Civics 100 Flashcards

Memorize the answers to most of the 100 questions

1
Q
  1. What is the supreme law of the land?
A

The constitution

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2
Q
  1. What does the Constitution do?
A
  • sets up the government
  • defines the government
  • protects basic rights of Americans
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3
Q
  1. The idea of self-government is in the first three words of the Constitution. What are these words?
A

We the people

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4
Q
  1. What is an amendment?
A
  • a change (to the Constitution)
  • an addition (to the Constitution)
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5
Q
  1. What do we call the first ten amendments to the Constitution?
A

The bill of rights

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6
Q
  1. What is one right or freedom from the First Amendment?
A
  • speech
  • religion
  • assembly
  • press
  • petition the government
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7
Q
  1. How many amendments does the Constitution have?
A

Twenty-seven (27)

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8
Q
  1. What did the Declaration of Independence do?
A
  • announced our independence (from Great Britain)
  • declared our independence (from Great Britain)
  • said that the United States is free (from Great Britain)
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9
Q
  1. What are two rights in the Declaration of Independence?
A
  • life
  • liberty
  • pursuit of happiness
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10
Q
  1. What is freedom of religion?
A

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

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11
Q
  1. What is the economic system in the United States?
A
  • capitalist economy
  • market economy
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12
Q
  1. What is the “rule of law”?
A
  • Everyone must follow the law.
  • Leaders must obey the law.
  • Government must obey the law.
  • No one is above the law.
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13
Q
  1. Name one branch or part of the government.
A
  • Congress
  • legislative
  • President
  • executive
  • the courts
  • judicial
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14
Q
  1. What stops one branch of government from becoming too powerful?
A
  • checks and balances
  • separation of powers
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15
Q
  1. Who is in charge of the executive branch?
A

the President

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16
Q
  1. Who makes federal laws?
A
  • Congress
  • Senate and House (of - Representatives)
  • (U.S. or national) legislature
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17
Q
  1. What are the two parts of the U.S. Congress?
A

the Senate and House (of Representatives)

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18
Q
  1. How many U.S. Senators are there?
A

one hundred (100)

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

six (6)

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20
Q
  1. Who is one of your state’s U.S. Senators now?
A

Amy Klobuchar

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

four hundred thirty-five (435)

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

two (2)

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23
Q
  1. Name your U.S. Representative.
A

Ilhan Omar

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24
Q
  1. Who does a U.S. Senator represent?
A

all people of the state

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25
Q
  1. Why do some states have more Representatives than other states?
A
  • (because of) the state’s population
  • (because) they have more people
  • (because) some states have more people
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26
Q
  1. We elect a President for how many years?
A

four (4)

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27
Q
  1. In what month do we vote for President?
A

November

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28
Q
  1. What is the name of the President of the United States now?
A

Joe R. Bidden

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29
Q
  1. What is the name of the Vice President of the United States now?
A

Kamala D. Harris

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

the Vice President

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

the Speaker of the House

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32
Q
  1. Who is the Commander in Chief of the military?
A

the President

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33
Q
  1. Who signs bills to become laws?
A

the President

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34
Q
  1. Who vetoes bills?
A

the President

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35
Q
  1. What does the President’s Cabinet do?
A

advises the President

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36
Q
  1. What are two Cabinet-level positions?
A
  • Secretary of Agriculture
  • Secretary of Defense
  • Secretary of Education
  • Secretary of Labor
  • Secretary of State
  • Secretary of Veterans Affairs
  • Attorney General
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37
Q
  1. What does the judicial branch do?
A
  • reviews laws
  • explains laws
  • resolves disputes (disagreements)
  • decides if a law goes against the Constitution
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38
Q
  1. What is the highest court in the United States?
A

the Supreme Court

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39
Q
  1. How many justices are on the Supreme Court?
A

Nine (9) Justices make up the current Supreme Court: one Chief Justice and eight Associate Justices.

