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Citizenship Test Questions
From the list of 100 approved
100
Civics
Not Applicable
09/18/2013

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Cards

Term
What is the supreme law of the land?
Definition
the Constitution
Term
What does the Constitution do?
Definition
sets up the government
defines the government
protects basic rights of Americans
Term
The idea of self-government is in the first three words of the Constitution. What are these words?
Definition
We the People
Term
What is an amendment?
Definition
a change or addition to the Constitution
Term
What do we call the first 10 amendments to the Constitution?
Definition
The Bill of Rights
Term
What is one right or freedom protected by the First Amendment?
Definition
speech
religion
assembly
press
petition the government
Term
How many amendments does the Constitution have?
Definition
27
Term
What did the Declaration of Independence do?
Definition
announced our independence (from Great Britain)
declared our independence (from Great Britain)
said that the United States is free (from Great Britain)
Term
What are two rights in the Declaration of Independence?
Definition
life
liberty
pursuit of happiness
Term
What is freedom of religion?
Definition
You can practice any religion, or not practice a religion.
Term
What is the economic system in the United States?
Definition
capitalist or market economy
Term
What is the "rule of law?"
Definition
Everyone must follow the law.
Leaders must obey the law.
Government must obey the law.
No one is above the law.
Term
Name one branch or part of the government.
Definition
Congress (legislative)
President (executive)
the Courts (judicial)
Term
What stops one branch of government from becoming too powerful?
Definition
checks and balances
separation of powers
Term
Who is in charge of the executive branch?
Definition
the President
Term
Who makes federal laws?
Definition
U.S. Congress
Term
What are the two parts of the U.S. Congress?
Definition
Senate + House of Representatives
Term
How many U.S. Senators are there?
Definition
100
Term
We elect a U.S. Senator for how many years?
Definition
6 years each term
Term
Name one of your current U.S. Senators.
Definition
Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy
Term
The House of Representatives has how many voting members?
Definition
435
Term
We elect a U.S. Representative for how many years?
Definition
two (2)
Term
Who is your U.S. Representative?
Definition
Jim Himes
Term
Who does a U.S. Senator represent?
Definition
all the people of the state
Term
Why do some states have more Representatives than other states?
Definition
The number of representatives is based on population.
Term
We elect a President for how many years?
Definition
4 years each term
Term
In what month do we vote for President?
Definition
November
Term
What is the name of the President of the United States now?
Definition
Barack Obama
Term
What is the name of the Vice President of the United States now?
Definition
Joe Biden
Term
If the President can no longer serve, who becomes President?
Definition
the Vice President
Term
If both the President and the Vice President can no longer serve, who becomes President?
Definition
the Speaker of the House
Term
Who is the Commander in Chief of the military?
Definition
the President
Term
Who signs bills to become laws?
Definition
the President
Term
Who vetoes bills?
Definition
the President
Term
What does the President’s Cabinet do?
Definition
advises the President
Term
Name two Cabinet-level positions.
Definition
Secretary of: Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health & Human Services, Homeland Security, Housing & Urban Development, the Interior, Labor, State, Transportation, the Treasury, Veterans Affairs; Attorney General; Vice President
Term
What does the judicial branch do?
Definition
reviews laws
explains laws
resolves disputes (disagreements)
decides if a law goes against the Constitution
Term
What is the highest court in the United States?
Definition
the Supreme Court
Term
How many justices are on the Supreme Court?
Definition
nine (9)
Term
Who is the Chief Justice of the United States now?
Definition
John Roberts
Term
Under our Constitution, some powers belong to the federal government.
What is one power of the federal government?
Definition
to print money
to declare war
to create an army
to make treaties
Term
Under our Constitution, some powers belong to the states. What is one power of the states?
Definition
provide schooling and education
provide protection (police)
provide safety (fire departments)
give a driver’s license
approve zoning and land use
Term
Who is Governor of your state now?
Definition
Dan Malloy
Term
What is the capital of your state?
Definition
Hartford
Term
What are the two major political parties in the United States?
Definition
Democratic and Republican
Term
What is the political party of the President now?
Definition
Democratic (Party)
Term
What is the name of the Speaker of the House of Representatives now?
Definition
John Boehner (pronounced "BAIN-er")
Term
There are four amendments to the Constitution about who can vote. Describe one of them.
Definition
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).
Term
What is one responsibility that is only for United States citizens?
Definition
serve on a jury
vote in a federal election
Term
Name one right only for United States citizens.
Definition
vote in a federal election
run for federal office
Term
What are two rights of everyone living in the United States?
