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WorksheetsAMERICAN GOVERNMENT — Citizenship Questions
Total questions: 122
Worksheet time: 1hrs 4mins
What is the form of government of the United States?
Republic
Monarchy
Direct democracy
Military junta
What is the supreme law of the land?
U.S. Constitution
Declaration of Independence
Articles of Confederation
Federalist Papers
Name one thing the U.S. Constitution does.
Forms the government
Chooses the President every four years
Sets state tax rates
Creates political parties
The U.S. Constitution starts with the words “We the People.” What does “We the People” mean?
Popular sovereignty
Rule by kings
Government by the military
Political parties control government
How are changes made to the U.S. Constitution?
Amendments
Executive orders
Judicial opinions
Treaties
What does the Bill of Rights protect?
The basic rights of Americans
Only the rights of elected officials
Only the rights of citizens born in the U.S.
State governments’ powers
How many amendments does the U.S. Constitution have?
Twenty-seven
Ten
Twenty
Thirty
Why is the Declaration of Independence important?
It says America is free from British control
It creates the Supreme Court
It establishes the income tax
It sets the number of states
What founding document said the American colonies were free from Britain?
Declaration of Independence
Bill of Rights
U.S. Constitution
Magna Carta
Name two important ideas from the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution.
Equality
Liberty
Hereditary monarchy
Unlimited government
The words “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness” are in what founding document?
Declaration of Independence
U.S. Constitution
Articles of Confederation
Federalist Papers
What is the economic system of the United States?
Capitalism
Command economy
Feudalism
State socialism
What is the rule of law?
Everyone must follow the law
Only leaders must follow the law
Only citizens must follow the law
No one must follow the law
Many documents influenced the U.S. Constitution. Name one.
Declaration of Independence
Domesday Book
Napoleonic Code
Magna Carta only
There are three branches of government. Why?
Checks and balances so one part does not become too powerful
To give the President more power than Congress
To let states control federal laws
To eliminate judicial review
Name the three branches of government.
Legislative, executive, and judicial
Federal, state, and local
Domestic, foreign, and defense
Tax, budget, and courts
The President of the United States is in charge of which branch of government?
Executive branch
Legislative branch
Judicial branch
State governments
What part of the federal government writes laws?
U.S. Congress
Supreme Court
President’s Cabinet
State governors
What are the two parts of the U.S. Congress?
Senate and House of Representatives
Supreme Court and Cabinet
State legislature and governor
House of Lords and Commons
Name one power of the U.S. Congress.
Writes laws
Appoints federal judges
Commands the armed forces
Interprets the Constitution
How many U.S. senators are there?
One hundred
Fifty
Four hundred thirty-five
Two hundred
How long is a term for a U.S. senator?
Six years
Two years
Four years
Eight years
Who is one of your state’s U.S. senators now?
The state’s senior U.S. senator
The state’s junior U.S. senator
The state’s governor
The Speaker of the House
How many voting members are in the House of Representatives?
Four hundred thirty-five
One hundred
Fifty
Two hundred fifty
How long is a term for a member of the House of Representatives?
Two years
Four years
Six years
Eight years
Why do U.S. representatives serve shorter terms than U.S. senators?
To more closely follow public opinion
Because the House has fewer members
To reduce campaign costs
Because the Constitution limits them to one term
How many senators does each state have?
Two
One
Three
Four
Why does each state have two senators?
Equal representation for states
Population-based representation
To give large states more power
To match the number of House seats
Name your U.S. representative.
The elected representative for your congressional district
The state’s lieutenant governor
Any U.S. senator from your state
The Vice President
What is the name of the Speaker of the House of Representatives now?
Visit uscis.gov/citizenship/testupdates for the current name
It never changes
It is printed in the Constitution
It is chosen by the Supreme Court
Who does a U.S. senator represent?
People of their state
Only people from their district
Only federal employees
Citizens of all states
Who elects U.S. senators?
Citizens of their state
Members of the House
The President
State governors
Who does a member of the House of Representatives represent?
Citizens in their congressional district
Citizens of the entire state
Only registered party members
The federal courts
Who elects members of the House of Representatives?
Citizens from their congressional district
The Electoral College
State legislatures
The President
Some states have more representatives than other states. Why?
Because they have more people
Because they are larger in land area
Because they pay more federal taxes
Because they have more counties
The President of the United States is elected for how many years?
Four years
Two years
Six years
Eight years
The President of the United States can serve only two terms. Why?
Because of the 22nd Amendment
Because of the Supreme Court
Because Congress limits it by law
Because of tradition only
What is the name of the President of the United States now?
Visit uscis.gov/citizenship/testupdates for the current name
The Vice President’s name
It is set by the Federalist Papers
It changes only after ten years
What is the name of the Vice President of the United States now?
Kamala Harris
Kevin McCarthy
John Roberts
Antony Blinken
If the president can no longer serve, who becomes president?
The Vice President
The Speaker of the House
The Chief Justice
The Secretary of State
Name one power of the president.
Signs bills into law
Writes constitutional amendments
Elects members of Congress
Sets state tax rates
Who is Commander in Chief of the U.S. military?
