US Basic Civics Test MCQ Questions and Answers for Practice

1. How many U.S. senators are there?

1. 52
2. 435
3. 100
4. 50

2. When do we celebrate Independence Day

1. 1-Jan
2. 4-Jul
3. 30-Jun
4. 4-Mar

3. Who wrote the Declaration of Independence

1. Abraham Lincoln
2. James Madison
3. George Washington
4. Thomas Jefferson

4. Who does a U.S. Senator represent

1. All people of the state in which (s)he was elected
2. All people of the state who belong to the Senators political party
3. The state legislatures
4. Only the people in the state who voted for the Senator

5. Who lived in America before the Europeans arrived

1. American Indians
2. Floridians
3. No one
4. Canadians

6. What is an amendment

1. An addition (to the Constitution)
2. The Preamble to the Constitution
3. An introduction
4. The beginning of the Declaration of Independence

7. What did Martin Luther King, Jr. do?

1. Became a U.S. Senator
2. Fought for civil rights
3. Fought for womens suffrage
4. Ran for President of the United States

8. Why do some states have more Representatives than other states

1. Because the states Representatives have seniority in the House of Representatives
2. Because of the states population
3. Because of the geographical size of the state
4. Because of the states location

9. Why does the flag have 13 stripes

1. Because the stripes represent the original colonies
2. Because the stripes represent the number of signatures on the U.S. Constitution
3. Because it was considered lucky to have 13 stripes on the flag
4. Because the stripes represent the members of the Second Continental Congress

10. There are four amendments to the Constitution about who can vote. Select the response that accurately describes one of them

1. Citizens seventeen (17) and older can vote
2. Citizens by birth only can vote
3. Citizens eighteen (18) and older can vote
4. Only citizens with a job can vote

11. What is the economic system in the United States

1. Communist economy
2. Capitalist economy
3. Socialist economy
4. None of these answers

12. Who makes federal laws

1. Congress
2. The states
3. The President
4. The Supreme Court

13. What does the judicial branch do

1. Decides if a law goes against the Constitution
2. Reviews laws
3. Resolves disputes
4. All of the above

14. What did the Declaration of Independence do

1. Declared our independence from Great Britain
2. Declared our independence from France
3. Gave women the right to vote
4. Freed the slaves

15. What does the Constitution do?

1. Defines the government
2. Sets up the government
3. Protects basic rights of Americans
4. All of these answers