100 questions for Washington state in Aug 2024#

AMERICAN GOVERNMENT#

A: Principles of American Democracy#

  1. What is the supreme law of the land?

    • the Constitution

  2. What does the Constitution do?

    • sets up the government

    • defines the government

    • protects basic rights of Americans

  3. The idea of self-government is in the first three words of the Constitution. What are these words?

    • We the People

  4. What is an amendment?

    • a change (to the Constitution)

    • an addition (to the Constitution)

  5. What do we call the first ten amendments to the Constitution?

    • the Bill of Rights

  6. What is one right or freedom from the First Amendment?

    • speech

    • religion

    • assembly

    • press

    • petition the government

  7. How many amendments does the Constitution have?

    • twenty-seven (27)

  8. What did the Declaration of Independence do?

    • announced our independence (from Great Britain)

    • declared our independence (from Great Britain)

    • said that the United States is free (from Great Britain)

  9. What are two rights in the Declaration of Independence?

    • life

    • liberty

    • pursuit of happiness

  10. What is freedom of religion?

    • You can practice any religion, or not practice a religion.

  11. What is the economic system in the United States?

    • capitalist economy

    • market economy

  12. What is the “rule of law”?

    • Everyone must follow the law.

    • Leaders must obey the law.

    • Government must obey the law.

    • No one is above the law.

B: System of Government#

  1. Name one branch or part of the government.

    • Congress

    • legislative

    • President

    • executive

    • the courts

    • judicial

  2. What stops one branch of government from becoming too powerful?

    • checks and balances

    • separation of powers

  3. Who is in charge of the executive branch?

    • the President

  4. Who makes federal laws?

    • Congress

    • Senate and House (of Representatives)

    • (U.S. or national) legislature

  5. What are the two parts of the U.S. Congress?

    • the Senate and House (of Representatives)

  6. How many U.S. Senators are there?

    • one hundred (100)

  7. We elect a U.S. Senator for how many years?

    • six (6)

  8. Who is one of your state’s U.S. Senators now?

    • Maria Cantwell

    • Patty Murray

  9. The House of Representatives has how many voting members?

    • four hundred thirty-five (435)

  10. We elect a U.S. Representative for how many years?

    • two (2)

  11. Name your U.S. Representative.

    • Pramila Jayapal (Democrat)

  12. Who does a U.S. Senator represent?

    • all people of the state

  13. Why do some states have more Representatives than other states?

    • (because of) the state’s population

    • (because) they have more people

    • (because) some states have more people

  14. We elect a President for how many years?

    • four (4)

  15. In what month do we vote for President?

    • November

  16. What is the name of the President of the United States now?

    • Joe Biden

  17. What is the name of the Vice President of the United States now?

    • Kamala Harris

  18. If the President can no longer serve, who becomes President?

    • the Vice President

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

    • the Speaker of the House

  20. Who is the Commander in Chief of the military?

    • the President

  21. Who signs bills to become laws?

    • the President

  22. Who vetoes bills?

    • the President

  23. What does the President’s Cabinet do?

    • advises the President

  24. 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

  25. What does the judicial branch do?

    • reviews laws

    • explains laws

    • resolves disputes (disagreements)

    • decides if a law goes against the Constitution

  26. What is the highest court in the United States?

    • the Supreme Court

  27. How many justices are on the Supreme Court?

    • Nine Justices make up the current Supreme Court: one Chief Justice and eight Associate Justices.

  28. Who is the Chief Justice of the United States now?

    • John Roberts

  29. 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

  30. 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

  31. Who is the Governor of your state now?

    • Jay Inslee (Democrat)

  32. What is the capital of your state?

    • Olympia

  33. What are the two major political parties in the United States?

    • Democratic and Republican

  34. What is the political party of the President now?

    • Democratic Party

  35. What is the name of the Speaker of the House of Representatives now?

    • Mike Johnson

C: Rights and Responsibilities#

  1. 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).

  2. What is one responsibility that is only for United States citizens?

    • serve on a jury

    • vote in a federal election

  3. Name one right only for United States citizens.

    • vote in a federal election

    • run for federal office

  4. 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

  5. What do we show loyalty to when we say the Pledge of Allegiance?

    • the United States

    • the flag

  6. 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

  7. How old do citizens have to be to vote for President?

    • eighteen (18) and older

  8. 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 newspaper

  9. When is the last day you can send in federal income tax forms?

    • April 15

  10. When must all men register for the Selective Service?

    • at age eighteen (18)

    • between eighteen (18) and twenty-six (26)

AMERICAN HISTORY#

A: Colonial Period and Independence#

  1. What is one reason colonists came to America?

    • freedom

    • political liberty

    • religious freedom

    • economic opportunity

    • practice their religion

    • escape persecution

  2. Who lived in America before the Europeans arrived?

    • American Indians

    • Native Americans

  3. What group of people was taken to America and sold as slaves?

    • Africans

    • people from Africa

  4. 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

  5. Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?

