USA Naturalization Quiz

reposted from 8-27-2013

http://www.uscis.gov/citizenship/learners/study-test/study-materials-civics-test/100-civics-questions-and-answers-mp3-audio-english-version

AMERICAN GOVERNMENT

A: Principles of American Democracy

1. What is the supreme law of the land? 

the Constitution

2. What does the Constitution do? 2  (245 )

sets up the government

defines the government

protects basic rights of Americans

3. The idea of self-government is in the first three words of the Constitution. What are these words? 3  (237 )

We the People

4. What is an amendment? 4  (236 )

a change (to the Constitution)

an addition (to the Constitution)

5. What do we call the first ten amendments to the Constitution? 5  (182 )

the Bill of Rights

6. What is one right or freedom from the First Amendment?* 6  (314 )

speech

religion

assembly

press

petition the government

7. How many amendments does the Constitution have? 7  (148 )

twenty-seven (27)

8. What did the Declaration of Independence do? 8  (363 )

announced our independence (from Great Britain)

declared our independence (from Great Britain)

said that the United States is free (from Great Britain)

9. What are two rights in the Declaration of Independence? 9  (232 )

life

liberty

pursuit of happiness

10. What is freedom of religion? 10  (175 )

You can practice any religion, or not practice a religion.

11. What is the economic system in the United States?* 11  (215 )

capitalist economy

market economy

12. What is the “rule of law”? 12  (330 )

Everyone must follow the law.

Leaders must obey the law.

Government must obey the law.

No one is above the law.

B: System of Government

13. Name one branch or part of the government.* 

Congress

legislative

President

executive

the courts

judicial

14. What stops one branch of government from becoming too powerful? 

checks and balances

separation of powers

15. Who is in charge of the executive branch?

the President

16. Who makes federal laws?

Congress

Senate and House (of Representatives)

(U.S. or national) legislature

17. What are the two parts of the U.S. Congress?* 

the Senate and House (of Representatives)

18. How many U.S. Senators are there? 

one hundred (100)

19. We elect a U.S. Senator for how many years?

six (6)

20. Who is one of your state’s U.S. Senators now?* 

Answers will vary.

21. The House of Representatives has how many voting members? 21  (181 )

four hundred thirty-five (435 approximate)

22. We elect a U.S. Representative for what term? 

two (2)

23. Name your U.S. Representative. 23  (423 )

Answers will vary. [Residents of territories with nonvoting Delegates or Resident Commissioners may provide the name of that Delegate or Commissioner. Also acceptable is any statement that the territory has no (voting) Representatives in Congress.]

24. Who does a U.S. Senator represent? 24  (158 )

all people of the state

25. Why do some states have more Representatives than other states? 25  (325 )

(because of) the state’s population

(because) they have more people

(because) some states have more people

26. What is the name of the President of the United States now?* 28  (222 )

Barack Obama

Obama

27. In what month do we vote for President?* 27  (158 )

November

28. We elect a President for how many years? 26  (153 )

four (4)

29. What is the name of the Vice President of the United States now? 29  (283 )

Joseph R. Biden, Jr.

Joe Biden

Biden

30. If the President can no longer serve, who becomes President? 30  (204 )

the Vice President

31. If both the President and the Vice President can no longer serve, who becomes President?31  (233 )

the Speaker of the House

32. Who is the Commander in Chief of the military? 32  (158 )

the President

33. Who signs bills to become laws? 33  (159 )

the President

34. Who vetoes bills? 34  (142 )

the President

35. What does the President’s Cabinet do? 35  (165 )

advises the President

36. What are two Cabinet-level positions? 36  (1041 )

Secretary of Agriculture

Secretary of Commerce                                Secretary of Defense

Secretary of Education                  Secretary of Energy

Secretary of Health and Human Services

Secretary of Homeland Security

Secretary of Housing and Urban Development

Secretary of the Interior

Secretary of Labor                           Secretary of State

Secretary of Transportation

Secretary of the Treasury

Secretary of Veterans Affairs

Attorney General                             Vice President

37. What does the judicial branch do? 

reviews laws

explains laws

resolves disputes (disagreements)

decides if a law goes against the Constitution

38. What is the highest court in the United States? 

the Supreme Court

39. How many justices are on the Supreme Court? 39  (143 )

nine (9)

40. Who is the Chief Justice of the United States now? 40  (233 )

John Roberts (John G. Roberts, Jr.)

