Civic Test Question Bank (100)

Principles of American Democracy

1. What is the supreme law of the land?

   • The Constitution

2. What does the Constitution do?

   • Sets up, defines, and protects the government and basic rights.

3. What are the first three words of the Constitution?

   • "We the People"

4. What is an amendment?

   • A change or addition to the Constitution.

5. What do we call the first ten amendments?

   • The Bill of Rights

6. One right or freedom from the First Amendment?

   • Speech, religion, assembly, press, petition the government.

7. How many amendments does the Constitution have?

   • Twenty-seven (27)

8. What did the Declaration of Independence do?

   • Announced, declared, and said the U.S. is free from Great Britain.

9. Two rights in the Declaration of Independence?

   • Life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness.

10. What is freedom of religion?

    • You can practice any religion or not practice a religion.

11. What is the economic system in the U.S.?

    • Capitalist economy or market economy.

12. What is the “rule of law”?

    • Everyone must follow the law, including leaders and the government.

System of Government

13. One branch or part of the government?

    • Congress (legislative), President (executive), the courts (judicial).

14. What stops one branch of government from becoming too powerful?

    • Checks and balances, separation of powers.

15. Who is in charge of the executive branch?

    • The President

16. Who makes federal laws?

    • Congress

17. Two parts of the U.S. Congress?

    • Senate and House of Representatives

18. How many U.S. Senators are there?

    • One hundred (100)

19. We elect a U.S. Senator for how many years?

    • Six (6)

20. Who is one of your state's U.S. Senators now?

    • Answers will vary by state.

21. The House of Representatives has how many voting members?

    • Four hundred thirty-five (435)

22. We elect a U.S. Representative for how many years?

    • Two (2)

23. Name your U.S. Representative.

    • Answers will vary by district.

24. Who does a U.S. Senator represent?

    • All people of the state.

25. Why do some states have more Representatives than others?

    • Because of the state's population.

26. We elect a President for how many years?

    • Four (4)

27. In what month do we vote for President?

    • November

28. What is the name of the President now?

    • Refer to current sources for the most up-to-date information.

29. What is the name of the Vice President now?

    • Refer to current sources for the most up-to-date information.

30. If the President can no longer serve, who becomes President?

    • The Vice President

31. If both the President and Vice President can no longer serve, who becomes President?

    • The Speaker of the House

32. Who is the Commander in Chief of the military?

    • The President

33. Who signs bills to become laws?

    • The President

34. Who vetoes bills?

    • The President

35. What does the President’s Cabinet do?

    • Advises the President

36. Two Cabinet-level positions?

    • Secretary of State, Secretary of Education (others include Secretary of Defense, Secretary of the Treasury, Attorney General, and Vice President).

37. What does the judicial branch do?

    • Reviews laws, explains laws, resolves disputes, decides if a law goes against the Constitution.

38. What is the highest court in the United States?

    • The Supreme Court

39. How many justices are on the Supreme Court?

    • Refer to current sources for the most up-to-date information.

40. Who is the Chief Justice of the United States now?

    • Refer to current sources for the most up-to-date information.

41. One power of the federal government?

    • To print money, declare war, create an army, make treaties.

42. One power of the states?

    • Provide schooling and education, protection (police), safety (fire departments), give a driver’s license, approve zoning and land use.

43. Who is the Governor of your state now?

    • Answers will vary by state.

44. What is the capital of your state?

    • Answers will vary by state.

45. Two major political parties in the United States?

    • Democratic and Republican

46. What is the political party of the President now?

    • Refer to current sources for the most up-to-date information.

47. What is the name of the Speaker of the House now?

    • Refer to current sources for the most up-to-date information.

Rights and Responsibilities

48. One amendment about who can vote?

    • Citizens 18 and older can vote; you don’t have to pay a poll tax; any citizen can vote; a male citizen of any race can vote.

49. One responsibility only for United States citizens?

    • Serve on a jury, vote in a federal election.

50. One right only for United States citizens?

    • Vote in a federal election, run for federal office.

51. Two rights of everyone living in the United States?

    • Freedom of expression, speech, assembly, petition the government, religion, and the right to bear arms.

52. What do we show loyalty to when we say the Pledge of Allegiance?

    • The United States and the flag.

53. One promise you make when you become a United States citizen?

    • Give up loyalty to other countries, defend the Constitution and laws, obey the laws, serve in the military if needed, serve the nation if needed, be loyal to the United States.

