Test Questions Flashcards
What is the supreme law of the land?
The Constitution
What does the Constitution do?
-Sets up the government
-Defines the 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?
- A change (to the Constitution)
- An addition (to the Constitution)
What do we call the first ten amendments to the constitution?
The bill of rights.
What is one right or freedom from the first amendment?
Speech
Religion
Assembly
Press
Petition the Government
How many amendments does the Constitution have?
27
What did the Declaration of Independence do?
- Annouced our independence (from Great Britain)
-Declared our independence (from Great Britain)
set 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?
-Capitalist economy
-Market economy
What is the “rule of law”?
-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.
Congress
Legislative
President
Executive
The courts
Judicial
What stops one branch of the government from becoming too powerful?
-Checks and Balences
-Separation of Powers
Who is in charge of the executive branch?
The president
Who makes federal laws?
- Congress
- Senate and House (of Representatives)
- (U.S or national) legislature
What are the two parts of US Congress?
-The Senate and House (of Representatives)
How many US Senators are there?
100
We elect a US Senator for how many years?
6
Who is one of your state’s US Senators now?
-John Cornyn
-Ted Cruz
The House of Representatives has how many voting members?
435
We elected a US Representative for how many years?
2
Name your US representative
Michael T. McCaul
Who does a US Senator represent?
All people of the state
Why do some states have more representatives than others?
-(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 a 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 bills to become laws?
The President
Who vetos bills?
The President
What does the President’s cabinet do?
Advises the President
What are two Cabinet level positions?
• Secretary of Agriculture
• Secretary of Commerce
• Secretary of Defense
• Secretary of Education
• Secretary of Energy
• Secretary of Health and Human
Services
Secretary of Homeland Security
• Secretary of Housing and Urban
Development
• Secretary of the Interior
Secretary of Labor
• Secretary of State
• Secretary of Transportation
• Secretary of the Treasury
• Secretary of Veterans Affairs
• Attorney General
• Vice President
What does the Judicial branch do?
• Reviews laws
• Explains laws
-Resolves disputes (disagreements)
-Decides if a law goes against the
Constitution
What is the highest court in the United
States?
The Supreme Court
How many justices are on the Supreme
Court?
9
Who is the Chief Justice of the United
States now?
John Roberts
Under our Constitution, some powers
belong to the federal government. What
is one power of the federal government?
-To print money
-To declare war
• To create an army
• To make treaties
Under our Constitution, some powers
belong to the states. What is one power
of the states?
• Provide schooling and education
• Provide protection (police)
• Provide safety (fire departments)
• Give a driver’s license
• Approve zoning and land use
Who is the Governor of your state now?
Greg Abbot
What is the capital of your state?
Austin
What are the two major political parties
in the United States?
Democrats and Republicans
What is the political party of the
President now?
Democratic Party
What is the name of the Speaker of the
House of Representatives now?
Nancy Pelosi
There are four amendments to the
Constitution about who can vote. Describe
one of them.
• 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),
What is one responsibility that is only for
United States citizens?
• Serve on a jury
• Vote in a federal election
Name one right only for United States
citizens.
• Vote in a federal election
• Run for federal office
What are two rights of everyone living in
the United States?
• Freedom of expression
Freedom of speech
Freedom of assembly
Freedom to petition the government
• Freedom of religion
• The right to bear arms
What do we show loyalty to when we say
the Pledge of Allegiance?
• The United States
• The flag
What is one promise you make when you
become a United States citizen?
• 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
How old do citizens have to be to vote
for President?
Eighteen (18) and older
What are two ways that Americans can
participate in their democracy?
• 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?
At age eighteen (18)
Between eighteen (18) and twenty-six
(26)
What is one reason colonists came to
America?
• Freedom
• Political liberty
• Religious freedom
• Economic opportunity
• Practice their religion
• Escape persecution
Who lived in America before the
Europeans arrived?
• American Indians
• Native Americans
What group of people was taken to
America and sold as slaves?
• Africans
• People from Africa
Why did the colonists fight the British?
• Because of high taxes (taxation
without representation)
• Because the British army stayed in
their houses (boarding, quartering)
Because they didn’t have self-
government
Who wrote the Declaration of
Independence?
(Thomas) Jefferson
When was the Declaration of
Independence adopted?
July 4, 1776
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
What happened at the Constitutional
Convention?
• The Constitution was written.
• The Founding Fathers wrote the
Constitution.
When was the Constitution written?
• 1787
The Federalist Papers supported the
passage of the U.S. Constitution. Name
one of the writers.
• (James) Madison
• (Alexander) Hamilton
• (John) Jay
• Publius
What is one thing Benjamin Franklin is
famous for?
• 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?
• The Louisiana Territory
• Louisiana
Name one war fought by the United
States in the 1800s.
• 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
• The War between the States
Name one problem that led to the Civil
War.
• Slavery
• Economic reasons
• States’ rights
What was one important thing that
Abraham Lincoln did?*
• Freed the slaves (Emancipation
Proclamation)
• Saved (or preserved) the Union
• Led the United States during the Civil
War
What did the Emancipation Proclamation
do?
• Freed the slaves
-Freed slaves in the Confederacy
• Freed slaves in the Confederate states
• Freed slaves in most Southern states
What did Susan B. Anthony do?
• Fought for women’s rights
• Fought for civil rights
Name one war fought by the United
States in the 1900s.*
-World War
• World War Il
• Korean War
• Vietnam War
• (Persian) 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 Il?
Japan, Germany, and Italy
Before he was President, Eisenhower
was a general. What war was he in?
World War Il
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?*
• 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.
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 U.S. territory.
• Puerto Rico
-U.S. Virgin Islands
-American Samoa
• Northern Mariana Islands
• Guam
Name one state that borders
Canada.
• Maine
• New Hampshire
• Vermont
• New York
• Pennsylvania
• Ohio
• Michigan
Minnesota
• North Dakota
Montana
• Idaho
• Washington
• Alaska
Name one state that borders Mexico.
• California
• Arizona
-New Mexico
• Texas
What is the capital of the United States?*
• Washington, D.C.
Where is the Statue of Liberty?*
-New York (Harbor)
• Liberty Island
• [Also acceptable are New Jersey, near
-New York City, and on the Hudson
(River).]
Why does the flag have 13 stripes?
• Because there were 13 original
colonies
-Because the stripes represent the
original colonies
Why does the flag have 50 stars?*
• Because there is one star for each
state
-Because each star represents a state
• Because 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
• New Year’s Day
• Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
• Presidents’ Day
• Memorial Day
• Independence Day
• Labor Day
• Columbus Day
• Veterans Day
• Thanksgiving
-Christmas
