Posted on 11/03/2005 9:51:09 AM PST by B4Ranch
What do you know about our form of government?
What’s Your Constitution IQ?: Test #1
1. Our country’s first constitution was called:
a. the Articles of Confederation
b. the Declaration of Independence
c. the “Federalist Papers”
d. the Emancipation Proclamation
2. The Constitutional Convention met in:
a. New York
b. Philadelphia
c. Washington, D.C.
d. Boston
3. The Articles of Confederation did not provide for:
a. courts
b. Congress
c. laws
d. making treaties
4. The president of the meeting called to change the Articles of the Confederation was:
a. James Madison
b. Robert Morris
c. George Washington
d. Benjamin Franklin
5. The number of men who signed the Constitution was:
a. 39
b. 13
c. 48
d. 12
6. The number of main branches in our
government is:
a. 6
b. 21
c. 7
d. 3
7. The legislative branch of our government
is called:
a. the Cabinet
b. Congress
c. Supreme Court
d. the F.B.I.
8. The number of amendments the Congress added to the Constitution in 1791 was:
a. 3
b. 1
c. 10
d. 13
9. Laws for the United States are made by:
a. the President
b. the Senate
c. Congress
d. the Supreme Court
10. The length of term of members of the House of Representatives is:
a. 2 years
b. 6 years
c. 4 years
d. 5 years
11. A member of the House of Representatives must have been a citizen of the United States for at least:
a. 7 years
b. 5 years
c. 1 year
d. 10 years
12. The Speaker of the House is chosen by:
a. the President
b. the Senate
c. the House of Representatives
d. the Chief Justice
13. Senators are now elected by:
a. State Legislatures
b. the House of Representatives
c. State electors
d. the people
14. The length of a term of a Senator is:
a. 2 years
b. 4 years
c. 6 years
d. 8 years
15. A member of the U.S. Senate must be at least:
a. 21 years old
b. 25 years old
c. 30 years old
d. 35 years old
16. The President of the Senate is:
a. the oldest Senator
b. an elected Senator
c. the Chief Justice
d. the Vice-President of the United States
17. Money may be coined or printed only by:
a. Congress
b. the President
c. the States
d. the Attorney-General
18. The Constitution forbids the use of:
a. a veto
b. an oath
c. a preamble
d. a bill of attainder
19. The Constitution forbids States to:
a. make laws
b. coin money
c. use a sales tax
d. take a State census
20. An impeached man is found guilty by a vote of:
a. the entire Congress
b. a majority of the Senate
c. the entire Senate
d. two-thirds of the Senators present
21. In order to do their work, the House and Senate must have present:
a. three-fourths of the members.
b. two-thirds of the members
c. more than one-half of the members
d. all of the members
22. A record of each Senator’s or Representative’s
vote must be given if requested by:
a. one-half of the members
b. a majority of the members
c. two-thirds of the members
d. one-fifth of the members
23. Tax bills may be written only by:
a. the House of Representatives
b. the Secretary of the Treasury
c. the Senate
d. the President
24. After a bill has been sent to the President,it becomes a law if he does not send it
back within:
a. 10 days
b. 1 week
c. 15 days
d. 1 month
25. A law to punish a man for something that was not against the law when he did it is called:
a. an “ex post facto” law
b. a write of “habeas corpus”
c. a bill of attainder
d. a letter of reprisal
26. The length of the term of the President is:
a. 2 years
b. 4 years
c. 5 years
d. 6 years
27. The President’s term ends at noon on:
a. January 3
b. March 15
c. January 20
d. December 31
28. The longest possible time a person could now serve as President is:
a. 4 years
b. 8 years
c. 10 years
d. 12 years
29. A U.S. President must have lived in the United States at least:
a. 2 years
b. 5 years
c. 10 years
d. 14 years
30. The President may make a treaty provided he gets agreement from:
a. a majority of Congress
b. two-thirds of the Senators present
c. two-thirds of the House
d. a majority of the Senate
31. The Supreme Court has a Chief Justice and:
a. 4 associate justices
b. 6 associate justices
c. 8 associate justices
d. 9 associate justices
