2008 civics test
All 100 civics questions and answers (2008 test)
The officer asks up to 10 of these 100 questions, and you need 6 correct answers to pass. Open any question for the official answers and audio. See the 2025 questions.
American Government
Principles of American Democracy
- 1.What is the supreme law of the land?the Constitution
- 2.What does the Constitution do?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?We the People
- 4.What is an amendment?a change to the Constitution · an addition to the Constitution
- 5.What do we call the first ten amendments to the Constitution?the Bill of Rights
- 6.What is one right or freedom from the First Amendment?speech · religion · assembly · press · petition the government
- 7.How many amendments does the Constitution have?twenty-seven (27)
- 8.What did the Declaration of Independence do?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?life · liberty · pursuit of happiness
- 10.What is freedom of religion?You can practice any religion, or not practice a religion.
- 11.What is the economic system in the United States?capitalist economy · market economy
- 12.What is the "rule of law"?Everyone must follow the law. · Leaders must obey the law. · Government must obey the law. · No one is above the law.
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?Depends on your state
- 21.The House of Representatives has how many voting members?four hundred thirty-five (435)
- 22.We elect a U.S. Representative for how many years?two (2)
- 23.Name your U.S. Representative.Depends on your state
- 24.Who does a U.S. Senator represent?all people of the state
- 25.Why do some states have more Representatives than other states?because of the state's population · because they have more people · because some states have more people
- 26.We elect a President for how many years?four (4)
- 27.In what month do we vote for President?November
- 28.What is the name of the President of the United States now?Donald J. Trump · Donald Trump · Trump
- 29.What is the name of the Vice President of the United States now?JD Vance · Vance
- 30.If the President can no longer serve, who becomes President?the Vice President
- 31.If both the President and the Vice President can no longer serve, who becomes President?the Speaker of the House
- 32.Who is the Commander in Chief of the military?the President
- 33.Who signs bills to become laws?the President
- 34.Who vetoes bills?the President
- 35.What does the President's Cabinet do?advises the President
- 36.What are two Cabinet-level positions?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?nine (9)
- 40.Who is the Chief Justice of the United States now?John Roberts · John G. Roberts, Jr. · Roberts
- 41.Under our Constitution, some powers belong to the federal government. What is one power of the federal government?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?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?Depends on your state
- 44.What is the capital of your state?Depends on your state
- 45.What are the two major political parties in the United States?Democratic and Republican
- 46.What is the political party of the President now?Republican Party
- 47.What is the name of the Speaker of the House of Representatives now?Mike Johnson · Johnson · James Michael Johnson birth name
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 religion · the right to bear arms
- 52.What do we show loyalty to when we say the Pledge of Allegiance?the United States · the flag
- 53.What is one promise you make when you become a United States citizen?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?eighteen (18) and older
- 55.What are two ways that Americans can participate in their democracy?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
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?Thomas Jefferson
- 63.When was the Declaration of Independence adopted?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?1787
- 67.The Federalist Papers supported the passage of the U.S. Constitution. Name one of the writers.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"?George Washington
- 70.Who was the first President?George Washington
1800s
- 71.What territory did the United States buy from France in 1803?the Louisiana Territory · Louisiana
- 72.Name one war fought by the United States in the 1800s.War of 1812 · Mexican-American War · Civil War · Spanish-American War
- 73.Name the U.S. war between the North and the South.the Civil War · the War between the States
- 74.Name one problem that led to the Civil War.slavery · economic reasons · states' rights
- 75.What was one important thing that Abraham Lincoln did?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?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?fought for women's rights · fought for civil rights
Recent American History and Other Important Historical Information
- 78.Name one war fought by the United States in the 1900s.World War I · World War II · Korean War · Vietnam War · Persian Gulf War
- 79.Who was President during World War I?Woodrow Wilson
- 80.Who was President during the Great Depression and World War II?Franklin Roosevelt
- 81.Who did the United States fight in World War II?Japan, Germany, and Italy
- 82.Before he was President, Eisenhower was a general. What war was he in?World War II
- 83.During the Cold War, what was the main concern of the United States?Communism
- 84.What movement tried to end racial discrimination?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 American Indian tribe in the United States.Cherokee · Navajo · Sioux · Chippewa · Choctaw · Pueblo · Apache · Iroquois · Creek · Blackfeet · Seminole · Cheyenne · Arawak · Shawnee · Mohegan · Huron · Oneida · Lakota · Crow · Teton · Hopi · Inuit
Integrated Civics
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
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?The Star-Spangled Banner
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