| AMERICAN GOVERNMENT |
|
| A: 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. |
|
| 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?* |
| ▪ Carl Levin (Michigan) |
| ▪ Debbie Stabenow (Michigan) |
|
| 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 the District you reside |
|
| 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?* |
| ▪ George W. Bush |
| ▪ George Bush |
| ▪ Bush |
|
| 29. What is the name of the Vice President of the United States now? |
| ▪ Richard Cheney |
| ▪ Dick Cheney |
| ▪ Cheney |
|
| 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.) |
|
| 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? |
| ▪ Jennifer Granholm (Michigan) |
|
| 44. * What is the capital of your state?* |
| ▪ Lansing (Michigan) |
|
| 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? |
| ▪ (Nancy) Pelosi |
|
| 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? |
| ▪ 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 |
|
| 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? |
| ▪ (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 |
|
| B: 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 |
|
|
| C: 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. |
| [USCIS Officers will be supplied with a list of federally recognized American Indian tribes.] |
| ▪ Cherokee |
| ▪ Navajo |
| ▪ Sioux |
| ▪ Chippewa |
| ▪ Choctaw |
| ▪ Pueblo |
| ▪ Apache |
| ▪ Iroquois |
| ▪ Creek |
| ▪ Blackfeet |
| ▪ Seminole |
| ▪ Cheyenne |
| ▪ Arawak |
| ▪ Shawnee |
| ▪ Mohegan |
| ▪ Huron |
| ▪ Oneida |
| ▪ Lakota |
| ▪ Crow |
| ▪ Teton |
| ▪ Hopi |
| ▪ Inuit-0- |
|
|
|
| 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? |
| ▪ The Star-Spangled Banner |
|
| C: Holidays |
|
| 99. * When do we celebrate Independence Day?* |
| ▪ July 4 |
|
| 100. Name two national U.S. holidays. |
| ▪ New Year’s Day |
| ▪ Martin Luther King, Jr. Day |
| ▪ Presidents’ Day |
| ▪ Memorial Day |
| ▪ Independence Day |
| ▪ Labor Day |
| ▪ Columbus Day |
| ▪ Veterans Day |
| ▪ Thanksgiving |
| ▪ Christmas |
|
|
| * If you are 65 years old or older and have been a legal permanent resident of the United States for 20 or more years, you may study just the questions that have been marked with an asterisk. |
