Civics Test

what is the supreme law of the land?

constitution

what does the constitution do? *list 1 of 3 options

sets up government, defines government, protects basic rights of americans

the idea of self-government is in the first three words of the constitution, what are these words?

we the people

what is an amendment? *list 1 of 2 options

change to the constitution, addition to the constitution

what do we call the first ten amendments to the constitution?

the bill of rights

name one right or freedom from the first amendment

speech, religion, assembly, press, petition

how many amendments does the constitution have?

27

what did the declaration of independence do? *list 1 of 3 options

announced our independence from great britain, declared our independence from great britain, said the united states is free from great britain

what are two rights in the declaration of independence?

life, liberty, pursuit of happiness

what is freedom of religion?

you can practice any religion or not practice a religion

what is the economic system in the united states? *list 1 of 2 options

capitalist economy, market economy

what is the “rule of law?” *list 1 of 4 options

everyone must follow the law, leaders must obey the law, government must obey the law, no one is above the law

name one branch or part of the government *list 1 of 6 options

congress, legislative, president, executive, the courts, judicial

what stops one branch from becoming too powerful? *list 1 of 2 options

checks and balances, separation of powers

who is in charge of the executive branch?

the president

who makes federal laws? *list 1 of 3 options

congress, house of representatives, national legislature

what are the two parts of congress?

senate and house of representatives

how many U.S. senators are there?

100

we elect a U.S. senator for how many years?

6

who is one of your state’s U.S. senators now? *list 1 of 2 options

katie britt, tommy tuberville

the house of representatives has how many voting members?

435

we elect a U.S. representative for how many years?

2

name your U.S. representative *list 1 of 2 options

robert aderholt, gary palmer

who does a U.S. senator represent?

all people of the state

why do some states have more representatives than other states? *list 1 of 3 options

because of the state’s population, because they have more people, because some states have more people

we elect a president for how many years?

4

in what month do we vote for president

november

what is the name of the president of the united states now?

joe biden

what is the name of the vice president of the united states now?

kamala harris

if the president can no longer serve, who becomes president?

the vice president

if both the president and vice president can no longer serve, who becomes president?

the speaker of the house

who is the commander in chief of the military?

the president

who signs bill to become laws?

the president

who vetoes bills?

the president

what does the president’s cabinet do?

advises the president

what are two cabinet-level positions? *list 2 of 16 options

vice president, attorney general, secretary of: agriculture, commerce, defense, education, energy, health and human services, homeland security, housing and urban development, interior, labor, state, transportation, treasury, veterans affairs

what does the judicial branch do? *list 1 of 3 options

reviews laws, explains laws, resolves disputes, decides if a law goes against the constitution

what is the highest court in the united states?

supreme court

how many justices are on the supreme court?

9

who is the chief justice of the united states now?

john roberts

what is one power of the federal government? *list 1 of 4 options

print money, declare war, create an army, make treaties

what is one power of the states? *list 1 of 5 options

provide schooling and education, provide protection (police), provide safety (fire department), give a driver’s license, approve zoning and land use

who is the governor of your state now?

kay ivey

what is the capital of your state?

montgomery

what are the two major political parties in the united states?

democratic and republican

what is the political party of the president now?

democratic party

what is the name of the speaker of the house of representatives now?

mike johnson

describe one amendment in the constitution about who can vote *list 1 of 4 options

citizens 18 or older can vote, you don’t have to pay to vote, any citizen can vote, a male citizen of any race can vote

what is one responsibility that is only for united states citizens? *list 1 of 2 options

serve on a jury, vote in federal elections

name one right only for united states citizens *list 1 of 2 options

vote in federal elections, run for federal office

what are two rights of everyone living in the united states? *list 2 of 6 options

freedom of: expression, speech, assembly, petition, religion, right to bear arms

what do we show loyalty to when we say the pledge of allegiance? *list 1 of 2 options

the united states, the flag

what is one promise you make when you become a united states citizen? *list 1 of 6 options

give up loyalty to other countries, defend the constitution and laws of the united states, obey laws of the united states, serve in the military, serve the nation, be loyal to the united states

how old do citizens have to be to vote for president?

