AP U.S. Government and Politics · Past multiple choice · Question 4, Effective Fall 2014
Constitutional prohibitions
Sort a list of protections by whether the Constitution or its amendments expressly provide them.
1 Read the question
The question is College Board's: sample question 4 in AP Government and Politics: United States Course Description. It starts on page 16 of the PDF.
Open Question 4 (PDF, page 16)
2 Pick your answer
3 Check the explanation
Why the answer is E open once you have picked
This is an all except question, so look for the one item the Constitution's text does not forbid.
The amendments forbid the first four directly. The Thirteenth Amendment abolishes slavery. The Fifth Amendment bars double jeopardy. The Eighth bars cruel and unusual punishment. The Fourth bars unreasonable searches and seizures.
Sex discrimination in employment is banned by statute, mainly Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, not by the Constitution. No amendment mentions it, and the Equal Rights Amendment was never ratified. So E is the exception.
Each choice
- A. The Thirteenth Amendment abolishes slavery outright, so this one is in the Constitution.
- B. The Fifth Amendment says no one may be put twice in jeopardy for the same offense.
- C. The Eighth Amendment forbids cruel and unusual punishment by name.
- D. The Fourth Amendment protects against unreasonable searches and seizures.
- E (correct). Workplace sex discrimination is outlawed by Congress in the Civil Rights Act of 1964, not by any constitutional text, which makes it the exception.
Question and answer key: College Board. The title and summary are ours, and so is the explanation.