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 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 13. Name one branch or part of the government. - Congress - legislative - President - executive - the courts - judicial 14. What stops one branch of government from becoming too powerful? - checks and balances - separation of powers 15. Who is in charge of the executive branch? - the President 16. Who makes federal laws? - Congress - Senate and House (of Representatives) - (U.S. or national) legislature 17. What are the two parts of the U.S. Congress? - the Senate and House (of Representatives) 18. How many U.S. Senators are there? - one hundred (100) 19. We elect a U.S. Senator for how many years? - six (6) 20. Who is one of your state’s U.S. Senators now? - Maria Cantwell - Patty Murray 21. The House of Representatives has how many voting members? - four hundred thirty-five (435) 22. We elect a U.S. Representative for how many years? - two (2) 23. Name your U.S. Representative. - Pramila Jayapal (Democrat) 24. Who does a U.S. Senator represent? - all people of the state 25. 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 26. We elect a President for how many years? - four (4) 27. In what month do we vote for President? - November 28. What is the name of the President of the United States now? - Joe Biden 29. What is the name of the Vice President of the United States now? - Kamala Harris 30. If the President can no longer serve, who becomes President? - the Vice President 31. If both the President and the Vice President can no longer serve, who becomes President? - the Speaker of the House 32. Who is the Commander in Chief of the military? - the President 33. Who signs bills to become laws? - the President 34. Who vetoes bills? - the President 35. What does the President’s Cabinet do? - advises the President 36. 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 37. What does the judicial branch do? - reviews laws - explains laws - resolves disputes (disagreements) - decides if a law goes against the Constitution 38. What is the highest court in the United States? - the Supreme Court 39. How many justices are on the Supreme Court? - Nine Justices make up the current Supreme Court: one Chief Justice and eight Associate Justices. 40. Who is the Chief Justice of the United States now? - John Roberts 41. 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 42. 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 43. Who is the Governor of your state now? - Jay Inslee (Democrat) 44. What is the capital of your state? - Olympia 45. What are the two major political parties in the United States? - Democratic and Republican 46. What is the political party of the President now? - Democratic Party 47. What is the name of the Speaker of the House of Representatives now? - Mike Johnson C: Rights and Responsibilities ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 48. 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). 49. What is one responsibility that is only for United States citizens? - serve on a jury - vote in a federal election 50. Name one right only for United States citizens. - vote in a federal election - run for federal office 51. 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 52. What do we show loyalty to when we say the Pledge of Allegiance? - the United States - the flag 53. 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 54. How old do citizens have to be to vote for President? - eighteen (18) and older 55. 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 56. When is the last day you can send in federal income tax forms? - April 15 57. 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 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 58. What is one reason colonists came to America? - freedom - political liberty - religious freedom - economic opportunity - practice their religion - escape persecution 59. Who lived in America before the Europeans arrived? - American Indians - Native Americans 60. What group of people was taken to America and sold as slaves? - Africans - people from Africa 61. 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 62. Who wrote the Declaration of Independence? - (Thomas) Jefferson 63. When was the Declaration of Independence adopted? - July 4, 1776 64. 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 65. What happened at the Constitutional Convention? - The Constitution was written. - The Founding Fathers wrote the Constitution. 66. When was the Constitution written? - 1787 67. The Federalist Papers supported the passage of the U.S. Constitution. Name one of the writers. - (James) Madison - (Alexander) Hamilton - (John) Jay - Publius 68. 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 69. Who is the “Father of Our Country”? - (George) Washington 70. Who was the first President? - (George) Washington B: 1800s ~~~~~~~~ 71. What territory did the United States buy from France in 1803? - the Louisiana Territory - Louisiana 72. Name one war fought by the United States in the 1800s. - War of 1812 - Mexican-American War - Civil War - Spanish-American War 73. Name the U.S. war between the North and the South. - the Civil War - the War between the States 74. Name one problem that led to the Civil War. - slavery - economic reasons - states’ rights 75. 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 76. 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 77. What did Susan B. Anthony do? - fought for women’s rights - fought for civil rights C: Recent American History and Other Important Historical Information ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 78. Name one war fought by the United States in the 1900s. - World War I - World War II - Korean War - Vietnam War - (Persian) Gulf War 79. Who was President during World War I? - (Woodrow) Wilson 80. Who was President during the Great Depression and World War II? - (Franklin) Roosevelt 81. Who did the United States fight in World War II? - Japan, Germany, and Italy 82. Before he was President, Eisenhower was a general. What war was he in? - World War II 83. During the Cold War, what was the main concern of the United States? - Communism 84. What movement tried to end racial discrimination? - civil rights (movement) 85. What did Martin Luther King, Jr. do? - fought for civil rights - worked for equality for all Americans 86. What major event happened on September 11, 2001, in the United States? - Terrorists attacked the United States. 87. 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 ~~~~~~~~~~~~ 88. Name one of the two longest rivers in the United States. - Missouri (River) - Mississippi (River) 89. What ocean is on the West Coast of the United States? - Pacific (Ocean) 90. What ocean is on the East Coast of the United States? - Atlantic (Ocean) 91. Name one U.S. territory. - Puerto Rico - U.S. Virgin Islands - American Samoa - Northern Mariana Islands - Guam 92. Name one state that borders Canada. - Maine - New Hampshire - Vermont - New York - Pennsylvania - Ohio - Michigan - Minnesota - North Dakota - Montana - Idaho - Washington - Alaska 93. Name one state that borders Mexico. - California - Arizona - New Mexico - Texas 94. What is the capital of the United States? - Washington, D.C. 95. Where is the Statue of Liberty? - New York (Harbor) - Liberty Island B: Symbols ~~~~~~~~~~ 96. Why does the flag have 13 stripes? - because there were 13 original colonies - because the stripes represent the original colonies 97. 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 98. What is the name of the national anthem? - The Star-Spangled Banner C: Holidays ~~~~~~~~~~~ 99. When do we celebrate Independence Day? - July 4 100. 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