The Oxford Press

The New Citizenship Test Name one important idea found in the Declaration of Independence. People are born with natural rights. The power of government comes from the people. The people can change their government if it hurts their natural rights. All people are created equal. All of the above What is the supreme law of the land? Murphy's Law Miranda rights The Constitution Due process Liberty and justice for all What does the Constitution do? It sets up the government and protects basic rights of Americans. It explains who is in charge of all government agencies. It lists all of the laws of the land. It guarantees the American dream. What does "We the People" mean in the Constitution? We are all one All Americans are citizens All citizens have equal rights The power of government comes from the people. What do we call changes to the Constitution? Corrections Amendments The Bill of Rights Constitutional Conventions What do we call the first ten amendments to the Constitution? The Preamble The Ten Commandments The Bill of Rights The Rule of Law Name one right or freedom from the First Amendment. To own guns (bear arms) To have liberty and justice To have a speedy trial To own a home None of the above How many amendments does the Constitution have? 10 16 24 27 46 What did the Declaration of Independence do? Announce the independence of the United States from the United Nations. Announce the independence of the United States from Gondwanaland. Announce the independence of the United States from Great Britain. Made Independence Day a national holiday. What does freedom of religion mean? You can practice any religion you want, or not practice at all. Religions are free to operate. Religions cannot charge members for services. Religion cannot be taught in public schools. What type of economic system does the U.S. have? Checks and balances Dynamic Free market Dow Jones Stock market What are the three branches or parts of the government? City, state, and federal. Executive, legislative and judicial. Taxing, spending and building roads. House, Senate and President. Name one branch of the government. FBI Division of Forestry Legislative Military Who is in charge of the executive branch? The Chief Justice The Speaker of the House The Decider The President Who makes federal laws? Congress The FBI The President The Attorney General What are the two parts of the United States Congress? The Senate and House of Representatives. The Army and Marines. The Haves and Have Nots. The Pages and Seargent of Arms. How many United States Senators are there? 50 100 150 200 We elect a U.S. Senator for how many years? Two Four Six Eight How many U.S. Senators does each state have? One Two Four Five The House of Representatives has how many voting members? 100 300 400 435 What is the name of the current Speaker of the House of Representatives? Dennis Hastert Nancy Pelosi Newt Gingrich Tip O'Neill We elect a U.S. Representative for how many years? Two Four Six Eight Who does a U.S. Senator represent? Everyone who voted for him/her. Everyone of his/her political party. All the people of the district. All the people of the state. Who does a U.S. Representative represent? All the people in the country. All the people who elected them. All the people of the district. All people who do not commit crimes. What decides each state's number of U.S. Representatives? The Supreme Court. The state's population. The number neighboring states have. The price of oil. How many branches of government are there? One Two Three Four Five Which is an example of checks and balances? President vetoes a bill. Congress can confirm or not confirm a President's nomination. Congress approves the President's budget. Supreme Court strikes down a law. All of the above We elect a President for how many years? Two years Three years Four years Six years Eight years How old must a President be? 25 or older 27 or older 35 or older 45 or older There is no minimum age To become President of the United States, what must the person be at birth? Male White Wealthy A citizen There is no birth requirement Who is the President now? George W. Bush Dick Cheney Alan Greenspan Condoleezza Rice John Roberts If the President can no longer serve, who becomes President? Speaker of the House Vice President Chief of Justice Secretary of Defense An emergency election is held Who becomes President if both the President and the Vice President can no longer serve? Speaker of the House Vice President Chief Justice Secretary of Defense First Lady Who is the Commander-in-Chief of the military? Secretary of Defense Secretary of Homeland Security Secretary of State Vice President The President How many full terms can a President serve? One Two Three Four Unlimited Who signs bills to become laws? Speaker of the House Vice President Chief Justice Secretary of Defense President Who vetoes bills? Speaker of the House Vice President Chief Justice Secretary of Defense President What is a veto? President refuses to sign a bill passed by Congress. President says no to a bill. President rejects a bill. All of the above None of the above Who advises the President? Cabinet Congress Supreme Court Vice President None of the above Which of the following is not a Cabinet-level position? Secretary of Agriculture Secretary of State Secretary of Education Secretary of Interior Secretary of Peace What Cabinet-level agency advises the President on foreign policy? Defense Department State Department Education Department Interior Department Peace Department What does the judicial branch do? Reviews and explains laws Resolves disputes between parties Decides if a law goes against the Constitution All of the above None of the above Who confirms Supreme Court justices? The Senate Congress Supreme Court Vice President President How many justices are on the Supreme Court? Five Nine Twelve Fifteen Eighteen Who nominates justices to the Supreme Court? The Senate Congress Supreme Court Vice President President Which of the following can the federal government do? Print money Declare war Create an army Make treaties All of the above What is one thing a state government can do? Approve zoning and land use Provide protection Provide safety All of the above None of the above What does it mean that the U.S. Constitution is a constitution of limited powers? Federal government has only the powers that the Constitution states it has. States have all powers that the federal government does not. Both A and B None of the above What are the two major political parties in the U.S. today? Democrats and Republicans Democrats and Libertarians Democrats and Communists Republican and Communists Republican and Libertarians What is the highest court in the U.S.? Bankruptcy Courts District Courts Court of Appeals Supreme Court None of the above In what month are general presidential elections held in the United States? March June September November When must all males register for the Selective Service? At