Patricia A. O'Malley

Social Policy & Programs Consulting

Training and Services for agencies working toward social and economic justice


How Much Do You Know About Your Government? 













1.  After each presidential election, Congress meets to certify the electoral college votes.   True      False

2.  The phrase "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" appears in what document?
a. the U.S. Constitution    b. the Pledge of Allegiance    c. the Declaration of Independence    d. the Mayflower Compact

3.  What are the three branches of the U.S. government?
a. Executive, legislative, judicial  b. Congress, capitalists, media  c. Federal, state, local  d. Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians

4.  How many amendments are in the U.S. Constitution?    a. 10      b. 19      c. 27      d. 45

5. The Constitution requires the U.S. to use capitalism as its economic system.    True    False


6. The first ten amendments to the Constitution are called the Bill of Rights.    True    False

7. It is illegal to be a communist in the U.S.    True    False

8. The Constitution guarantees you food, a home, health care, and a job.    True    False

9. Whose gift of books to the U.S. government was the beginning of the Library of Congress?
a. Thomas Jefferson     b. Benjamin Franklin     c. Thomas Dewey     d. Oliver Hazard Perry


10. The government can tell a newspaper not to publish a story it doesn't like.  True    False

11. Your employer can tell you not to wear political buttons or T-shirts to work.  True    False

12. Slavery was outlawed by the Constitution in    a. 1787       b. 1865       c.1940       d. never

13. The public is permitted to call the White House with comments on the president's policies.  True    False

14. Who is the current governor of Pennsylvania?  a. Jay Costa        b. Bill Peduto       c. Bob Casey     d. Tom Wolf

15. Who is the current mayor of Pittsburgh?  a. Jay Costa  b.Ed Gainey  c. Bob Casey  d. Tom Wolf


16. Who is a current PA STATE senator?    a. Jay Costa  b. Bill Peduto  c. Bob Casey  d. Tom Wolf

17. Who is one of Pennsylvania's two U.S. Senators?   a. Jay Costa  b. Bill Peduto  c. Bob Casey  d. Tom Wolf

18. The president can fire a member of Congress.  True False

19. When you are arrested, you have the right to a(n)    a. shower     b. ride home     c. attorney     d. blood test

20. Benjamin Franklin was a president of the United States.  True    False


21. Whose picture is on the $20 bill?   a. Myron Cope     b. Andrew Jackson     c. Thomas Jefferson     d. John F. Kennedy

22. When was the Equal Rights Amendment added to the U.S. Constitution?   a. 1964     b. 1972     c. 1990     d. never

23. The president's spouse is paid a salary.  True    False

24. The president can pass laws.  True    False

25. How old do you have to be to vote in the U.S.?   a.16     b. 18     c. 21     d. 25


26.When you register to vote, you must register as either a Democrat or a Republican.  True    False

27. Whose vote breaks a tie in the U.S. Senate?   a. President     b. Vice President     c. Secretary of State     d. Speaker of the House

28. Who is the first First Lady ever to hold an elected office of her own?
a. Jacqueline Kennedy     b. Mary Lincoln     c. Michelle Obama     d. Hillary Rodham Clinton

29. Elected officials are required to pay taxes under the same rules as everyone else.  True    False

30. Employees of nonprofit, tax-exempt organizations don't pay taxes.  True    False


31. The 50th state of the United States was   a. Pennsylvania     b. Hawai'i     c. Puerto Rico     d. Alaska

32. Thomas Jefferson wrote  
a. the Declaration of Independence     b. the Pledge of Allegiance     c. America the Beautiful     d. the Magna Carta

33. The president is required to take the oath of office on a bible.  True    False

34. Our national anthem is   a. America the Beautiful     b. This Land is Your Land    c. Star Spangled Banner     d. Born in the USA

35. Illegal immigrants are permitted to play professional sports in the U.S.  True    False


36. NATO is
a. the North American Treaty Organization       b. the New Allegiance Testing Office 
c. the North Atlantic Treaty Organization          d. the National Area Territory Orders

37. The U.S. is a member of NATO.  True    False

38. If the membership approves, the United Nations can prosecute former U.S. officials for torture of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay.   True    False

39. The U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay is in    a. Puerto Rico     b. Florida     c. San Diego     d. Cuba

40. When a person is arrested, and before questioning, the police read this statement:
"You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to have an attorney present during questioning. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you. Do you understand these rights?" 
This statement is called the  a. Bill of Rights     b. Miranda Warning     c. Oath of Office     d. Public Statement



41. "Freedom of speech" means that you have an absolute right to say anything you want, about anyone, or anything, anytime, anywhere.    True    False

42. Members of the U.S. House of Representatives serve a term of    a. two years     b. four years     c. six years     d. life

43. Members of Congress may serve an unlimited number of terms.  True    False

44. The President's spouse also takes an oath of office.  True    False

45. Officially, the president is selected by    a. the public     b. Congress     c. the political party in power     d. the Electoral College


46. The first woman to run for president was
a. Victoria Woodhull (1872)     b. Shirley Chisholm (1972)     c. Carol Moseley Braun (2004)     d. Hillary Rodham Clinton (2008)

47. All adult Americans are required to vote.  True    False

48. A "natural-born citizen" must be born in the United States.  True    False

49. Match the president with the title of his social program.    New Deal      Great Society      New Frontier
a. Franklin Delano Roosevelt      b. John F. Kennedy      c. Lyndon B. Johnson

50. The federal government's official website is   a. government.com     b. usa.gov     c. federal.gov     d. president.com