41. Under our Constitution, some powers belong to the federal government. What is one power of the federal government? 41  (409 )

to print money

to declare war

to create an army

to make treaties

42. Under our Constitution, some powers belong to the states. What is one power of the states?42  (486 )

provide schooling and education

provide protection (police)

provide safety (fire departments)

give a driver’s license

approve zoning and land use

43. Who is the Governor of your state now? 43  (241 )

Answers will vary. [District of Columbia residents should answer that D.C. does not have a Governor.]

44. What is the capital of your state?* 44  (376 )

Answers will vary. [District of Columbia residents should answer that D.C. is not a state and does not have a capital. Residents of U.S. territories should name the capital of the territory.]

45. What are the two major political parties in the United States?* 45  (191 )

Democratic and Republican

46. What is the political party of the President now? 46  (165 )

Democratic (Party)

47. What is the name of the Speaker of the House of Representatives now? 47  (180 )

(John) Boehner

C: Rights and Responsibilities

48. There are four amendments to the Constitution about who can vote. Describe one of them.

Citizens eighteen (18) and older (can vote).

You don’t have to pay (a poll tax) to vote.

Any citizen can vote. (Women and men can vote.)

A male citizen of any race (can vote).

49. What is one responsibility that is only for United States citizens?* 

serve on a jury

vote in a federal election

50. Name one right only for United States citizens. 

vote in a federal election

run for federal office

51. What are two rights of everyone living in the United States? 

freedom of expression

freedom of speech

freedom of assembly

freedom to petition the government

freedom of worship

the right to bear arms

52. What do we show loyalty to when we say the Pledge of Allegiance? 52  (236 )

the United States

the flag

53. What is one promise you make when you become a United States citizen? 53  (579 )

give up loyalty to other countries

defend the Constitution and laws of the United States

obey the laws of the United States

serve in the U.S. military (if needed)

serve (do important work for) the nation (if needed)

be loyal to the United States

54. How old do citizens have to be to vote for President?* 54  (180 )

eighteen (18) and older

55. What are two ways that Americans can participate in their democracy? 55  (682 )

vote

join a political party

help with a campaign

join a civic group

join a community group

give an elected official your opinion on an issue

call Senators and Representatives

publicly support or oppose an issue or policy

run for office

write to a newspaper

56. When is the last day you can send in federal income tax forms?* 

April 15

57. When must all men register for the Selective Service? 

at age eighteen (18)

between eighteen (18) and twenty-six (26)

AMERICAN HISTORY

A: Colonial Period and Independence

58. What is one reason colonists came to America? 

freedom

political liberty

religious freedom

economic opportunity

practice their religion

escape persecution

59. Who lived in America before the Europeans arrived? 

American Indians

Native Americans

60. What group of people was taken to America and sold as slaves? 

Africans

people from Africa

61. Why did the colonists fight the British? 

because of high taxes (taxation without representation)

because the British army stayed in their houses (boarding, quartering)

because they didn’t have self-government

62. Who wrote the Declaration of Independence? 62  (150 )

(Thomas) Jefferson

63. When was the Declaration of Independence adopted? 63  (188 )

July 4, 1776

64. There were 13 original states. Name three. 

New Hampshire                               Massachusetts

Rhode Island                      Connecticut

New York                            New Jersey

Pennsylvania                     Delaware

Maryland                             Virginia

North Carolina                   South Carolina

Georgia

65. What happened at the Constitutional Convention? 

The Constitution was written.

The Founding Fathers wrote the Constitution.

