Quiz: History Of The State Of The Union

15 Questions | By Kpatra | Updated: Mar 15, 2022 | Attempts: 117

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Feeling competitive? How about a quick quiz? The questions in this quiz focus on the state of the union address given by the United States president. You need to grasp when the first state of the union address was held, which president gave the first televised state of the union address, and why Ronald Reagan postponed his state of the union address in 1986. It would help if you indeed took this mesmerizing quiz.

Questions and Answers

1.

What year was the first state of the Union address held?
- A.
  
  1789
- B.
  
  1790
- C.
  
  1801
- D.
  
  1776
2.

Which President gave the first televised State of the Union address?
- A.
  
  Harry Truman
- B.
  
  Franklin Roosevelt
- C.
  
  John F. Kennedy
- D.
  
  Dwight Eisenhower
3.

Who was the first President not to give a speech and instead wrote down an annual message and sent it to Congress?
- A.
  
  George Washington
- B.
  
  Abraham Lincoln
- C.
  
  James Madison
- D.
  
  Thomas Jefferson
4.

Which President used his State of the Union address to pronounce that the "era of big government" was over?
- A.
  
  Ronald Reagan
- B.
  
  Richard Nixon
- C.
  
  John F. Kennedy
- D.
  
  Bill Clinton
5.

Why did Ronald Reagan postpone his State of the Union address in 1986?
- A.
  
  The new episode of "Lost" was premiering.
- B.
  
  An emergency meeting with Mikhail Gorbachev was scheduled.
- C.
  
  The Space Shuttle Challenger exploded.
- D.
  
  A hurricane off the Atlantic coast.
6.

Which President's State of the Union address was the longest?
- A.
  
  John F. Kennedy
- B.
  
  Abraham Lincoln
- C.
  
  Harry Truman
- D.
  
  Richard Nixon
7.

Which President's State of the Union address was the shortest?
- A.
  
  George Washington
- B.
  
  Jimmy Carter
- C.
  
  George W. Bush
- D.
  
  Calvin Coolidge
8.

Which president was the first to give his State of the Union address at night?
- A.
  
  Lyndon Johnson
- B.
  
  Jimmy Carter
- C.
  
  John F. Kennedy
- D.
  
  Harry Truman
9.

Who was the first President to feature personal guests and recognize them over the course of his speech?
- A.
  
  Richard Nixon
- B.
  
  George H.W. Bush
- C.
  
  Bill Clinton
- D.
  
  Ronald Reagan
10.

In what year did the practice of televising a rebuttal by a member of the opposing political party begin?
- A.
  
  1986
- B.
  
  1991
- C.
  
  1966
- D.
  
  1972
11.

Who labeled the oral tradition of addressing Congress as the "State of the Union"?
- A.
  
  George Washington
- B.
  
  Franklin Roosevelt
- C.
  
  George Orwell
- D.
  
  Theodore Roosevelt
12.

After President George W. Bush's 2006 State of the Union this Democrat gave a rebuttal in Spanish.
- A.
  
  Joe Baca
- B.
  
  Sonia Sotomayor
- C.
  
  Antonio Villaraigosa
- D.
  
  Ron Gonzalez
13.

All members of the President's cabinet are required to attend the State of the Union address.
- A.
  
  True
- B.
  
  False
14.

Who was the most recent President to submit his State of the Union in written form and in what year?
- A.
  
  Richard Nixon, 1972
- B.
  
  Jimmy Carter, 1981
- C.
  
  Franklin Roosevelt, 1941
- D.
  
  Gerald Ford 1976
15.

In 1941, Franklin Roosevelt in his State of the Union declared his support for what "four freedoms" around the world?
- A.
  
  Freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom from want, and freedom from fear
- B.
  
  Freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of the press, and freedom of assembly
- C.
  
  Freedom of religion, freedom of the press, freedom from tyranny, and freedom of government
- D.
  
  Freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom from tyranny, and freedom from fear