Which plan, advocated by Madison and presented by Edmund Randolph, called for a stronger national government with three branches and a bicameral legislature based on population?

• A. New Jersey Plan
• B. Virginia Plan
• C. The Citizen Militia
• D. The Cut and Choose

Answer: (B)

The plan described is the Virginia Plan. It was presented at the Constitutional Convention by Edmund Randolph and, with major input from James Madison, argued for a stronger national government with three branches—legislative, executive, and judicial—and a bicameral legislature in which representation would be based on population. This proportional representation favored larger states and aimed to give them more influence in shaping national policy. The lower house would be elected by the people, and the upper house would be chosen by the lower house, reinforcing the idea that larger states should have more say in the new framework. This is why the description fits the Virginia Plan so well: it centers on a robust national structure and a population-based two-house Congress. In contrast, the New Jersey Plan proposed equal representation in a unicameral legislature, and the other two options aren’t relevant plans.