What is the form of government of the United States?

Republic

Constitution-based federal republic

Representative democracy

What is the supreme law of the land? *

(U.S.) Constitution

Name one thing the U.S. Constitution does.

Forms the government

Defines powers of government

Defines the parts of government

Protects the rights of the people

The U.S. Constitution starts with the words “We the People.” What does “We the People” mean?

Self-government

Popular sovereignty

Consent of the governed

People should govern themselves

(Example of) social contract

How are changes made to the U.S. Constitution?

Amendments

The amendment process

What does the Bill of Rights protect?

(The basic) rights of Americans

(The basic) rights of people living in the United States

How many amendments does the U.S. Constitution have? *

Twenty-seven (27)

Why is the Declaration of Independence important?

It says America is free from British control.

It says all people are created equal.

It identifies inherent rights.

It identifies individual freedoms.

What founding document said the American colonies were free from Britain?

Declaration of Independence

Name two important ideas from the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution.

Equality

Liberty

Social contract

Natural rights

Limited government

Self-government

The words “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness” are in what founding document?

Declaration of Independence

What is the economic system of the United States? *

Capitalism

Free market economy

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.

Many documents influenced the U.S. Constitution. Name one.

Declaration of Independence

Articles of Confederation

Federalist Papers

Anti-Federalist Papers

Virginia Declaration of Rights

Fundamental Orders of Connecticut

Mayflower Compact

Iroquois Great Law of Peace

There are three branches of government. Why?

So one part does not become too powerful

Checks and balances

Separation of powers

Name the three branches of government.

Legislative, executive, and judicial

Congress, president, and the courts

The President of the United States is in charge of which branch of government?

Executive branch

What part of the federal government writes laws?

(U.S.) Congress

(U.S. or national) legislature

Legislative branch

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

Senate and House (of Representatives)

Name one power of the U.S. Congress. *

Writes laws

Declares war

Makes the federal budget

How many U.S. senators are there?

One hundred (100)

How long is a term for a U.S. senator?

Six (6) years

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

Answers will vary. [District of Columbia residents and residents of U.S. territories should answer that D.C. (or the territory where the applicant lives) has no U.S. senators.]

How many voting members are in the House of Representatives?

Four hundred thirty-five (435)

How long is a term for a member of the House of Representatives?

Two (2) years

Why do U.S. representatives serve shorter terms than U.S. senators?

To more closely follow public opinion

How many senators does each state have?

Two (2)

Why does each state have two senators?

Equal representation (for small states)

The Great Compromise (Connecticut Compromise)

Name your U.S. representative.

Answers will vary. [Residents of territories with nonvoting Delegates or Resident Commissioners may provide the name of that Delegate or Commissioner. Also acceptable is any statement that the territory has no (voting) representatives in Congress.]

What is the name of the Speaker of the House of Representatives now? *

Visit uscis.gov/citizenship/testupdates for the name of the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

Who does a U.S. senator represent?

Citizens of their state

People of their state

Who elects U.S. senators?

Citizens from their state

Who does a member of the House of Representatives represent?

Citizens in their (congressional) district

Citizens in their district

People from their (congressional) district

People in their district

Who elects members of the House of Representatives?

Citizens from their (congressional) district

Some states have more representatives than other states. Why?

(Because of) the state’s population

(Because) they have more people

(Because) some states have more people

The President of the United States is elected for how many years? *

Four (4) years

The President of the United States can serve only two terms. Why?

(Because of) the 22nd Amendment

To keep the president from becoming too powerful

What is the name of the President of the United States now? *

Visit uscis.gov/citizenship/testupdates for the name of the President of the United States.

What is the name of the Vice President of the United States now? *

Visit uscis.gov/citizenship/testupdates for the name of the Vice President of the United States

If the president can no longer serve, who becomes president?

The Vice President (of the United States)

Name one power of the president.

Signs bills into law

Vetoes bills

Enforces laws

Commander in Chief (of the military)

Chief diplomat

Appoints federal judges

Who is Commander in Chief of the U.S. military?

The President (of the United States)

Who signs bills to become laws?

The President (of the United States)

Who vetoes bills? *

The President (of the United States)

Who appoints federal judges?

The President (of the United States)

The executive branch has many parts. Name one.

President (of the United States)

Cabinet

Federal departments and agencies

What does the President’s Cabinet do?

Advises the President (of the United States)

What are two Cabinet-level positions?

Attorney General

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

Vice President (of the United States)

Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency

Administrator of the Small Business Administration

Director of the Central Intelligence Agency

Director of the Office of Management and Budget

Director of National Intelligence

United States Trade Representative

Why is the Electoral College important?

It decides who is elected president.

It provides a compromise between the popular election of the president and congressional selection.

What is one part of the judicial branch?

Supreme Court

Federal Courts

What does the judicial branch do?

