Patricia A. O'Malley
Social Policy & Programs Consulting
Training and Services for agencies working toward social and economic justice
Essay Question
Answer this question in an email to Pat O'Malley.
The winner will receive a free copy of my book, “A More Perfect Union”.
Answers must be received by midnight, May 31, 2017.
Benjamin Franklin said
"Those who would give up essential liberty, to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety."
Explain how that statement applies to Americans since September 11, 2001, in 100 words or less.
I am the judge. My decision is final.
The winner will be notified by June 30, 2017.
How Much Do You Know About Your Government?
Take the Community Matters Civics Quiz
February 7, 2017
Most Americans don’t know how our government works, or why, because the Republicans who control our schools don’t want you to know this stuff. Take this quiz. Challenge yourself. See how much you know. There’s a link to the answers at the end. Good Luck!
1. Which professional athlete successfully sued his team in a case that went to the U.S. Supreme Court and resulted in free agency for all professional athletes, in all sports?
a. Curt Flood b. Jackie Robinson c. Gordie Howe d. Bret Favre
2. The phrase "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" appears in what document?
a. the U.S. Constitution b. the Pledge of Allegiance
c. the Declaration of Independence d. the Mayflower Compact
3. What are the three branches of the U.S. government?
a. Executive, legislative, judicial b. Congress, capitalists, media
c. Federal, state, local d. Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians
4. How many amendments are in the U.S. Constitution? a. 10 b. 19 c. 27 d. 45
5. The Constitution requires the U.S. to use capitalism as its economic system. True False
6. The first ten amendments to the Constitution are called the Bill of Rights. True False
7. It is illegal to be a communist in the U.S. True False
8. The Constitution guarantees you food, a home, health care, and a job. True False
9. Whose gift of books to the U.S. government was the beginning of the Library of Congress?
a. Thomas Jefferson b. Benjamin Franklin c. Thomas Dewey d. Oliver Hazard Perry
10. The government can tell a newspaper not to publish a story it doesn't like. True False
11. Your employer can tell you not to wear political buttons or T-shirts to work. True False
12. Slavery was outlawed by the Constitution in a. 1787 b. 1865 c. 1940 d. never
13.The public is permitted to call the White House with comments on the president's policies. True False
14. Who is the current governor of Pennsylvania? a. Jay Costa b. Bill Peduto c. Bob Casey d. Tom Wolf
15. Who is the current mayor of Pittsburgh? a. Jay Costa b. Bill Peduto c. Bob Casey d. Tom Wolf
16. Who is a current PA STATE senator? a. Jay Costa b. Bill Peduto c. Bob Casey d. Tom Wolf
17. Who is one of Pennsylvania's two U.S. Senators? a. Jay Costa b. Bill Peduto c. Bob Casey d. Tom Wolf
18.The president can fire a member of Congress. True False
19. When you are arrested, you have the right to a(n) a. shower b. ride home c. attorney d. blood test
20.Benjamin Franklin was a president of the United States. True False
21. Whose picture is on the $20 bill?
a. Myron Cope b. Andrew Jackson c. Thomas Jefferson d. John F. Kennedy
22. When was the Equal Rights Amendment added to the U.S. Constitution?
a. 1964 b. 1972 c. 1990 d. never
23. The president's spouse is paid a salary. True False
24. The president can pass laws. True False
25. How old do you have to be to vote in the U.S.? a.16 b. 18 c. 21 d. 25
26. When you register to vote, you must register as either a Democrat or a Republican. True False
27. Whose vote breaks a tie in the U.S. Senate?
a. President b. Vice President c. Secretary of State d. Speaker of the House
28. Who is the first First Lady ever to hold an elected office of her own?
a. Jacqueline Kennedy b. Mary Lincoln c. Michelle Obama d. Hillary Rodham Clinton
29. Elected officials are required to pay taxes under the same rules as everyone else. True False
30. Employees of nonprofit, tax-exempt organizations don't pay taxes. True False
31. The 50th state of the United States was
a. Pennsylvania b. Hawai'i c. Puerto Rico d. Alaska
32. Thomas Jefferson wrote
a. the Declaration of Independence b. the Pledge of Allegiance c. America the Beautiful d. the Magna Carta
33. The president is required to take the oath of office on a bible. True False
34. Our national anthem is
a. America the Beautiful b. This Land is Your Land c. Star Spangled Banner d. Born in the USA
35. Illegal immigrants are permitted to play professional sports in the U.S. True False
36. NATO is
a. the North American Treaty Organization b. the New Allegiance Testing Office
c. the North Atlantic Treaty Organization d. the National Area Territory Orders
37. The U.S. is a member of NATO. True False
38. If the membership approves, the United Nations can prosecute former U.S. officials for torture of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay. True False
39. The U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay is in a. Puerto Rico b. Florida c. San Diego d. Cuba
40. When a person is arrested, and before questioning, the police read this statement:
"You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to have an attorney present during questioning. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you. Do you understand these rights?"