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

John G. Roberts, Jr.

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41
Q
  1. Under our Constitution, some powers belong to the federal government. What is one power of the federal government?
A
  • to print money
  • to declare war
  • to create an army
  • to make treaties
42
Q
  1. Under our Constitution, some powers belong to the states. What is one power of the states?
A
  • provide schooling and education
  • provide protection (police)
  • provide safety (fire departments)
  • give a driver’s license
  • approve zoning and land use
43
Q
  1. Who is the Governor of your state now?
A

Tim Walz

44
Q
  1. What is the capital of your state?
A

Saint Paul

45
Q
  1. What are the two major political parties in the United States?
A

Democratic and Republican

46
Q
  1. What is the political party of the President now?
A

Democratic Party

47
Q
  1. What is the name of the Speaker of the House of Representatives now?
A

Mike Johnson

48
Q
  1. There are four amendments to the Constitution about who can vote. Describe one of them.
A
  • Citizens eighteen (18) and older (can vote).
  • You don’t have to pay (a poll tax) to vote.
  • Any citizen can vote. (Women and men can vote.)
  • A male citizen of any race (can vote).
49
Q
  1. What is one responsibility that is only for United States citizens?
A
  • serve on a jury
  • vote in a federal election
50
Q
  1. Name one right only for United States citizens.
A
  • vote in a federal election
  • run for federal office
51
Q
  1. What are two rights of everyone living in the United States?
A
  • freedom of expression
  • freedom of speech
  • freedom of assembly
  • freedom to petition the government
  • freedom of religion
  • the right to bear arms
52
Q
  1. What do we show loyalty to when we say the Pledge of Allegiance?
A
  • the United States
  • the flag
53
Q
  1. What is one promise you make when you become a United States citizen?
A
  • give up loyalty to other countries
  • defend the Constitution and laws of the United States
  • obey the laws of the United States
  • serve in the U.S. military (if needed)
  • serve (do important work for) the nation (if needed)
  • be loyal to the United States
54
Q
  1. How old do citizens have to be to vote for President?
A

eighteen (18) and older

55
Q
  1. What are two ways that Americans can participate in their democracy?
A
  • vote
  • join a political party
  • help with a campaign
  • join a civic group
  • join a community group
  • run for office
  • write to a newspaper
56
Q
  1. When is the last day you can send in federal income tax forms?
A

April 15

57
Q
  1. When must all men register for the Selective Service?
A
  • at age eighteen (18)
  • between eighteen (18) and twenty-six (26)
58
Q
  1. Who lived in America before the Europeans arrived?
A
  • American Indians
  • Native Americans
58
Q
  1. What is one reason colonists came to America?
A
  • freedom
  • political liberty
  • religious freedom
  • economic opportunity
  • practice their religion
  • escape persecution
59
Q
  1. What group of people was taken to America and sold as slaves?
A
  • Africans
  • people from Africa
60
Q
  1. Why did the colonists fight the British?
A
  • because of high taxes (taxation without representation)
  • because the British army stayed in their houses (boarding, quartering)
  • because they didn’t have self-government
61
Q
  1. Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?
A

(Thomas) Jefferson

62
Q
  1. When was the Declaration of Independence adopted?
A

July 4, 1776

63
Q
  1. There were 13 original states. Name three.
A
  • Rhode Island
  • New York
  • New Jersey
  • Pennsylvania
  • Delaware
  • Maryland
  • Virginia
  • Georgia
64
Q
  1. When was the Constitution written?
A

1787

65
Q
  1. What happened at the Constitutional Convention?
A
  • The Constitution was written.
  • The Founding Fathers wrote the Constitution.
66
Q
  1. The Federalist Papers supported the passage of the U.S. Constitution. Name one of the writers.
A
  • (James) Madison
  • (Alexander) Hamilton
  • (John) Jay
  • Publius
67
Q
  1. What is one thing Benjamin Franklin is famous for?
A
  • 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
68
Q
  1. Who is the “Father of Our Country”?
A

