Florida Civic Literacy Exam
1. What group of people was taken to America and sold as slaves?: AfricansPeople in the
United States did not agree about slavery. This was a major cause ofthe Civil War. In 1865,
after the Civil War was over, slavery was illegal. Enslaved people became free citizens.
2. Name one branch or part of the government.: Congress
3. Name the three branches of the federal government: Congress, the presi-dent, and the
courts.
4. What is the congress called?: legislative branch, they writes, debates, andmakes laws.
5. What branch does the President lead?: The Executive Branch, and the Pres-ident enforces
laws.
6. What are the courts called?: Judicial branch, and the courts explain laws. Theydecide if laws
follow the Constitution. They also decide if people have broken laws.
7. When was the Constitution written?: 1787
8. We elect a President for how many years?: four (4)
9. We elect a U.S. Senator for how many years?: six
10. What is a U.S Senator?: The Senate is considered the upper chamber ofcongress.
The Senate and the House of Representatives together form the United StatesCongress.
11. How many Senators does each state have?: 2, that make up the 100 membersin the Senate,
and they serve for 6 years.
12. What ocean is on the East Coast of the United States?: Atlantic (Ocean)
13. What are two rights of everyone living in the United States?: freedom ofspeech and
freedom of religion (1 Amendment)
14. What did Martin Luther King, Jr. do?: fought for civil rights
15. Who was President during the Great Depression and World War II?: FranklinRoosevelt
16. Who was president during world war l?: Woodrow Wilson
17. There are four amendments to the Constitution about who can vote. De-scribe one of
them.: Citizens eighteen (18) and older can vote
18. Electoral College: A body of people representing the states of the US, whoformally cast
votes for the election of the president and vice president.
19. Articles of Confederation: The original constitution of the US, ratified in 1781,which was
replaced by the US Constitution in 1789.
20. The Articles of Confederation served as?: The written document that estab- lished the
, functions of the national government of the United States after it declared independence from
Great Britain.
21. Great Compromise: Established the United States legislature as a bicameral,or two-house
law-making body. In the Senate, each state would be allowed two representatives; in the
House of Representatives, the number of representatives allowed for each state would be
determined by its population.
22. bicameral.: means that Congress has two houses: the House of Representativeand the
Senate. We have the two houses of Congress due to a compromise madeby the Founding
Fathers during the Constitutional Convention.
23. What happened at the Constitutional Convention?: The Constitution waswritten
24. What is one thing Benjamin Franklin is famous for?: U.S. diplomat. (Diplomatsare
responsible for representing and protecting the interests and nationals of their sending state,
facilitating strategic agreements, promoting trade and commerce, andfostering friendly relations
between nations. They play a vital role in international diplomacy and negotiation.)
Benjamin Franklin was an inventor. He invented many things that we use today. Heinvented
bifocal eyeglasses. He invented the Franklin stove. Franklin was the writerof Poor Richard's
Almanac. It was a book with information about the weather and other topics. Franklin became
the first postmaster general of the United States in 1775. He created the postal, or mail,
system in the United States. Also, he started the first free libraries. Later, he was a U.S.
diplomat. He was the oldest member atthe Constitutional Convention.
25. Who vetoes bills?: The President
The president has the power to stop a bill from becoming a law. The president canrefuse to
sign a bill that Congress approved. This is called a veto.
The bill is sent back to Congress without the president's signature. Congress canchange the bill
or vote again. If two-thirds of the House of Representatives and two-thirds of the Senate vote
to override the veto, it becomes a law without the president's signature.
26. Who is the Chief Justice of the United States now?: John G. Roberts, Jr., ChiefJustice of the
United States
27. What are two rights of everyone living in the United States?: freedom ofspeech and
freedom of religion (First Amendment)
28. Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?: Thomas Jefferson
He wanted to create a government for the United States that protected individual rights.
Thomas Jefferson wrote that the United States was free from Britain. He wrotethat all men are
created equal. He wrote that everyone has the right to life, liberty, andthe pursuit of happiness.
The ideas in the Declaration helped shape the American government. These ideas are still
important today.
29. What is the supreme law of the land?: The ConstitutionEveryone must follow the
Constitution.
