Citizenship Test
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- 1. What is the supreme law of the land?
- The Constitution
- 2. What does the Constitution do?
- A: sets up the government A: defines the government A: protects basic rights of Americans
- 3. The idea of self-government is in the first three words of the Constitution. What are these words?
- A: We the People
- 4. What is an amendment?
- A: a change (to the Constitution) A: an addition (to the Constitution)
- 5. What do we call the first ten amendments to the Constitution?
- A: The Bill of Rights
- 6. What is one right or freedom from the First Amendment?*
- A: speech A: religion A: assembly A: press A: petition the government
- 7. How many amendments does the Constitution have?
- A: twenty-seven (27)
- 8. What did the Declaration of Independence do?
- A: announced our independence (from Great Britain) A: declared our independence (from Great Britain) A: said that the United States is free (from Great Britain)
- 9. What are two rights in the Declaration of Independence?
- A: life A: liberty A: pursuit of happiness
- 10. What is freedom of religion?
- A: You can practice any religion, or not practice a religion.
- 11. What is the economic system in the United States?*
- A: capitalist economy A: market economy
- 12. What is the "rule of law"?
- A: Everyone must follow the law. A: Leaders must obey the law. A: Government must obey the law. A: No one is above the law.
- 13. Name one branch or part of the government.*
- A: Congress A: legislative A: President A: executive A: the courts A: judicial
- 14. What stops one branch of government from becoming too powerful?
- A: checks and balances A: separation of powers
- 15. Who is in charge of the executive branch?
- A: the President
- 16. Who makes federal laws?
- A: Congress A: Senate and House (of Representatives) A: (U.S. or national) legislature
- 17. What are the two parts of the U.S. Congress?*
- A: the Senate and House (of Representatives)
- 18. How many U.S. Senators are there?
- A: one hundred
- We elect a U.S. Senator for how many years?
- A: six
- 20. Who is one of your state's U.S. Senators?*
- Carol Liu
- 21: The House of Representatives has how many voting members?
- A: four hundred thirty-five
- 22: We elect a U.S. Representative for how many years?
- A: two
- 23: Name your U.S. Representative.
- Howard Berman
- 24. Who does a U.S. Senator represent?
- A: all people of the state
- 25: Why do some states have more Representatives than other states?
- A: (because of) the state's population A: (because) they have more people A: (because) some states have more people
- 26: We elect a President for how many years?
- A: four
- 27. In what month do we vote for President?
- A: November
- 28. What is the name of the President of the United States now?
- A: Barack Obama
- 29. What is the name of the Vice President of the United States now?
- A: Joe Biden
- 30. If the President can no longer serve, who becomes President?
- A: the Vice President
- 31. If both the President and the Vice President can no longer serve, who becomes President?
- A: the Speaker of the House
- 32. Who is the Commander in Chief of the military?
- A: the President
- 33. Who signs bills to become laws?
- A: the President
- 34. Who vetoes bills?
- A: the President
- 35. What does the President's Cabinet do?
- A: advises the President
- 36. What are two Cabinet-level positions?
- A: Secretary of Agriculture A: Secretary of Commerce A: Secretary of Defense A: Secretary of Education A: Secretary of Energy A: Secretary of Health and Human Services A: Secretary of Homeland Security A: Secretary of Housing and Urban Development A: Secretary of Interior A: Secretary of State A: Secretary of Transportation A: Secretary of Treasury A: Secretary of Veterans' Affairs A: Secretary of Labor A: Attorney General
- 37. does the judicial branch do?
- A: reviews laws A: explains laws A: resolves disputes (disagreements) A: decides if a law goes against the Constitution
- 38. What is the highest court in the United States?
- A: the Supreme Court
- 39. How many justices are on the Supreme Court?
- A: nine (9)
- 40. Who is the Chief Justice of the United States?
- A: John Roberts (John G. Roberts, Jr.)
