If you’re reading this at work on Monday, then you didn’t get Monday or Tuesday off before the Fourth of July holiday on Wednesday. Still, that doesn’t mean you can’t have a little fun today. In honor of our nation’s 242^nd birthday, here is a 30-question quiz to test your knowledge of the Good Old U, S, of A!  Many of the questions appear on our nation’s citizenship test for immigrants who want to become Americans.

The answers follow the quiz with a little explanation. A passing grade for citizenship is 60 percent but you can do better than that, right?  Feel free to share your scores with us in the comment section below and print off the quiz so you can be the Knowledge King or Kween (if you’re really into alliteration) at your holiday picnic!

Enjoy your Fourth of July, everybody!

1. What is the title of the National Anthem?

A. “Oh, Say Can You See”

B. “America the Beautiful”

C. “God Bless America”

D. “The Star Spangled Banner”

E. “You Got to Fight For Your Right (to Party)”

 

2. Which of the following rights is guaranteed by the First Amendment?

A. Right to Bear Arms

B. Right to Vote

C. Freedom of Religion

D. All of the Above

 

3. What is the title of the head of a city government?

A. Mayor

B. Governor

C. Chancellor

D. Chairman of the Board

 

4. Who has the ability to declare war?

A. The President

B. The Secretary of Defense

C. The Joint Chiefs

D. The Congress

E. Your wife/girlfriend/significant other

 

5. How many full terms may a Senator serve?

A. 1

B. 2

C. 4

D. No term limits for Senators

 

6. How many full terms can a President serve?

A. 1

B. 2

C. 4

D. No term limits for Presidents

 

7. How many years is a full term for a Representative?

A. 1

B. 2

C. 4

D. 6

8. Which amendment sets the minimum voting age to 18?

A. 1st

B. 18th

C. 19th

D. 26th

 

9. Who becomes President if both the President and Vice President die in an accident?

A. The Speaker of the House

B. The Secretary of Defense

C. The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court

D. The Senate Majority or Minority Leader who is in the same political party as the President

E. Oprah

 

10. On July 4th, 1776 we declared independence from whom?

A. Germany

B. Great Britain

C. Spain

D. England

11. How many branches of government do we have?

A. 1

B. 2

C. 3

D. 5

12. Which is part of the Judicial branch at the federal level?

A. The Supreme Court

B. The Congress

C. The Senate

D. The Presidential Cabinet

 

13. Who elects the President of the United States?

A. The House of Representatives

B. The Electoral College

C. The Senate

D. The people (popular vote)

E. Internet bots

 

14. How many official states are there in the Union?

A. 10

B. 13

C. 50

D. 51

 

15. How many stripes are there on the American Flag?

A. 10

B. 13

C. 50

D. Technically, they aren’t considered stripes

 

16. Which man was not the President during a time of war?

A. Abraham Lincoln

B. George Washington

C. James Madison

D. Lyndon B Johnson

 

17. On the American flag, what does the color red represent?

A. Vigilance, perseverance and justice

B. The blood spilt by citizens in the fight against the British

C. Hardiness and valor

D. Nothing, it’s just one of the three colors the flag of England had and we used the same trio

 

18. When the American flag becomes dirty or soiled, it cannot be washed, it must be destroyed. 

A. True, and the most customary way is by incinerating it.

B. False, a real flag may be dry cleaned under special guidelines.

 

19. Why did the Pilgrims come to America?

A. To establish a trade route with India

B. To set up fur trade with the Natives

C. To establish a new nation

D. To find religious freedom

20. How many total Senators are there?

A. 52

B. 104

C. 50

D. 100

 

21. The Constitution has how many Amendments?

A. 23

B. 27

C. 31

D. 33

22. How many Amendments have been proposed officially by Congress but never ratified?

A. None, they’ve all eventually been ratified

B. 1

C. 6

D. 12

 

23. Which of these is a ratified and current amendment?

A. Declaring it illegal to desecrate the American Flag

B. Equality of rights regardless of Gender

C. Restricting marriage in all States to be between a man and a woman

D. Prohibiting the importing of liquor into States where it is illegal

E. All of the above

 

24. In what year was the last amendment ratified?

A. 1918

B. 1920

C. 1961

D. 1992

25. What is the official language of the United States?

A. None

B. Latin

C. English

D. English and Spanish

 

26. Who was the first Vice-President of the United States?

A. George Washington

B. John Adams

C. Thomas Jefferson

D. Andrew Jackson

 

27. Who said “Give me liberty or give me death?”

A. Nathan Hale

B. Patrick Henry

C. John Wilkes Booth

D. Thomas Paine

 

28. How many Presidents have been assassinated while in office?

A. 1

B. 2

C. 4

D. 6

 

29. Which of these Presidents was born in Texas?

A. Dwight D. Eisenhower

B. Richard Nixon

C. Ronald Reagan

D. George W Bush

 

30. If both George Washington and Abraham Lincoln were alive today, where might be their favorite place to get the best business skill training through live seminars and webinars, on-demand courses and more resources than you can shake a horse buggy whip at?