18 or older

what are two ways americans can participate in their democracy? *list 2 of 10 options

vote, join a political party, help with a campaign, join a civic group, join a community group, give an elected official your opinion on an issue, call senators and representatives, publicly support or oppose an issue or policy, run for office, write to a newspaper

when is the last day you can send in federal income tax forms?

april 15

when must all men register for the selective service? *list 1 of 2 options

at age 18, between 18 and 26

what is one reason colonists came to america? *list 1 of 6 options

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

who lived in america before the europeans arrived? *list 1 of 2 options

american indians, native americans

what group of people was taken to america and sold as slaves? *list 1 of 2 options

africans, people from africa

why did the colonists fight the british? *list 1 of 3 options

high taxes, the british army stayed in their homes, they didn’t have self-government

who wrote the declaration of independence?

thomas jefferson

when was the declaration of independence adopted?

july 4, 1776

name three of the thirteen original colonies

new hampshire, massachusetts, rhode island, connecticut, new york, new jersey, pennsylvania, delaware, maryland, virginia, north carolina, south carolina, georgia

what happened at the constitutional convention? *list 1 of 2 options

the constitution was written, the founding fathers wrote the constitution

when was the constitution written?

1787

name one writer of the federalist papers that supported the passage of the U.S. constitution *list 1 of 4 options

james madison, alexander hamilton, john jay, publius

what is one thing benjamin franklin is famous for? *list 1 of 5 options

U.S. diplomat, oldest member of the constitutional convention, first postmaster general of the united states, writer of “poor richard’s almanac,” started the first free libraries

who is the “father of our country?”

george washington

who was the first president?

george washington

what territory did the united states buy from france in 1803? *list 1 of 2 options

louisiana, louisiana purchase

name one war fought by the united states in the 1800s *list 1 of 4 options

war of 1812, mexican-american war, civil war, spanish-american war

name the U.S. war between the north and the south

the civil war

name one problem that led to the civil war *list 1 of 3 options

slavery, economic reasons, states’ rights

what was one important thing abraham lincoln did? *list 1 of 3 options

freed the slaves, saved the union, led the united states during the civil war

what did the emancipation proclamation do? *list 1 of 4 options

freed the slaves, freed slaves in the confederacy, freed slaves in the confederate states, freed state in most southern states

what did susan b. anthony do? *list 1 of 2 options

fought for women’s rights, fought for civil rights

name one war fought by the united states in the 1900s *list 1 of 5 options

world war I, world war II, korean war, vietnam war, gulf war

who was president during world war I?

woodrow wilson

who was president during the great depression and world war II?

franklin roosevelt

who did the united states fight in world war II?

japan, germany, italy

before he was president, eisenhower was a general in which war?

world war II

during the cold war, what was the main concern of the united states?

communism

what movement tried to end racial discrimination?

civil rights movement

what did martin luther king jr do? *list 1 of 2 options

fought for civil rights, worked for equality for all americans

what major event happened on september 11, 2001, in the united states?

terrorists attacked the united states

name one american indian tribe in the united states *list 1 of 22 options

cherokee, navajo, sioux, chippewa, choctaw, pueblo, apache, iroquois, creek, blackfeet, seminole, cheyenne, arawak, shawnee, mohegan, huron, oneida, lakota, crow, teton, hopi, inuit

name one of the two longest rivers in the united states?

missouri river, mississippi river

what ocean is on the west coast of the united states?

pacific ocean

what ocean is on the east coast of the united states?

atlantic ocean

name one of five U.S. territory

puerto rico, U.S. virgin islands, american samoa, northern mariana islands, guam

name one state that borders canada *list 1 of 13 options

maine, new hampshire, vermont, new york, pennsylvania, ohio, michigan, minnesota, north dakota, montana, idaho, washington, alaska

name one state that borders mexico *list 1 of 4 options

california, arizona, new mexico, texas

what is the capital of the united states?

washington dc

where is the statue of liberty? *list 1 of 2 options

new york, liberty island

why does the flag have 13 stripes? *list 1 of 3 options

because there were 13 original colonies, because the stripes represent the original colonies

why does the flag have 50 stars? *list 1 of 3 options

there is one star for each state, each star represents a state, there are 50 states

what is the name of the national anthem?

the star-spangled banner

when do we celebrate independence day?

july 4

name two national U.S. holidays? *list 1 of 11 options

new year’s day, martin luther king jr day, presidents’ day, memorial day, independence day, labor day, columbus day, veterans day, thanksgiving, christmas, juneteenth