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By which two routes could an amendment to the Constitution be proposed under Article V?
AThree-fourths of both houses or of the states
BA majority of both houses or of the states
CTwo-thirds of the Senate or of the Cabinet
DTwo-thirds of both houses or of the states
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: D. Two-thirds of both houses or of the states
1. The Convention wanted the Constitution protected from hasty alteration.
2. Article V therefore set two routes by which an amendment could be proposed.
3. The first was a vote of two-thirds of both houses of Congress.
4. The second was two-thirds of the states, meeting in convention.
5. Ratification then required either the legislatures of three-fourths of the states or conventions in three-fourths of them.
6. Three-fourths is the ratifying fraction, so using it at the proposing stage confuses the two steps.
7. The Cabinet has no part in the amending process at all.
_Source: An Outline of American History (U.S. Information Agency, 1990, public domain), section PRINCIPLES ALREADY WERE WELL TRIED_
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