32. Questions about interpreting the Constitution
are finally settled by:
a. the Supreme Court
b. the U.S. District Courts
c. the President
d. the Circuit Courts of Appeals
33. The Constitution guarantees anybody who has committed a crime the right of:
a. selecting his own jury
b. trial by jury
c. choosing the judge
d. delaying his trial
34. To convict for treason, there must be at least:
a. one witness
b. two witnesses
c. three witnesses
d. four witnesses
35. Congress may propose an amendment to the Constitution whenever:
a. either House wants the amendment
b. Two-thirds of both Houses want it
c. the Senate wants it
d. the President wants it
36. An amendment may also become part of the Consititution by:
a. approval by conventions in three-fourths of
the States
b. demand of the President
c. approval by a majority of governors
d. vote of the Supreme Court
37. Nobody holding a United States of office shall ever have to pass a:
a. civil service test
b. religious test
c. mental test
d. age test
38. No person’s house or property may be searched without:
a. a bill of attainder
b. a government investigation
c. a search warrant
d. evidence of treason
39. A man accused of a crime in court has
a right to:
a. hear the witnesses against him
b. be tried wherever he wants
c. have any judge he wants
d. change courts
40. If the candidates for President have no majority of the electoral votes, the President is elected by:
a. the Cabinet
b. the House of Representatives
c. the Senate
d. the Supreme Court
41. The U.S. can punish a State which denies the right of citizens to vote by:
a. . ning it
b. putting it out of the Union
c. reducing the number of its Representatives
d. reducing the number of its Senators
42. The number of amendments to the Constitution is:
a. 7
b. 21
c. 27
d. 12
43. The Nineteenth Amendment protects the voting rights of:
a. new citizens
b. women
c. absentee voters
d. foreign-born citizens
44. The number of departments the President has in his Cabinet is:
a. 2
b. 14
c. 8
d. 10
45. Invoking the Fifth Amendment means an accused man:
a. refuses to testify against himself
b. refuses to be tried again
c. demands a grand jury
d. wants to appeal his case
46. The President’s oath is usually administered by:
a. the Attorney General
b. the Chief Justice
c. the Vice-President
d. the Secretary of State
47. The right of all citizens to vote, regardless of their race, is provided in Amendment:
a. 12
b. 15
c. 16
d. 18
48. The Constitution writers at first provided that the President be elected by:
a. the people
b. the Congress
c. State electors
d. the House of Representatives
49. The President whose election depended upon the vote of the House of Representatives was:
a. Thomas Jefferson
b. John Adams
c. George Washington
d. Aaron Burr
50. Our first Vice-President was:
a. Alexander Hamilton
b. Thomas Jefferson
c. Benjamin Franklin
d. John Adams
Answers
1. a. The Articles of Confederation
2. b. Philadelphia
3. a. courts
4. c. George Washington
5. a. 39
6. d. 3
7. b. Congress
8. c. 10
9. c. Congress
10. a. 2 years
11. a. 7 years
12. c. the House of Representatives
13. d. the people
14. c. 6 years
15. c. 30 years old
16. d. the Vice-President of the United States
17. a. Congress
18. d. a bill of attainder
19. b. coin money
20. d. two-thirds of the Senators present
21. c. more than one-half of the members
22. d. one-. fth of the members
23. a. the House of Representatives
24. a. 10 days
25. a. an “ex post facts” law
26. b. 4 years
27. c. January 20
28. c. 10 years
29. d. 14 years
30. b. two-thirds of the Senators present
31. c. 8 associate justices
32. a. the Supreme Court
33. b. trial by jury
34. b. two witnesses
35. b. two-thirds of both Houses want it
36. a. approval by conventions in three-fourths of the States
37. b. religious test
38. c. a search warrant
39. a. hear the witnesses against him
40. b. the House of Representatives
41. c. reducing the number of its Representatives
42. c. 27
43. b. women
44. b. 14
45. a. refuses to testify against himself
46. b. the Chief Justice
47. b. 15
48. c. State electors
49. a. Thomas Jefferson
50. d. John Adams
Ready to go for 25 more?