A. SkillPath

B. NST

C. SkillPath or NST

D. SkillPath and NST

 

THE ANSWERS:

1. What is the title of the National Anthem? D

While it is true that the first line of the National Anthem is “O, Say Can You See” the title of the song is “The Star Spangled Banner”. The words were written by Francis Scott Key after he witnessed the bombardment of Fort McHenry by the British during the War of 1812. The fort held and inspired Key to write his poetry. Later it was put to music and in 1916 was made the official National Anthem by President Wilson.

2. Which of the following rights is guaranteed by the first amendment? C 

The First Amendment guarantees the right of free speech, the right to petition, the freedom of assembly, as well as the freedom of religion. The right to bear arms is granted by the second amendment. Both amendments were adopted as part of the Bill of Rights (the first 10 amendments) and were drafted to check the powers of a centralized government over its citizens.

3. What is the title of the head of a city government? A 

A tradition carried over from England, the heads of City government are called Mayors. In some American cities there is a city court of which the mayor is chief judge.

4. Who has the ability to declare war? D 

One of the complaints leveled against England when America declared its independence was the overreaching power the monarch had over the military. Fearful that even a President could abuse this power, the ability to declare war was given to Congress. Since then the office of the President has been able to work around this in several cases using the Emergency Powers of the Presidency. For instance, American troops were committed and served in Kosovo during the country’s conflict, yet America never officially declared war.

5. How many full terms may a Senator serve? D 

The Constitution has no term limits specified for any office (except for the President – see Question 6). Term Limits have become a hot topic in the last 10 years. Some states have tried to impose term limits on their candidates but this was found to be unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. The only way term limits at the federal level will ever come about is by the ratifying of an amendment to the constitution.

6. How many full terms can a President serve? B 

As the first President, George Washington set many precedents that later Presidents followed. One of these traditions was the voluntary limit to two terms in office. After Franklin Roosevelt broke this tradition and held the office four times, some policy makers moved to keep this from happening again. The 22nd amendment to the Constitution was ratified in 1951 and turned Washington’s two term tradition into binding law.

7. How many years is a full term for a Representative? B 

The length of a full term for a member of the House of Representatives is set by the Constitution at 2 years. In 2018, that pretty much means as soon as they are elected, they start their re-election campaigns three weeks later.

8. Which amendment sets the minimum voting age to 18? D 

The fourth amendment ratified to clarify voter’s rights was a result of protests against the war in Viet Nam. The argument was that a person old enough to fight for their country should be old enough to vote in its elections. Before its adoption the voting age was 21.

9. Who becomes President if both the President and Vice President die? A 

In 1947 Congress thought it necessary to sketch out a line of succession in the case of both the President and Vice President becoming unable to perform their duties. This was in response to the realization that a nuclear attack could effectively wipe out large portions of our government. Policy makers wanted to ensure that the office holder was an elected official rather than an appointed official if at all possible. Thus the Speaker of the House and the Senate Pro Tempore were selected to be next in line for the Presidency.

10. On July 4th, 1776 we declared Independence from whom? B 

The American Colonies were in the possession of Great Britain until America declared its Independence as a new nation on July 4th, 1776. Though most Americans still say we declared our Independence from England, this is technically incorrect.

11. How many branches of government do we have? C 

Wary of a system in which one person can hold too much power, the drafters of the Constitution separated the powers of government among 3 branches: The Executive (President), The Legislative (The Congress), and The Judicial (The Supreme Court).

12. Which is part of the Judicial branch at the federal level? A 

The Supreme Court is the highest court in the country. It interprets the meaning of laws set forth by Congress and it determines if these laws, as well as State laws that come before it, are legal under our Constitution.

13. Who elects the President of the United States? B 

This question does not seem as difficult after the 200 and 2016 Presidential elections. The Electoral College came under scrutiny after it was illustrated that a candidate can win the election without having a majority of the vote. In 2000 Al Gore won the popular vote and George Bush won the Electoral College vote, and then a similar thing happened in 2016 when Hillary Clinton won the popular vote and Donald Trump won the Electoral College.

14. How many states are there? C 

There are 50 states in the United States. The last, Hawaii was admitted to the Union on August 21, 1959. There is a political movement for a 51st state, Puerto Rico, to be added.

15. How many stripes are there on the American Flag? B 

There are 13 stripes on the American flag that stand for the original 13 American Colonies.

16. Which of the following was not the President when the country was at war? B 

A tiny bit of a trick question. Washington was not the President until after the American Revolutionary War. Lincoln was President during the Civil War, Madison during the War of 1812, and Johnson during the Vietnam War.

17. On the American flag, what does the color red represent? C 

The colors red, white, and blue did not have meanings for The Stars and Stripes when it was adopted in 1777. However, the colors in the Great Seal did have specific meanings. Charles Thompson, Secretary of the Continental Congress, reporting to Congress on the Seal, stated:

“The colors of the pales (the vertical stripes) are those used in the flag of the United States of America; White signifies purity and innocence, Red, hardiness & valour, and Blue, the color of the Chief (the broad band above the stripes) signifies vigilance, perseverance & justice.”

