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Take Our Civics Challenge!
We’ve pulled together 10 questions from the civics test that people applying to become U.S. citizens must pass. Some states also require high school students to pass a version of the test to graduate. Can you ace our version?
What is known as “the supreme law of the land”?
A. the Supreme Court
B. the U.S. Constitution
C. the police
D. the Declaration of Independence
The U.S. Constitution spells out the framework for the U.S. government and outlines the rights of the American people. It was signed in 1787, 11 years after the American Colonies declared their independence from Britain.
Learn more about the Constitution here.
True or False: The two parts of the U.S. Congress are the Senate and the Supreme Court.
A. True
B. False
False: The two parts of the U.S. Congress are the Senate and the House of Representatives. Together they make up the legislative, or lawmaking, branch of the U.S. government. The Supreme Court, the highest court in the country, is part of the judicial branch.
Who is in charge of the executive branch?
Michael Reynolds/Pool via CNP/MediaPunch/Alamy Stock Photo
A. the chief justice of the United States
B. the president
C. the Senate majority leader
D. the speaker of the House
The president of the United States is in charge of the executive branch. He or she oversees the major departments of the U.S. government and is responsible for carrying out the laws passed by the U.S. Congress. To learn more about the president’s many roles and responsibilities, click here.
What is the length of the president’s term in office?
iStockPhoto/Getty Images
A. one year
B. two years
C. three years
D. four years
Voters in the U.S. head to the polls to elect a president every four years. The same president can be elected only twice, staying in power for a maximum of eight years.
Fun fact: Franklin D. Roosevelt is the only U.S. president who served for more than eight years. He was in office from 1933 to 1945, before the 22nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified, or approved, in 1951. That amendment established that a person can’t be elected president more than twice.
What are the first 10 amendments to the Constitution called?
Mario Tama/Getty Images
A. the Bill of Rights
B. the List of Rights
C. the Constitutional Changes
D. the Supreme Law of the Land
The first 10 amendments to the Constitution are called the Bill of Rights. They spell out people’s civil rights and liberties, including the freedoms of speech, the press, and religion. The Bill of Rights was ratified in 1791.
Explore fun facts about the Bill of Rights here.
Which of the following are two national holidays in the U.S.?
A. Election Day and Memorial Day
B. Independence Day and Labor Day
C. Thanksgiving Day and Mother’s Day
D. New Year’s Day and Election Day
National holidays (also known as federal holidays) are holidays that have been established by U.S. law. On these days, federal government buildings are closed and federal employees get a day off of work.
Independence Day, which falls on July 4, celebrates the country’s declaration of independence from Britain in 1776. Congress first marked Independence Day as a national holiday in 1870.
Labor Day, which is celebrated on the first Monday in September, honors all workers. It became a national holiday in 1894.
Which of the following states borders Mexico?
A. Louisiana
B. Utah
C. Illinois
D. Arizona
Arizona is one of four U.S. states that border Mexico. The others are California, New Mexico, and Texas. Arizona’s border with Mexico is about 370 miles long.
Which group of nations did the United States fight in World War II?
A. Britain, France, and Spain
B. Germany, Russia, and Cuba
C. Switzerland, Japan, and Germany
D. Japan, Germany, and Italy
The Second World War took place from 1939 to 1945. The United States joined the war in 1941 as part of the Allied Powers, which also included Britain, France, the Soviet Union, and—to a lesser extent—China. They fought Japan, Germany, and Italy, which had formed an alliance called the Axis.
If both the president and the vice president can no longer serve, who becomes president?
A. the speaker of the House of Representatives
B. the chief justice of the United States
C. the first lady
D. the secretary of state
The Presidential Succession Act of 1947 established that if both the president and the vice president can’t serve, the speaker of the House takes power. This has never happened in U.S. history.
What is meant to stop one branch of government from becoming too powerful?
B. checks and balances, or the separation of powers
C. a strong military, with the president as the commander in chief
D. a powerful Supreme Court, the highest court in the U.S.
The system of checks and balances was established by the U.S. Constitution. It allows each branch of the government—legislative, executive, and judicial—to approve and reject actions by another branch. That keeps any one branch from becoming too powerful.