(George) Washington

69
Q
  1. Who was the first President?
A

(George) Washington

70
Q
  1. What territory did the United States buy from France in 1803?
A
  • the Louisiana Territory
  • Louisiana
71
Q
  1. Name one war fought by the United States in the 1800s.
A
  • War of 1812
  • Mexican-American War
  • Civil War
  • Spanish-American War
72
Q
  1. Name the U.S. war between the North and the South.
A
  • the Civil War
  • the War between the States
73
Q
  1. Name one problem that led to the Civil War.
A
  • slavery
  • economic reasons
  • states’ rights
74
Q
  1. What was one important thing that Abraham Lincoln did?
A
  • freed the slaves (Emancipation Proclamation)
  • saved (or preserved) the Union
  • led the United States during the Civil War
75
Q
  1. What did the Emancipation Proclamation do?
A
  • freed the slaves
  • freed slaves in the Confederacy
  • freed slaves in the Confederate states
  • freed slaves in most Southern states
76
Q
  1. What did Susan B. Anthony do?
A
  • fought for women’s rights
  • fought for civil rights
77
Q
  1. Name one war fought by the United States in the 1900s.
A
  • World War I
  • World War II
  • Korean War
  • Vietnam War
  • (Persian) Gulf War
78
Q
  1. Who was President during World War I?
A

(Woodrow) Wilson

79
Q
  1. Who was President during the Great Depression and World War II?
A

(Franklin) Roosevelt

80
Q
  1. Who did the United States fight in World War II?
A

Japan, Germany, and Italy

81
Q
  1. Before he was President, Eisenhower was a general. What war was he in?
A

World War II

82
Q
  1. During the Cold War, what was the main concern of the United States?
A

Communism

83
Q
  1. What movement tried to end racial discrimination?
A

civil rights (movement)

84
Q
  1. What did Martin Luther King, Jr. do?
A
  • fought for civil rights
  • worked for equality for all Americans
85
Q
  1. Name one of the two longest rivers in the United States.
A
  • Missouri (River)
  • Mississippi (River)
85
Q
  1. What ocean is on the West Coast of the United States?
A

Pacific (Ocean)

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

Terrorists attacked the United States.

87
Q
  1. Name one American Indian tribe in the United States.
A
  • Cherokee
  • Sioux
  • Chippewa
  • Apache
  • Creek
  • Blackfeet
  • Crow
88
Q
  1. What ocean is on the East Coast of the United States?
A

Atlantic (Ocean)

89
Q
  1. Name one U.S. territory.
A
  • Puerto Rico
  • U.S. Virgin Islands
  • American Samoa
  • Northern Mariana Islands
  • Guam
90
Q
  1. Name one state that borders Mexico.
A
  • California
  • Arizona
  • New Mexico
  • Texas
91
Q
  1. Name one state that borders Canada.
A
  • Maine
  • Vermont
  • Ohio
  • Minnesota
  • North Dakota
  • Montana
  • Idaho
92
Q
  1. What is the capital of the United States?
A

Washington, D.C.

93
Q
  1. Where is the Statue of Liberty?
A
  • New York (Harbor)
  • Liberty Island
  • [Also acceptable are New Jersey, near New York City, and on the Hudson (River).]
94
Q
  1. Why does the flag have 50 stars?
A
  • because there is one star for each state
  • because each star represents a state
  • because there are 50 states
95
Q
  1. Why does the flag have 13 stripes?
A
  • because there were 13 original colonies
  • because the stripes represent the original colonies
96
Q
  1. What is the name of the national anthem?
A

The Star-Spangled Banner

97
Q
  1. When do we celebrate Independence Day?
A

July 4

98
Q
  1. Name two national U.S. holidays.
A
  • New Year’s Day
  • Juneteenth
  • Independence Day
  • Labor Day
  • Veterans Day
  • Christmas