This statement is called the a. Bill of Rights b. Miranda Warning c. Oath of Office d. Public Statement
41. "Freedom of speech" means that you have an absolute right to say anything you want, about anyone, or anything, anytime, anywhere. True False
42. Members of the U.S. House of Representatives serve a term of
a. two years b. four years c. six years d. life
43. Members of Congress may serve an unlimited number of terms. True False
44. The President's spouse also takes an oath of office. True False
45. Officially, the president is selected by
a. the public b. Congress c. the political party in power d. the Electoral College
46. The first woman to run for president was
a. Victoria Woodhull (1872) b. Shirley Chisholm (1972) c. Carol Moseley Braun (2004) d. Hillary Rodham Clinton (2008)
47. All adult Americans are required to vote. True False
48. A "natural-born citizen" must be born in the United States. True False
49. Match the president with the title of his social program. New Deal – Great Society – New Frontier
a. Franklin Delano Roosevelt b. John F. Kennedy c. Lyndon B. Johnson
50. The federal government's official website is
a. government.com b. usa.gov c. federal.gov d. president.com
51. The Supreme Court has the power to appoint the president when the election ends in a tie. True False
52. In 2000, the U.S. Supreme Court ordered Florida officials to stop counting the votes and appointed George W. Bush as president. True False
53. Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Martin Luther King, Henry Kissinger, Jimmy Carter, and Al Gore all won the Nobel Peace Prize. True False
54. Which of these is NOT a department of the president's cabinet?
a. Agriculture b. Homeland Security c. Office of Management and Budget d. Labor
55. The Declaration of Independence is the first law of the United States. True False
56. Every law in the U.S. – federal, state, and local – must follow the Constitution. True False
57. The law that requires schools to provide equal athletic opportunities for girls is
a. The Bill of Rights of 1791 b. Civil Rights Act of 1964
c. Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 d. Equal Rights Amendment
58. The president traditionally makes an annual speech to a joint session of Congress.
The speech is called the
a. State of the Union Address b. Budget Message c. Inaugural Address d. Greetings
59. There are how many senators from each state in the U.S. Senate? a. one b. two c. three d. four
60. When a Senate seat is vacant, the governor of that state is permitted to sell the seat to the highest bidder.
True False
61. Which of these is NOT one of the duties of Congress?
a. provide for the general welfare b. impose taxes c. pass laws d. appoint ambassadors
62. The president's White House office is in the shape of a(n) a. circle b. oval c. square d. pentagon
63. The first president to live in the White House was
a. George Washington b. John Adams c. Abraham Lincoln d. Thomas Jefferson
64. All members of Congress, the military, and the president's cabinet take an oath to uphold the Constitution. True False
65. Who has the power to declare war?
a. Congress b. the president c. secretary of defense d. Rush Limbaugh
66. The vice president is in charge of the Senate. True False
67. You can obtain federal government records under the
a. Bill of Rights b. Freedom of Information Act c. Patriot Act d. you can't
68. The only person ever to hold both offices of president and vice president without ever being elected to either one is
a. George W. Bush b. Dick Cheney c. Millard Fillmore d. Gerald Ford
69. The AFL-CIO is a(n) a. labor union b. association of labor unions c. government agency d. business organization
70. The practice of violating the law in order to bring attention to injustice is called
a. civil rights b. civil unrest c. civil disobedience d. civil war
71. Labor unions led the fight for the eight-hour day, end to child labor, workplace health and safety laws, and the minimum wage. True False
72. If you write to your elected representatives, you will probably get a reply. True False
73. When the president signs a new law, he can decide whether he will obey that law by using a signing statement. True False
74. The current hourly U.S. MINIMUM wage is a. $5.15 b. $7.25 c. $10.00 d. there is no minimum wage
75. The current hourly U.S. MAXIMUM wage is a. $50.00 b. $100.00 c. $1,000.00 d. there is no maximum wage
76. The Constitution specifically forbids states to secede from the union. True False
77. Which of the following is NOT in the Constitution?
a. God b. equal protection c. bankruptcy d. intoxicating liquors
78. The Constitution requires the government to conduct
a. political opinion polls b. IQ tests of school students c. business as usual d. the census
79. Illegal immigrants can get food stamps. True False
80. A sports stadium built for a privately-owned sports team, with government funds, is one example of socialism.
True False
81. Courts get their lists of potential jurors from
a. voter registration lists b. lists of property owners c. drivers license lists d. all of the above
82. If you don't vote in the primary election, you can't vote in the general election. True False
83. The newest cabinet department is a. Energy b. Homeland Security c. Agriculture d. Transportation
84. The President's Cabinet is part of the
a. Legislative branch b. Judicial branch c. Executive branch d. none of the above
85. The government provides full funding for homeless shelters, soup kitchens, and food pantries. True False
86. Homeless people can vote. True False
87. The three levels of government are a. Executive, legislative, judicial b. Congress, capitalists, media
c. Federal, state, local d. Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians
88. It is standard procedure for witnesses testifying before Congressional committees to be sworn under oath. True False
89. The public can sit in the visitors' galleries and watch the House and Senate proceedings in Congress. True False
90. Members of Congress are required to take their oath of office on the
a. Bible b. Constitution c. phone book d. none of the above
91. The public can demand a national referendum on public issues
a. with 100,000 signatures b. with a majority vote in Congress
c. by convincing the president d. never
92. Sixty votes in the Senate is a filibuster-proof majority. True False
93. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a(n)
a. Baptist minister b. member of Congress c. attorney d. cabinet official
94.The president is required to
a. send a balanced budget to Congress b. vote in every election
c. consult with the Senate when s/he makes appointments d. be a Christian
95. Most of the work in Congress is done by committees. True False
96. It is illegal to burn an American flag as a protest. True False
97. When men turn 18, they must register for a potential military draft. True False
98. Which officer controls the daily business of the US House of Representatives?
a. committee chair b. majority leader c. president pro tempore d. Speaker of the House
99. Congress has the power to subpoena people to appear at a hearing and testify on an issue. True False
100. When a president is impeached, s/he is immediately expelled from office. True False
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Patricia A. O'Malley
Social Policy & Programs Consulting ~ Community Matters
P.O. Box 97803 ~ Pittsburgh, PA 15227 ~ 412-310-4886 ~ info@patomalley-consulting.com
Copyright Patricia A. O'Malley ~ All rights reserved
Established 1993