Name: Class: _ Date: _ Civics Final Multiple Choice Identify the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question. 1. Which of the following is a quality of a good citizen? a. never questions the government b. disrespects the rights of others c. respects and obeys the laws d. ignores important issues 2. The term "American Dream" refers to a. a popular Bob Dylan song from the 1960s. b. the hope of a better life for everyone. c. a speech by Abraham Lincoln. d. a section of the U.S. Constitution. 3. Information gathered in the U.S. census a. is not released to the public. b. determines how many people from each state will be elected to the House of Representatives. c. gives information about the geography of a particular region. d. cannot determine new trends in migration. 4. Which of the following freedoms is not permitted under the American form of government? a. freedom to speak against the political party in power b. freedom to cut down a tree on your neighbor s property c. freedom to refuse to practice a religion d. freedom to compete with other people for jobs 5. The Constitution went into effect in a. 1776. b. 1780. c. 1789. d. 1850. 6. To ensure that national laws are carried out, the Constitution provides for a(n) a. Supreme Court. b. army and a navy. c. two-house legislature. d. president and an executive branch. 7. The most serious disagreement at the Constitutional Convention arose over the issue of a. representation in the legislature. b. whether to have a king or a president. c. the Canadian border. d. the location of the nation's capital. 8. When the Constitution was first sent to the states for approval, it a. was immediately approved by the required number of states. b. was hotly debated by the Federalists and Antifederalists. c. contained a bill of rights. d. was rewritten by each of the states and sent back to the Constitutional Convention. 1
Name: 9. Who was the principal author of the Declaration of Independence? a. Thomas Jefferson b. George Washington c. John Adams d. James Madison 10. Historically, direct democracies have been suited to a. most communities, large or small. b. small communities. c. medium to large communities. d. new countries. 11. The form of government found in the United States is sometimes called a. a constitutional alliance. b. a direct democracy. c. a republic. d. totalitarian. 12. The writers of the Articles of the Confederation wanted to preserve a. the powers of the new federal government. b. their diplomatic alliance with King George III. c. the states' sovereignty. d. their own individual powers within the new government. 13. The delegates to the Constitutional Convention were responsible for a. drafting the Declaration of Independence. b. establishing the U.S. government. c. creating the Articles of Confederation. d. the American Revolution. 14. Which of the following rights was established in Magna Carta? a. Free people could not be arrested and imprisoned without a trial by a jury of their peers. b. Citizens have the right to petition the government for changes in laws. c. Citizens should have freedom of speech. d. Citizens have the right to a fair punishment if found guilty of a crime. 15. Federalism a. divides a government's powers between the national and state governments. b. is an economic trend that leads to higher income taxes. c. is a system of government that grants absolute power to the executive branch. d. is a system of government first described in the English Bill of Rights. 16. Under a unitary system of government, a. local governments have the power to govern freely. b. local governments have no independent authority. c. the national government is secondary to the state and local governments. d. simple majority approval is required to pass laws. 17. Under the U.S. Constitution, the federal government has the power to a. raise and set taxes. b. coin and print money. c. regulate trade. d. all of the above 2
Name: 18. Before the Constitution could go into effect, it had to be a. ratified by each of the 50 states. b. ratified by 9 of the 13 states. c. declared the Supreme Law of the Land by the president. d. ratified by unanimous vote. 19. The statement "to secure the blessings of liberty" is a. listed in the Mayflower Compact. b. one of the six goals of government stated in the Preamble. c. the opening statement of the Declaration of Independence. d. found in the Articles of Confederation. 20. The U.S. Constitution contains a. 10 amendments. b. 15 amendments. c. 27 amendments. d. 57 amendments. 21. The amendment process requires the involvement of a. Congress and the states. b. Congress and the president. c. the president and the Supreme Court. d. the Supreme Court and the states. 22. Which of the following is NOT part of the Preamble? a. insure domestic tranquility b. establish justice c. provide for the public's education d. secure the blessings of liberty 23. Which of the following is a reserved power? a. collecting taxes b. making marriage laws c. coining and printing money d. none of the above 24. Our republic works successfully because most Americans believe a. in the idea of an absolute monarchy. b. in the idea of majority rule. c. in the Mayflower Compact. d. in the same religion. 25. The system of checks and balances was created to a. to ensure that no branch of the federal government becomes too powerful. b. to ensure that the state governments do not become too powerful. c. to manage the national treasury. d. to give more power to the individual citizen. 26. The Executive Branch was created in a. Article I of the Constitution. b. Article II of the Constitution. c. Article III of the Constitution. d. Article IV of the Constitution. 3
