Which plan proposed representation in Congress based on population for the lower house and equal representation for the upper house?

Which plan proposed representation in Congress based on population for the lower house and equal representation for the upper house?

• A. The Great Compromise
• B. Checks and Balances
• C. Virginia Plan
• D. New Jersey Plan

Answer: (C)

Balancing representation between large and small states was the big issue. The plan that split representation as population in the lower house and equal representation in the upper house is the Great Compromise (also called the Connecticut Compromise). It created a bicameral Congress: the House of Representatives would reflect each state's population, giving bigger states more members, while the Senate would have two senators from every state, ensuring equal voice for all states. This blended ideas from the Virginia Plan (population-based representation) and the New Jersey Plan (equal representation) to satisfy both sides. The other ideas either pushed for proportional representation in both houses or for equal representation regardless of population, which isn’t the structure described here. Checks and Balances, meanwhile, refers to how the branches oversee each other, not how representation is allocated.

Balancing representation between large and small states was the big issue. The plan that split representation as population in the lower house and equal representation in the upper house is the Great Compromise (also called the Connecticut Compromise). It created a bicameral Congress: the House of Representatives would reflect each state's population, giving bigger states more members, while the Senate would have two senators from every state, ensuring equal voice for all states. This blended ideas from the Virginia Plan (population-based representation) and the New Jersey Plan (equal representation) to satisfy both sides. The other ideas either pushed for proportional representation in both houses or for equal representation regardless of population, which isn’t the structure described here. Checks and Balances, meanwhile, refers to how the branches oversee each other, not how representation is allocated.