US Government

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  • 1/21 Questions

    Who is the head of the Executive Branch?

    • President
    • Vice President
    • Chief of Staff
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  • 2. 

    What is the national anthem?

    • Star Spangled Banner

    • God Bless America

    • America the Beautiful

    Correct Answer
    A. Star Spangled Banner
    Explanation
    On Aug. 24, 1814, the British army had invaded Washington, D.C. The Capitol building and the White House were burned, and the Brits turned to nearby Baltimore, firing on the harbor’s Fort McHenry on Sept. 13. It was in the midst of that battle that Francis Scott Key, who had been negotiating for the release of a prisoner of war, was at sea. At dawn on Sept. 14, the American flag still flew over the fort; the British were in retreat. Key’s poem about what he saw, which he set to an earlier tune by John Stafford Smith, came to be known as “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
    On Mar. 3, 1931, President Hoover signed the bill into law, and the U.S. had an anthem for the first time.

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  • 3. 

    What are the two houses of Congress?

    • House of Representatives and Schoolhouse Rock

    • Senate and House of Representatives

    • Senate and Supreme Court

    Correct Answer
    A. Senate and House of Representatives
  • 4. 

    How many branches of government are there?

    • 4

    • 3

    • 2

    Correct Answer
    A. 3
    Explanation
    Executive, Legislative, Judicial

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  • 5. 

    Which of the following is NOT a national holiday?

    • George Washington's Birthday

    • Boxing Day

    • Martin Luther King Jr. Day

    • Labor Day

    Correct Answer
    A. Boxing Day
    Explanation
    This one can be confusing.
    The US used to celebrate both Lincoln's and Washington's birthdays separately, but the two holidays were combined into President's Day. Since this day typically falls on or near Washington's birthday, I'll call this a national holiday.
    Martin Luther King Jr. birthday is a national holiday, but not all states celebrate it.
    Labor Day is a US national holiday.

    Boxing Day is a national holiday, but not in the US, so I marked that as the correct answer, since this is a US quiz.

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  • 6. 

    What is the supreme law of the land?

    • The Constitution

    • The Declaration of Independence

    • The Bill of Rights

    Correct Answer
    A. The Constitution
    Explanation
    A little tricky since the Bill of Rights is part of the Constitution. But it is the Constitution as a whole that is the supreme law of the land.

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  • 7. 

    What are the first words of the Constitution?

    • Four score and seven years ago

    • When in the course of human events

    • We the people

    Correct Answer
    A. We the people
    Explanation
    Four score and seven years ago is the beginning of the Gettysburg Address.
    When in the course of human events is the beginning of the Declaration of Independence.
    We the people is the beginning of the Constitution.

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  • 8. 

    How many voting members of the House of Representatives are there?

    • 372

    • 435

    • 236

    Correct Answer
    A. 435
    Explanation
    The number of voting representatives in the House is fixed by law at no more than 435, proportionally representing the population of the 50 states. Currently, there are five delegates representing the District of Columbia, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

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  • 9. 

    How many justices are on the Supreme Court

    • 9

    • 7

    • 10

    Correct Answer
    A. 9
    Explanation
    The Supreme Court consists of the Chief Justice of the United States and such number of Associate Justices as may be fixed by Congress. The number of Associate Justices is currently fixed at eight (28 U.S.C. §1).

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  • 10. 

    What is an amendment?

    • A law signed by the President

    • A change to the Constitution

    • A change to the Constitution made by the state governments

    Correct Answer
    A. A change to the Constitution
    Explanation
    Another poorly worded question. Assuming the question is about a Constitutional amendment, I selected A change to the Constitution as the correct answer.
    The question does not ask how an amendment is proposed, ratified, or is added to the constitution.
    However, if the question wanted more detail about how an amendment is actually added to the Constitution, the correct answer would be a combination of Congress and the individual State legislatures. The president has no authority when it comes to amending the Constitution.


    The authority to amend the Constitution of the United States is derived from Article V of the Constitution. After Congress proposes an amendment, the Archivist of the United States, who heads the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), is charged with responsibility for administering the ratification process under the provisions of 1 U.S.C. 106b.
    The Archivist submits the proposed amendment to the States for their consideration by sending a letter of notification to each Governor along with the informational material prepared by the OFR. The Governors then formally submit the amendment to their State legislatures.
    A proposed amendment becomes part of the Constitution as soon as it is ratified by three-fourths of the States (38 of 50 States).

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  • 11. 

    What do we call the first 10 amendments to the Constitution?

    • The Constitution

    • Declaration of Independence

    • Monroe Doctrine

    • The Bill of Rights

    Correct Answer
    A. The Bill of Rights
  • 12. 

    Which of these is NOT a freedom protected by the First Amendment?

    • Freedom of speech

    • Petition and assembly

    • Freedom of religion

    • Privacy

    Correct Answer
    A. Privacy
    Explanation
    Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

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  • 13. 

    What stops one branch of government from becoming too powerful?

