American Quiz
Questions: 16 · 10 minutes
1. The banking reforms, public works programs, and relief measures of the 1930s were collectively known as what?
The Great Society
The New Deal
The Fair Deal
The Square Deal
2. Which sequence places these events in the correct order from earliest to latest?
Constitution ratified, Declaration of Independence, Civil War, Nineteenth Amendment
Declaration of Independence, Civil War, Constitution ratified, Nineteenth Amendment
Declaration of Independence, Constitution ratified, Nineteenth Amendment, Civil War
Declaration of Independence, Constitution ratified, Civil War, Nineteenth Amendment
3. Which 1803 transaction greatly expanded U.S. territory by acquiring land from France?
The Louisiana Purchase
The Gadsden Purchase
The Oregon Treaty
The Alaska Purchase
4. In a historical account, people escaping slavery travel secretly between guides, homes, and hiding places. What network is being described?
The Cumberland Road
The Pony Express
The Underground Railroad
The Erie Canal
5. Moist Pacific air rises over the Cascade Range, producing precipitation on the western slopes. Why is the land immediately east of the range generally drier?
Atlantic currents draw moisture away from the region
Descending air has already lost much of its moisture, creating a rain shadow
The mountains block sunlight from reaching eastern valleys
The eastern slopes are uniformly higher than the western slopes
6. The Constitution begins with the words “We the People.” Which principle is most directly expressed by that phrase?
Separation of powers
Limited judicial tenure
Reserved executive power
Popular sovereignty
7. Which U.S. city is most closely associated with the origins of jazz?
Nashville
Chicago
New Orleans
Memphis
8. Some responsibilities belong mainly to the national government, while others belong mainly to state governments. Which principle describes this division of authority?
Federalism
Bicameralism
Judicial restraint
Direct democracy
9. What collective name is given to the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution?
The Reconstruction Amendments
The Bill of Rights
The Civil Liberties Code
The Federalist Articles
10. What is the supreme law of the United States?
The Federalist Papers
The Declaration of Independence
The U.S. Constitution
The Articles of Confederation
11. Congress passes bills, the president may veto them, and courts may review laws. Which constitutional principle does this best illustrate?
Checks and balances
Popular sovereignty
Federal supremacy
Representative taxation
12. A federal court rules that a law conflicts with the Constitution and therefore cannot be enforced. Which power is the court exercising?
Executive privilege
Judicial review
Legislative oversight
Treaty ratification
13. A traveler drives from Denver, Colorado, to Kansas City, Missouri. In which general direction are they traveling?
East
West
North
South
14. A public school system separates students by race while claiming its schools are equal. Which Supreme Court decision rejected that policy in public education?
Marbury v. Madison
Plessy v. Ferguson
McCulloch v. Maryland
Brown v. Board of Education
15. A president vetoes a bill that passed Congress. What must happen for Congress to override the veto?
A simple majority of the House must approve it again
The Supreme Court must declare the veto invalid
Two-thirds of both the House and Senate must approve it
Three-fourths of state legislatures must approve it
16. Which state consists of two major peninsulas and borders four of the five Great Lakes?
Wisconsin
Ohio
Minnesota
Michigan