- 41. Under our Constitution, some powers belong to the federal government. What is one power of the federal government?
- A: to print money A: to declare war A: to create an army A: to make treaties
- 42. Under our Constitution, some powers belong to the states. What is one power of the states?
- A: provide schooling and education A: provide protection (police) A: provide safety (fire departments) A: give a driver's license A: approve zoning and land use
- 43. Who is the Governor of your state?
- A: Arnold Schwartzennegar
- 44. What is the capital of your state?*
- A: Sacramento
- 45. What are the two major political parties in the United States?*
- A: Democratic and Republican
- 46. What is the political party of the President now?
- A: Democratic (Party)
- 47. What is the name of the Speaker of the House of Representatives now?
- A: (Nancy) Pelosi
- 48. There are four amendments to the Constitution about who can vote. Describe one of them.
- A: Citizens eighteen (18) and older (can vote). A: You don't have to pay (a poll tax) to vote. A: Any citizen can vote. (Women and men can vote.) A: A male citizen of any race (can vote).
- 49. What is one responsibility that is only for United States citizens?*
- A: serve on a jury A: vote
- 50. What are two rights only for United States citizens?
- A: apply for a federal job A: vote A: run for office A: carry a U.S. passport
- 51. What are two rights of everyone living in the United States?
- A: freedom of expression A: freedom of speech A: freedom of assembly A: freedom to petition the government A: freedom of worship A: the right to bear arms
- 52. What do we show loyalty to when we say the Pledge of Allegiance?
- A: the United States A: the flag
- 53. What is one promise you make when you become a United States citizen?
- A: give up loyalty to other countries A: defend the Constitution and laws of the United States A: obey the laws of the United States A: serve in the U.S. military (if needed) A: serve (do important work for) the nation (if needed) A: be loyal to the United States
- 54. How old do citizens have to be to vote for President?*
- A: eighteen (18) and older
- 55. What are two ways that Americans can participate in their democracy?
- A: vote A: join a political party A: help with a campaign A: join a civic group A: join a community group A: give an elected official your opinion on an issue A: call Senators and Representatives A: publicly support or oppose an issue or policy A: run for office A: write to a newspaper
- 56. When is the last day you can send in federal income tax forms?*
- A: April 15
- 57. When must all men register for the Selective Service?
- A: at age eighteen (18) A: between eighteen (18) and twenty-six (26)
- 58. What is one reason colonists came to America?
- A: freedom A: political liberty A: religious freedom A: economic opportunity A: practice their religion A: escape persecution
- 59. Who lived in America before the Europeans arrived?
- A: Native Americans A: American Indians
- 60. What group of people was taken to America and sold as slaves?
- A: Africans A: people from Africa
- 61. Why did the colonists fight the British?
- A: because of high taxes (taxation without representation) A: because the British army stayed in their houses (boarding, quartering) A: because they didn't have self-government
- 62. Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?
- A: (Thomas) Jefferson
- 63. When was the Declaration of Independence adopted?
- A: July 4, 1776
- 64. There were 13 original states. Name three.
- A: New Hampshire A: Massachusetts A: Rhode Island A: Connecticut A: New York A: New Jersey A: Pennsylvania A: Delaware A: Maryland A: Virginia A: North Carolina A: South Carolina A: Georgia
- 65. What happened at the Constitutional Convention?
- A: The Constitution was written. A: The Founding Fathers wrote the Constitution.
- 66. When was the Constitution written?
- A: 1787
- 67. The Federalist Papers supported the passage of the U.S. Constitution. Name one of the writers.
- A: (James) Madison A: (Alexander) Hamilton A: (John) Jay A: Publius
- 68. What is one thing Benjamin Franklin is famous for?
- A: U.S. diplomat A: oldest member of the Constitutional Convention A: first Postmaster General of the United States A: writer of "Poor Richard's Almanac" A: started the first free libraries
- 69. Who is the "Father of Our Country"?