Reviews laws

Explains laws

Resolves disputes (disagreements) about the law

Decides if a law goes against the (U.S.) Constitution

What is the highest court in the United States? *

Supreme Court

How many seats are on the Supreme Court?

Nine (9)

How many Supreme Court justices are usually needed to decide a case?

Five (5)

How long do Supreme Court justices serve?

(For) life

Lifetime appointment

(Until) retirement

Supreme Court justices serve for life. Why?

To be independent (of politics)

To limit outside (political) influence

Who is the Chief Justice of the United States now?

Visit uscis.gov/citizenship/testupdates for the name of the Chief Justice of the United States.

Name one power that is only for the federal government.

Print paper money

Mint coins

Declare war

Create an army

Make treaties

Set foreign policy

Name one power that is only for the states.

Provide schooling and education

Provide protection (police)

Provide safety (fire departments)

Give a driver’s license

Approve zoning and land use

What is the purpose of the 10th Amendment?

(It states that the) powers not given to the federal government belong to the states or to the people.

Who is the governor of your state now? *

Answers will vary. [District of Columbia residents should answer that D.C. does not have a governor.]

What is the capital of your state?

Answers will vary. [District of Columbia residents should answer that D.C. is not a state and does not have a capital. Residents of U.S. territories should name the capital of the territory.]

There are four amendments to the U.S. 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).

Who can vote in federal elections, run for federal office, and serve on a jury in the United States?

Citizens

Citizens of the United States

U.S. citizens

What are three 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

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

The United States

The flag

Name two promises that new citizens make in the Oath of Allegiance.

Give up loyalty to other countries

Defend the (U.S.) Constitution

Obey the laws of the United States

Serve in the military (if needed)

Serve (help, do important work for) the nation (if needed)

Be loyal to the United States

How can people become United States citizens?

Be born in the United States, under the conditions set by the 14th Amendment

Naturalize

Derive citizenship (under conditions set by Congress

What are two examples of civic participation in the United States?

Vote

Run for office

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)

Contact elected officials

Support or oppose an issue or policy

Write to a newspaper

What is one way Americans can serve their country?

Vote

Pay taxes

Obey the law

Serve in the military

Run for office

Work for local, state, or federal government

Why is it important to pay federal taxes?

Required by law

All people pay to fund the federal government

Required by the (U.S.) Constitution (16th Amendment)

Civic duty

It is important for all men age 18 through 25 to register for the Selective Service. Name one reason why.

Required by law

Civic duty

Makes the draft fair, if needed

The colonists came to America for many reasons. Name one.

Freedom

Political liberty

Religious freedom

Economic opportunity

Escape persecution

Who lived in America before the Europeans arrived? *

American Indians

Native Americans

What group of people was taken and sold as slaves?

Africans

People from Africa

What war did the Americans fight to win independence from Britain?

American Revolution

The (American) Revolutionary War

War for (American) Independence

Name one reason why the Americans declared independence from Britain.

High taxes

Taxation without representation

British soldiers stayed in Americans’ houses (boarding, quartering)

They did not have self-government

Boston Massacre

Boston Tea Party (Tea Act)

Stamp Act

Sugar Act

Townshend Acts

Intolerable (Coercive) Acts

Who wrote the Declaration of Independence? *

(Thomas) Jefferson

When was the Declaration of Independence adopted?

July 4, 1776

The American Revolution had many important events. Name one.

(Battle of) Bunker Hill

Declaration of Independence

Washington Crossing the Delaware (Battle of Trenton)

(Battle of) Saratoga

Valley Forge (Encampment)

(Battle of) Yorktown (British surrender at Yorktown)

There were 13 original states. Name five.

New Hampshire

Massachusetts

Rhode Island

Connecticut

New York

New Jersey

Pennsylvania

Delaware

Maryland

Virginia

North Carolina

South Carolina

Georgia

What founding document was written in 1787?

(U.S.) Constitution

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

(James) Madison

(Alexander) Hamilton

(John) Jay

Publius

Why were the Federalist Papers important?

They helped people understand the (U.S.) Constitution.

They supported passing the (U.S.) Constitution.

Benjamin Franklin is famous for many things. Name one.

Founded the first free public libraries

First Postmaster General of the United States

Helped write the Declaration of Independence

Inventor

U.S. diplomat

George Washington is famous for many things. Name one. *

“Father of Our Country”

First president of the United States

General of the Continental Army

President of the Constitutional Convention

Thomas Jefferson is famous for many things. Name one.

Writer of the Declaration of Independence

Third president of the United States

Doubled the size of the United States (Louisiana Purchase)

First Secretary of State

Founded the University of Virginia

Writer of the Virginia Statute on Religious Freedom

James Madison is famous for many things. Name one.