    • (Thomas) Jefferson

  6. When was the Declaration of Independence adopted?

    • July 4, 1776

  7. There were 13 original states. Name three.

    • New Hampshire

    • Massachusetts

    • Rhode Island

    • Connecticut

    • New York

    • New Jersey

    • Pennsylvania

    • Delaware

    • Maryland

    • Virginia

    • North Carolina

    • South Carolina

    • Georgia

  8. What happened at the Constitutional Convention?

    • The Constitution was written.

    • The Founding Fathers wrote the Constitution.

  9. When was the Constitution written?

    • 1787

  10. The Federalist Papers supported the passage of the U.S. Constitution. Name one of the writers.

    • (James) Madison

    • (Alexander) Hamilton

    • (John) Jay

    • Publius

  11. 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

  12. Who is the “Father of Our Country”?

    • (George) Washington

  13. Who was the first President?

    • (George) Washington

B: 1800s#

  1. What territory did the United States buy from France in 1803?

    • the Louisiana Territory

    • Louisiana

  2. Name one war fought by the United States in the 1800s.

    • War of 1812

    • Mexican-American War

    • Civil War

    • Spanish-American War

  3. Name the U.S. war between the North and the South.

    • the Civil War

    • the War between the States

  4. Name one problem that led to the Civil War.

    • slavery

    • economic reasons

    • states’ rights

  5. 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

  6. 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

  7. What did Susan B. Anthony do?

    • fought for women’s rights

    • fought for civil rights

C: Recent American History and Other Important Historical Information#

  1. Name one war fought by the United States in the 1900s.

    • World War I

    • World War II

    • Korean War

    • Vietnam War

    • (Persian) Gulf War

  2. Who was President during World War I?

    • (Woodrow) Wilson

  3. Who was President during the Great Depression and World War II?

    • (Franklin) Roosevelt

  4. Who did the United States fight in World War II?

    • Japan, Germany, and Italy

  5. Before he was President, Eisenhower was a general. What war was he in?

    • World War II

  6. During the Cold War, what was the main concern of the United States?

    • Communism

  7. What movement tried to end racial discrimination?

    • civil rights (movement)

  8. What did Martin Luther King, Jr. do?

    • fought for civil rights

    • worked for equality for all Americans

  9. What major event happened on September 11, 2001, in the United States?

    • Terrorists attacked the United States.

  10. Name one American Indian tribe in the United States.

    • Cherokee

    • Navajo

    • Sioux

    • Chippewa

    • Choctaw

    • Pueblo

    • Apache

    • Iroquois

    • Creek

    • Blackfeet

    • Seminole

    • Cheyenne

    • Arawak

    • Shawnee

    • Mohegan

    • Huron

    • Oneida

    • Lakota

    • Crow

    • Teton

    • Hopi

    • Inuit

INTEGRATED CIVICS#

A: Geography#

  1. Name one of the two longest rivers in the United States.

    • Missouri (River)

    • Mississippi (River)

  2. What ocean is on the West Coast of the United States?

    • Pacific (Ocean)

  3. What ocean is on the East Coast of the United States?

    • Atlantic (Ocean)

  4. Name one U.S. territory.

    • Puerto Rico

    • U.S. Virgin Islands

    • American Samoa

    • Northern Mariana Islands

    • Guam

  5. Name one state that borders Canada.

    • Maine

    • New Hampshire

    • Vermont

    • New York

    • Pennsylvania

    • Ohio

    • Michigan

    • Minnesota

    • North Dakota

    • Montana

    • Idaho

    • Washington

    • Alaska

  6. Name one state that borders Mexico.

    • California

    • Arizona

    • New Mexico

    • Texas

  7. What is the capital of the United States?

    • Washington, D.C.

  8. Where is the Statue of Liberty?

    • New York (Harbor)

    • Liberty Island

B: Symbols#

  1. Why does the flag have 13 stripes?

    • because there were 13 original colonies

    • because the stripes represent the original colonies

  2. Why does the flag have 50 stars?

    • because there is one star for each state

    • because each star represents a state

    • because there are 50 states

  3. What is the name of the national anthem?

    • The Star-Spangled Banner

C: Holidays#

  1. When do we celebrate Independence Day?

    • July 4

  2. Name two national U.S. holidays.

    • 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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