The President
The Secretary of Defense
The Chief of Staff of the Army
The Vice President
Who signs bills to become laws?
The President
The Speaker of the House
The Chief Justice
State governors
Who vetoes bills?
The President
The Senate Majority Leader
The Secretary of State
The Vice President
Who appoints federal judges?
The President
The Senate Majority Leader
The Chief Justice
State legislatures
The executive branch has many parts. Name one.
The President
Cabinet
Federal departments and agencies
Supreme Court
What does the President’s Cabinet do?
Advises the President
Writes federal laws
Conducts federal elections
Decides state budgets
What are two Cabinet-level positions? Select all that apply.
Attorney General
Secretary of State
Secretary of Education
Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency
Speaker of the House
Why is the Electoral College important?
It decides who is elected president.
It chooses Supreme Court justices.
It writes federal laws.
It appoints Cabinet members.
What is one part of the judicial branch?
Supreme Court
Department of Defense
House of Representatives
Cabinet
What does the judicial branch do? Select all that apply.
Reviews laws
Explains laws
Resolves disputes about the law
Decides if a law goes against the U.S. Constitution
Writes laws
What is the highest court in the United States?
Supreme Court
Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces
Federal District Court
State Supreme Court
How many seats are on the Supreme Court?
Nine
Seven
Eleven
Five
How many Supreme Court justices are usually needed to decide a case?
Five
Three
Seven
Nine
How long do Supreme Court justices serve?
For life
A fixed 10-year term
Until age 70
Two 6-year terms
Supreme Court justices serve for life. Why? Select all that apply.
To be independent of politics
To limit outside political influence
To allow Congress to control decisions
To ensure quick turnover
Who is the Chief Justice of the United States now?
John Roberts
Sonia Sotomayor
Merrick Garland
Kamala Harris
Name one power that is only for the federal government.
Declare war
Issue driver’s licenses
Approve local zoning
Run public schools
Name one power that is only for the states.
Provide schooling and education
Make treaties
Mint coins
Set foreign policy
What is the purpose of the 10th Amendment?
Powers not given to the federal government belong to the states or to the people.
It guarantees freedom of speech.
It abolishes slavery.
It gives women the right to vote.
Who is the governor of your state now?
Answers vary by state (D.C. does not have a governor)
John Roberts
Kamala Harris
The U.S. Secretary of State
What is the capital of your state?
Answers vary by state or territory (D.C. is not a state and does not have a capital)
Washington, D.C.
New York City
Los Angeles
There are four amendments to the U.S. Constitution about who can vote. Which statements reflect these amendments? Select all that apply.
Citizens eighteen (18) and older can vote.
You don’t have to pay a poll tax to vote.
Any citizen can vote; both 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? Select all that apply.
Citizens
Citizens of the United States
U.S. citizens
Lawful permanent residents
Which are rights of everyone living in the United States? Select all that apply.
Freedom of expression
Freedom of speech
Freedom of assembly
Freedom to petition the government
Freedom of religion
What do we show loyalty to when we say the Pledge of Allegiance? Select all that apply.
The United States
The flag
Which promises do new citizens make in the Oath of Allegiance? Select all that apply.
Give up loyalty to other countries
Defend the U.S. Constitution
Obey the laws of the United States
Serve in the military if needed
How can people become United States citizens? Select all that apply.
Be born in the United States under conditions set by the 14th Amendment
Naturalize
Derive citizenship under conditions set by Congress
Which are examples of civic participation in the United States? Select all that apply.
Vote
Run for office
Join a political party
Help with a campaign
Join a civic group
Which is one way Americans can serve their country? Select all that apply.
Vote
Pay taxes
Obey the law
Serve in the military
Why is it important to pay federal taxes? Select all that apply.
It is required by law.
All people pay to fund the federal government.
It is required by the U.S. Constitution (16th Amendment).
It is a civic duty.
Why is it important for all men age 18 through 25 to register for the Selective Service? Select all that apply.
It is required by law.
It is a civic duty.
It makes the draft fair, if needed.
The colonists came to America for many reasons. Name one.
Freedom
Seeking positions in British Parliament
To avoid jury duty
To join the royal army
Who lived in America before the Europeans arrived?
American Indians
European colonists
Africans brought by the Atlantic trade
Pacific Islanders
What group of people was taken and sold as slaves?
People from Africa
Native Americans from the Great Plains
Indentured servants from Europe
Merchants from Asia
What war did the Americans fight to win independence from Britain?
American Revolution
War of 1812
Spanish-American War
French and Indian War
Name one reason why the Americans declared independence from Britain.
Taxation without representation
Desire to remain under royal governors
Support for quartering British soldiers
Preference for British tariffs
Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?
Thomas Jefferson
George Washington
John Adams
Benjamin Franklin
When was the Declaration of Independence adopted?
July 4, 1776
September 17, 1787
April 12, 1861
October 19, 1781
There were 13 original states. Name five.
New York
Virginia
Massachusetts
Georgia
Pennsylvania
What founding document was written in 1787?
