Basic Civics Quiz

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Please attempt to answer these questions without referring to external sources as we are attempting to determine correlations between knowledge and education levels. Most of the questions are adapted from the USCIS test for becoming a naturalized citizen. This is a difficult test with a couple of "trick" questions. Though there might be multiple acceptable answers for certain questions, there will be one clearly accurate answer for every question.

The more that people take this test, the more accurate and diverse the results will become. Please share with your friends and family!

This test should take approximately five minutes to complete.

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Question 1

What are the three branches of government?

A	Executive, legislative, military.
B	Bureaucratic, military, industrial.
C	Federal, state, local.
D	Federal, legislative, judicial.
E	Executive, legislative, judicial.

Question 1 Explanation:

The U.S. Constitution establishes three branches of government with specific duties for each branch. They are:

Legislative - makes the law; comprised of Congress.
Executive - enforces the law; comprised of the President, Vice President, Cabinet, and permanent bureaucracy.
Judicial - evaluates the law; comprised of the Supreme Court.

Question 2

The phrase, “powers not delegated to the United States … are reserved … to the people” appears in:

A	the Bill of Rights.
B	Thomas Jefferson's letters.
C	the Declaration of Independence.
D	the Constitution.
E	the Articles of Confederation.

Question 2 Explanation:

This phrase is included in the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution. While the answer "the Constitution" is technically true, the more precise answer is the Bill of Rights.

"The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people."

Question 3

The United States Electoral College:

A	is a constitutionally mandated assembly that elects the president.
B	was established to supervise the presidential debates.
C	trains those aspiring for higher political office.
D	was ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.
E	is otherwise known as the U.S. Congress.

Question 3 Explanation:

Though not specifically referred to as the "Electoral College," Article II, Section 1 of the Constitution establishes the procedure for electing the President through "electors." The term Electoral College was codified in 3 U.S.C. § 4.

Question 4

The Federalist Papers were written to:

A	support the Missouri Compromise.
B	oppose ratification of the U.S. Constitution.
C	support ratification of the U.S. Constitution.
D	support America’s independence from Britain.
E	oppose America’s independence from Britain.

Question 4 Explanation:

The Federalist Papers are a collection of 85 articles and essays written under the pseudonym Publius by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay promoting the ratification of the United States Constitution.

Question 5

What is federalism?

A	A set of essays defending the Constitution.
B	A political system where the national government has ultimate power.
C	A political system where state and national governments share power.
D	A political party at the time of the Founding.
E	The belief that America should be unified with a federal government.

Question 5 Explanation:

Federalism refers to a system of government in which sovereignty is constitutionally shared between a central governing authority and constituent political units such as states or provinces.

Question 6

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

A	The Ten Commandments.
B	The List of Ten.
C	The Bill of Lading.
D	The Bill of Rights.
E	The Articles of Confederation.

Question 6 Explanation:

The Bill of Rights adds certain safeguards of democracy to the Constitution. Specifically, guarantees of personal freedoms and rights, clear limitations on the government's power in judicial and other proceedings, and explicit declarations that all powers not specifically delegated to Congress by the Constitution are reserved for the states or the people.

Question 7

What part of the government has the power to declare war?

A	The Supreme Court.
B	The President.
C	The voters.
D	The Joint Chiefs of Staff.
E	Congress.

Question 7 Explanation:

Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution states that "Congress shall have Power ... To declare War." This is often confused with Article II, Section 2 which states that "The President shall be Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States."

Question 8

How many legislators are in Congress?

A	100 Senators, 350 Representatives
B	435 Senators, 100 Representatives
C	50 Senators, 435 Representatives
D	50 Senators, 500 Representatives
E	100 Senators, 435 Representatives

Question 8 Explanation:

Congress is comprised of two houses: the Senate and the House of Representatives. Each state, regardless of population or size, has two senators, giving 100 Senators. Congressional districts are apportioned to states by population using the United States Census results and each state has at least one congressional representative. The House of Representatives regularly increased the number of Representatives to account for population growth until it fixed the number of voting House members at 435 in 1911. There are six non-voting members from U.S. territories and the District of Columbia.

Question 9

What impact did the Anti-Federalists have on the United States Constitution?

