1. U.S. Government Pre-Test Questions www.usca.edu

2. Question 1 In what year was the Constitution written ?

3. Answer 1 1789

4. Question 2 What are the first ten amendments to the Constitution called?

5. Answer 2 The Bill of Rights

6. Question 3 Who was the author of the Declaration of Independence?

7. Answer 3 Thomas Jefferson

8. Question 4 What was the name of the document that served as the nation’s constitution following the Revolutionary War?

9. Answer 4 The Articles of Confederation

10. Question 5 Who is considered the father of the U.S. Constitution?

11. Answer 5 James Madison

12. Question 6 What is the Constitutional concept that distributes powers among the branches of government?

13. Answer 6 Separation of Powers

14. Question 7 What is the name of the system that gives each branch of government power over the other branches?

15. Answer 7 Checks and Balances

16. Question 8 Name the three branches of the national government.

17. Answer 8 Legislative, Executive, Judicial

18. Question 9 What is the name given to the famous papers written by Hamilton, Madison, and Jay that argued for ratification of the U.S. Constitution?

19. Answer 9 The Federalist Papers

20. Question 10 How many women are currently on the U.S. Supreme Court?

21. Answer 10 Three ◦ Ruth Bader Ginsburg ◦ Sonia Sotomayor ◦ Elena Kagan

22. Question 11 What group of people elect the U.S. President?

23. Answer 11 The electoral college

24. Question 12 In an election, what is the person who already holds an office called?

25. Answer 12 The incumbent

26. Question 13 Who is currently Speaker of the U.S. House?

27. Answer 13 John Boehner

28. Question 14 How many Senators sit in the U.S. Senate?

29. Answer 14 100

30. Question 15 What is the name for a prolonged debate in the U.S. Senate that is designed to kill a bill?

31. Answer 15 Filibuster

32. Question 16 How many African-Americans have ever served on the Supreme Court?

33. Answer 16 Two ◦ Thurgood Marshall ◦ Clarence Thomas

34. Question 17 How long is the term for a supreme court justice?

35. Answer 17 Life (unless impeached)

36. Question 18 How many terms can a U.S. President serve?

37. Answer 18 Two

38. Question 19 Name two cabinet departments.

39. Answer 19 State Treasury Defense Justice Interior Agriculture Commerce Labor Health and Human Services Housing and Urban Development Transportation Energy Education Veterans Affairs Homeland Security

40. Question 20 Who is the current Chief Justice of the Supreme Court?

41. Answer 20 Justice John Roberts