    • Presidential veto

    • Separation of powers

    • Congressional oversight

    Correct Answer
    A. Separation of powers
  • 14. 

    How many amendments does the Constitution have?

    • 34

    • 10

    • 27

    Correct Answer
    A. 27
    Explanation
    There are 27 amendments to the Constitution. Approximately 11,623 measures have been proposed to amend the Constitution from 1789 through December 16, 2014.

    The number of proposed amendments to the Constitution is an approximation for several reasons. Inadequate indexing in the early years of the Congress, and separate counting of amendments in the nature of a substitute, may obscure the total. It is also common for a number of identical resolutions to be offered on issues that have widespread public and congressional support. Finally, congressional rules limiting the number of cosponsors permitted for each proposed amendment may be a factor in the number of resolutions introduced.

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  • 15. 

    Which of the following is NOT a cabinet position?

    • Attorney General

    • Vice President

    • Secretary of the Treasury

    • Ambassador to the United Nations

    Correct Answer
    A. Ambassador to the United Nations
    Explanation
    The tradition of the Cabinet dates back to the beginnings of the Presidency itself. Established in Article II, Section 2, of the Constitution, the Cabinet's role is to advise the President on any subject he may require relating to the duties of each member's respective office.

    The Cabinet includes the Vice President and the heads of 15 executive departments — the Secretaries of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, Labor, State, Transportation, Treasury, and Veterans Affairs, as well as the Attorney General.

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  • 16. 

    Who appoints the Supreme Court justices?

    • The Senate

    • The remaining Supreme Court justices

    • The people

    • The President

    Correct Answer
    A. The President
    Explanation
    This is another poorly written question. The justices are not appointed directly, it is a complex process that involves both the president and the Senate.
    I marked President as the correct answer, since that is where the nomination originates. Then the Senate either consents or rejects the nomination.

    Power to nominate the Justices is vested in the President of the United States and appointments are made with the advice and consent of the Senate. Article III, §1, of the Constitution further provides that "[t]he Judges, both of the supreme and inferior Courts, shall hold their Offices during good Behavior, and shall, at stated Times, receive for their Services, a Compensation, which shall not be diminished during their Continuance in Office."

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  • 17. 

    How long is a senator's term?

    • 6 years

    • 4 years

    • 2 years

    Correct Answer
    A. 6 years
    Explanation
    A Senator's term of office is six years and approximately one-third of the total membership of the Senate is elected every two years.

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  • 18. 

    If both the President and Vice President can no longer serve, who becomes President?

    • The Attorney General

    • The Speaker of the House

    • The Secretary of the Senate

    • President Pro Tempore of the Senate

    Correct Answer
    A. The Speaker of the House
    Explanation
    July 18, 1947
    Presidential Succession Act

    Photo of Senator Harry Truman of Missouri, later U.S. President

    On July 18, 1947, President Harry Truman signed the Presidential Succession Act. The original act of 1792 had placed the Senate president pro tempore and Speaker of the House in the line of succession, but in 1886 Congress had removed them. The 1947 law reinserted those officials, but placed the Speaker ahead of the president pro tempore.

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  • 19. 

    How many senators does each state have?

    • 3

    • It depends on the population of the state

    • 2

    Correct Answer
    A. 2
    Explanation
    The Constitution prescribes that the Senate be composed of two Senators from each State (therefore, the Senate currently has 100 Members) and that a Senator must be at least thirty years of age, have been a citizen of the United States for nine years, and, when elected, be a resident of the State from which he or she is chosen.

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  • 20. 

    On what day of the year do we vote for President?

    • An appointed Tuesday in November

    • The first Tuesday in November

    • The first Tuesday after a Monday in November

    • The last Tuesday in November

    Correct Answer
    A. The first Tuesday after a Monday in November
    Explanation
    In 1845 the United States Congress chose a single date for all national elections in all states. The first Tuesday after the first Monday in November was chosen so that there would never be more than 34 days between Election Day and the first Wednesday in December. Election Day is held on a Tuesday so that voters will not have to vote or travel on Sunday. This was an important consideration at the time when the laws were written and is still so in some Christian communities in the United States.

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  • 21. 

    Which of the following is NOT a power of the state government?

    • Providing unemployment compensation

    • Providing passports

    • Providing driver's licenses

    • Levy taxes

    Correct Answer
    A. Providing passports
    Explanation
    A passport is an internationally recognized travel document that verifies your identity and nationality. A valid U.S. passport is required to enter and leave most foreign countries, as well as to return to the United States. Only the U.S. Department of State has the authority to grant, issue, or verify U.S. passports.

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Quiz Review Timeline (Updated): Jul 5, 2015 +

Our quizzes are rigorously reviewed, monitored and continuously updated by our expert board to maintain accuracy, relevance, and timeliness.

  • Current Version
  • Jul 05, 2015
    Quiz Edited by
    ProProfs Editorial Team
  • Jul 05, 2015
    Quiz Created by
    Snoopy_Dances
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