51. The Supreme Court has the power to appoint the president when the election ends in a tie.  True    False

52. In 2000, the U.S. Supreme Court ordered Florida officials to stop counting the votes and so that George W. Bush would win the state's Electoral College delegates.   True    False

53. Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Martin Luther King, Henry Kissinger, Jimmy Carter, and Al Gore all won the Nobel Peace Prize.    True    False

54. Which of these is NOT a department of the president's cabinet? 
a. Agriculture     b. Homeland Security     c. Office of Management and Budget     d. Labor

55. The Declaration of Independence is the first law of the United States.    True    False


56. Every law in the U.S. – federal, state, and local – must follow the Constitution.    True    False

57. The law that requires schools to provide equal athletic opportunities for girls is
a. The Bill of Rights of 1791                                       b. Civil Rights Act of 1964    
c. Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972       d. Equal Rights Amendment

58. The president traditionally makes an annual speech to a joint session of Congress.  The speech is called the
a. State of the Union Address     b. Budget Message     c. Inaugural Address     d. Greetings

59. There are how many senators from each state in the U.S. Senate?   a. one     b. two     c. three     d. four

60. When a Senate seat is vacant, the governor of that state is permitted to sell the seat to the highest bidder.   True    False




61. Which of these is NOT one of the duties of Congress?
a. provide for the general welfare      b. impose taxes      c. pass laws      d. appoint ambassadors

62. The president's White House office is in the shape of a(n)    a. circle     b. oval     c. square     d. pentagon

63. The first president to live in the White House was  
a. George Washington     b. John Adams     c. Abraham Lincoln     d. Thomas Jefferson

64. All members of Congress, the military, and the president's cabinet take an oath to uphold the Constitution.  True    False

65. Who has the power to declare war?    a. Congress     b. the president     c. secretary of defense     d. Sean Hannity


66. The vice president is in charge of the Senate.    True    False

67. You can obtain federal government records under the    

a. Bill of Rights    b. Freedom of Information Act    c. Patriot Act    d. you can't

68. The only person ever to hold both offices of president and vice president without ever being elected to either one is
a. George W. Bush      b. Dick Cheney      c. Millard Fillmore      d. Gerald Ford

69. The AFL-CIO is a(n)    a. labor union     b. association of labor unions     c. government agency     d. business organization

70. The practice of violating the law in order to bring attention to injustice is called
a. civil rights     b. civil unrest     c. civil disobedience     d. civil war


71. Labor unions led the fight for the eight-hour day, child labor restrictions, workplace health and safety laws, and the minimum wage.    True    False

72. If you write to your elected representatives, you will probably get a reply.    True    False

73. When the president signs a new law, he can decide whether he will obey that law by using a signing statement.    True    False

74. The current hourly U.S. MINIMUM wage is    a. $5.15    b. $7.25     c. $10.00     d. there is no minimum wage

75. The current hourly U.S. MAXIMUM wage is    a. $50.00     b. $100.00     c. $1,000.00     d. there is no maximum wage


76. The Constitution specifically forbids states to secede from the union.    True    False

77. Which of the following is NOT in the Constitution?    a. God     b. equal protection     c. bankruptcy     d. intoxicating liquors

78. The Constitution requires the government to conduct
a. political opinion polls     b. IQ tests of school students     c. business as usual     d. the census

79. Illegal immigrants can get food stamps.    True    False

80. A sports stadium built for a privately-owned sports team, with government funds, is one example of socialism.     True    False




81. Courts get their lists of potential jurors from   
a. voter registration lists     b. lists of property owners     c. drivers license lists     d. all of the above

82. If you don't vote in the primary election, you can't vote in the general election.    True    False

83. The newest cabinet department is    a. Energy     b. Homeland Security     c. Agriculture     d. Transportation

84. The President's Cabinet is part of the   a. Legislative branch     b. Judicial branch     c. Executive branch     d. none of the above

85. The government provides full funding for homeless shelters, soup kitchens, and food pantries.    True    False


86. Homeless people can vote.    True    False

87. The three levels of government are
a. Executive, legislative, judicial  b. Congress, capitalists, media  c. Federal, state, local  d. Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians

88. It is standard procedure for witnesses testifying before Congressional committees to be sworn under oath.   True    False

89. The public can sit in the visitors' galleries and watch the House and Senate proceedings in Congress.   True    False

90. Members of Congress are required to take their oath of office on the 
a. Bible     b. Constitution     c. phone book     d. none of the above


91. The public can demand a national referendum on public issues
a. with 100,000 signatures            b. with a majority vote in Congress
c. by convincing the president       d. there is no provision for a national referendum on any subject at any time

92. Sixty votes in the Senate is a filibuster-proof majority.   True    False

93. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a(n)    a. Baptist minister     b. member of Congress     c. attorney     d. cabinet official

94.The president is required to   
a. send a balanced budget to Congress                                       b. vote in every election
c. consult with the Senate when s/he makes appointments         d. be a Christian

95. Most of the work in Congress is done by committees.    True    False


96. It is illegal to burn an American flag as a protest.    True    False

97. When men turn 18, they must register for a potential military draft.    True    False

98. Which officer controls the daily business of the US House of Representatives?
a. committee chair     b. majority leader     c. president pro tempore     d. Speaker of the House

99. Congress has the power to subpoena people to appear at a hearing and testify on an issue.    True    False

100. When a president is impeached, s/he is immediately expelled from office.    True    False


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Patricia A. O'Malley
Social Policy & Programs Consulting    ~    Community Matters
412-310-4886    ~    info@patomalley-consulting.com
Copyright Patricia A. O'Malley    ~    All rights reserved
Established 1993