age 16 At age 18 At age 21 Never What is self-government? A person's right to do anything. Rules made by political parties. Government elected by the people. The right to be left alone. Who governs the people in a self-governed country? Law enforcement. Military leaders. People govern themselves. None of the above What is the “rule of law”? Everyone must obey the law. Leaders must obey the law. Government must obey the law. All of the above. What are "inalienable rights"? Individual rights that people are born with. Rights given by the Constitution. Rights given by Congress. Presidential pardon authority. Who does the Constitution allow to vote? Any citizen over 18. Any male or female citizen. A citizen of any race. All of the above. Name one responsibility that is only for United States citizens. Paying taxes. Serving in the military. Going to church. Voting in elections. Who can run for political office? Anyone living in the United States. Only U.S. citizens. Only native born U.S. citizens. Only adults over 25 Which of these rights is guaranteed to anyone living in the U.S. Freedom of speech. Freedom of expression. Freedom of worship. All of the above. What is the Pledge of Allegiance? A pledge to honor the president. The promise of loyalty to the flag and the nation. A promise to be loyal to military leaders. A pledge of fidelity to congress. Taking the Oath of Allegiance means you promise To give up loyalty to other countries. To defend the Constitution and laws of the United States. To serve in the United States military if needed. All of the above. Who can vote in the U.S. presidential elections? All citizens age 18 and older. All citizens age 19 and older. All citizens age 20 and older. None of the above When is the last day you can send in federal income tax forms? April 15 April 30 August 15 October 15 Name two of the natural, or inalienable, rights in the Declaration of Independence. Life and Liberty Home and money Vacations and sick pay None of the above Who wrote the Declaration of Independence? Thomas Jefferson George Washington Andrew Jackson Franklin Roosevelt When was the Declaration of Independence adopted? July 4, 1782 July 4, 1786 July 4, 1774 July 4, 1776 Name one reason why the colonists came to America? To escape persecution Political liberty Economic opportunity All of the above What happened at the Constitutional Convention? The Constitution was written. George Washington was nominated president. Democrats nominated Thomas Jefferson. War was declared on England. Why did the colonists fight the British? To help France. To win self-government. To occupy England. None of the above. When was the Constitution drafted? 1770 1776 1787 1951 What group of people was taken to America and sold as slaves? Africans Europeans Muslims None of the above Who lived in America before the Europeans arrived? No one Russians American Indians Early American settlers Where did most of America's colonists come from before the Revolution? Denmark Georgia Europe Canada Why were the colonists upset with the British government? Failure to make Texas a colony. Dispute over ownership of Florida. Refusal to allow women to vote. Taxation without representation. Who is called the "Father of Our Country"? George Washington George Bush John Adams Ben Franklin George Washington Name one of the writers of the Federalist Papers? James Madison Alexander Hamilton John Jay Publius All of the above What group of essays supported passage of the U.S. Constitution? "Common Sense" The Pentagon Papers "Innocents Abroad" The Federalist Papers Name one war fought by the United States in the 1800s. War of 1812 Mexican American War Civil War Spanish-American War All of the above What territory did the United States buy from France in 1803? Louisiana Alaska Texas Florida Name one of the things that Abraham Lincoln did. Saved (or preserved) the Union. Freed the slaves. Led the U.S. during the Civil War. All of the above Name the U.S. war between the North and the South. The Civil War The War of 1812 The Vietnam War The Spanish-American War Name one problem that led to the Civil War. Slavery Economic reasons States' rights All of the above What did the Emancipation Proclamation do? Allowed workers to unionize. Freed slaves in the Confederate states. Gave women the right to vote. Created the Freedom of Information act Name one war fought by the United States in the 1900s. World War I World War II Korean War Vietnam War All of the above Who was President during World War I? Franklin Delano Roosevelt Jimmy Carter Woodrow Wilson William Howard Taft The United States fought Japan, Germany, and Italy during which war? World War I World War II The Korean War The Civil War What was the main concern of the United States during the Cold War? Global cooling. Overuse of refrigeration. Glacial retreat. The spread of communism. What major event happened on September 11, 2001, in the United States? The stock market crashed. The Internet was invented. An assassination attempt was made on the president's life. Terrorists attacked The United States. What international organization was established after World War II to keep the world at peace? The United Nations The World Police NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) The Secret Service What alliance of North America and European countries was created during the Cold War? The United Nations NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) The Royal Air Force AFL-CIO Who was President during the Great Depression and World War II? Herbert Hoover Woodrow Wilson Harry Truman Franklin Roosevelt What did Martin Luther King Jr. do? He ran for U.S. President. He was a tobacco farmer. He fought for civil rights. He freed the slaves. Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream for America. What was his dream? Equality for all Americans. That everyone would be wealthy. That all citizens would learn a second language. That all 50 states would share resources with each other. What movement tried to end racial discrimination? The Abolition Movement The Asian American Movement The Harlem Renaissance The civil rights movement Name the two longest rivers in the United States. The Ohio and Wabash The Colorado and Arkansas The Suwanee and Tennessee The Missouri and Mississippi What ocean is on the west coast of the United States? The Atlantic Ocean The Indian Ocean The Arctic Ocean The Pacific Ocean Where is the Grand Canyon? Arizona The Southwest On the Colorado River All of the above Why does the flag have 13 stripes? Because there were 13 original colonies. Because that's all that would fit. There were 13 signers of the Declaration of Independence Betsy Ross had 13 children. Why does the flag have 50 stars? To represent the 50 ethnic groups in the U.S. There is one star for each state. To represent the number of American Indian tribes. There were 50 original pilgrims.
The Adobe Flash Player is required to view this multimedia interactive. Get it here.