Celebrate the Constitution: Here’s a quiz
Published 12:00 am Wednesday, September 17, 2014
We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
— Preamble U.S. Constitution
Today is Constitution Day, which commemorates the formation and signing of the U.S. Constitution on Sept. 17, 1787.
This celebration of the Constitution was started by the Daughters of the American Revolution. In 1955, DAR petitioned Congress to set aside Sept. 17-23 annually to be dedicated for the observance of Constitution Week. The resolution was signed into law by President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Here’s a short quiz to refresh test your memory of some Constitution basics: (Answers are at the end)
1. In which of its seven articles does the Constitution create Congress?
a. Article 1
b. Article 2
c. Article 3
d. Article 7
2. The Constitution says that Congress shall consist of which two groups?
a. Supreme Court and White House
b. House of Representatives and Senate
c. House of Representatives and Supreme Court
d. Senate and Supreme Court
3. How old do you have to be to serve in the House of Representatives?
a. 50
b. 25
c. 40
d. 35
4. How many years older do you have to be to serve in the Senate?
a. 3
b. 5
c. 10
d. 15
5. There are 435 members of the House of Representatives. On what basis is the number of members of the House of Representatives divided among the states?
a. Taxation
b. Amount of land
c. Population
d. Date the state entered the United States
6. There are 100 members of the Senate. Each state gets the same number of Senators. What is that number?
a. 4
b, 5
c. 1
d. 2
7. There are 27 Amendments to the Constitution. Which Amendment set the voting age to 18 years of age or older?
a. Amendment 19
b. Amendment 26
c. Amendment 15
d. Amendment 24
8. Who must sign a bill passed by Congress before it becomes a law?
a. Chief Justice of the Supreme Court
b. Secretary of State
c. Attorney General
d. President
9. If a bill is not signed by the person mentioned in question 8, Congress can still make it a law by a vote of how many members?
a. Three-fourths of the House and three-fourths of the Senate
b. Three-fourths of the House and two-thirds of the Senate
c. None; the bill automatically becomes law in 10 days
d. None; the bill is dead
10. Each of the three branches of the federal government has distinctive duties. This term describes the duties of Congress.
a. Legislative
b. Executive
c. Judicial
d. Administrative
Answers
1: a, 2: b, 3: b, 4: b, 5: c, 6: d, 7: b, 8: d, 9: c, 10: a.