1. What group of people was taken to America and sold as slaves?: AfricansPeople in the
United States did not agree about slavery. This was a major cause ofthe Civil War. In 1865,
after the Civil War was over, slavery was illegal. Enslaved people became free citizens.
2. Name one branch or part of the government.: Congress
3. Name the three branches of the federal government: Congress, the presi-dent, and the
courts.
4. What is the congress called?: legislative branch, they writes, debates, andmakes laws.
5. What branch does the President lead?: The Executive Branch, and the Pres-ident enforces
laws.
6. What are the courts called?: Judicial branch, and the courts explain laws. Theydecide if laws
follow the Constitution. They also decide if people have broken laws.
7. When was the Constitution written?: 1787
8. We elect a President for how many years?: four (4)
9. We elect a U.S. Senator for how many years?: six
10. What is a U.S Senator?: The Senate is considered the upper chamber ofcongress.
The Senate and the House of Representatives together form the United StatesCongress.
11. How many Senators does each state have?: 2, that make up the 100 membersin the Senate,
and they serve for 6 years.
12. What ocean is on the East Coast of the United States?: Atlantic (Ocean)
13. What are two rights of everyone living in the United States?: freedom ofspeech and
freedom of religion (1 Amendment)
14. What did Martin Luther King, Jr. do?: fought for civil rights
15. Who was President during the Great Depression and World War II?: FranklinRoosevelt
16. Who was president during world war l?: Woodrow Wilson
17. There are four amendments to the Constitution about who can vote. De-scribe one of
them.: Citizens eighteen (18) and older can vote
18. Electoral College: A body of people representing the states of the US, whoformally cast
votes for the election of the president and vice president.
19. Articles of Confederation: The original constitution of the US, ratified in 1781,which was
replaced by the US Constitution in 1789.
20. The Articles of Confederation served as?: The written document that estab- lished the
, functions of the national government of the United States after it declared independence from
Great Britain.
21. Great Compromise: Established the United States legislature as a bicameral,or two-house
law-making body. In the Senate, each state would be allowed two representatives; in the
House of Representatives, the number of representatives allowed for each state would be
determined by its population.
22. bicameral.: means that Congress has two houses: the House of Representativeand the
Senate. We have the two houses of Congress due to a compromise madeby the Founding
Fathers during the Constitutional Convention.
23. What happened at the Constitutional Convention?: The Constitution waswritten
24. What is one thing Benjamin Franklin is famous for?: U.S. diplomat. (Diplomatsare
responsible for representing and protecting the interests and nationals of their sending state,
facilitating strategic agreements, promoting trade and commerce, andfostering friendly relations
between nations. They play a vital role in international diplomacy and negotiation.)
Benjamin Franklin was an inventor. He invented many things that we use today. Heinvented
bifocal eyeglasses. He invented the Franklin stove. Franklin was the writerof Poor Richard's
Almanac. It was a book with information about the weather and other topics. Franklin became
the first postmaster general of the United States in 1775. He created the postal, or mail,
system in the United States. Also, he started the first free libraries. Later, he was a U.S.
diplomat. He was the oldest member atthe Constitutional Convention.
25. Who vetoes bills?: The President
The president has the power to stop a bill from becoming a law. The president canrefuse to
sign a bill that Congress approved. This is called a veto.
The bill is sent back to Congress without the president's signature. Congress canchange the bill
or vote again. If two-thirds of the House of Representatives and two-thirds of the Senate vote
to override the veto, it becomes a law without the president's signature.
26. Who is the Chief Justice of the United States now?: John G. Roberts, Jr., ChiefJustice of the
United States
27. What are two rights of everyone living in the United States?: freedom ofspeech and
freedom of religion (First Amendment)
28. Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?: Thomas Jefferson
He wanted to create a government for the United States that protected individual rights.
Thomas Jefferson wrote that the United States was free from Britain. He wrotethat all men are
created equal. He wrote that everyone has the right to life, liberty, andthe pursuit of happiness.
The ideas in the Declaration helped shape the American government. These ideas are still
important today.
29. What is the supreme law of the land?: The ConstitutionEveryone must follow the
Constitution.
