Which plan did the Great Compromise blend?

• A. The New Jersey Plan and the Virginia Plan
• B. The New Jersey Plan and the Connecticut Plan
• C. The Connecticut Plan and the Virginia Plan
• D. The Three-Fifths Plan and the Electoral College Plan

Answer: (A)

The Great Compromise resolves how states would be represented in Congress by mixing two different ideas about representation.

It combined the Virginia Plan’s idea of representation based on population (which would give larger states more seats) with the New Jersey Plan’s idea of equal representation for each state (which would keep smaller states from being overwhelmed). The result is a bicameral Congress: a House of Representatives with representation by population, and a Senate with two representatives from each state.

Sometimes this compromise is also called the Connecticut Plan, but the blending itself comes from bringing together the Virginia and New Jersey Plans. The other options don’t fit because they address different constitutional questions—the Three-Fifths Plan relates to counting enslaved people for representation, and the Electoral College Plan concerns electing the president.