Test #2
1. The Constitutional Amendment which was later repealed is the:
a. Eighteenth
b. Fifteenth
c. Nineteenth
d. Twenty-second
2. The right to admit new States belongs to:
a. the Congress
b. the Supreme Court
c. the President
d. the State Department
3. Powers not given to the U.S. by the Constitution and not forbidden to the States
are reserved to:
a. the U.S. Court of Appeals
b. property owners
c. the States or the people
d. the Supreme Court
4. Congress must meet at least once every:
a. 4 years
b. 2 years
c. 6 years
d. year
5. The Bill of Rights is:
a. the . rst ten amendments
b. the Fifteenth Amendment
c. the entire Constitution
d. all of the amendments
6. The Constitution forbids Congress to lay a tax on:
a. goods sent by ship
b. liquor
c. goods sent from other countries
d. goods sent from one State to another
7. If neither the President nor the Vice-President can serve, the position would by filled by:
a. the Speaker of the House
b. the Chief Justice
c. the elected President of the Senate
d. the Secretary of State
8. All federal and state of. cers must swear to:
a. support the President
b. support the Constitution
c. do their work well
d. memorize the Constitution
9. The number of presidential electors a State gets is the same as:
a. the number of its Senators and Representatives
b. the number of its State Legislature
representatives
c. the number of its Senators
d. the number of its Representatives
10. The number of Representatives a State gets depends on:
a. the number of voters it has
b. the number of its Senators
c. how many it wants
d. the number of people it has
11. The constitution guarantees to every State:
a. legal help
b. a republican form of government
c. a pension system
d. freedom to make any law it wishes
12. A State may NOT:
a. collect taxes
b. keep a militia
c. build schools
d. grant a title of nobility
13. The Constitution became the law of the land in:
a. 1788
b. 1787
c. 1776
d. 1792
14. The man who did the . nal writing of the Constitution was:
a. Thomas Jefferson
b. John Hancock
c. Gouverneur Morris
d. Robert Morris
15. Congress shall make no law to:
a. set up a religion
b. regulate banks
c. tax incomes
d. pay pensions
16. The major department head who is appointed by the President to deal with foreign countries
is the:
a. Secretary of Defense
b. Secretary of State
c. Attorney General
d. Secretary of Commerce
17. If a President is impeached, the trial will be presided over by:
a. the Chief Justice
b. the Speaker of the House
c. the Senate President “pro tempore”
d. the Vice-President
18. The Constitutional Convention held its meetings in:
a. the Capitol
b. the White House
c. Independence Hall
d. Liberty Hall
19. Judges of the Supreme Court must be nominated by:
a. the Senate
b. the President
c. the Vice-President
d. the House of Representatives
20. One-third of the Senators are elected every:
a. 6 years
b. 3 years
c. 2 years
d. 4 years
21. An amendment becomes part of the
Constitution when it is ratifed by:
a. a majority of the Senate
b. two-thirds of the House of Representatives
c. three-fourths of the Congress
d. the Legislatures of three-fourths of the States
22. A member of the House of Representatives must be at least:
a. 21 years old
b. 30 years old
c. 25 years old
d. 35 years old
23. A U.S. President must be at least:
a. 21 years old
b. 25 years old
c. 35 years old
d. 30 years old
24. War may be declared only by:
a. the President
b. the Secretary of State
c. Congress
d. the Department of Defense
25. The number of articles in the Constitution is:
a. 7
b. 12
c. 21
d. 48
26. The President is elected if he:
a. wins a majority of the electoral votes
b. wins most of the country’s vote
c. wins all of the States’ votes
d. wins most of the States’ votes
27. An order making a jailer show that a man is in jail for a good reason is called a writ of:
a. attainder
b. capitation
c. “ex post facto” law
d. “habeas corpus”
28. A citizen of the U.S. is a person who:
a. is white and was born or naturalized here
b. pays taxes
c. owns property in the United States
d. was born or naturalized here
29. A member of the U.S. Senate must have been a citizen of the U.S. for at least:
a. 10 years
b. 7 years
c. 9 years
d. 12 years
30. All impeachments are tried by the:
a. Cabinet
b. Senate
c. Supreme Court
d. House of Representatives
31. The Commander-in-Chief of the army and navy is:
a. the Chief of Staff
b. the Secretary of State
c. the President
d. the Secretary of Defense
32. The main reason for wanting to change the Article of Confederation was to:
a. declare war on England
b. raise the tax rates
c. form a stronger government
d. form a congress
33. Rules for becoming a U.S. citizen may be made only by:
a. the Congress
b. the Supreme Court
c. the President
d. the States
