All US practice questions
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Principles of government
- Which document outranks every other law in the United States?
- If a state law conflicts with the Constitution, the state law wins.
- The Constitution begins with three words. What are they?
- The Declaration of Independence says governments get their just powers from what?
- The Declaration of Independence says people have the right to change a government that harms their rights.
- What does the Declaration of Independence say about all people at birth?
- The Declaration of Independence says that people's rights come from the government.
- The Constitution promises every state a government of which form?
- Which goal is named in the Preamble to the Constitution?
- The Preamble says the Constitution was established by the people of the United States.
- A formal change to the Constitution is called what?
- What share of the states must ratify a proposed amendment?
- How many amendments make up the Bill of Rights?
- A student counts every amendment, the Bill of Rights included. What total does the student get?
- Which article of the Constitution creates the legislative branch?
- Article II of the Constitution gives the executive power to whom?
- Which article of the Constitution sets up the judicial branch?
- The Constitution divides power among three branches. What is the main reason?
- A bill passes Congress, and the President vetoes it. What share of each house can pass it again?
- The President can make a treaty without the Senate.
- Which group must approve the President's choice of a Supreme Court judge?
- Which part of Congress has the sole power to impeach?
- Which body holds the trial after an official is impeached?
- What vote is needed in the Senate to convict an impeached official?
- The Tenth Amendment says that powers not given to the federal government belong to whom?
- A state may make a treaty with a foreign country on its own.
- Federal laws and treaties made under the Constitution are also part of the supreme law.
- A mayor breaks a city law. What does the rule of law say?
- Judges in every state must follow the U.S. Constitution.
- Which of these documents influenced the writing of the U.S. Constitution?
- "We the People" is an example of which idea?
- Because the Constitution lists some rights, people have no other rights.
System of government
- Which pair of bodies together form Congress?
- A new state joins the Union. How many senators will it elect?
- A senator wins an election. For how many years does the senator then serve?
- A new Representative wins office. After how many years must the seat be voted on again?
- Today, voters in each state elect their senators directly.
- What is the minimum age to serve in the House of Representatives?
- How old must a person be to become President?
- A naturalized citizen can serve as President.
- How long is a presidential term?
- Which amendment limits how many times a person can be elected President?
- Who leads the Senate as its President but votes only to break a tie?
- In which house of Congress must bills for raising money begin?
- A bill has passed both houses of Congress. Who signs it to make it law?
- Congress has the power to declare war.
- Which power belongs to Congress?
- Which power does Congress have over immigration?
- Which of these does the Constitution let Congress do?
- What does the Constitution say a President does as head of the armed forces?
- Which power over crimes belongs to the President?
- What duty does the Constitution give the President about laws?
- Which promise is in the oath the President takes?
- The heads of federal departments meet as the Cabinet. What do they do for the President?
- Article III creates one top court. What is it called?
- Under Article III, how long do federal judges hold their offices?
- What is the purpose of a lifetime appointment for a Supreme Court justice?
- How many justices sit on the U.S. Supreme Court?
- Which task do federal courts perform?
- Federal criminal trials, except impeachments, must be held by a jury.
- What does the Constitution require to convict a person of treason, without a confession?
- What decides how many House seats a state gets?
- What is the reason for two-year terms in the House?
- How many electors does each state get in the Electoral College?
- The President dies in office. Who becomes President?
- The Vice President post is empty. Who nominates a new Vice President?
- Congress must meet at least once every year.
- A member of Congress can be expelled by a two thirds vote of his or her own house.
- Under the Tenth Amendment, which of these is a state job?
Rights and responsibilities
- Which freedom lets people say what they think without government punishment?
- The First Amendment says Congress may not set up an official religion.
- The First Amendment lets people ask the government to fix a problem. What is this right called?
- Which amendment protects the right to keep and bear arms?
- In peacetime, the army may place soldiers in a private home without the owner's consent.
- What must police usually have before they search a person's home?
- Which right does the Fifth Amendment give a person accused of a crime?
- The Fifth Amendment allows a person to be tried twice for the same crime.
- Under the Fifth Amendment, what must the government pay when it takes private property for public use?
- In a criminal trial, which right does the Sixth Amendment give the accused?
- The Eighth Amendment forbids cruel and unusual punishments.
- Which amendment ended slavery in the United States?
- Under the 14th Amendment, who is a citizen of the United States?
- The 15th Amendment says the right to vote cannot be denied because of what?
- Which amendment gave women the right to vote?
- What did the 24th Amendment end for federal elections?
- What is the minimum voting age in the United States?
- The Constitution allows a religious test to qualify for federal office.
- Congress may pass a law that punishes an act that was legal when it was done.
