json
{
  "multiple_choice": [
    {
      "question": "Which of the following best describes the principle of popular sovereignty?",
      "options": [
        "A) The division of power between the national and state governments.",
        "B) The idea that government power is derived from the people.",
        "C) The system of checks and balances between the branches of government.",
        "D) The protection of individual rights and liberties."
      ],
      "answer": "B"
    },
    {
      "question": "The weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation were MOST apparent in which of the following events?",
       "options": [
        "A) The passage of the Northwest Ordinance",
        "B) The Whiskey Rebellion",
        "C) Shays’ Rebellion",
        "D) The XYZ Affair"
      ],
      "answer": "C"
    }
  ],
  "free_response": {
    "question": "Explain how the ideas of John Locke influenced the Declaration of Independence and the structure of American government. In your response, be sure to discuss the concept of natural rights and the social contract.",
    "scoring_guidelines": [
      "1 point for identifying John Locke as an influence on the Declaration of Independence.",
      "1 point for explaining the concept of natural rights as life, liberty, and property (or the pursuit of happiness).",
      "1 point for explaining the social contract as the idea that government power is derived from the consent of the governed.",
      "1 point for explaining how these ideas influenced the structure of American government, such as the emphasis on limited government and popular sovereignty."
    ]
  }
}

json
{
  "multiple_choice": [
    {
      "question": "Which of the following was a major point of contention between the Federalists and Anti-Federalists?",
      "options": [
        "A) The need for a strong national defense.",
        "B) The size and scope of the national government.",
        "C) The importance of individual rights.",
        "D) The necessity of a system of checks and balances."
      ],
      "answer": "B"
    },
     {
      "question": "The Great Compromise at the Constitutional Convention resolved the issue of ________.",
      "options": [
        "A) the counting of enslaved persons for representation",
        "B) the method of electing a president",
        "C) representation in the national legislature",
        "D) the regulation of interstate commerce"
      ],
      "answer": "C"
    }
  ],
  "free_response": {
    "question": "Explain how the concepts of separation of powers and checks and balances, as outlined in Federalist No. 51, contribute to the stability of the American government. Provide specific examples of how these principles operate in practice.",
    "scoring_guidelines": [
       "1 point for explaining the concept of separation of powers as the division of power among the three branches of government.",
      "1 point for explaining the concept of checks and balances as the ability of each branch to limit the power of the other branches.",
      "1 point for providing a specific example of how checks and balances operate in practice (e.g., presidential veto, congressional override, judicial review).",
      "1 point for explaining how these principles contribute to the stability of the American government by preventing any one branch from becoming too powerful."
    ]
  }
}

json
{
  "multiple_choice": [
    {
      "question": "Which of the following best describes the concept of federalism?",
      "options": [
        "A) The division of power between the three branches of government.",
        "B) The division of power between the national and state governments.",
        "C) The system of checks and balances between the branches of government.",
        "D) The protection of individual rights and liberties."
      ],
      "answer": "B"
    },
    {
      "question": "In McCulloch v. Maryland (1819), the Supreme Court ruled that ________.",
      "options": [
        "A) states could tax the national bank",
        "B) the national bank was unconstitutional",
        "C) the national bank was constitutional and states could not tax it",
        "D) the national government had no power to create a bank"
      ],
      "answer": "C"
    }
  ],
  "free_response": {
    "question": "Explain how the Supreme Court cases McCulloch v. Maryland and United States v. Lopez have shaped the balance of power between the national and state governments. Be sure to discuss the concepts of implied powers and the Commerce Clause.",
    "scoring_guidelines": [
      "1 point for explaining how McCulloch v. Maryland affirmed the supremacy of federal law over state law.",
      "1 point for explaining how McCulloch v. Maryland established the concept of implied powers.",
      "1 point for explaining how United States v. Lopez limited Congress's power under the Commerce Clause.",
      "1 point for explaining how these cases have shaped the balance of power between the national and state governments by either expanding or limiting federal power."
    ]
  }
}