United States government has always had it’s ups and downs, ins and outs, economic woes, funding difficulties, etc. Here are a few questions on our government. See how many you might know.
1. Who was the Barvian born Secretary of State serving in the Nixon and Ford administrations from 1973 to 1977. Cyrus Vance; Warren Christopher; William Rogers; Henry Kissinger
2. Which editor of The Washington Post broke the Watergate scandal? Benjamin Bradlee; Jason Robards; Bob Woodward; Donald Graham
3. In 1997, who became the first woman to serve as U.S. secretary of state? Sandra Day O’Connor; Madeleine Albright; Jeane Kirkpatrick; Condoleezza Rice
4. Which of the following does NOT refer to something that might be used by the President or the Executive Branch? Pocket Veto; Plausible Deniability; Cloture; Executive Privilege
5. True or False: The Constitution was the first governing framework in the United States.
6. What word is used for a long speech by a Senator that halts the passage of a bill?
7. The Treaty of Versailles ended what war? World War II; Spanish-American War; Civil War; World War I
8. Which law prohibits discrimination in the workplace against those who serve in the National Guard and Reserve? FLSA; There is no such law; USERRA; FMLA
9. The Third Amendment of the U.S. Constitution prohibits the government from doing what? Forcing self-incrimination during trial; Searches or arrests without warrant or specific cause; Using private homes as quarters for soldiers; Issuing excessive bail or fines
ANSWERS:
1. Henry Kissinger. Henry Kissinger played a major role in the Nixon cabinet. William Rogers was Nixon’s first secretary of state, serving from 1969 to 1973.
2. Benjamin Bradlee. Bradlee was portrayed by Jason Robards in “All the President’s Men,” for which he won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar.
3. Madeleine Albright. Born in Prague, Albright moved with her family to the USA in 1948. She served in the Clinton administration between 1997 and 2001. O’Connor was appointed as a Supreme Court justice and Rice would later become the second woman to work as U.S. secretary of state.
4. Cloture happens when the Senate votes to halt all debate about a bill, this is normally used to end a filibuster.
5. False. The Articles of Confederation were the first framework for the U.S. They provided more power to the states and left the national government weak. After seeing this flaw, politicians discarded the Articles and drafted the Constitution we have today
6. Filibuster, which occurs when a senator makes a long speech so that a bill is not able to come up for a vote. This could never occur in the House because there are rules about the length of debate and speeches. The House has many more rules than the Senate because of its size.
7. World War I.
8. USERRA Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act was enacted in 1994 to protect service members against employment discrimination.
9. Using private homes as quarters for soldiers. The Third Amendment is part of the Bill of Rights, the first ten amendments of the U.S. Constitution. The exact text reads “No Soldier shall, in the time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.”