civic test
1. What is the supreme law of the land?
- The Constitution.
2. The idea of self-government is in the first three words of the Constitution. What are these words?
- "We the People."
3. What is an amendment?
- A change or addition to the Constitution.
4. What do we call the first ten amendments to the Constitution?
- The Bill of Rights.
5. What is one right or freedom from the First Amendment?
- Freedom of speech.
6. What is freedom of religion?
- The right to practice any religion or not practice a religion.
7. Which of the following is a branch of the government?
- Legislative branch.
8. What stops one branch of the government from becoming too powerful?
- Checks and balances.
9. Who is in charge of the executive branch?
- The President of the United States.
10. Who makes federal laws?
- Congress.
11. What are the two parts of Congress?
- The Senate and the House of Representatives.
12. How many US Senators are there?
- 100.
13. We elect a US Senator for how many years?
- Six years.
14. The House of Representatives has how many voting members?
- 435.
15. Why do some states have more Representatives than others?
- Based on population.
16. We elect a President for how many years?
- Four years.
17. If both the President and Vice President can no longer serve, who becomes President?
- The Speaker of the House.
18. Who is Commander in Chief of the military?
- The President.
19. Who signs bills to become laws?
- The President.
20. What are the two major political parties in the United States?
- Democrats and Republicans.
21. Which of the following is a member of the President's cabinet? (15 positions)
- Secretary of State.
22. What does the judicial branch do?
- Interprets laws.
23. How many justices are on the Supreme Court?
- Nine.
24. What did the Declaration of Independence do?
- Declared independence from Great Britain.
25. What is the capital of Tennessee?
- Nashville.
26. What does the Constitution do?
- Sets up the government, defines the government's powers, and protects the rights of citizens.
27. How many amendments does the Constitution have?
- 27 amendments.
28. How old do citizens have to be to vote for President?
- 18 years old.
29. We elect a US Representative for how many years?
- Two years.
30. What is one reason colonists came to America?
- Religious freedom.
31. What group of people was taken to America and sold as slaves?
- Africans.
32. Why did colonists fight the British?
- Over taxation and lack of representation.
33. Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?
- Thomas Jefferson.
34. When was the Declaration of Independence adopted?
- July 4, 1776.
35. When was the Constitution written?
- 1787.
36. What is one thing Benjamin Franklin is famous for?
- Inventing bifocals and the lightning rod.
37. Who was the first President?
- George Washington.
38. What territory did the United States buy from France in 1803?
- Louisiana.
39. What did the Emancipation Proclamation do?
- Freed slaves in Confederate states.
40. What happened at the Constitutional Convention?
- Drafted the Constitution.
41. The Federalist Papers supported the passage of the US Constitution. Which of the following was one of the writers?
- Alexander Hamilton.
42. Who lived in America before the Europeans arrived?
- Native Americans.
43. Which of the following was a war fought by the United States in the 1900s?
- Vietnam War.
44. What did Martin Luther King, Jr. do?
- Fought for civil rights.
45. What is the capital of the United States?
- Washington, D.C.
46. When do we celebrate Independence Day?
- July 4th.
47. What ocean is on the West Coast of the US?
- Pacific Ocean.
48. Name one US territory.
- Puerto Rico.
49. Where is the Statue of Liberty?
- New York Harbor.
50. Why does the flag have thirteen stripes?
- Thirteen original colonies.
51. What is the name of the national anthem?
- "The Star-Spangled Banner."
52. What did Susan B. Anthony do?
- Fought for women's suffrage.