The Congress, whenever two thirds of both Houses shall deem it necessary, shall propose Amendments to this Constitution, or, on the Application of the Legislatures of two thirds of the several States, shall call a Convention for proposing Amendments, which, in either Case, shall be valid to all Intents and Purposes, as Part of this Constitution, when ratified by the Legislatures of three fourths of the several States, or by Conventions in three fourths thereof, as the one or the other Mode of Ratification may be proposed by the Congress...." —United States Constitution, Article V Question Use the excerpt to answer the question. Which of the following best summarizes this excerpt? (1 point) Responses Alterations to the Constitution must be deemed necessary and proposed by the House of Representatives. Alterations to the Constitution must be deemed necessary and proposed by the House of Representatives. Each state legislature may choose between either mode of ratification to ratify a proposed amendment. Each state legislature may choose between either mode of ratification to ratify a proposed amendment. New additions to the Constitution can be proposed with backing from a congressional majority. New additions to the Constitution can be proposed with backing from a congressional majority. The intent of Article V is to provide the legislative branch with the power of ratification. The intent of Article V is to provide the legislative branch with the power of ratification.
Each state legislature may choose between either mode of ratification to ratify a proposed amendment.
The excerpt provided is from Article V of the United States Constitution, which outlines the process for proposing and ratifying amendments to the Constitution. To understand and answer the question, you need to analyze the content of the excerpt.
In the excerpt, it states that the Congress, when two-thirds of both Houses deem it necessary, may propose amendments to the Constitution. This means that alterations or changes to the Constitution can be initiated by the congressional majority, specifically by the two-thirds majority of both the House of Representatives and the Senate.
Furthermore, the excerpt also mentions that amendments can be proposed if two-thirds of the state legislatures apply for a Convention. This means that the state legislatures, representing the several states, also have the power to propose amendments through the calling of a Convention.
Once amendments are proposed either by Congress or the state legislatures, they need to be ratified by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several states or by conventions in three-fourths of the states, depending on the mode of ratification proposed by Congress. This implies that each state has its own choice in determining the mode of ratification – either through the state legislatures or through state conventions.
Based on this analysis, the best summary of the excerpt is that alterations to the Constitution can be proposed by either the congressional majority or the state legislatures, and the mode of ratification can be chosen by each state. Therefore, the correct answer to the question is:
Each state legislature may choose between either mode of ratification to ratify a proposed amendment.