18. When the American flag becomes dirty or soiled, it cannot be washed, it must be destroyed properly. False 

If only soiled, the flag may be washed or dry cleaned. When a flag is so worn it is no longer fit to serve as a symbol of our country, it should be destroyed by burning in a dignified manner. Most American Legion Posts regularly conduct a dignified flag burning ceremony, often on Flag Day, June 14th. Many Cub Scout Packs, Boy Scout Troops, and Girl Scout Troops retire flags regularly as well. Contact your local American Legion Hall or Scout Troop to inquire about the availability of this service.

19. Why did the Pilgrims come to America? D 

While this statement is considered the correct answer on the Citizenship Test and is the most correct out of the multiple answers, it is not entirely true. The Pilgrims did leave England to avoid religious persecution but first went to Holland. This was not to their tastes either as the more radical religious groups insulted their sensibilities. The solution was to create their own colony where they were free to practice their own beliefs and free from the tainting of other belief systems.

20. How many total Senators are there? D 

The Constitution provides for 2 Senators from each state no matter its size or population. With 50 states that makes 100 Senators. This provides an advantage for small states. For instance Rhode Island, our smallest state, has 2 Senators, the same number of Senators that represent California or Texas. This balances out the House of Representatives where the number of Rep’s a state receives is based on population.

21. The Constitution has how many Amendments? B 

Amendments to the Constitution began immediately after its ratification. An amendment must pass the House and Senate by two-thirds vote and then be passed by no less than three-fourths of the States.

22. How many Amendments have been proposed officially by Congress but never ratified? C 

Six Amendments have been proposed by Congress but never gained enough States’ votes to be ratified. They are: One of the first amendments in the Bill of Rights laying out representation, one outlawing titles of nobility, one guaranteeing a state’s right to practice slavery, one that gives the Federal Government control over child labor laws, The Equal Rights Amendment, and one that would have given DC full representation in the House and Senate. All of these amendments failed.

23. Which of these amendments is a ratified and current amendment? D 

While the 19th amendment guarantees a woman’s right to vote, the Equal Rights Amendment, guaranteeing their equal protection under the law was never passed. This does not mean women have no rights, it is now considered implied elsewhere in the Constitution. Making flag desecration illegal was given much discussion in the early 90’s but never passed the House or Senate. President Papa Bush supported an amendment to ban gay marriage, but, again, that never passed the House or Senate. The 21st amendment repealed the 18th amendment that prohibited the consumption and sale of alcohol. To ensure a State’s right to maintain the ban, the 21st also made it illegal to import liquor into dry states.

24. In what year was the last amendment ratified? D 

When the amendment process began, no time limits were put in place for ratification. The 27th amendment, putting delays on Congressional pay hikes, was originally proposed with the Bill of Rights. It sat without ratification until 1992, when Gregory Watson, an aide to a Texas legislator, took up the cause and won the required States to pass the proposed amendment. And you thought this current Congress took a long time to get things accomplished!

25. What is the Official Language of the United States? A 

Tricked you again! The United States has no official language; it is a right reserved for the States. Currently 29 States have English as an official language. Louisiana includes French, Hawaii includes Hawaiian, and New Mexico includes Spanish as official languages.

26. Who was the first Vice President of the United States? B 

When selected for the job, Adams wrote that the Vice President was “the most insignificant office that ever the invention of man contrived or his imagination conceived.” It seems little has changed with the office over time, although Joe Biden at least brought a little humor to the office. And questionably-timed shoulder massages.

27. Who said “Give me liberty or give me death?” B 

Legend says that when the Virginia legislature was balking at committing troops during the Revolutionary War, it was Patrick Henry’s speech that inspired them to change their mind. As an interesting note, Henry was a critic of the Constitution and campaigned against its adoption. He believed it gave the Federal Government too much power and was instrumental in the ratification of the Bill of Rights.

28. How many Presidents were assassinated while in office? C 

While John F Kennedy and Abraham Lincoln easily come to mind, there are two other Presidents who were assassinated in office. James Garfield was shot only 4 months after taking office and died 80 days later. William McKinley was shot at the Pan-American Exposition while greeting the public and died soon after. Four other Presidents have died in office of natural causes. Four more presidents (Reagan, Truman, Ford, and Jackson) all survived attempted assassinations.

29. Which of these Presidents was born in Texas? A 

A trick question. While George W. Bush is associated with Texas and lived there his adult life, he was born in Connecticut. Nixon was our only president born in California, and Reagan (though Governor of California at one time) was born in Illinois. Eisenhower grew up in Kansas, but was born in Texas. Texas was also the birth place of one other president, Lyndon B. Johnson.

30. George and Abe need training on working with people that have difficult personalities, so naturally they would go to SkillPath!!! 

Yep, shameless plug. Wishing all of our friends, customers and clients a safe and happy holiday and we’ll see you again after the Fourth of July!