66. When was the Constitution written? 66  (159 )

1787

67. The Federalist Papers supported the passage of the U.S. Constitution. Name one of the writers. 67  (359 )

(James) Madison

(Alexander) Hamilton

(John) Jay

Publius

68. What is one thing Benjamin Franklin is famous for? 

U.S. diplomat

oldest member of the Constitutional Convention

first Postmaster General of the United States

writer of “Poor Richard’s Almanac”

started the first free libraries

69. Who is the “Father of Our Country”? 69  (139 )

(George) Washington

70. Who was the first President?* 70  (142 )

(George) Washington

B: 1800s

71. What territory did the United States buy from France in 1803? 71  (253 )

the Louisiana Territory

Louisiana

72. Name one war fought by the United States in the 1800s. 72  (361 )

War of 1812

Mexican-American War

Civil War

Spanish-American War

73. Name the U.S. war between the North and the South. 73  (241 )

the Civil War

the War between the States

74. Name one problem that led to the Civil War. 74  (274 )

slavery

economic reasons

states’ rights

75. What was one important thing that Abraham Lincoln did?* 75  (360 )

freed the slaves (Emancipation Proclamation)

saved (or preserved) the Union

led the United States during the Civil War

76. What did the Emancipation Proclamation do? 76  (387 )

freed the slaves

freed slaves in the Confederacy

freed slaves in the Confederate states

freed slaves in most Southern states

77. What did Susan B. Anthony do? 77  (236 )

fought for women’s rights

fought for civil rights

C: Recent American History and Other Important Historical Information

78. Name one war fought by the United States in the 1900s.* 78  (383 )

World War I

World War II

Korean War

Vietnam War

(Persian) Gulf War

79. Who was President during World War I? 79  (161 )

(Woodrow) Wilson

80. Who was President during the Great Depression and World War II? 80  (200 )

(Franklin) Roosevelt

81. Who did the United States fight in World War II? 81  (204 )

Japan, Germany, and Italy

82. Before he was President, Eisenhower was a general. What war was he in? 82  (221 )

World War II

83. During the Cold War, what was the main concern of the United States? 83  (204 )

Communism

84. What movement tried to end racial discrimination? 84  (173 )

civil rights (movement)

85. What did Martin Luther King, Jr. do?

fought for civil rights

worked for equality for all Americans

86. What major event happened on September 11, 2001, in the United States?

Terrorists attacked the United States

87. Name one US American Indian tribe. 

Cherokee            Inuit                       Navajo 

Sioux                     Chippewa            Choctaw

Pueblo                  Apache                 Iroquois

Creek                    Blackfeet             Seminole

Cheyenne           Arawak                 Shawnee

Mohegan             Huron                   Oneida

Lakota                   Crow                     Teton                    Hopi

INTEGRATED CIVICS

A: Geography

88. Name one of the two longest rivers in the United States. 

Missouri (River)

Mississippi (River)

89. What ocean is on the West Coast of the United States? 

Pacific (Ocean)

90. What ocean is on the East Coast of the United States? 

Atlantic (Ocean)

91. Name one U.S. territory. 

Puerto Rico

U.S. Virgin Islands

American Samoa

Northern Mariana Islands

Guam

92. Name one state that borders Canada. 

Maine                                   New Hampshire

Vermont                              New York

Pennsylvania                     Ohio

Michigan                              Minnesota

North Dakota                     Montana

Idaho                                    Washington

Alaska

93. Name one state that borders Mexico. 

California

Arizona

New Mexico

Texas

94. What is the capital of the United States?

Washington, D.C.

95. Where is the Statue of Liberty?

New York (Harbor)

Liberty Island

[Also acceptable are New Jersey, near New York City, and on the Hudson (River).]

B: Symbols

96. Why does the flag have 13 stripes? 

because there were 13 original colonies

because the stripes represent the original colonies

97. Why does the flag have 50 stars?* 

because there is one star for each state

because each star represents a state

because there are 50 states

98. What is the name of the national anthem? 98  (170 )

The Star-Spangled Banner

C: Holidays

99. When do we celebrate Independence Day?*

July 4

100. Name two national U.S. holidays. 100  (927 )

New Year’s Day                Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

Presidents’ Day                Memorial Day

Independence Day         Labor Day

Columbus Day                   Veterans Day

Thanksgiving                      Christmas

BONUS:  What is the national bird?  

