Questions

U.S. Constitution Day is September 17th.

In lieu of our regular Friday’s News Quiz due to the short week, take a special Constituion quiz:

1. What was our country’s first Constitution called?
a) the Articles of Confederation
b) the Declaration of Independence
c) the “Federalist Paper”
d) the Emancipation Proclamation

2. Laws for the U.S. are made by:
a) the President
b) the Senate
c) Congress
d) the Supreme Court

3. The longest possible time a person can now serve as president is:
a) 4 years
b) 8 years
c) 10 years
d) 12 years

4. A man accused of a crime in court has a right to:
a) hear the witnesses against him
b) be tried wherever he wants
c) have any judge he wants
d) change courts

5. Invoking the Fifth Amendment means an accused man:
a) refuses to testify against himself
b) refuses to be tried again
c) demands a grand jury
d) wants to appeal his case

6. Our first vice-president was:
a) Alexander Hamilton
b) Thomas Jefferson
c) Benjamin Franklin
d) John Adams

7. The Bill of Rights is:
a) the first 10 amendments
b) the Fifteenth amendment
c) the entire Constitution
d) all of the amendments

8. If neither the president nor the Vice-president can serve, the position would be filled by:
a) the Speaker of the House
b) the Chief Justice
c) the elected president of the Senate
d) the Secretary of State

9. The major department head who is appointed by the President to deal with foreign countries is the:
a) Secretary of Defense
b) Secretary of State
c) Attorney General
d) Secretary of Commerce

10. The President is elected if he:
a) wins a majority of the electoral votes
b) wins most of the country’s votes
c) wins all of the states’ votes
d) wins most of the states’ votes

11. Which was the first state to ratify the U.S. Constitution?
a) Virginia
b) Delaware
c) Rhode Island
d) Ohio

12. When the Constitution was signed, what was the nation’s largest city?
a) New York
b) Washington, D.C.
c) Baltimore
d) Philadelphia

13. The average age of the framers of the Constitution was approximately:
a) about 30
b) about 40
c) about 50
d) about 60

14. Prior to the ratification of the 19th Amendment in 1920, what was true?
a) Women did not have the right to vote for president
b) Women in certain states had the right to vote for president
c) All women had the right to vote for president
d) Women married to landowners had the right to vote for president

15. The phrase “the Constitution means what the Supreme Court says it means” is stated
in:
a) The phrase does not appear in the constitution
b) Article I of the Constitution on legislative authority
c) Article II of the Constitution on executive authority
d) Article III of the Constitution on judicial authority

16. Which amendment overturned a previous amendment?
a) the 15th Amendment
b) the 19th Amendment
c) the 21st Amendment
d) the 27th Amendment

17. Which one of the following is explicitly mentioned somewhere in the Constitution?
a) The right to keep and bear arms
b) Separation of church and state
c) The right of association
d) The right to privacy

18. If you are accused of a crime, the Sixth Amendment guarantees you which one of these?
a) A speedy and public trial
b) A trial by an impartial judge
c) Free cable TV in your cell while awaiting trial
d) A free phone call

19. According to the Eighth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution what shall not be required?
a) Congressional seniority to bring a bill to the floor in Congress
b) A title of nobility to hold public office
c) Excessive bail
d) none of the above

20. What part of the Constitution lets Congress delegate power to the United Nations?
a) Article 1, Section 8
b) the 18th Amendment
c) Article 1, Section 10
d) None of the above

(Compiled from quizzes at constitutionfacts .com)