Which compromise resolved the issue of representation in Congress by creating a bicameral legislature with representation by population in the House and equal representation in the Senate?

Which compromise resolved the issue of representation in Congress by creating a bicameral legislature with representation by population in the House and equal representation in the Senate?

• A. New Jersey Plan
• B. Virginia Plan
• C. Great Compromise
• D. Three-Fifths Compromise

Answer: (C)

This question tests how representation in Congress was resolved by creating two houses with different methods of representation. The solution that fits is the Great Compromise. It blended ideas from plans that favored population-based representation with those that favored equal representation for each state. It established a bicameral Congress: the House of Representatives uses representation by population, giving more people more influence; the Senate gives every state an equal vote with two senators each. This structure satisfies both sides—large states feel their populations are reflected in the House, while small states have equal power in the Senate. The other plans didn’t create this two-house system with both approaches. One plan would have kept representation by population in a single framework, which would give larger states too much power. Another plan would have provided equal representation across states, which wouldn’t reflect population differences. The Three-Fifths Compromise dealt with counting enslaved people for purposes of representation and taxation, not the design of the two-house structure itself.

This question tests how representation in Congress was resolved by creating two houses with different methods of representation. The solution that fits is the Great Compromise. It blended ideas from plans that favored population-based representation with those that favored equal representation for each state. It established a bicameral Congress: the House of Representatives uses representation by population, giving more people more influence; the Senate gives every state an equal vote with two senators each. This structure satisfies both sides—large states feel their populations are reflected in the House, while small states have equal power in the Senate.

The other plans didn’t create this two-house system with both approaches. One plan would have kept representation by population in a single framework, which would give larger states too much power. Another plan would have provided equal representation across states, which wouldn’t reflect population differences. The Three-Fifths Compromise dealt with counting enslaved people for purposes of representation and taxation, not the design of the two-house structure itself.