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What is the supreme law of the land?
* the Constitution
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What does the Constitution do?
- * sets up the government
- * defines the government
- * protects basic rights of Americans
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The idea of self-government is in the first three words of the Constitution. What are these words?
* We the People
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What is an amendment?
- * a change (to the Constitution)
- * an addition (to the Constitution)
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What do we call the first ten amendments to the Constitution?
* the Bill of Rights
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What is one right or freedom from the First Amendment?
- * speech
- * religion
- * assembly
- * press
- * petition the government
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How many amendments does the Constitution have?
* twenty-seven (27)
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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)
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What are two rights in the Declaration of Independence?
- * life
- * liberty
- * pursuit of happiness
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What is freedom of religion?
* You can practice any religion, or not practice a religion.
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What is the economic system in the United States?
- * capitalist economy
- * market economy
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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.
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Name one branch or part of the government.
- * Congress
- * legislative
- * President
- * executive
- * the courts
- * judical
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What stops one branch of government from becoming too powerful?
- * checks and balances
- * separation of powers
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Who is in charge of the executive branch?
* the President
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Who makes federal laws?
- * Congress
- * Senate and House (of Representatives)
- * (U.S. or national) legislature
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What are the two parts of the U.S. Congress?
* the Senate and House (of Representatives)
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How many U.S. Senators are there?
* one hundred (100)
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We elect a U.S. Senator for how many years?
* six (6)
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Who is one of your state's U.S. Senators now?
- * California: Barbara Boxer
- * California: Dianne Feinstein
- * Texas: John Cornyn
- * Texas: Kay Bailey Hutchison
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The House of Representatives has how many voting members?
* four hundred thirty-five (435)
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We elect a U.S. Representative for how many years?
* two (2)
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Name your U.S. Representative.
- * California: (53 Total) Mike Thompson
- * Texas: (32 Total) Gene Greene
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Who does a U.S. Senator represent?
* all people of the state
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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
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We elect a President for how many years?
* four (4)
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In what month do we vote for President?
* November
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What is the name of the President of the United States now?
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What is the name of the Vice President of the United States now?
- * Joseph R. Biden, Jr.
- * Joe Biden
- * Biden
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If the President can no longer serve, who becomes President?
* the Vice President
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If both the President and the Vic President can no longer serve, who becomes President?
* the Speaker of the House
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Who is the Commander in Chief of the military?
* the President
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Who signs bills to become laws?
* the President
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Who vetoes bills?
* the President
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What does the President's Cabinet do?
* advises the President
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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
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What does the judicial branch do?
- * reviews laws
- * explains laws
- * resolves disputes (disagreements)
- * decides if a law goes against the Constitution
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What is the highest court in the United States?
* the Supreme Court
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How many justices are on the Supreme Court?
* nine (9)
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Who is the Chief Justice of the United States now?
* John Roberts (John G. Roberts, Jr.)
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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
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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
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Who is the Governor of your state now?
- * California: Arnold Schwarzenegger
- * Texas: Rick Perry
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What is the capital of your state?
- * California: Sacramento
- * Texas: Austin
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What are the two major political parties in the United States?
* Democratic and Republican
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What is the political party of the President now?
* Democratic (Party)
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What is the name of the Speaker of the House of Representatives now?
* (Nancy) Pelosi
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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).
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What is one responsibility that is only for United States citizens?
- * serve on a jury
- * vote in a federal election
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Name one right only for United States citizen.
- * vote in a federal election
- * run for federal office
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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 worship
- * the right to bear arms
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What do we show loyalty to when we say the Pledge of Allegiance?
- * the United States
- * the flag
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What is one promise you make when you become a United Statess 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
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How old do citizens have to be to vote for President?
* eighteen (18) and older
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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
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When is the last day you can send in federal income tax forms?
* April 15
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When must all men register for the Selective Service?
- * at age eighteen (18)
- * between eighteen (18) and twenty-six (26)
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What is one reason colonists came to America?
- * freedom
- * political liberty
- * religious freedom
- * economic opportunity
- * practice their religion
- * escape persecution
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Who lived in America before the Europeans arrived?
- * American Indians
- * Native Americans
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What group of people was taken to America and sold as slaves?
- * Africans
- * people from Africa
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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
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Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?
* (Thomas) Jefferson
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When was the Declaration of Independence adopted?
* July 4, 1776
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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
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What happened at the Constitutional Convention?
- * The Constitution was written.
- * The Founding Fathers wrote the Constitution.
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When was the Constitution written?
* 1787
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The Federalist Papers supported the passage of the U.S. Constitution. Name one of the writers.
- * (James) Madison
- * (Alexander) Hamilton
- * (John) Jay
- * Publius
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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
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Who is the "Father of Our Country"?
* (George) Washington
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Who was the first President?
* (George) Washington
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What territory did the United States buy from France in 1803?
- * the Louisiana Territory
- * Louisiana
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Name one war fought by the United States in the 1800s.
- * War of 1812
- * Mexican-American War
- * Civil War
- * Spanish-American War
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Name the U.S. war between the North and the South.
- * the Civil War
- * the War between the States
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Name one problem that led to the Civil War.
- * slavery
- * economic reasons
- * states' rights
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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
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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
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What did Susan B. Anthony do?
- * fought for women's rights
- * fought for civil rights
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Name one war fought by the United States in the 1900s.
- * World War I
- * World War II
- * Korean War
- * Vietnam War
- * (Persian) Gulf War
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Who was President during World War I?
* (Woodrow) Wilson
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Who was President during the Great Depression and World War II?
* (Franklin) Roosevelt
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Who did the United States fight in World War II?
* Japan, Germany, and Italy
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Before he was President, Eisenhower was a general. What war was he in?
* World War II
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During the Cold War, what was the main concern of the United States?
* Communism
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What movement tried to end racial discrimination?
* civil rights (movement)
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What did Martin Luther King, Jr. do?
- * fought for civil rights
- * worked for equality for all Americans
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What major event happened on September 11, 2001, in the United States?
* Terrorists attacked the United States
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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
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Name one of the two longest rivers in the United States.
- * Missouri (River)
- * Mississippi (River)
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What ocean is on the West Coast of the United States?
* Pacific (Ocean)
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What ocean is on the East Coast of the United States?
* Atlantic (Ocean)
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Name one U.S. territory.
- * Puerto Rico
- * U.S. Virgin Islands
- * American Samoa
- * Northern Mariana Islands
- * Guam
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Name one state that borders Canada.
- * Maine
- * New Hampshire
- * Vermont
- * New York
- * Pennsylvania
- * Ohio
- * Michigan
- * Minnesota
- * North Dakota
- * Montana
- * Idaho
- * Washington
- * Alaska
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Name one state that borders Mexico.
- * Caliornia
- * Arizona
- * New Mexico
- * Texas
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What is the capital of the United States?
* Washington, D.C.
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Where is the Statue of Liberty?
- * New York (Harbor)
- * Liberty Island
- [Also acceptable are New Jersey, near New York City, and on the Hudson (River).]
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Why does the flag have 13 stripes?
- * because there were 13 original colonies
- * because the stripes represent the original colonies
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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
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What is the name of the national anthem?
* The Star-Spangled Banner
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When do we celebrate Independence Day?
* July 4
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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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