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AP U.S. History Practice Quiz: The Articles of Confederation

Written by AP Content Team, Verified for 2026 AP Exams, Last updated: May 2026

Test your understanding with short quizzes. This quiz has 10 questions to check your progress.

Question 1 of 10

According to the provided text, the Articles of Confederation created a central government characterized by which of the following features?

All Questions (10)

According to the provided text, the Articles of Confederation created a central government characterized by which of the following features?

A) A powerful executive branch

B) The authority to directly tax citizens

C) Limited power

D) The abolition of state governments

Correct Answer: C

The text explicitly states, 'The Articles of Confederation unified the newly independent states, creating a central government with limited power.'

Following the American Revolution, many new state constitutions concentrated governmental authority in which branch?

A) The executive branch

B) The judicial branch

C) The legislative branch

D) A council of governors

Correct Answer: C

The content specifies that 'Many new state constitutions placed power in the hands of the legislative branch.'

The Northwest Ordinance, enacted under the Articles of Confederation, included a significant ban on what practice in the Northwest Territory?

A) Religious worship

B) Slavery

C) Private property

D) Public education

Correct Answer: B

The text notes that the Northwest Ordinance included 'a ban on slavery in the Northwest Territory.'

What was a primary reason for the calls to create a stronger central government after the Revolutionary Period?

A) The success of the Northwest Ordinance proved a strong government was best.

B) States were demanding the federal government assume their powers.

C) Difficulties that arose post-Revolution exposed the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation.

D) The public desired a government modeled exactly on the British system.

Correct Answer: C

The provided content states, 'Post-Revolution difficulties led to calls for a stronger central government,' indicating the existing government was unable to manage these problems effectively.

In the new state constitutions formed after the Revolution, what was a common requirement for voting and citizenship?

A) Previous military service

B) Membership in a specific church

C) Property qualifications

D) Universal male suffrage

Correct Answer: C

The text mentions that the new state constitutions 'maintained property qualifications for voting and citizenship.'

The Northwest Ordinance is often cited as a major success of the Confederation Congress because it established an orderly process for which of the following?

A) Collecting federal taxes from states

B) Negotiating treaties with foreign powers

C) Admitting new states to the union

D) Creating a national currency

Correct Answer: C

The content clearly states that 'Congress enacted the Northwest Ordinance for admitting new states.'

The governmental changes during the Revolutionary Period, such as creating a weak central government under the Articles, reflected a fear of which of the following?

A) Economic depression

B) Westward expansion

C) Foreign invasion

D) Centralized authority and tyranny

Correct Answer: D

The creation of a 'central government with limited power' immediately after a revolution against the strong, centralized power of the British monarchy suggests that the founders' primary fear was a recreation of that same tyrannical authority.

Besides banning slavery, the Northwest Ordinance promoted all of the following EXCEPT:

A) Public education

B) Protection of private property

C) A strong federal military presence

D) A system for admitting new states

Correct Answer: C

The text lists the promotion of 'public education, private property protection, and a ban on slavery' as well as a process for 'admitting new states.' It does not mention a strong federal military presence as a key provision.

Which statement best synthesizes the political situation in the United States during the 1780s as described in the text?

A) A powerful and efficient central government led the nation to prosperity and stability.

B) States operated with significant power, unified by a weak central government that faced challenges leading to calls for reform.

C) The nation abandoned its revolutionary principles by immediately recreating a government with a powerful executive.

D) The primary focus of the new government was the rapid abolition of slavery throughout the entire country.

Correct Answer: B

This answer combines key ideas from the text: states had power (evidenced by their new constitutions), they were unified by a central government with 'limited power,' and this system faced 'Post-Revolution difficulties' that 'led to calls for a stronger central government.'

Based on the text, how did the principles guiding the creation of new state constitutions relate to the principle behind the Articles of Confederation?

A) Both concentrated all governmental power in a single, supreme executive leader.

B) State constitutions favored a strong judiciary, while the Articles favored a strong legislature.

C) Both reflected a distrust of strong, centralized executive authority, instead vesting power in legislatures at the state level and keeping the national government weak.

D) The Articles of Confederation reversed the principles of the state constitutions by eliminating property qualifications for voting.

Correct Answer: C

This question requires comparing the information in points 2 and 3. Point 2 shows states empowering their legislatures. Point 3 shows the creation of a weak central government. Both actions stem from the same revolutionary fear of a powerful, monarch-like executive, thus vesting power closer to the people (in state legislatures) and limiting it at the national level.