China Chairman embraces Mao

reposted from Aug 21, 2019  

By 
• JEREMY PAGE
 
• CONNECT

Borrowing from Mao Zedong's playbook, Chinese President Xi Jinping has launched a "rectification" campaign to purify the Communist Party and tighten limits on speech. Yiching Wu, professor and historian, talks about how politicians use Mao's legacy to criticize the status quo.

WUHAN, China—On a visit here in July, Chinese President Xi Jinping went to a lakeside villa where Mao Zedong spent summers in the 1950s enjoying such luxuries as a swimming pool and air conditioning. Opening a new exhibition there that makes no mention of the millions who died under Mao's leadership, Mr. Xi declared that the villa should be a center for educating youth about patriotism and revolution.

A week earlier, he went to a village from which Mao attacked Beijing in 1949. There, Mr. Xi vowed that "our red nation will never change color."

Enlarge Image

REUTERS

Communist Party Chief Xi Jinping

Read More WSJ Coverage

• Full Coverage: The Fall of Bo Xilai

It isn't just Mr. Xi's rhetoric that has taken on a Maoist tinge in recent months. He has borrowed from Mao's tactical playbook, launching a "rectification" campaign to purify the Communist Party, while tightening limits on discussion of ideas such as democracy, rule of law and enforcement of the constitution.

Mr. Xi's apparent lurch to the left comes as Chinese authorities prepare for the coming trial of Bo Xilai, the former party rising star who led a Maoist revival movement until his dramatic downfall last year. Two of Mr. Bo's lawyers said they expected the trial where he faces corruption charges to take place next week. Before he was detained, Mr. Bo rejected allegations of corruption.

The Chinese president's Maoist leanings have dismayed many advocates of political reform, who hoped that Mr. Bo's downfall signaled a repudiation of his autocratic leadership style and might lead to a strengthening of the rule of law and other limits on party power.

But Mr. Xi's recent record has delighted and emboldened many former Bo supporters who advocate stronger, centralized leadership as the solution to the country's problems.

"Chairman Mao is a rich resource for us," said Hu Angang, an economist and leading member of the "New Left" intellectual movement that backed Mr. Bo. "I'm not surprised by what Xi is doing." Zhang Hongliang, another New Left economist, said in a blog post last month that the New Left should support Mr. Xi because his recent speeches showed he had fully absorbed their political agenda.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry, which usually handles inquiries from the foreign press, didn't respond to a request for comment for this article.

Mr. Xi's use of Maoist imagery, rhetoric and strategy sets him apart from his two predecessors—who both emphasized collective leadership—and suggests to many party insiders that he won't pursue meaningful political reform during the 10 years he is expected to stay in power.

Enlarge Image

Jeremy Page/The Wall Street Journal

A wax model of Mao at a new exhibition in Wuhan opened in July by Communist Party Chief Xi in Beijing.

In fact, he appears to be doubling down on China's authoritarian political model, while borrowing elements of Mr. Bo's Maoist revivalism and media-savvy politics to boost his own stature and revive public support for the party, according to political insiders and analysts.

Last month Mr. Xi launched a yearlong campaign to strengthen and purify the party that for many insiders is a conscious echo of Mao's "rectification" movements to purge rivals and enforce ideological discipline.

He has commanded army generals and senior officers to reconnect with the "masses" by serving as privates for 15 days minimum.

The new Chinese leadership has also ordered officials to combat the spread of "seven serious problems" including universal values, press freedom, civil society and judicial independence.

At the same time, state media have published a series of attacks on civil society and "constitutionalism"—the idea that the party's power be limited by China's existing constitution.

China in Transition

• Bo Xilai's Wife Expected to Testify Against Him

Human-rights groups say police have detained dozens of political activists in recent weeks, including Xu Zhiyong, a constitutional lawyer who has called for officials to declare their financial assets publicly. The government hasn't commented on Mr. Xu's detention.