U.S. Constitution
Declaration of Independence
Bill of Rights
Articles of Confederation
The Federalist Papers supported the passage of the U.S. Constitution. Name one of the writers.
Alexander Hamilton
Patrick Henry
Thomas Paine
George Mason
Why were the Federalist Papers important?
They helped people understand the U.S. Constitution.
They declared independence from Britain.
They created the first political parties.
They abolished the Articles of Confederation without debate.
George Washington is famous for many things. Name one.
First president of the United States
Author of the Declaration of Independence
Writer of the Emancipation Proclamation
Leader of the Confederate Army
Thomas Jefferson is famous for many things. Name one.
Writer of the Declaration of Independence
First Secretary of the Treasury
Commander of the Continental Army
Founder of the Federal Reserve
James Madison is famous for many things. Name one.
“Father of the Constitution”
Leader of the Confederate States
Discoverer of the Louisiana Territory
Author of the Monroe Doctrine
What territory did the United States buy from France in 1803?
Louisiana Territory
Oregon Territory
Alaska
Florida
Name the U.S. war between the North and the South.
The Civil War
The Revolutionary War
The War of 1812
The Spanish–American War
The Civil War had many important events. Name one.
Battle of Gettysburg
Battle of the Bulge
Bay of Pigs Invasion
Battle of Yorktown
Abraham Lincoln is famous for many things. Name one.
Delivered the Gettysburg Address
First President of the United States
Wrote the Declaration of Independence
Commanded the Confederate Army
What did the Emancipation Proclamation do?
Freed the slaves
Gave women the right to vote
Created the Supreme Court
Declared independence from Britain
What U.S. war ended slavery?
The Civil War
World War II
The War of 1812
The Spanish–American 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
10th Amendment
12th Amendment
1st Amendment
When did all men get the right to vote?
After the Civil War
During Reconstruction
With the 15th Amendment
1870
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)
To gain new colonies in Africa
To expand trade with Asia
When did all women get the right to vote?
1920
After World War I
With the 19th Amendment
During the Civil War
What was the Great Depression?
Longest economic recession in modern history
A brief recession in the late 1990s
A period of rapid economic growth during the 1920s
A short downturn following World War II
When did the Great Depression start?
The Great Crash (1929)
Stock market crash of 1929
Banking crisis of 1933
Oil shock of 1973
Who was president during the Great Depression and World War II?
Franklin Roosevelt
Herbert Hoover
Harry Truman
Dwight Eisenhower
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)
To acquire new colonies in South America
Dwight Eisenhower is famous for many things. Name one.
General during World War II
President at the end of the Korean War
34th president of the United States
Signed the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 (Created the Interstate System)
Drafted the Emancipation Proclamation
Who was the United States’ main rival during the Cold War?
Soviet Union
USSR
Russia
United Kingdom
During the Cold War, what was one main concern of the United States?
Communism
Nuclear war
Restoring monarchies in Europe
Why did the United States enter the Korean War?
To stop the spread of communism
To acquire territory in East Asia
To restore a monarchy in Korea
To expand trade with Europe
Why did the United States enter the Vietnam War?
To stop the spread of communism
To control oil exports from Southeast Asia
To establish a protectorate over Vietnam
To build naval bases on Pacific islands
What did the civil rights movement do?
Fought to end racial discrimination
Sought to expand colonial rule
Promoted segregation laws
Advocated for nuclear rearmament
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
Drafted the U.S. Constitution
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
A major hurricane struck Florida
Why does the flag have 13 stripes?
To honor the 13 original colonies
To represent the first 13 presidents
To mark 13 major wars
To symbolize the first 13 amendments
Why does the flag have 50 stars?
There is one star for each state
There is one star for each president
There is one star for each U.S. territory
The stars are decorative without specific meaning
What is the name of the national anthem?
The Star-Spangled Banner
America the Beautiful
God Bless America
Yankee Doodle
The Nation’s first motto was “E Pluribus Unum.” What does that mean?
Out of many, one
From the people, power
In God we trust
Unity through strength
What is Independence Day?
A holiday to celebrate U.S. independence
A day to honor veterans
The start of the school year
A tax filing deadline
Which of the following are national U.S. holidays? Select all that apply.
New Year’s Day
Juneteenth
Independence Day
Labor Day
Tax Day
What is Memorial Day?
A holiday to honor soldiers who died in military service
A holiday to celebrate the harvest
A holiday to honor living veterans
A holiday to start summer vacations
What is Veterans Day?
A holiday to honor people who have served in the U.S. military
A holiday to honor soldiers who died in military service
A holiday to celebrate independence from Britain
A day to elect the President
The national government of the United States is divided into three branches. These branches are
federal, state, and local
international, federal, and local
interstate, state, and intrastate
executive, legislative, and judicial
Which branch of government is responsible for enforcing the laws?
judicial
executive
legislative
international
The president belongs to which branch of the government?
congress
executive
judicial
legislative
The Congress belongs to which branch of government?
judicial
executive
legislative
supreme court
Which branch is responsible for deciding what the laws mean?
the judicial branch
the legislative branch
the international branch
the executive branch
The mayor belongs to which branch of government?
judicial
executive
legislative
city council