- Which writ protects a prisoner's right to challenge detention in court?
- Jury service and voting in federal elections are limited to which group?
- The Pledge of Allegiance promises loyalty to the President.
- Which promise do new citizens make in the Oath of Allegiance?
- Which amendment lets Congress tax incomes?
- Which civic duty is required by law for men from 18 through 25?
- A resident wants to take part in public life. Which action does that?
- Which of these is one right of everyone living in the United States?
Colonial period and independence
- Which reason brought many colonists to America?
- Before European ships arrived, which people already lived in America?
- Which group of people was taken from their homes and sold as slaves in America?
- Americans fought a war to win freedom from Britain. What is this war called?
- Which action by Britain helped push the colonists toward independence?
- Which complaint about the King appears in the Declaration of Independence?
- The Declaration complains that the King kept standing armies in peacetime without what?
- The Declaration says the King blocked a law that would help which group move to America?
- Which person was the main writer of the Declaration of Independence?
- On what date did the Continental Congress adopt the Declaration of Independence?
- Which three rights does the Declaration name among the rights people have from their Creator?
- In the Declaration, the colonies said they were free from loyalty to which power?
- At the end of the Declaration, what did the signers promise each other?
- Which battle was an important event of the American Revolution?
- Where did the British army surrender in the American Revolution?
- Georgia was one of the 13 original states.
- Which state was one of the 13 original states?
- The Constitution was signed in which year?
- Who was one of the writers of the Federalist Papers?
- What did the essays of the Federalist Papers do for readers?
- Which job did Benjamin Franklin hold?
- Which person led the Continental Army?
- Benjamin Franklin was the president of the Constitutional Convention.
- Which person is called the Father of the Constitution?
- Who was the first Secretary of the Treasury?
- James Madison founded the University of Virginia.
The 1800s
- The United States bought Louisiana in 1803. Which country sold it?
- The Louisiana Purchase made the United States about half as large.
- Which president led the country during the War of 1812?
- Which of these wars took place between 1800 and 1899?
- In which war did Union states fight Confederate states?
- Which event happened during the Civil War?
- President Lincoln was assassinated.
- Which president delivered the Gettysburg Address?
- Which group of people did the Emancipation Proclamation free?
- The 13th Amendment was ratified in 1913.
- The 13th Amendment lets Congress enforce the ban on slavery with laws.
- What must no State deny to any person within its jurisdiction, under the 14th Amendment?
- Under the 14th Amendment, a State may take a person's liberty without due process of law.
- How can Congress remove the 14th Amendment ban on office for people who joined a rebellion?
- The 14th Amendment says the United States must pay any claim for the loss of a freed slave.
- In which year was the 15th Amendment ratified?
- Which of these people led the push for women's rights in the 1800s?
- Sojourner Truth was a leader of the women's rights movement in the 1800s.
- The Constitution said Congress could not ban the importation of certain persons before which year?
Recent history
- Which of these wars took place between 1900 and 1999?
- Which event helped bring the United States into World War I?
- The 19th Amendment was ratified in which year?
- Which description fits the Great Depression?
- Which event is linked to the start of the Great Depression?
- Which president led the United States as it entered World War II?
- Which attack led the United States to enter World War II?
- In World War II, the United States fought on the side of the Axis Powers.
- Which president signed the 1956 law that created the Interstate System?
- Which country was the main rival of the United States in the Cold War?
- Which worry shaped U.S. policy during the Cold War?
- In 1950, the United States joined the fighting in Korea. What was its aim?
- The United States entered the Vietnam War to stop attacks on its civilian ships.
- The civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s worked toward what goal?
- Martin Luther King, Jr. worked for which goal?
- What was the goal of the United States in the Persian Gulf War?
- Which event struck the United States on September 11, 2001?
- Which was a U.S. military conflict after the September 11 attacks?
- Which of these is an American Indian tribe?
- Landing on the moon is listed as an American innovation.
- The 18th Amendment banned the making and selling of alcohol for drinking.
- Which amendment repealed the 18th Amendment?
Symbols and holidays
- Which city is home to the White House and the Capitol?
- The Constitution lets the seat of government sit in a district. How large can it be?
- Visitors see the Statue of Liberty in which place?
- Each stripe on the U.S. flag stands for what?
- Each star on the U.S. flag stands for one state.
- Which song is the national anthem of the United States?
- Which English phrase has the same meaning as E Pluribus Unum?
- What does Independence Day celebrate?
- Which holiday honors soldiers who died in military service?
- Veterans Day honors only soldiers who died in military service.
- Which of these is a national U.S. holiday?
- Juneteenth is a national U.S. holiday.
- Presidents Day is also called Washington's Birthday.