A	They forced inclusion of a Supreme Court able to determine issues of Constitutionality of law.
B	Their influence ensured that the federal government would have the power to tax.
C	Their arguments helped lead to the abolition of the slave trade.
D	Their arguments helped lead to the adoption of the Bill of Rights.
E	Their influence ensured that the federal government would maintain a standing army.

Question 9 Explanation:

The Anti-Federalists were opposed to a strong central government, fearing that the President would become a new king and that individual freedoms would be curtailed. Numerous specific limitations on government powers were included as amendments which became known as the Bill of Rights.

Question 10

The First Amendment does what?

A	Protects the right to bear arms.
B	Prohibits cruel and unusual punishments.
C	Prohibits Congress from abridging freedom of the press.
D	Declares a separation of church and state.
E	Grants freedom of speech.

Question 10 Explanation:

Admittedly, this was a "trick" question. The Bill of Rights confers no rights upon the people; rather, it places specific restrictions on the government. The First Amendment does not "grant" freedom of speech to the people because it was recognized as a pre-existing right. It also does not demand a separation of church and state, but simply that the U.S. cannot establish an official religion or deny the practice of religion.

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

Question 11

How many amendments does the Constitution have?

A	27
B	43
C	51
D	10
E	33

Question 11 Explanation:

The 27th Amendment was ratified on May 5, 1992.

Question 12

What did the Declaration of Independence do?

A	Declared independence from Great Britain.
B	Seceded the Southern states from the Union.
C	Declared independence from France.
D	Formed a pact with Great Britain.
E	Ended the American Revolution.

Question 12 Explanation:

The United States Declaration of Independence is a statement announcing that the Thirteen Colonies then at war with Great Britain were no longer a part of the British Empire. Written primarily by Thomas Jefferson, the Declaration is a formal explanation of why Congress had voted to declare independence from Great Britain more than a year after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War.

Question 13

What are two rights in the Declaration of Independence?

A	Free Press, Life.
B	Life, Liberty.
C	Liberty, Right to Vote.
D	Free Speech, Pursuit of happiness.
E	Bear Arms, Right to Vote.

Question 13 Explanation:

"We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness."

Question 14

When was the Declaration of Independence adopted?

A	1941
B	1789
C	1776
D	1787
E	1774

Question 14 Explanation:

The United States Declaration of Independence was adopted by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776.

Question 15

Which were three of the original 13 states?

A	Virginia, Georgia, Florida
B	Massachusetts, California, Florida
C	New York, Virginia, Vermont.
D	New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Virginia
E	New York, New Jersey, Maine

Question 15 Explanation:

The first thirteen states were: Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Massachusetts, Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Delaware, New York, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Connecticut.

Question 16

What happened at the Constitutional Convention?

A	The Articles of Confederation were ratified.
B	The Declaration of Independence was written.
C	The Magna Carta was signed.
D	The Constitution was written.
E	The Constitution was ratified.

Question 16 Explanation:

Also known as the Philadelphia Convention, the result of the Convention was the creation of the United States Constitution. Although the Convention was intended to revise the Articles of Confederation, from the outset of many of its proponents desired to create a new government rather than fix the existing one.

Question 17

When was the Constitution written?

A	1802
B	1789
C	1787
D	1776
E	1781

Question 17 Explanation:

The Constitution was written at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from May 25 to September 17, 1787.

Question 18

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

A	Spanish-American War
B	The American Revolution
C	The French and Indian War
D	The Korean War
E	World War I

Question 18 Explanation:

The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, the result of U.S. intervention in the Cuban War of Independence.

Question 19

In 1933 Franklin Delano Roosevelt proposed a series of government programs that became known as:

A	The Great Society.
B	The New Frontier.
C	The Square Deal.
D	The New Deal.
E	Reconstruction.

Question 19 Explanation:

The New Deal was a series of domestic programs enacted in the United States between 1933 and 1938. They included both laws passed by Congress as well as presidential executive orders during the first term of President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Question 20

I self identify as the following political ideology:

A	Communist
B	Democrat
C	Republican
D	Anarchist
E	Socialist
F	Libertarian
G	Independent
H	Other

Question 21

The highest level of education I have completed is:

A	Bachelor's Degree
B	High School
C	Associate Degree
D	Master's Degree
E	Doctoral Degree

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True liberty does not currently exist. Reclaim it through education and civil disobedience!

True liberty does not currently exist. Reclaim it through education and civil disobedience!

Basic Civics Quiz

Basic Civics Quiz