GED - Social Studies Practice Test

Question 1 through 3 refers to the below excerpt.

Four Methods of Amending the U.S. Constitution

Method	Step 1	Step 2
1.	A two-thirds vote in both houses of the U.S. Congress	Ratified by three-fourths of the state legislatures
2.	A two-thirds vote in both houses of U.S. Congress	Ratified by ratification conventions in three-fourths of the states
3.	A national constitutional convention called by two-thirds of the state legislatures	Ratified by three-fourths of the state legislatures
4.	A national convention called by two-thirds of the state legislatures	Ratified by ratification conventions in three-fourths of the states

The 17th Amendment

In 1787, delegates to the Constitutional Convention decided to give state legislatures the power to select U.S. senators. The purpose was to ensure that the interests of the states were represented in the national legislature. However, some argued that the people should directly elect their senators. They thought the interests of the states would be preserved because the people were the source of all government power.

The first of nearly 300 congressional resolutions calling for direct election of senators came in 1826. Over the next 85 years, an amendment to directly elect U.S. senators was debated extensively. Finally, in 1913, the 17th Amendment, which allowed for the direct election of senators, was ratified.

This excerpt is from an article published in the Washington Times in 1908.

[The] Senator . . . said [t]he reasons for this reform are thoroughly well understood. . . . [I]t will prevent the corruption of the legislatures. . . . [I]t will prevent men buying a seat in the Senate . . . [and] make the Senate more responsive to the will of the people. . . . [I]t will . . . [also make] candidates . . . campaign before the people.

This excerpt is taken from the public domain.

Multiple Choice Item: 1 point value

Question Overview:This question requires you to draw a contrast between the process of amending the U.S. Constitution and the process of creating federal laws. Using your own knowledge of how federal laws are made and a chart showing methods of amending the Constitution, you must analyze the major steps in each process and the governmental branch( es) involved. This question engages the reasoning skills needed to analyze both processes and identify the major difference between them.

Answer Rationale:

Option A is correct. If you selected this option, you likely noticed that the legislative branch is the only government branch mentioned on the chart. Of the three branches of the U.S. government, only the legislative is involved in the amendment process.

Option B is incorrect. When selecting this option you may have focused on the information in the right hand column of the chart which shows that legislative bodies can conclude the amendment process. However, it is also important to notice, at the bottom of the same column, that ratification conventions can end the process.

Option C is incorrect. If you selected this option, you likely noticed that both columns in the table show that state legislatures are involved in the amendment process. However, it is also important to note that state legislatures are not the only legislatures involved in the ratification process. The top two boxes of the left hand column show that the national legislative body (Congress) is also critical to the amendment process.

Option D is incorrect. If you selected option 0, you probably noticed that state governments may start the amendment process. This can occur when two-thirds of the states' legislatures agree to call a national constitutional convention. However, as shown in the top two boxes of the left hand column, an amendment may also be proposed to the American people by a two thirds vote of both houses of Congress.