Untitled 2

Preguntas de Ciudadania

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.

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?*
?Su respuesta depende de su lugar de residencia

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.
?Depende de su lugar de residencia

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?*
? Barack Obama
? Obama

29. What is the name of the Vice President of the United States now?
? Joseph Biden
? Joe Biden
? Biden

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?
? La respuesta depende de su lugar de residencia

44. What is the capital of your state?*
? La respuesta depende de su lugar de residencia

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?
? Democratic (Party)

47. What is the name of the Speaker of the House of Representatives now?
? (John) Boehner

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)

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

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

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).]

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

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