- A: (George) Washington
- 70. Who was the first President?*
- A: (George) Washington
- 71. What territory did the United States buy from France in 1803?
- A: the Louisiana Territory A: Louisiana
- 72. Name one war fought by the United States in the 1800s.
- A: War of 1812 A: Mexican-American War A: Civil War A: Spanish-American War
- 73. Name the U.S. war between the North and the South.
- A: the Civil War A: the War between the States
- 74. Name one problem that led to the Civil War.
- A: slavery A: economic reasons A: states' rights
- 75. What was one important thing that Abraham Lincoln did?*
- A: freed the slaves (Emancipation Proclamation) A: saved (or preserved) the Union A: led the United States during the Civil War
- 76. What did the Emancipation Proclamation do?
- A: freed the slaves A: freed slaves in the Confederacy A: freed slaves in the Confederate states A: freed slaves in most Southern states
- 77. What did Susan B. Anthony do?
- A: fought for women's rights A: fought for civil rights
- 78. Name one war fought by the United States in the 1900s.*
- A: World War I A: World War II A: Korean War A: Vietnam War A: (Persian) Gulf War
- 79. Who was President during World War I?
- A: (Woodrow) Wilson
- 80. Who was President during the Great Depression and World War II?
- A: (Franklin) Roosevelt
- 81. Who did the United States fight in World War II?
- A: Japan, Germany and Italy
- 82. Before he was President, Eisenhower was a general. What war was he in?
- A: World War II
- 83. During the Cold War, what was the main concern of the United States?
- A: Communism
- 84. What movement tried to end racial discrimination?
- A: civil rights (movement)
- 85. What did Martin Luther King, Jr. do?*
- A: fought for civil rights A: worked for equality for all Americans
- 86. What major event happened on September 11, 2001 in the United States?
- A: Terrorists attacked the United States.
- 87. Name one American Indian tribe in the United States.
- A: Cherokee A: Navajo A: Sioux A: Chippewa A: Choctaw A: Pueblo A: Apache A: Iroquois A: Creek A: Blackfeet A: Seminole A: Cheyenne A: Arawak A: Shawnee A: Mohegan A: Huron A: Oneida A: Lakota A: Crow A: Teton A: Hopi A: Inuit
- 88. Name one of the two longest rivers in the United States.
- A: Missouri (River) A: Mississippi (River)
- 89. What ocean is on the West Coast of the United States?
- A: Pacific (Ocean)
- 90. What ocean is on the East Coast of the United States?
- A: Atlantic (Ocean)
- 91. Name one U.S. territory.
- A: Puerto Rico A: U.S. Virgin Islands A: American Samoa A: Northern Mariana Islands A: Guam
- 92. Name one state that borders Canada.
- A: Maine A: New Hampshire A: Vermont A: New York A: Pennsylvania A: Ohio A: Michigan A: Minnesota A: North Dakota A: Montana A: Idaho A: Washington A: Alaska
- 93. Name one state that borders Mexico.
- A: California A: Arizona A: New Mexico A: Texas
- 94. What is the capital of the United States?*
- A: Washington, D.C.
- 95. Where is the Statue of Liberty?*
- A: New York (Harbor) A: Liberty Island [Also acceptable are New Jersey, near New York City, and on the Hudson (River).]
- 96. Why does the flag have 13 stripes?
- A: because there were 13 original colonies A: because the stripes represent the original colonies
- 97. Why does the flag have 50 stars?*
- A: because there is one star for each state A: because each star represents a state A: because there are 50 states
- 98. What is the name of the national anthem?
- A: The Star-Spangled Banner
- 99. When do we celebrate Independence Day?*
- A: July 4
- 100. Name two national U.S. holidays.
- A: New Year's Day A: Martin Luther King, Jr., Day A: Presidents' Day A: Memorial Day A: Independence Day A: Labor Day A: Columbus Day A: Veterans Day A: Thanksgiving A: Christmas