Name: 27. The three ways the Constitution and the government can be adapted to the changing needs of the country are by a. popular vote, custom, and petition. b. petition, amendment, and ratification. c. amendment, interpretation, and elections. d. amendment, interpretation, and custom. 28. Which article of the Constitution outlines the process for making amendments? a. Article II b. Article V c. Article VII d. Article III 29. The president's cabinet a. contains the most important files in the Oval Office. b. may not be accessed by members of the legislative branch. c. is a tradition sometimes referred to as part of the unwritten Constitution. d. is provided for in Article II of the Constitution. 30. The Speaker of the House a. is the most powerful officer in Congress. b. is appointed by the president. c. must belong to the same political party as the president. d. cannot be elected to more than two consecutive terms. 31. A 32-year-old member of Congress has recently been reelected for her second term of office. It may be assumed that this person is a a. senator. b. representative. c. senior senator. d. party whip. 32. Congress is in session, and the president is given a bill to sign. He lets the bill sit on his desk without action for 10 days. It can be concluded that a. the bill has become law. b. the bill has been vetoed. c. the bill will have to go back to committee. d. both houses of Congress will have to vote on the bill again. 33. Permanent congressional committees that meet regularly are called a. joint sessions. b. select committees. c. special committees. d. standing committees. 34. If the president pro tempore is presiding in the Senate, it may be assumed that the a. president is absent. b. majority leader is absent. c. vice president is absent. d. floor leader is absent. 4
Name: 35. If a state's population decreases, its number of senators a. decreases proportionately. b. stays the same. c. increases by one. d. is sent to the Supreme Court for evaluation. 36. Before a bill is approved a. a committee holds hearings to gather information. b. committee members may revise the bill. c. the committee makes a recommendation for or against the bill. d. all of the above 37. Which of the following is an implied power of Congress? a. establishing a national court system b. providing for the general welfare of the United States c. governing the District of Columbia d. borrowing money 38. All of the following are delegated powers of Congress EXCEPT: a. collecting taxes b. declaring war and making peace c. granting patents and copyrights d. granting titles of nobility 39. If the president pro tempore became president, which of the following would be correct? a. The president and vice president had died, resigned, or been removed from office, and the Speaker of the House was out of the country. b. The Speaker of the House did not belong to the same political party as the president. c. The president pro tempore had been in office longer than the Speaker of the House. d. The president, vice president, and Speaker of the House had died, resigned, or been removed from office. 40. The qualifications for becoming president are set forth by a. each political party. b. the U.S. Constitution. c. Congress. d. members of the cabinet. 41. The Department of State is responsible for all of the following EXCEPT a. issuing passports. b. conducting foreign relations. c. protecting U.S. citizens abroad. d. enforcing immigration laws. 42. To be elected president of the United States, a person must be at least a. 25 years old. b. 30 years old. c. 35 years old. d. 40 years old. 43. Under the Constitution a. only Congress can declare war. b. only the president can declare war. c. the president and Congress must declare war together. d. the president's cabinet must approve all war declarations. 5
Name: 44. When the president appoints federal judges, approval must be given by a. a majority vote from both the House and the Senate. b. a majority vote from the House. c. a majority vote from the Senate. d. majority votes from both the House and the Senate and approval from the vice president. 45. Cabinet meetings are led by a. the president. b. the Speaker of the House. c. the secretary of state. d. the majority whip. 46. The army, navy, and air force are part of a. the Department of Justice. b. the Department of Defense. c. the Department of Veterans Affairs. d. the Department of War. 47. A judge on the Supreme Court is called a a. marshal. b. justice. c. federal magistrate. d. juror. 48. Courts that review cases appealed from the district courts are called a. small claims courts. b. court-martials. c. territorial courts. d. courts of appeals. 49. The principle of judicial review was established by a. John Marshall. b. James Madison. c. Franklin D. Roosevelt. d. William Marbury. 50. A person has been arrested and questioned by the police before being informed of his or her rights. This is in violation of the Supreme Court ruling in a. Marbury v. Madison. b. Miranda v. Arizona. c. Plessy v. Ferguson. d. Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka. 51. The constitutional right to a fair trial includes a. the right of appeal. b. the right to have a lawyer. c. the right to a jury trial. d. all of the above 52. Before a law can be declared unconstitutional, a. the president must agree to the declaration. b. there must be a two-thirds majority vote in the Senate. c. someone must challenge the law and bring a case to court. d. the U.S. Court of Federal Claims must hold a hearing. 6
Name: 53. Nebraska s State Legislature is different from the other 49 state legislatures because... a. it has only one house b. it is non-partisan c. each state senator represents one district d. all of these are true of Nebraska s legislature 54. Who was one of the main supporters for a unicameral non-partisan legislature? a. Chuck Norris b. George Norris c. Willam Jennings Bryan d. Barack Obama 55. What does unicameral mean? a. a one horned cow b. no political parties c. one house legislature d. one track mind 56. How many State Senators and legislative districts are there in our state legislature? a. 100 b. 435 c. 300 d. 49 57. Nebraska s legislature in non-partisan. What does that mean? a. No wild parties in the legislature b. State Senators are not elected to the unicameral based upon political parties c. Senators in our state legislature can t belong to political parties d. It means one house legislature 58. How many Native American tribes in Nebraska are recognized by the Federal Government? a. All of them b. None of them c. One d. Four 59. How are Native Americans held accountable on their reservations? a. Tribal Councils and Tribal Courts make and enforce laws b. Native people are exempt from following any laws c. They are sent to Washington D.C. d. None of the above 60. This famous Nebraska Native American made history when a federal court in Omaha ruled that he was a man and due the same rights as everyone else under the Constitution. Who was he? a. Sitting Bull b. Geranimo c. Red Cloud d. Standing Bear 7