Mr. Xi's attitude toward political reform is a critical issue in China today because the country may be entering a prolonged period of slower economic growth and mounting public discontent over environmental problems, patchy public services and widespread corruption.

The new Chinese leadership has sent clear signals that it plans to unveil a package of economic reforms this year to stimulate domestic consumption as an alternative growth engine to the investment and exports that have powered the economy for the past 30 years.

On the political front, however, Mr. Xi has shown no sign of considering even limited liberalization, party insiders say. "Xi is really starting to show his true colors," said one childhood friend who recalls Mr. Xi spending hours reading books on Marxist and Maoist theory as a teenager. "I think this is just the beginning."

That friend and others who have known Messrs. Xi and Bo for many years said they had been deeply affected by the experience of their fathers, both revolutionary heroes who were jailed by Mao in the 1960s and rehabilitated after his death.

Yet rather than losing faith in one-party rule, both Mr. Xi and Mr. Bo had worked harder than many contemporaries to prove their allegiance to Mao as young men, and had been left with a heightened sense of how to get ahead in Chinese politics.

"Their thinking is quite similar: They have the same Maoist education, the same red family background, and the same experiences growing up," said Zhang Lifan, a historian whose father was a senior official. "When they face a problem, they revert quickly to Maoist thinking."

No one expects Mr. Xi to turn the clock back to the Mao era, during which millions of Chinese died as a result of political campaigns and a man-made famine.

Mr. Xi's predecessor, Hu Jintao, also paid public homage to Mao, as did the president before him, Jiang Zemin, and both carried out limited campaigns to root out corruption in the party. But neither launched those campaigns so early in their tenures, or in such explicitly Maoist terms.

Mr. Xi's political posturing is all the more striking in the context of the controversy surrounding Mr. Bo, whose wife was convicted last year of murdering a British businessman.

After Mr. Bo was detained, many in the party concluded that he made powerful enemies through his policies in Chongqing, the city he governed, which included a crackdown on organized crime and a campaign to revive Maoist values through mass renditions of revolutionary songs.

Now, however, party insiders are saying that the charges against Mr. Bo are far less severe than expected.

They believe that Mr. Xi has struck a deal with Mr. Bo's supporters and other "princelings"—sons and daughters of party chieftains—under which Mr. Bo will plead guilty to lesser charges as long as no further action is taken against his family and allies, or other princelings whose families have gotten rich in recent years.

In exchange, many of Mr. Bo's former supporters and several powerful princelings have thrown their weight behind Mr. Xi's efforts to establish himself as much a stronger leader than his predecessor, the party insiders said.

Mr. Xi spent much of his first few months in office trying to reunify the party by appealing to different interest groups, including advocates of limited political reform such as the sons of Hu Yaobang, a reformist party chief who was close to Mr. Xi's father but was ousted by hard-liners in 1987.

But people in the latter camp were alarmed when Mr. Xi made a speech in December in which he declared that the Soviet Union had collapsed because of a lack of ideological conviction among its leaders, and because there was no "real man" to stop the process.

In June, the transcript of a speech by Hu Yaobang's second son, Hu Dehua, was posted online in which he directly contradicted Mr. Xi's analysis, arguing that the Soviet Union collapsed because a privileged elite monopolized power and resources for its own benefit.

"We blame everyone else, but never try to find problems from within. Is this a correct attitude?" he said.

Hu Dehua confirmed that the transcript online was his, but declined further comment, telling the Journal: "I've said everything I want to say."

Party insiders say his views are shared by senior people in the party, but many of them are now in their 70s or 80s and have dwindling political influence.

Advocates of political liberalization have been further dismayed in recent weeks by a spate of attacks on constitutionalism and civil society in prominent party publications, some of them penned by prominent New Leftists.

"Just as liberals pinned their hopes on Xi supporting their agenda, the New Left saw an opportunity when Xi's rhetoric veered to the left and adopted Maoist overtones," said Joseph Fewsmith, an expert on Chinese politics at Boston University.

