How Much Do You Know About The US Death Penalty?

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  • 1/19 Questions

    Some states have laws keeping their lethal-injection drug suppliers and protocols secret. 

    • True
    • False
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About This Quiz

Explore your knowledge on the US death penalty with this quiz. Covering its reinstatement, historical executions, and ethical debates, this quiz provides insights into legal and moral dimensions of capital punishment, assessing your understanding of complex justice issues.

How Much Do You Know About The US Death Penalty? - Quiz

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  • 2. 

    What groups of countries still have the death penalty?

    • Columbia, United States, New Zealand

    • Ireland, Venezuela, United States

    • United States, China, Saudi Arabia

    • Spain, United States, Italy

    Correct Answer
    A. United States, China, Saudi Arabia
    Explanation
    The United States ranked fifth for the highest number of executions.

    The U.S. takes a spot behind China, Iran, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia for the most executions in the world last year, sitting ahead of Yemen and the Sudan. (according to Amnesty International)

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  • 3. 

    The Supreme Court rules that death row inmates can challenge the use of lethal injection as a method of execution.

    • True

    • False

    Correct Answer
    A. True
    Explanation
    According to oyez.org: "Clarence Hill was sentenced to death in Florida, which ordinarily uses a three-drug combination for executions. Hill claimed that this particular form of lethal injection was unnecessarily and gratuitously painful, and that it therefore violated the Eighth Amendment's prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment. However, Hill had previously filed for a federal writ of habeas corpus challenging his conviction, and the federal district court ruled that his new challenge was the practical equivalent of a second habeas corpus appeal. Successive habeas corpus appeals are not allowed under 28 U.S.C. 2244, and so the district court rejected Hill's petition. The Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the decision."

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  • 4. 

    Which state has had the highest execution rate overall since 1976?

    • Oklahoma

    • Texas

    • Florida

    • Virginia

    Correct Answer
    A. Texas
    Explanation
    With 518 executions in total since 1976 (as of January 2015), Texas is the state with the highest execution rate. http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/number-executions-state-and-region-1976

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  • 5. 
    It is equally likely for an African American who killed a white person and a white person who killed another white person to recieve the death penalty. - ProProfs

    It is equally likely for an African American who killed a white person and a white person who killed another white person to recieve the death penalty.

    • True

    • False

    Correct Answer
    A. False
    Explanation
    Black people convicted of killing whites are more likely than other killers to receive a death sentence, and more likely to actually be executed. http://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/dthrow.htm

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  • 6. 

    How many innocent people are estimated to be on death row?

    • None

    • 0.03% of total death row inmates

    • 0.002% of total death row inmates

    • 4% of total death row inmates

    Correct Answer
    A. 4% of total death row inmates
    Explanation
    "New research finds that almost four percent of U.S. capital punishment sentences are wrongful convictions, almost double the number of people set free, meaning around 120 of the roughly 3,000 inmates on death row in America are not guilty" as of April 2014, according to TIME

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  • 7. 

    The mentally ill can be executed in the United States.

    • True

    • False

    Correct Answer
    A. True
    Explanation
    Examples include: Andrew Brannan, diagnosed with PTSD, was executed Jan 13, 2015. John Ferguson was executed on August 5, 2013 in Florida. Garry Allen was executed in Oklahoma on November 6, 2012. Daniel Lee Bedford was executed in Ohio on May 17, 2011.

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  • 8. 

    How many people have been executed between 1976-2015?

    • 1,004

    • 906

    • 1,398

    • 384

    Correct Answer
    A. 1,398
    Explanation
    As of November 26, 2014, 1,392 people have been executed according to DeathPenaltyInfoCenter (DPIC)

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  • 9. 

    The death penalty is a crime deterrent.

    • True

    • False

    Correct Answer
    A. False
    Explanation
    "We show that with the most minor tweaking of the [research] instruments, one can get estimates ranging from 429 lives saved per execution to 86 lives lost. These numbers are outside the bounds of credibility." (The Economists' Voice, April 2006).

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  • 10. 

    In what year did the Supreme Court reinstate the death penalty?

    • 1978

    • 1976

    • 1985

    • 1990

    Correct Answer
    A. 1976
    Explanation
    In 1976 the Supreme Court recognized new death penalty statues written by a number of states that intended to prevent the arbitrary application of the death penalty, thus reinstating the practice. http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/part-i-history-death-penalty

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  • 11. 

