article II makes the president commander in chief.

10. Article VII required ratification by conventions in nine states. What distinguishes ratification from later amendment?

A. Both required only presidential approval. B. Ratification required every voter to agree. C. Ratification established the Constitution; amendment changes it under Article V. D. Ratification was an ordinary act of Congress.

Reveal answer 10 and explanation

Answer: C. Article VII sets the initial ratification threshold; Article V governs subsequent amendments.

Review the topics you missed

Questions 1 and 6: federal authority. Compare national taxing and commerce powers with the government under the Articles of Confederation.
Questions 2 and 4: representation. Review the Great Compromise and the original methods for choosing House members and senators.
Questions 3, 7, 8, and 9: limits on power. Explain how vetoes, appointments, judicial tenure, and divided war powers distribute authority.
Questions 5 and 10: adopting and changing the Constitution. Distinguish initial ratification under Article VII from amendment under Article V.

Where this fits in APUSH Unit 3

The Constitution was drafted in 1787 amid debate over strengthening national government and limiting its power. These questions practice interpreting its provisions. To review the rest of Unit 3, study the Seven Years' War, the American Revolution, ratification debates, and the early republic using your class materials and the official College Board course outline.

Check the source

These are original ExamCat questions using paraphrased provisions of the Constitution. Read the Constitution at the National Archives: Articles I–III and V–VII.

For official practice and current exam requirements, visit College Board’s AP US History exam page. This short exercise does not reproduce official exam questions or cover the full course.

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