More important, Mr. Xi was given a highly unusual public endorsement last month from former President Jiang, who was once a patron of Mr. Bo and is still considered the leader of an influential group of current and retired party officials.

A statement on the Foreign Ministry website said Mr. Jiang had met with Henry Kissinger, the former U.S. Secretary of State, in Shanghai and declared that "a big country like China with a population of 1.3 billion needs a strong and capable leader."

Mr. Jiang described Mr. Xi as "a wise leader who can really get things done," the statement said.

APPRENTICE SCHOLAR Amendment Memorization help

The Amendment Process, 2/3rd of all house, 3/4's of all states.    Make it a chant.

2/3rd of all house, 3/4's of all states

2/3rd of all house, 3/4's of all states

2/3rd of all house, 3/4's of all states

2/3rd of all house, 3/4's of all states

2/3rd of all house, 3/4's of all states

If you can memorize well:   http://memorize.com/constitutional-amendments

If you need mneumonics:  https://mymission.lamission.edu/userdata/chounls/docs/ProfSomAmendmentsMnemonic.pdf

Could follow this memorization guide on YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epuwfzEJ4PU  

Fun progressional relationships, could shut him off before he swears at the end. 

But here's a summation:

Sixteenth = Sweet 16  ~ Old enough to work ~ Money ~ Income Taxes

Eighteenth ~  Thinking of Drinking ~ NO STOP ~ so Prohibition

Twenty-first ~ Old enough to Drink ~ you choose ~ so REPEAL Prohibition

More Constitutional Quiz Questions

1. What does the Constitution say is the criteria to be a Supreme Court Justice?  None
2. How is the President's nomination for Supreme Court confirmed?   Majority of the Senate
3. What was the main difference between the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution?  Tax collection
4. Federalists and Antifederalists disagreed about what point of the consititutionj?  Balance of Power
5. Why was the Thirteenth Amendment passed?  Abolish Slavery
6. Who was the first black Supreme Court Justice?  Thurgood Marshall
7. The Great Compromise affected which of the three branches of government?  Legislative
8. Who was the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court?   John Jay
9. Who had a major hand in shaping the Constitution yet would not sign it?  George Mason
10. Who was the first president to live in the White House?  John Adams
11. Which President purchased a large parcel of land from France?   Jefferson
12. What was the large parcel of land purchased from Napoleon Bonneparte?  Louisiana Purchase
13. Benjamin Franklin's son fought with which army during the Revolution?  British Army
14. Alexander Hamilton is on which U.S. bill of currency?  Ten dollar bill  
15. Father of the Constitution was whom?  James Madison
16. Sage of the Constitutional Convention was?  benjamin Franklin
17. What was the group of five called to write the constitution?  Committee on Style and Arrangement
18. What year was Geo. Washington elected President?  1789
19. What date was the Constitution signed?  Sept 17, 1787
20. Who was the first postmaster general?  Benjamin Franklin
21. Which founding father believed the constitution should be rewritten every generation? Jefferson
22. Which enlightenment concept influenced the Convention?   Consent of the Governed
23. Which president did Washington Irving call "a withered little applejohn?"   James Madison
24. Which greeting did Geo. Washington prefer over a handshake? A bow
25. The first constitution of the US was called? Articles of Confederation

Five Freedoms Challenge: Apprentice

What are the five freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment?

1. Freedom of Speech,
2. Freedom of Press,
3. Freedom  of Religon, 
4. Freedom to to Gather, 
5. Freedom to Petition for redress of grievances

Pick one and be the one to tell the class about it.  

DO IT, You know you want the Challenge.   Bednar, Be Up TO ANY CHALLENGE!  

Take the Expert Real or Fake Quiz!

It's a tough one.  In the first ten, I got ten wrong.

http://www.constitutionfacts.com/?page=realOrFake.cfm

Then go on to the expert quizzes:  http://www.constitutionfacts.com/us-constitution-kids/us-history-quiz/