Question
Status of Capital Punishment in the United States by State in 2016 square Source: National Conference of State Legislatures, 2017 Which of the following constitutional amendments is most related to the issue shown on the map? (A) A Second Amendment B Eighth Amendment C Sixteenth Amendment Twenty-Sixth Amendment
Answer
4
(154 Votes)
Callum
Master · Tutor for 5 years
Answer
B
Explanation
This question asks you to identify the constitutional amendment which has the closest relation to the issue of capital punishment in the United States. The Second Amendment is about the right to bear arms, the Eighth Amendment deals with the prohibition of cruel and unusual punishment, the Sixteenth Amendment provides Congress the power to lay and collect income taxes, and the Twenty-Sixth Amendment grants 18-year-olds the right to vote, lowering the age from 21. Considering these, the only conceivably relevant to the issue of capital punishment will be the Eight Amendment. This is because it restricts the severity and form of punishment that sentencing judges can impose upon defendants following a successful conviction, to a standard of not being "cruel and unusual". Therefore, it directly relates to the idea of capital punishment, a particular form of punishment upon conviction.