US CIVICS TEST Flashcards
1
Q
What is the supreme law of the land?
A
The Constitution
2
Q
What does the Constitution do?
A
Sets up the government, defines the government, protects the basic rights of Americans
3
Q
The idea of self-government is in the first three words of the Constitution. What are these words?
A
We the people
4
Q
What is an amendment?
A
A change or an addition to the constitution
5
Q
What do we call the first ten amendments to the Constitution?
A
The Bill of Rights
6
Q
What is one right or freedom from the First Amendment?*
A
Freedom of speech, assembly, press, religion, petition the government
7
Q
How many amendments does the Constitution have?
A
27
8
Q
What did the Declaration of Independence do?
A
Declared independence from Great Britian
9
Q
What are two rights in the Declaration of Independence?
A
Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness
10
Q
What is freedom of religion?
A
The freedom to practice or not practice religion
11
Q
What is the economic system in the United States?*
A
Capitalist economy or Market economy
12
Q
What is the “rule of law”?
A
Everyone must obey the law, government must obey the law, leaders must obey the law. No one is above the law.
13
Q
Name one branch or part of the government.*
A
Congress, Judicial, executive, The courts, president and legislative
14
Q
What stops one branch of government from becoming too powerful?
A
Checks and Balances or Separation of powers.
15
Q
Who is in charge of the executive branch?
A
The President
16
Q
Who makes federal law?
A
Congress, Senate and House of representatives, US or National legislator
17
Q
What are the two parts of the U.S. Congress?
A
The Senate and House of Representatives
18
Q
How many U.S. Senators are there?
A
100
19
Q
We elect a U.S. Senator for how many years?
A
6 years
20
Q
Who is one of your state’s U.S. Senators now?
A
Aaron Woods
21
Q
The House of Representatives has how many voting members?
A
435
22
Q
We elect a U.S. Representative for how many years?
A
2 years
23
Q
Name your U.S. Representative
A
Adrea Salinas
24
Q
Who does a U.S. Senator represent?
A
All people of the state.
25
Why do some states have more Representatives than other states?
Because if the states population.
26
We elect a President for how many years?
4 years
27
In what month do we vote for President?
November
28
What is the name of the President of the United States now?
Joe Biden
29
What is the name of the Vice President of the United States now?
Kamala Harris
30
If the President can no longer serve, who becomes President?
The Vice President
31
If both the President and the Vice President can no longer serve, who becomes President?
The Speaker of the House
32
Who is the Commander in Chief of the military?
The President.
33
Who signs bills to become laws?
The President
34
Who vetoes bills?
The President
35
What does the President’s Cabinet do?
Advises the President
36
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
37
What does the judicial branch do?
Reviews laws, explains laws, resolves disputes and decides if the laws go against the constitution
38
What is the highest court in the United States?
Supreme Court
39
How many justices are on the Supreme Court?
9
40
Who is the Chief Justice of the United States now?
John G Roberts Jr
41
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
42
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
43
Who is the Govenor of your state right now?
Tina Kotek
44
What is the capital of your state?
Salem
45
What are the two major political parties in the United States?
Democratic and Republican
46
What is the political party of the President now?
Democratic
47
What is the name of the Speaker of the House of Representatives now?
Nancy Pelosi
48
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).`
49
What is one responsibility that is only for United States citizens?
▪ serve on a jury
▪ vote in a federal election
50
Name one right only for United States citizens.
▪ vote in a federal election
▪ run for federal office
51
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
52
hat do we show loyalty to when we say the Pledge of Allegiance?
The United States. The Flag.
53
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
54
How old do citizens have to be to vote for President?*
18 and Older
55
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 newspape
56
When is the last day you can send in federal income tax forms?*
April 15
57
When must all men register for the Selective Service?
At the age of 18. Between the age 18 to 26
58
What is one reason colonists came to America?
▪ freedom
▪ political liberty
▪ religious freedom
▪ economic opportunity
▪ practice their religion
▪ escape persecution
59
Who lived in America before the Europeans arrived?
Native Americans.
60
What group of people was taken to America and sold as slaves?
Africans
61
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
62
Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?
Thomas Jefferson
63
When was the Declaration of Independence adopted?
July 4th 1776
64
There were 13 original states. Name three states
▪ New Hampshire
▪ Massachusetts
▪ Rhode Island
▪ Connecticut
▪ New York
▪ New Jersey
▪ Pennsylvania
▪ Delaware
▪ Maryland
▪ Virginia
▪ North Carolina
▪ South Carolina
▪ Georgia
65
What happened at the Constitutional Convention?
The Founding Fathers Wrote the Constitution
66
When was the Constitution written?
1787
67
The Federalist Papers supported the passage of the U.S. Constitution. Name one of the writers
(James) Madison
▪ (Alexander) Hamilton
▪ (John) Jay
▪ Publius
68
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
69
Who is the “Father of Our Country”?
George Washington
70
Who was the first President?
George Washington
71
What territory did the United States buy from France in 1803?
Louisiana
72
Name one war fought by the United States in the 1800s.
Civil War
73
Name the U.S. war between the North and the South.
The Civil War
74
Name one problem that led to the Civil War.
Slavery, Economic reasons, states rights
75
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
76
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
77
What did Susan B. Anthony do?
Faught for Womens Right. Faught for Civil Rights.
78
Name one war fought by the United States in the 1900s
▪ World War I
▪ World War II
▪ Korean War
▪ Vietnam War
▪ (Persian) Gulf War
79
Who was President during World War I?
Woodrow Wilson
80
Who was President during the Great Depression and World War II?
Franklin Roosevelt
81
Who did the United States fight in World War II?
Japan, Germany, Italy
82
Before he was President, Eisenhower was a general. What war was he in?
World War II
83
During the Cold War, what was the main concern of the United States?
Communism
84
What movement tried to end racial discrimination?
Civil Rights movement
85
What did Martin Luther King, Jr. do?
Faught for Civil rights. Worked for equality for all Americans
86
What major event happened on September 11, 2001, in the United States?
Terrorist Attack on the United States
87
Name one American Indian tribe in the United States
Cherokee
88
Name one of the two longest rivers in the United States.
Mississippi River, Missouri River
89
What ocean is on the West Coast of the United States?
Pacific Ocean
90
What ocean is on the East Coast of the United States?
Atlantic Ocean
91
Name one U.S. territory
Puerto Rico, Guam
92
Name one state that borders Canada.
Maine
93
Name one state that borders Mexico.
Claifornia
94
What is the Capitol of the United States?
Washington D.C
95
Where is the Statue of Liberty?
New York Harbor, Liberty Island,
96
Why does the flag have 13 stripes?
Because there are 13 original colonies
97
Why does the flag have 50 stars?
Because there are 50 states
98
What is the name of the national anthem?
The Star Spangled Banner
99
When do we celebrate Independence Day?*
July 4th
100
Name two national U.S. holidays.
▪ New Year’s Day
▪ Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
▪ Presidents’ Day
▪ Memorial Day
▪ Juneteenth
▪ Independence Day
▪ Labor Day
▪ Columbus Day
▪ Veterans Day
▪ Thanksgiving
▪ Christmas
