Constitution Day Quiz

Grab your pencil and take some notes. The Constitution Day Quiz is below, with answers in the next tab.

1. In what year was the Constitution written?
   1. 1763
   2. 1776
   3. 1787
   4. 1789
   5. 1791
2. In the Preamble, which reason is not given for writing the Constitution?
   1. To form a more perfect union
   2. To promote the general welfare of American citizens
   3. To establish peaceful relations with Great Britain
   4. To provide for the common defense
   5. To establish justice and liberty in the United States
3. Which of these conditions does the Constitution stipulate for both the members of the House of Representatives and the members of the Senate?
   1. Members are chosen every six years.
   2. Members have legislative powers, or the power to make laws.
   3. Each state gets a different number of members based on its population.
   4. Each member must have been a citizen of the United States for at least nine years.
   5. Members have the power to try impeachments.
4. Scenario: Congress passes a bill and it goes to the President for approval. The President, however, does not approve. He writes his objections and sends the bill back to the House, where it originated. What must happen for the bill to become law?
   1. A two-thirds majority in each House must approve the bill.
   2. The original House must rewrite the bill and send it back for the President's approval.
   3. The original House must alter the bill and send it back to the President within 10 days (excluding Sundays).
   4. Congress must adjourn and then reconvene after no more than three days to vote on the bill again.
   5. Two-thirds of the original House and one-third of the other House must approve the bill.
5. The Constitution prohibits the states from all of the following except
   1. Entering into a treaty, alliance, or confederation
   2. Coining money
   3. Granting titles of nobility
   4. Entering into an agreement with a foreign power
   5. Executing their own inspection laws
6. According to the Constitution, the President is Commander in Chief of the ____________ and of the ____________ of the states.
   1. Army and navy; militia
   2. Army; navy
   3. Congress; militia
   4. Congress; legislatures
   5. Government; legislatures
7. The Supreme Court has original jurisdiction over all cases of the types listed below except for those involving _____________________________.
   1. Ambassadors and other public figures
   2. Two states
   3. A state and an individual from another state
   4. A state and a foreign citizen
   5. Two citizens of different states
8. The Constitution guarantees each state a(n) ____________ form of government.
   1. Republican
   2. Democratic
   3. Parliamentary
   4. Oligarchic
   5. Single-party
9. How many states needed to ratify the Constitution to establish it?
   1. 5
   2. 9
   3. 11
   4. 13
   5. 50
10. The Second Amendment relates to _________________.
    1. The right to speak freely
    2. The right to bear arms
    3. The right to practice religion
    4. The right to a trial by jury
    5. The right to a speedy and public trial
11. The Fifth Amendment protects citizens from all of the following except _______________________.
    1. Being tried twice for the same offense (double jeopardy)
    2. Serving as witnesses against themselves
    3. Being tried for a capital crime
    4. Having private property taken without compensation
    5. Being deprived of due process of law
12. Both the Fifteenth and the Nineteenth Amendments address the issue of ______________________.
    1. Abolition
    2. Women's rights
    3. Taxes
    4. Voting
    5. Prohibition
13. Which amendment outlawed slavery?
    1. Eleventh Amendment
    2. Thirteenth Amendment
    3. Fourteenth Amendment
    4. Fifteenth Amendment
    5. Eighteenth Amendment
14. According to the Twentieth Amendment, the term for presidents and vice presidents ends on _______________, and the term for senators ends on ________________.
    1. January 1st; January 20th
    2. November 2nd; December 10th
    3. December 1st; January 10th
    4. January 20th; January 3rd
    5. November 2nd; January 3rd
15. What steps are taken to ratify an amendment?
    1. It must be proposed by two-thirds of both Houses or by two-thirds of the states, and then ratified by three-fourths of the states.
    2. It must be proposed by two-thirds of both Houses or by two-thirds of the states, and then ratified by the President.
    3. It must be ratified by two-thirds of both Houses or by three-fourths of the states.
    4. It must be proposed by the President and ratified by all 50 states.
    5. It must be proposed by the Supreme Court and ratified by two-thirds of the states and two-thirds of Congress.

Check your answers below!

1. In what year was the Constitution written?

   The correct answer is C. For more information about the Constitution, go to TeachingAmericanHistory.org's article, Introduction to the Constitutional Convention.

2. In the Preamble, which reason is not given for writing the Constitution?

   The correct answer is C. For more information about the Preamble, go to FindLaw's article, Purpose and Effect of the Preamble and The U.S. Constitution Online's Constitutional Topic: The Preamble.

3. Which of these conditions does the Constitution stipulate for both the members of the House of Representatives and the members of the Senate?

   The correct answer is B. For more information about the Constitution, go to the Constitution page on our Web site.

4. Scenario: Congress passes a bill and it goes to the President for approval. The President, however, does not approve. He writes his objections and sends the bill back to the House, where it originated. What must happen for the bill to become law?

   The correct answer is A. For more information about how bills are passed into law, go to Project Smart Vote's article, GOVERNMENT 101: How a Bill Becomes Law.

5. The Constitution prohibits the states from all of the following except

   The correct answer is B. For more information about the U.S. Constitution, go to the Constitution page on our site.

6. According to the Constitution, the President is Commander in Chief of the ____________ and of the ____________ of the states.

   The correct answer is A. For more information about the U.S. Constitution, go to the Constitution page on our site.

7. The Supreme Court has original jurisdiction over all cases of the types listed below except for those involving _____________________________.

   The correct answer is E. For more information about the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court, go to a brief overview of the Supreme Court  presented at their Web site.

8. The Constitution guarantees each state a(n) ____________ form of government.

   The correct answer is A. For more information about a republican form of government, go to ThisNation.com's article, Is the United States a Democracy?.

9. How many states needed to ratify the Constitution to establish it?

   The correct answer is B. For more information about ratifying an amendment, go to the Constitution page on our site.

10. The Second Amendment relates to _________________.

    The correct answer is B. For more information about the Second Amendment, go to FindLaw's annotated text discussing the Second Amendment.

11. The Fifth Amendment protects citizens from all of the following except _______________________.

    The correct answer is C. For more information about the Fifth Amendment, go to Constitution page on our site.

12. Both the Fifteenth and the Nineteenth Amendments address the issue of ______________________.

    The correct answer is D. For more information about the Fifteenth Amendment, go to Answers.com's Amendment XV to the U. S. Constitution. For more information about the Nineteenth Amendment, go to Answers.com's Amendment XIX to the U.S. Constitution.

13. Which amendment outlawed slavery?

    The correct answer is B. For more information about Thirteenth Amendment, go to Constitution page on our site and the U. S. Constitution Online site's Notes on the Amendments.

14. According to the Twentieth Amendment, the term for presidents and vice presidents ends on _______________, and the term for senators ends on ________________.

    The correct answer is D. For more information about the Twentieth Amendment, go to Answers.com's article, Twentieth Amendment to the United States Constitution.

15. What steps are taken to ratify an amendment?

    The correct answer is A. For more information about the steps to ratify an amendment, go to Constitutional Topic: Ratification Conventions at U.S. Constitution Online.