“Father of the Constitution”

Fourth president of the United States

President during the War of 1812

One of the writers of the Federalist Papers

Alexander Hamilton is famous for many things. Name one.

First Secretary of the Treasury

One of the writers of the Federalist Papers

Helped establish the First Bank of the United States

Aide to General George Washington

Member of the Continental Congress 89亚历山大·汉密尔顿因许多事情而闻名。说出一个。

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联邦党人文集的作者之一

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

Louisiana Territory

Louisiana

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

War of 1812

Mexican-American War

Civil War

Spanish-American War

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

The Civil War

The Civil War had many important events. Name one.

(Battle of) Fort Sumter

Emancipation Proclamation

(Battle of) Vicksburg

(Battle of) Gettysburg

Sherman’s March

(Surrender at) Appomattox

(Battle of) Antietam/Sharpsburg

Lincoln was assassinated.

Abraham Lincoln is famous for many things. Name one. *

Freed the slaves (Emancipation Proclamation)

Saved (or preserved) the Union

Led the United States during the Civil War

16th president of the United States

Delivered the Gettysburg Address

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

What U.S. war ended slavery?

The Civil War

What amendment says all persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are U.S. citizens?

14th Amendment

When did all men get the right to vote?

After the Civil War

During Reconstruction

(With the) 15th Amendment

1870

Name one leader of the women’s rights movement in the 1800s.

Susan B. Anthony

Elizabeth Cady Stanton

Sojourner Truth

Harriet Tubman

Lucretia Mott

Lucy Stone

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

World War I

World War II

Korean War

Vietnam War

(Persian) Gulf War

Why did the United States enter World War I?

Because Germany attacked U.S. (civilian) ships

To support the Allied Powers (England, France, Italy, and Russia)

To oppose the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, and Bulgaria)

When did all women get the right to vote?

1920

After World War I

(With the) 19th Amendment

What was the Great Depression?

Longest economic recession in modern history

When did the Great Depression start?

The Great Crash (1929)

Stock market crash of 1929

Who was president during the Great Depression and World War II?

(Franklin) Roosevelt

Why did the United States enter World War II?

(Bombing of) Pearl Harbor

Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor

To support the Allied Powers (England, France, and Russia)

To oppose the Axis Powers (Germany, Italy, and Japan)

Dwight Eisenhower is famous for many things. Name one.

General during World War II

President at the end of (during) the Korean War

34th president of the United States

Signed the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 (Created the Interstate System)

Who was the United States’ main rival during the Cold War?

Soviet Union

USSR

Russia

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

Communism

Nuclear war

Why did the United States enter the Korean War?

To stop the spread of communism

Why did the United States enter the Vietnam War?

To stop the spread of communism

What did the civil rights movement do?

Fought to end racial discrimination

Martin Luther King, Jr. is famous for many things. Name one. *

Fought for civil rights

Worked for equality for all Americans

Worked to ensure that people would “not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character”

Why did the United States enter the Persian Gulf War?

To force the Iraqi military from Kuwait

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

Terrorists attacked the United States

Terrorists took over two planes and crashed them into the World Trade Center in New York City

Terrorists took over a plane and crashed into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia

Terrorists took over a plane originally aimed at Washington, D.C., and crashed in a field in Pennsylvania

Name one U.S. military conflict after the September 11, 2001 attacks.

(Global) War on Terror

War in Afghanistan

War in Iraq

Name one American Indian tribe in the United States.

Apache

Blackfeet

Cayuga

Cherokee

Cheyenne

Chippewa

Choctaw

Creek

Crow

Hopi

Huron

Inupiat

Lakota

Mohawk

Mohegan

Navajo

Oneida

Onondaga

Pueblo

Seminole

Seneca

Shawnee

Sioux

Teton

Tuscarora For a complete list of tribes, please visit bia.gov.

Name one example of an American innovation.

Light bulb

Automobile (cars, combustible engine)

Skyscrapers

Airplane

Assembly line

Landing on the moon

Integrated circuit (IC)

What is the capital of the United States?

Washington, D.C.

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).]

Why does the flag have 13 stripes? *

(Because there were) 13 original colonies

(Because the stripes) represent the original colonies

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

What is the name of the national anthem?

The Star-Spangled Banner

The Nation’s first motto was “E Pluribus Unum.” What does that mean?

Out of many, one

We all become one

What is Independence Day?

A holiday to celebrate U.S. independence (from Britain)

The country’s birthday

Name three national U.S. holidays. *

New Year’s Day

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

Presidents Day (Washington’s Birthday)

Memorial Day

Independence Day

Labor Day

Columbus Day

Veterans Day

Thanksgiving Day

Christmas Day

What is Memorial Day?

A holiday to honor soldiers who died in military service

What is Veterans Day?

A holiday to honor people in the (U.S.) military

A holiday to honor people who have served (in the U.S. military)