34. No amendment could change equal representation in the Senate without:
a. payment of compensation
b. approval by the Cabinet
c. three-fourths vote of both houses
d. consent of the States involved
35. The vote needed to expel a member of the House or Senate is:
a. three-fourths
b. two-thirds
c. a majority
d. one-half
36. The courts may not take man’s life without:
a. a confession
b. a circuit judge’s agreement
c. evidence of treason
d. due process of law
37. We now make a count of our population every:
a. year
b. 2 years
c. 10 years
d. 5 years
38. Representatives from the States met to write a new constitution in:
a. 1781
b. 1865
c. 1787
d. 1777
39. A new nation’s government can be recognized only by:
a. the Secretary of Defense
b. the President
c. the Secretary of State
d. the Senate
40. The executive branch of our government is headed by:
a. the Chief Justice
b. the Speaker of the House
c. the Secretary of State
d. the President
41. In order to become a part of the Constitution, amendments now usually have to be rati. ed
by the State Legislatures with:
a. 10 years
b. 2 years
c. 6 months
d. 7 years
43. Congress can pass laws over the President’s veto if both Houses have a majority of:
a. over half
b. two-thirds
c. three-fifths
d. three-fourths
42. The length of term for a U.S. court judge is:
a. 6 years
b. 10 years
c. 4 years
d. life
44. The . rst Chief Justice of the Supreme Court was:
a. Patrick Henry
b. James Madison
c. John Jay
d. John Adams
45. Amendment 17 of the Constitution changed the election of Senators from:
a. State legislators to the people
b. Electoral College to the people
c. the people to the State legislators
d. State legislators to the Electoral College
46. The number of States represented by the
signers of the Constitution was:
a. 13
b. 12
c. 10
d. 7
47. The number of Senators each State shall have is:
a. 2
b. 3
c. 1
d. 5
48. The judicial branch of our government consists of:
a. the Supreme Court and U.S. courts
b. the Congress
c. the Senate
d. the Cabinet
49. Neither House, during the session of Congress, shall, without the consent of the other House, adjourn for more than:
a. 3 days
b. 10 days
c. 2 weeks
d. 1 month
50. Nobody may be elected President more than:
a. three times
b. twice
c. once
d. four times
Test #2 Answers
1. a. Eighteenth
2. a. the Congress
3. c. the States or the people
4. d. year
5. a. the first ten amendments
6. d. goods sent from one state to another
7. a. the Speaker of the House
8. b. support the Constitution
9. a. the number of its Senators and Representatives
10. d. the number of people it has
11. b. a republican form of government
12. d. grant a title of nobility
13. a. 1788
14. c. Gouvereur Morris
15. a. set up a religion
16. b. Secretary of State
17. a. the Chief Justice
18. c. Independence Hall
19. b. the President
20. c. 2 years
21. d. the Legislatures of three-fourths of the States
22. c. 25 years old
23. c. 35 years old
24. c. Congress
25. a. 7
26. a. wins a majority of the electoral votes
27. d. “habeas corpus”
28. d. was born or naturalized here
29. c. 9 years
30. b. Senate
31. c. the President
32. c. form a stronger government
33. a. the Congress
34. d. consent of the States involved
35. b. two-thirds
36. d. due process of law
37. c. 10 years
38. c. 1787
39. d. the Senate
40. d. the President
41. d. 7 years
42. d. life
43. b. two-thirds
44. c. John Jay
45. a. State legislators to the people
46. b. 12
47. a. 2
48. a. the Supreme Court and U.S. courts
49. a. 3 days
50. b. twice
This is a great fun test to give to the family during dinner on Thanksgiving Day. It reminds us what we are all about here in these United States of America.
Tell the kids that whomever answers all the questions correctly first will receive something special from Santa!
More suggestions are needed here. Mine are, for both boys and girls, is a .22 single shot rifle or a membership with Gun Owners of America or the National Riflemans Association
More questions? Try here www.constitutionfacts.com
In this day and age, this question needs "All of the above" as an answer.
How many Senators, Represetatives or even Supreme Court justices could pass this test?
24. After a bill has been sent to the President,it becomes a law if he does not send it
back within:
a. 10 days
b. 1 week
c. 15 days
d. 1 month
I'm confused.
If The President doesn't return a signed bill, I thought it becomes a "pocket veto". I think the question is flawed?
Never mind.
Just checked my pocket US Constitution, courtesy of The CATO Institute ;)
Ten days, not including Sundays, unless Congress is adjourned.
Now, what are the terms of a "pocket veto"?
Pocket vetos apply if the President holds the bill until the Congress adjourns. If the Congress adjourns within 10 days and the President has not signed the bill, it is a pocket veto.
