Q: Political parties in the United States are mostly dominated by a two-party system. However, the United States Constitution has always been silent on the issue of political parties; at the time it was signed in 1787, there were no parties in the nation. Indeed, no nation in the world had voter-based political parties. The need to win popular support in a republic led to the American invention of voter-based political parties in the 1790s. Americans were especially innovative in devising new campaign techniques that linked public opinion with public policy through the party.

Political scientists and historians have divided the development of America's two-party system into five eras. The first two-party system consisted of the Federalist Party, who supported the ratification of the Constitution, and the Democratic-Republican Party or the Anti-Federalists, who opposed the powerful central government, among others, that the Constitution established when it took effect in 1789.

The modern two-party system consists of the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. Several third parties also operate in the U.S., and from time to time elect someone to local office. The largest third party since the 1980s is the Libertarian Party.

The United States Constitution Is silent on the subject of political parties. The Founding Fathers did not originally intend for American politics to be partisan. In Federalist Papers No. 9 and No. 10, Alexander Hamilton and James Madison, respectively, wrote specifically about the dangers of domestic political factions. In addition, the first President of the United States, George Washington, was not a member of any political party at the time of his election or throughout his tenure as president. Furthermore, he hoped that political parties would not be formed, fearing conflict and stagnation, as outlined in his Farewell Address.

Answer the following questions:
1. Is the US Constitution quiet about political parties?
2. What was it that the Founding Fathers didn't intend to happen?
3. Who wrote about the dangers of these factions?
4. Which president was not affiliated with any party?
5. What did he hope?
6. What was he scared of?
7. When did he speak of this to an audience?
8. Were there any parties when the Constitution was signed?
9. When was that?
10. Did any nation in the world have voter based parties at that time?
11. What led the US to create such a thing?
12. Did Americans also create new campaign tactics?
13. What did those tactics connect through the party?
14. How many eras did creating the two party system take to complete?
15. Which party was against the central government?
16. Which party supported changing the Constitution?
17. What are today's two main parties?
18. And the biggest third party?
19. Do the third parties sometimes elect someone to local positions?
20. When did the Constitution take effect?
A: 1. yes
2. merican politics to be partisan
3. Alexander Hamilton and James Madison
4. George Washington
5. political parties would not be formed
6. conflict and stagnation
7. in his Farewell Address
8. no
9. 1787
10. no
11. win popular support
12. yes
13. public opinion with public policy
14. five
15. Democratic-Republican Party
16. Federalist Party
17. Democratic Party and the Republican Party
18. Libertarian Party
19. yes
20. 1789

Answer the questions at the end based on the text.

The first known European explorer to reach Bermuda was Spanish sea captain Juan de Bermudez in 1503, after whom the islands are named. He claimed the apparently uninhabited islands for the Spanish Empire. Paying two visits to the archipelago, Bermudez never landed on the islands, but did create a recognisable map of the archipelago. Shipwrecked Portuguese mariners are now thought to have been responsible for the 1543 inscription in Portuguese Rock (previously called Spanish Rock). Subsequent Spanish or other European parties are believed to have released pigs there, which had become feral and abundant on the island by the time European settlement began. In 1609, the English Virginia Company, which had established Jamestown in Virginia (a term originally applied to all of the North American continent) two years earlier, permanently settled Bermuda in the aftermath of a hurricane, when the crew and passengers of the Sea Venture steered the ship onto the surrounding reef to prevent its sinking, then landed ashore.

1. Who got to Bermuda first?
2. Where was he from?
3. Was he a farmer?
4. What was he?
5. What year did he get there?
6. How many times did he land there?
7. How many trips there did he take?
8. Did he make a map?
9. Are there any animals on the island?
10. Are there a lot of them?
11. Are they domesticated?
12. How did they get there?
13. Who?
14. What rock did someone write on?
15. What do we call it now?
16. What year did this happen?
17. Who probably did it?
18. Who is Bermuda named for?
19. Who did he claim the island for?
20. Were people living there at the time?

Numbered answers:

A: 1. Juan de Bermudez got it first
2. He was a Spanish guy
3. No
4. He was a sea captain
5. He went there in 1503
6. Twice
7. Twice
8. yes
9. yes pigs
10. yes a lot of pigs
11. yes
12. somebody released them
13. people from Spanish and European parties
14. Spanish Rock
15. Now it is Portuguese Rock
16. somewhere in 1543
17. Shipwrecked Portuguese mariners did it
18. by a Spanish guy called Juan de Bermudez
19. He claimed nobody was there
20. Nobody lived there

Answer the questions at the end based on the text.

New York (CNN) -- A self-described "ex-madam" who claims she supplied fellow city comptroller candidate Eliot Spitzer with escorts several years ago is facing charges of illegally distributing prescription drugs, authorities said.

Kristin Davis, 38, was arrested on Monday night and charged with selling Adderall, Xanax and other drugs. She's also accused of orchestrating the sale of approximately 180 oxycodone pills for cash.

The candidate was released Tuesday on $100,000 bail, with a preliminary hearing scheduled for September 5. Prosecutors said she will have strict pretrial supervision.

"Prescription drug abuse is the fastest-growing drug problem in this country, resulting in more overdose deaths than heroin and cocaine combined, and this office has a zero tolerance policy towards anyone who helps to spread this plague at any level," Preet Bharara, Manhattan U.S. Attorney, said in a statement.

Spitzer, Weiner and why New York is talking about sex

Davis is charged with four counts of distributing and possessing with intent to distribute a controlled substance. She faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for each count, if convicted.

Prosecutors allege that from 2009 through 2011 Davis bought ecstasy pills, Adderall pills and Xanax pills from an FBI cooperating witness at least once a month, paying hundreds of dollars for each purchase. She told the witness she provided these drugs to people at house parties, authorities say.

An attorney for Davis was could not be immediately reached for comment.

Davis' campaign manager, Andrew Miller, said he was aware of the arrest but couldn't provide any information.

1. Who is Preet Bharara?
2. What kind of policy does his office have for drug offenders?
3. Who was arrested on Monday?
4. Was she arrested in the morning?
5. What time of day?
6. What for?
7. Which ones?
8. Any others?
9. How many oxycodone pill were sold?
10. What did the seller get?
11. What does she describe herself as?
12. Who did she provide escorts to?
13. How long ago?
14. What is the charge against her?
15. What is the possible jail time for this?
16. How many counts is she looking at?
17. Who did she get some of the meds from?
18. When?
19. How often?
20. How much is her bail?

Numbered answers:

A:
1. a Manhattan U.S. Attorney
2. a zero tolerance policy
3. Kristin Davis
4. no
5. night
6. selling drugs
7. Adderall and Xanax
8. yes
9. approximately 180
10. cash
11. an ex-madam
12. Eliot Spitzer
13. several years ago
14. illegally distributing prescription drugs,
15. 20 years
16. four
17. an FBI witness
18. 2009 through 2011
19. at least once a month
20. $100,000