What Do You Know?
What Do You Know ... About Government?
Before you decide how you're going to vote, let's see how you fare on a test of some basic knowledge of government. On a sheet of paper, number 1-25. For items 1-10, write T if you believe the statement is true and F if you believe the statement is false.
General
1. Socialism refers primarily to an economic system.
2. Capitalism refers primarily to a system of government.
3. Autocracy refers to a system of government in which the executive has virtually unlimited power.
4. In an oligarchy, the greatest power always resides in the military.
5. International trade is regulated by the United Nations.
United States
6. In the U.S., Social Security is an example of a socialist program.
7. The Supreme Court can amend laws passed by the Congress.
8. Supreme Court justices are appointed to their posts for life.
9. The President can veto any legislation passed by Congress.
10. Freedom of the press is guaranteed by the first amendment of the Constitution.
For items 11-15, write the letter of your answer in the space beside the number.
11. The United States has a federalist structure; this means power is
a. Shared between the national government and the states
b. Shared between the President and the Senate
c. Exclusively held by the national government
d. Exclusively held by the President
12. The three branches of the national government are
a. The military, the executive, and the Congress
b. The bureaucracy, the presidency, and the courts
c. The legislative, the executive, and the judicial
d. None of the above
13. The Constitution spells out the limitation on the number of terms of which elected officials?
a. Senators
b. Representatives
c. The president
d. All of the above
14. The number of justices on the Supreme Court is
a. 5
b. 9
c. 12
d. None of the above
15. The number of voting representatives in the House of Representatives is
a. 100
b. 435
c. 538
d. 50
16. The curriculum of public schools in the United States is controlled by
a. The national government
b. State governments
c. State governments and local school boards
d. Parent Teacher Associations
17. A progressive income tax is
a. A system in which all taxpayers are taxed at the same rate
b. A system of taxation in which the tax rate drops as income rises
c. A system of taxation in which states tax only property, not income
d. A system of taxation in which the tax rate rises as income rises
18. In order for a bill to become a law, it must be
a. Passed by both the Senate and the House of Representative
b. Passed by the Senate and signed by the President
c. Passed by the House and signed by the Speaker of the House
d. Passed by the House and the Senate and signed by the President
19. If Roe v. Wade is overturned by the Supreme Court,
a. Abortion will immediately be illegal in all 50 states
b. All abortion providers will be required to close down
c. Individual states will be able to make abortion illegal within their borders
d. All states will be required to repeal all their laws related to abortion
20. Senators are elected for
a. Two-year terms
b. Four-year terms with terms starting and ending at the same time as the President’s
c. Four-year terms with terms starting and ending between the terms of the President
d. Six-year terms
21. The Supreme Court’s ruling in Citizens United
a. Restricted immigrants’ ability to gain citizenship
b. Loosened restrictions on the amounts of money that flows into political campaigns
c. Mandated that only citizens can vote
d. Mandated the restoration of voting rights to convicted felons who have served their
prison terms
22. Contributing to the stagnant income of lower and middle income earners is/are
a. The demise of unions
b. The ability of large corporate donors to influence legislators’ votes because of the
large amounts they contribute to campaigns
c. The movement of manufacturing from the U.S. to other countries
d. All of the above.
23. In all 50 states, which of the following is required in order to vote?
a. A valid form of photo ID
b. Registration prior to voting
c. A basic understanding of the various candidates’ positions
d. A high school diploma
24. How did the framers of the Constitution attempt to ensure no branch of the national
government would gain too much power?
a. By a system of checks and balances in which each branch can be limited by the other two
b. By overlapping the responsibilities of each branch
c. By giving each branch the ability to block the decisions of the others
d. None the above
25. Members of Congress are primarily accountable to
a. The President
b. The Supreme Court
c. No one
d. Their constituents