THANKS.....bump for later
Bump
After the House and Senate have passed a bill, what happens to it? Does it go straight to the President? If not, how long do they have to get it to the President? Catonsville, Maryland - 1/24/01
There is no set period of time within which the Congress must complete this final step of the legislative process. The amount of time they actually take will depend on the complexity and length of the legislation and, sometimes, on whether the timing is being manipulated to meet political goals. However, they must present the bill to the President before the Congress ends officially -- that extends beyond sine die adjournment, to January 3rd of the following year, when the new Congress convenes.
Preparing a bill for presentation to the President is known as "enrollment." Once a conference report is adopted by both chambers, the Enrolling Clerk of the House or Senate – depending on which chamber originated the bill -- is authorized to incorporate into the text of the bill the changes made by the conferees and approved by the full House and Senate. This can be a very simple or a very difficult process, depending on the number of amendments that were proposed by House and Senate conferees in conference. It depends also on how many completed bills await the attention of the Enrolling Clerk -- a problem especially toward the end of a Congress when the legislative pace picks up. It could take hours, days, or even weeks, to finish enrolling a bill.
In some instances, the enrolling clerks have been instructed by the leadership of their chamber to "slow it down." The delay may be to try to avoid a pocket veto on the part of the President. A pocket veto denies the Congress a chance to vote to override. If the ten day period provided by the Constitution for the President to review a bill were to end during an extended congressional break – like the August recess, or the break between a first and second session of Congress -- then Congress would be giving the President a potential opportunity to pocket veto the bill while they are out of session. The question of precisely when a pocket veto is valid still has not been settled by the Supreme Court. Delaying enrollment until they are back in session would avert the risk of a pocket veto.
Other possible motivations for delaying enrollment might be to time the bill's presentation for maximum publicity, or to put off the starting date for when funds contained in a bill become available for use by the Administration.
Once the text of the bill has been finalized, and its accuracy attested to, [by the Committee on House Administration, if a House bill, and by the Senate Enrolling Clerk, if a Senate bill], the enrolled bill is printed for formal presentation to the President. During the last decade, the thick parchment paper once used has been replaced with a high quality paper stock. The bill, now called "An Act of Congress," has gold lettering, and is trimmed with a navy ribbon and encased in a ceremonial navy blue box to protect it.
All bills must then be signed by the Speaker of the House, and then by the President of the Senate – who is the Vice President of the United States – before leaving the Congress. If the Vice President so designates, the President pro tempore of the Senate may sign the enrolled bill instead. The Vice President, however, has the right of first refusal. At times, this has meant flying the bill to him when he has traveled outside of Washington, D.C.
After being signed by the two presiding officers, if the measure was a House bill, it is then returned to the Committee on House Administration for presentation to the President by one of its clerks. A Senate bill is presented to the President by an employee of the Secretary of the Senate.
In an unusual instance, on August 25, 2000, the House of Representatives deputized a farmer to deliver the "Death [Estate] Tax Elimination Act" to the President, driving a red tractor from the Capitol to the White House. The choice of messenger was meant as a political symbol. In another instance, in order to keep government funding flowing, a House aide was dispatched on commercial flights all the way to Brunei to hand President Clinton, attending a Pacific Rim summit, a continuing resolution. The President signed it into law on November 15, 2000, thus preventing a shut-down of government operations.
The White House receives the bill from the messenger of the Congress and stamps "Received for Presentation to the President," with the day and time of receipt noted. The President's ten-day clock -- for signature, veto, approval without signature, or pocket veto -- begins on the day following receipt. It is the responsibility of the White House to deliver the papers to the President whereever he might be -- in the country or in the world.
http://www.c-span.org/questions/week177.asp
1) What is the fundamental purpose of the Constitution?
2) What is the proper role of government in a free society?
39/50 on the first batch, 22/25 on thes second.
Well, those are the essay questions that follow the multiple choice.
42/50 only having done the first one.
I'm happy to remember as much as I did, but I still feel I should have known more.
By the way, $2.00 for a copy of the Constitution delivered to your door is pretty good, people.
Thanks.
My mind was playing tricks on me for a moment there. I should have opened my ever-handy Pocket Constitution before I posted.
bttt
They can be made multiple choice for the dimmer bulbs. I don't care how they are presented, as long as we start to teach the children what the heck this was all about before it got perverted.
I have a note from my mom that excuses me from taking this test today. ;)
Seriously though, this is an EXCELLENT post! I'm going to print it off so I can take the test and share it with others too. Thanks, B4Ranch!
If you have a copy and understand the concepts, you can look anything up. If you just memorized all the answers, it wouldn't mean a damn thing.
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