How Much Do You Know? Questions About the United States Government
1. The fundamental beliefs inherent in The Declaration of Independence includes:
a. all men are created equal
b. the United States should be free from Great Britain
c. all men possess inalienable rights endowed to them by the Creator
d. to declare war against Great Britain
e. a and c
2. The original 13 Colonies declared independence from:
a. Great Britain
b. the divine right of the king and/or Parliament to reign sovereign over the Colonies
c. the Royal Governor residing in Williamsburg, Virginia, in 1776
d. all of the above
3. What are the three branches of U.S. government?
(1) ___________________
(2) ___________________
(3) ___________________
4. The President of the United States is elected to office by:
a. the people
b. the people who are registered to vote
c. the Electoral College
d. b and c
5. A United States Senator’s term in office is:
a. 2 years
b. 4 years
c. 6 years
d. 8 years
6. A responsibility of Congress is to:
a. create laws
b. impeach the President
c. initiate all bills for raising federal revenues
d. represent the people
e. all of the above
7. A more specific duty of the Senate is to:
a. propose or concur with Amendments as on other Bills
b. confirm presidential appointments, ambassadors and cabinet members
c. assume legislative powers, along with the House of Representatives
d. appoint Supreme Court justices
e. a, b and c
f. all of the above
8. The total number of elected officials comprising the United States Senate is:
a. 25
b. 50
c. 100
d. 465
9. The number of representatives in the House of Representatives is:
a. 50
b. 100
c. 435
d. none of the above
10. If the President of the United States and the Vice President should die, the person to assume the highest office of the land would be the:
a. Secretary of State
b. Speaker of the House
c. longest serving Supreme Court Justice
d. President Pro Tempore of the Senate
11. The incoming President is inaugurated into office on which of the following days?
a. the first Friday after Thanksgiving
b. the first Tuesday in November
c. the 20th of January
d. the date of Presidents’ Day in February every year
12. To be eligible to become elected President of the United States, a person must:
a. be a natural born citizen
b. have attained the age of 35
c. have been a resident of the U.S. for at least 14 years
d. all of the above
13. The term of office of the President of the United States shall be:
a. 2 years
b. 4 years
c. 6 years
d. 8 years
14. The branch of government which possesses the power to declare war is:
a. the Executive
b. the Legislative
c. the Judicial
d. b and c
e. all of the above
15. The introduction of the Constitution of the United States of America is called:
a. The Articles of Confederation
b. The Introduction
c. The Preamble
d. The Bill of Rights
16. On July 4, 1776 the delegates to the Second Continental Congress approved which of the following documents:
a. The Declaration of Independence
b. The Articles of Confederation
c. The Bill of Rights
d. The Constitution of the United States of America
17. Since 1791, Congress has passed the following number of Amendments to the Constitution of the United States:
a. 10
b. 24
c. 27
d. 31
18. The four freedoms guaranteed in the First Amendment are:
a. bear arms, vote, speech, religion
b. religion, speech, press, assembly
c. religion, speech, vote, sue
d. religion, speech, bear arms, privacy
19. The first person to sign the document that declared the United States of America’s separation from Great Britain in 1776 was:
a. Thomas Jefferson
b. Benjamin Franklin
c. John Hancock
d. John Adams
20. The stars and stripes on the current flag of the United States symbolize:
a. 50 muskets that were fired at the Battle of Bunker Hill.
b. the 50 states and the 13 original colonies
c. liberty and justice
d. the 50 representatives to the Continental Congress and the 13 delegates to the first Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia
21. Which of the following states did not participate in the 1787 convention in Philadelphia when the Constitution was drafted?
a. Maine
b. Vermont
c. Rhode Island
d. All of the above
22. Who is considered “The Father of the Constitution”?
a. George Washington
b. Ray Charles
c. James Madison
d. J. Robert Oppenheimer
23. Which of the following rights are protected by the 14th Amendment?
a. All persons in the U.S. are entitled to equal protection of the laws
b. All persons born in the U.S. are citizens of the U.S.
c. States may not deprive any person of life, liberty, or property without due process of law
d. All of the above
24. What was the source of the following phrase: “Government of the people, by the people, for the people”?
a. The Speech “I Have a Dream”
b. Declaration of Independence
c. U.S. Constitution
d. Gettysburg Address
25. The Bill of Rights explicitly prohibits:
a. Prayer in public school
b. Discrimination based on race, sex, or religion
c. The ownership of guns by private individuals
d. Establishing an official religion for the United States
e. The president from vetoing a line item in a spending bill
26. Which of the following statements is true about abortion?
a. It was legal in most states in the 1960’s
b. The Supreme Court struck down most legal restrictions on it in Roe v. Wade
c. The Supreme Court ruled in Plessy v. Ferguson that underage women must notify their parents of an impending abortion
d. The National Organization for Women has lobbied for legal restrictions on it
e. It is currently legal only in cases of rape or incest, or to protect the life of the mother
27. In his “I Have a Dream” speech, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.:
a. Argued for the abolition of slavery
b. Advocated black separatism
c. Morally defended affirmative action
d. Expressed his hopes for racial justice and brotherhood
e. Proposed that several of America’s founding ideas were discriminatory
28. The First Amendment
a. Guarantees the Right to bear arms.
b. Guarantees the free exercise of religion
c. Prohibits the governmental establishing religion
d. Both B and C
e. Both A and C
29. The number of U.S. Senators in each state is
a. Dependent on the population of each state.
b. Could increase or decrease if the country passes a new Amendment.
c. Is fixed at two per State.
d. All of the above
e. Both B and C
30. Which of these Presidents were elected to more than two terms as President?
a. George Washington
b. Franklin Roosevelt
c. Thomas Jefferson.
d. None of the above.
e. Both A and B.
31. How many U.S. Presidents were Catholic?
a. 0
b. 1
c. 2
d. 3
e. 4 or more.
32. How does someone become a Federal Judge?
a. Be appointed by the President.
b. Upon appointment, confirmed by the U.S. Senate.
c. Obtain a law degree.
d. All of the above.
e. Both A and B.
33. What is the current tenure of a U.S. Federal Judge?
a. Ten years.
b. Life tenure (absent retirement or impeachment).
c. They can be removed at the will of the President.
d. They are elected every six years.
34. How many times may the same person be elected to the House of Representatives or the Senate?
a. More than five times.
b. More than ten times.
c. None of the above.
35. Under the U.S. Constitution,
a. Adult male African Americans were given the right to vote before adult women.
b. Until 1940, only a man could legally be elected President.
c. No person may obtain marijuana for medical purposes.
d. None of the above.
e. All of the above.
BONUS QUESTION: Name the original 13 colonies.
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Answers
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1. e 2. d 3. Executive, Legislative, Judicial 4. d 5. c 6. e 7. e 8. c 9. c 10. b 11. c 12. d 13. b 14. b 15. c 16. a 17. c 18. b |
19. c 20. b 21. d 22. c 23. d 24. d 25. d 26. b 27. d 28. d 29. e 30. b 31. b 32. e 33. b 34. c, there are no restrictions to how many times someone may be elected to Congress. 35. a
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| Bonus: Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Virginia | |