Definition
freedom of expression
freedom of speech
freedom of assembly
freedom to petition the government
freedom of worship
the right to bear arms
Term
What do we show loyalty to when we say the Pledge of Allegiance?
the United States
Definition
the flag
Term
What is one promise you make when you become a United States citizen?
Definition
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
Term
How old do citizens have to be to vote for President?
Definition
18 and older
Term
What are two ways that Americans can participate in their democracy?
Definition
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
Term
When is the last day you can send in federal income tax forms?
Definition
April 15
Term
When must all men register for the Selective Service?
Definition
at age eighteen or until age 26
Term
What is one reason colonists came to America?
Definition
freedom
political liberty
religious freedom
economic opportunity
practice their religion
escape persecution
Term
Who lived in America before the Europeans arrived?
Definition
Native Americans / American Indians
Term
What group of people was taken to America and sold as slaves?
Definition
Africans
Term
Why did the colonists fight the British?
Definition
because of high taxes (taxation without representation)
because the British army stayed in their houses (boarding, quartering)
because they didn’t have self-government
Term
Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?
Definition
Thomas Jefferson
Term
When was the Declaration of Independence adopted?
Definition
July 4, 1776
Term
Name three of the original 13 states
Definition
New Jersey, New York, Connecticut (also New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia)
Term
What happened at the Constitutional Convention?
Definition
The Constitution was written
Term
When was the Constitution written?
Definition
1787
Term
The Federalist Papers supported the passage of the U.S. Constitution. Name one of the writers.
Definition
(James) Madison
(Alexander) Hamilton
(John) Jay
Term
What is one thing Benjamin Franklin is famous for?
Definition
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
Term
Who is the “Father of Our Country”?
Definition
George Washington
Term
Who was the first President?
Definition
George Washington
Term
What territory did the United States buy from France in 1803?
Definition
Louisiana
Term
Name one war fought by the United States in the 1800s.
Definition
War of 1812
Mexican-American War
Civil War
Spanish-American War
Term
Name the U.S. war between the North and the South.
Definition
the Civil War
Term
Name one problem that led to the Civil War.
Definition
slavery
economic reasons
states’ rights
Term
What was one important thing that Abraham Lincoln did?
Definition
freed the slaves (Emancipation Proclamation)
saved (or preserved) the Union
led the United States during the Civil War
Term
What did the Emancipation Proclamation do?
Definition
freed the slaves
freed slaves in the Confederacy
freed slaves in the Confederate states
freed slaves in most Southern states
Term
What did Susan B. Anthony do?
Definition
fought for women's rights
Term
Name one war fought by the United States in the 1900s.
Definition
World War I
World War II
Korean War
Vietnam War
(Persian) Gulf War
Term
Who was President during World War I?
Definition
Woodrow Wilson
Term
Who was President during the Great Depression and World War II?
Definition
Franklin Roosevelt
Term
Who did the United States fight in World War II?
Definition
Japan, Germany, and Italy
Term
Before he was President, Eisenhower was a general. What war was he in?
Definition
World War II
Term
During the Cold War, what was the main concern of the United States?
Definition
Communism
Term
What movement tried to end racial discrimination?
Definition
civil rights (movement)
Term
What did Martin Luther King, Jr. do?
Definition
fought for civil rights
worked for equality for all Americans
Term
What major event happened on September 11, 2001, in the United States?
Definition
Terrorists attacked the United States.
Term
Name one American Indian tribe in the United States.
Definition
Navajo (or whatever other tribe comes to mind)
Term
Name one of the two longest rivers in the United States.
Definition
Mississippi River (longest); Missouri (second longest)
Term
What ocean is on the West Coast of the United States?
Definition
Pacific
Term
What ocean is on the East Coast of the United States?
Definition
Atlantic
Term
Name one U.S. territory.
Definition
Puerto Rico
U.S. Virgin Islands
American Samoa
Northern Mariana Islands
Guam
Term
Name one state that borders Canada.
Definition
New York
Term
Name one state that borders Mexico.
Definition
California
Term
What is the capital of the United States?
Definition
Washington, D.C.
Term
Where is the Statue of Liberty?
Definition
Liberty Island, in the Hudson River between NY and NJ
Term
Why does the flag have 13 stripes?
Definition
because there were 13 original colonies
Term
Why does the flag have 50 stars?
Definition
because there is one star for each state
Term
What is the name of the national anthem?
Definition
The Star-Spangled Banner
Term
When do we celebrate Independence Day?
Definition
July 4
Term
Name 2 national U.S. holidays
Definition
New Year’s Day
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
Presidents’ Day
Memorial Day
Independence Day
Labor Day
Columbus Day
Veterans Day
Thanksgiving
Christmas
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