    In what year did the Supreme Court rule that capital punishment was "cruel and unusual" and suspend the death penalty?

    • 1980

    • 1972

    • 1946

    • 1969

    Correct Answer
    A. 1972
    Explanation
    In 1972 the Supreme Court ruled that the death penalty statue in Georgia, which gave the jury complete sentencing discretion, could result in arbitrary sentencing and was therefore "cruel and unusual" and in violation of the 8th amendment. The court commuted all existing death sentenecs and suspended the practice. http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/part-i-history-death-penalty

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  • 12. 

    Which of the following states has abolished the death penalty?

    • Texas

    • Maryland

    • Oklahoma

    • California

    Correct Answer
    A. Maryland
    Explanation
    The 18 states are the following according to deathpenaltyinfo.org:
    Alaska (1957)
    Connecticut** (2012)
    Hawaii (1957)
    Illinois (2011)
    Iowa (1965)
    Maine (1887)
    Maryland*** (2013)
    Massachusetts (1984) Michigan (1846)
    Minnesota (1911)
    New Jersey (2007)
    New Mexico* (2009)
    New York (2007)#
    North Dakota (1973)
    Rhode Island (1984)^
    Vermont (1964) West Virginia (1965)
    Wisconsin (1853)

    ALSO
    Dist. of Columbia (1981)

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  • 13. 
    On average, in the state of Washington how much more does a death penalty case cost than a similar case where a death sentence is not sought? - ProProfs

    On average, in the state of Washington how much more does a death penalty case cost than a similar case where a death sentence is not sought?

    • $500,000

    • $1,000,000

    • $30,000

    • $75,000

    Correct Answer
    A. $1,000,000
    Explanation
    "A Seattle University study examining the costs of the death penalty in Washington found that each death penalty case cost an average of $1 million more than a similar case where the death penalty was not sought ($3.07 million, versus $2.01 million)." http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/node/6003

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  • 14. 

    Which public figure said the following: “I do not think that God approved the death penalty for any crime, rape and murdered included. Capital punishment is against the best judgment of modern criminology and, above all, against the highest expression of love in the nature of God.”

    • Pope John Paul II

    • Jean-Paul Sartre

    • Eleanor Roosevelt

    • Martin Luther King Jr

    Correct Answer
    A. Martin Luther King Jr
    Explanation
    Martin Luther King Jr is the correct answer because he was a prominent public figure who advocated for nonviolence and justice. His statement aligns with his beliefs in equality, compassion, and the sanctity of human life. He believed that capital punishment goes against the principles of love and forgiveness, and that it is not an effective solution to crime. This statement reflects his strong opposition to the death penalty and his commitment to promoting peace and justice.

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  • 15. 

    Which was the first state to abolish the death penalty?

    • Mississippi

    • Vermont

    • Michigan

    • Illinois

    Correct Answer
    A. Michigan
    Explanation
    In 1846, Michigan became the first state to abolish the death penalty for all crimes except treason. Later, Rhode Island and Wisconsin abolished the death penalty for all crimes.

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  • 16. 
    As of January 2015 how many people had been exonerated from death row? - ProProfs

    As of January 2015 how many people had been exonerated from death row?

    • 101

    • 75

    • 39

    • 150

    Correct Answer
    A. 150
    Explanation
    "The most recent exonerees are Ricky Jackson and Wiley Bridgeman on November 21, 2014" as of November 21, 2014, according to deathpenaltyinfo.org

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  • 17. 

    How many clemencies have been granted in the United States since 1976?

    • 23

    • 510

    • 60

    • 279

    Correct Answer
    A. 279
    Explanation
    http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/clemency

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  • 18. 

    Who called capital punishment "the most premeditated of murders, to which no criminal's deed, however calculated it may be, can be compared?"

    • Victor Hugo, French poet, novelist, and dramatist

    • Albert Camus, Algerian-French philosopher and author

    • Ronald Wilson Reagan, 40th President of the United States

    • Desmond Tutu, South African bishop and social rights activist

    Correct Answer
    A. Albert Camus, Algerian-French philosopher and author
    Explanation
    Albert Camus said this, but Desmond Tuto and Victor Hugo also opposed the death penalty.

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  • Mar 22, 2023
    Quiz Edited by
    ProProfs Editorial Team
  • Nov 18, 2014
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    Sz2051a
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