54. How old do citizens have to be to vote for President?

    • Eighteen (18) and older

55. Two ways Americans can participate in their democracy?

    • Vote, join a political party, help with a campaign, join a civic group, give an elected official your opinion, call Senators and Representatives, publicly support or oppose an issue, run for office, write to a newspaper.

56. When is the last day you can send in federal income tax forms?

    • April 15

57. When must all men register for the Selective Service?

    • At age 18; between 18 and 26.

American History

Colonial Period and Independence

58. One reason colonists came to America?

    • Freedom, political liberty, religious freedom, economic opportunity, practice their religion, escape persecution.

59. Who lived in America before the Europeans arrived?

    • American Indians, Native Americans.

60. What group of people was taken to America and sold as slaves?

    • Africans, people from Africa.

61. Why did the colonists fight the British?

    • High taxes (taxation without representation), the British army stayed in their houses, no self-government.

62. Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?

    • Thomas Jefferson

63. When was the Declaration of Independence adopted?

    • July 4, 1776

64. There were 13 original states. Name three.

    • New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia.

65. What happened at the Constitutional Convention?

    • The Constitution was written by the Founding Fathers.

66. When was the Constitution written?

    • 1787

67. The Federalist Papers supported the passage of the U.S. Constitution. Name one of the writers.

    • James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, Publius.

68. One thing Benjamin Franklin is famous for?

    • U.S. diplomat, oldest member of the Constitutional Convention, first Postmaster General, writer of “Poor Richard’s Almanac,” started the first free libraries.

69. Who is the “Father of Our Country”?

    • George Washington

70. Who was the first President?

    • George Washington

1800s

71. What territory did the United States buy from France in 1803?

    • The Louisiana Territory

72. Name one war fought by the United States in the 1800s.

    • War of 1812, Mexican-American War, Civil War, Spanish-American War.

73. Name the U.S. war between the North and the South.

    • The Civil War

74. Name one problem that led to the Civil War.

    • Slavery, economic reasons, states’ rights.

75. One important thing that Abraham Lincoln did?

    • Freed the slaves (Emancipation Proclamation), saved the Union, led the United States during the Civil War.

76. **What didContinuing from question 76:

77. What did the Emancipation Proclamation do?

    • Freed the slaves in the Confederate states.

78. What did Susan B. Anthony do?

    • Fought for women’s rights and civil rights.

Recent American History and Other Important Historical Information

78. Name one war fought by the United States in the 1900s.

    • World War I, World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War, Gulf War.

79. Who was President during World War I?

    • Woodrow Wilson

80. Who was President during the Great Depression and World War II?

    • Franklin D. Roosevelt

81. Who did the United States fight in World War II?

    • Japan, Germany, and Italy.

82. Before he was President, Eisenhower was a general. What war was he in?

    • World War II

83. During the Cold War, what was the main concern of the United States?

    • Communism

84. What movement tried to end racial discrimination?

    • Civil rights movement

85. What did Martin Luther King Jr. do?

    • Fought for civil rights and equality for all Americans.

86. What major event happened on September 11, 2001, in the United States?

    • Terrorists attacked the United States.

87. Name one American Indian tribe in the United States.

    • Cherokee, Navajo, Sioux, Chippewa, Choctaw, etc.

Integrated Civics

Geography

88. Name one of the two longest rivers in the United States.

    • Missouri River, Mississippi River.

89. What ocean is on the West Coast of the United States?

    • Pacific Ocean.

90. What ocean is on the East Coast of the United States?

    • Atlantic Ocean.

91. Name one U.S. territory.

    • Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Northern Mariana Islands, Guam.

92. Name one state that borders Canada.

    • Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Washington, Alaska.

93. Name one state that borders Mexico.

    • California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas.

94. What is the capital of the United States?

    • Washington, D.C.

95. Where is the Statue of Liberty?

    • New York Harbor (Liberty Island).

Symbols

96. Why does the flag have 13 stripes?

    • The stripes represent the 13 original colonies.

97. Why does the flag have 50 stars?

    • Each star represents a state.

98. What is the name of the national anthem?

    • "The Star-Spangled Banner."

Holidays

99. When do we celebrate Independence Day?

    • July 4th.

100. Name two national U.S. holidays. - New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents’ Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas.