American Citizenship Civics Questions 2015

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The content of this flashcard set is sourced from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (https://www.uscis.gov/citizenship/learners/study-test/study-materials-civics-test). These questions and answers are current as of 2015, but users should be aware that the content may be updated by USCIS at any time.

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1. What is the supreme law of the land?

the Constitution

2. What does the Constitution do?

sets up the government, defines the government, protects basic rights of Americans

3. The idea of self-government is in the first three words of the Constitution. What are these words?

We the People

4. What is an amendment?

"

a change (to the Constitution), an addition (to the Constitution)

5. What do we call the first ten amendments to the Constitution?

the Bill of Rights

6. What is one right or freedom from the First Amendment?

speech, religion, assembly, press, petition the government

7. How many amendments does the Constitution have?

twenty-seven (27)

8. What did the Declaration of Independence do?

announced our independence (from Great Britain), declared our independence (from Great Britain), said that the United States is free (from Great Britain)

9. What are two rights in the Declaration of Independence?

life, liberty, pursuit of happiness

10. What is freedom of religion?

You can practice any religion, or not practice a religion.

11. What is the economic system in the United States?

capitalist economy, market economy

12. What is the "rule of law"?

Everyone must follow the law. Leaders must obey the law. Government must obey the law. No one is above the law.

13. Name one branch or part of the government.

Congress, legislative, President, executive, the courts, judicial

14. What stops one branch of government from becoming too powerful?

checks and balances, separation of powers

15. Who is in charge of the executive branch?

the President

16. Who makes federal laws?

Congress, Senate and House (of Representatives), (U.S. or national) legislature

17. What are the two parts of the U.S. Congress?

the Senate and House (of Representatives)

18. How many U.S. Senators are there?

one hundred (100)

19. We elect a U.S. Senator for how many years?

six (6)

20. Who is one of your state's U.S. Senators now?

Answers will vary. [District of Columbia residents and residents of U.S. territories should answer that D.C. (or the territory where the applicant lives) has no U.S. Senators.]

21. The House of Representatives has how many voting members?

four hundred thirty-five (435)

22. We elect a U.S. Representative for how many years?

two (2)

23. Name your U.S. Representative.

Answers will vary. [Residents of territories with nonvoting Delegates or Resident Commissioners may provide the name of that Delegate or Commissioner. Also acceptable is any statement that the territory has no (voting) Representatives in Congress.]

24. Who does a U.S. Senator represent?

all people of the state

25. Why do some states have more Representatives than other states?

(because of) the state's population, (because) they have more people, (because) some states have more people

26. We elect a President for how many years?

four (4)

27. In what month do we vote for President?

November

28. What is the name of the President of the United States now?

Barack Obama or Obama

29. What is the name of the Vice President of the United States now?

Joseph R. Biden, Jr., Joe Biden, or Biden

30. If the President can no longer serve, who becomes President?

the Vice President

31. If both the President and the Vice President can no longer serve, who becomes President?

the Speaker of the House

32. Who is the Commander in Chief of the military?

the President

33. Who signs bills to become laws?

the President

34. Who vetoes bills?

the President

35. What does the President's Cabinet do?

advises the President

36. What are two Cabinet-level positions?

Secretary of Agriculture, Secretary of Commerce, Secretary of Defense, Secretary of Education, Secretary of Energy, Secretary of Health and Human Services, Secretary of Homeland Security, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Secretary of the Interior, Secretary of Labor, Secretary of State, Secretary of Transportation, Secretary of the Treasury, Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Attorney General, Vice President

37. What does the judicial branch do?

reviews laws, explains laws, resolves disputes (disagreements), decides if a law goes against the Constitution

38. What is the highest court in the United States?

the Supreme Court

39. How many justices are on the Supreme Court?

nine (9)

40. Who is the Chief Justice of the United States now?

John Roberts (John G. Roberts, Jr.)

41. Under our Constitution, some powers belong to the federal government. What is one power of the federal government?

to print money, to declare war, to create an army, to make treaties

42. Under our Constitution, some powers belong to the states. What is one power of the states?

provide schooling and education, provide protection (police), provide safety (fire departments), give a driver's license, approve zoning and land use

43. Who is the Governor of your state now?

Answers will vary. [District of Columbia residents should answer that D.C. does not have a Governor.]

44. What is the capital of your state?

Answers will vary. [District of Columbia residents should answer that D.C. is not a state and does not have a capital. Residents of U.S. territories should name the capital of the territory.]

45. What are the two major political parties in the United States?

Democratic and Republican

46. What is the political party of the President now?

Democratic (Party)

47. What is the name of the Speaker of the House of Representatives now?

(John) Boehner

48. There are four amendments to the Constitution about who can vote. Describe one of them.

Citizens eighteen (18) and older (can vote). You don't have to pay (a poll tax) to vote. Any citizen can vote. (Women and men can vote.) A male citizen of any race (can vote).

49. What is one responsibility that is only for United States citizens?

serve on a jury, vote in a federal election

50. Name one right only for United States citizens.

vote in a federal election, run for federal office

51. What are two rights of everyone living in the United States?

freedom of expression, freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, freedom to petition the government, freedom of worship, the right to bear arms

52. What do we show loyalty to when we say the Pledge of Allegiance?

the United States, the flag

53. What is one promise you make when you become a United States citizen?

give up loyalty to other countries, defend the Constitution and laws of the United States, obey the laws of the United States, serve in the U.S. military (if needed), serve (do important work for) the nation (if needed), be loyal to the United States

54. How old do citizens have to be to vote for President?

eighteen (18) and older

55. What are two ways that Americans can participate in their democracy?

vote, join a political party, help with a campaign, join a civic group, join a community group, give an elected official your opinion on an issue, call Senators and Representatives, publicly support or oppose an issue or policy, run for office, write to a newspaper

56. When is the last day you can send in federal income tax forms?

April 15

57. When must all men register for the Selective Service?

at age eighteen (18), between eighteen (18) and twenty-six (26)

58. What is one reason colonists came to America?

freedom, political liberty, religious freedom, economic opportunity, practice their religion, escape persecution

59. Who lived in America before the Europeans arrived?

American Indians, Native Americans

60. What group of people was taken to America and sold as slaves?

Africans, people from Africa

61. Why did the colonists fight the British?

because of high taxes (taxation without representation), because the British army stayed in their houses (boarding, quartering), because they didn't have self-government

62. Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?

(Thomas) Jefferson

63. When was the Declaration of Independence adopted?

July 4, 1776

64. There were 13 original states. Name three.

New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia

65. What happened at the Constitutional Convention?

The Constitution was written. The Founding Fathers wrote the Constitution.

66. When was the Constitution written?

1787

67. The Federalist Papers supported the passage of the U.S. Constitution. Name one of the writers.

(James) Madison, (Alexander) Hamilton, (John) Jay, Publius

68. What is one thing Benjamin Franklin is famous for?

U.S. diplomat, oldest member of the Constitutional Convention, first Postmaster General of the United States, writer of "Poor Richard's Almanac", started the first free libraries

69. Who is the "Father of Our Country"?

(George) Washington

70. Who was the first President?

(George) Washington

71. What territory did the United States buy from France in 1803?

the Louisiana Territory, Louisiana

72. Name one war fought by the United States in the 1800s.

War of 1812, Mexican-American War, Civil War, Spanish-American War

73. Name the U.S. war between the North and the South.

the Civil War, the War between the States

74. Name one problem that led to the Civil War.

slavery, economic reasons, states' rights

75. What was one important thing that Abraham Lincoln did?

freed the slaves (Emancipation Proclamation), saved (or preserved) the Union, led the United States during the Civil War

76. What did the Emancipation Proclamation do?

freed the slaves, freed slaves in the Confederacy, freed slaves in the Confederate states, freed slaves in most Southern states

77. What did Susan B. Anthony do?

fought for women's rights, fought for civil rights

78. Name one war fought by the United States in the 1900s.

World War I, World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War, (Persian) Gulf War

79. Who was President during World War I?

(Woodrow) Wilson

80. Who was President during the Great Depression and World War II?

(Franklin) Roosevelt

81. Who did the United States fight in World War II?

Japan, Germany, and Italy

82. Before he was President, Eisenhower was a general. What war was he in?

World War II

83. During the Cold War, what was the main concern of the United States?

Communism

84. What movement tried to end racial discrimination?

civil rights (movement)

85. What did Martin Luther King, Jr. do?

fought for civil rights, worked for equality for all Americans

86. What major event happened on September 11, 2001, in the United States?

Terrorists attacked the United States.

87. Name one American Indian tribe in the United States.

(USCIS Officers will be supplied with a list of federally recognized American Indian tribes.), Cherokee, Navajo, Sioux, Chippewa, Choctaw, Pueblo, Apache, Iroquois, Creek, Blackfeet, Seminole, Cheyenne, Arawak, Shawnee, Mohegan, Huron, Oneida, Lakota, Crow, Teton, Hopi, Inuit

88. Name one of the two longest rivers in the United States.

Missouri (River), Mississippi (River)

89. What ocean is on the West Coast of the United States?

Pacific (Ocean)

90. What ocean is on the East Coast of the United States?

Atlantic (Ocean)

91. Name one U.S. territory.

Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Northern Mariana Islands, Guam

92. Name one state that borders Canada.

Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan,Minnesota, North Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Washington, Alaska

93. Name one state that borders Mexico.

California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas

94. What is the capital of the United States?

Washington, D.C.

95. Where is the Statue of Liberty?

New York (Harbor), Liberty Island, (Also acceptable are New Jersey, near New York City, and on the Hudson (River).)

96. Why does the flag have 13 stripes?

because there were 13 original colonies, because the stripes represent the original colonies

97. Why does the flag have 50 stars?

because there is one star for each state, because each star represents a state, because there are 50 states

98. What is the name of the national anthem?

The Star-Spangled Banner

99. When do we celebrate Independence Day?

July 4th or 4th of July

100. Name two national U.S. holidays.

New Year's Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents' Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas

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1. What is the supreme law of the land?

Show Answer

the Constitution

Hide This Answer

2. What does the Constitution do?

Show Answer

sets up the government, defines the government, protects basic rights of Americans

Hide This Answer

3. The idea of self-government is in the first three words of the Constitution. What are these words?

Show Answer

We the People

Hide This Answer

4. What is an amendment?

Show Answer

"

a change (to the Constitution), an addition (to the Constitution)

Hide This Answer

Show Answer

Hide This Answer

5. What do we call the first ten amendments to the Constitution?

Show Answer

the Bill of Rights

Hide This Answer

6. What is one right or freedom from the First Amendment?

Show Answer

speech, religion, assembly, press, petition the government

Hide This Answer

7. How many amendments does the Constitution have?

Show Answer

twenty-seven (27)

Hide This Answer

8. What did the Declaration of Independence do?

Show Answer

announced our independence (from Great Britain), declared our independence (from Great Britain), said that the United States is free (from Great Britain)

Hide This Answer

9. What are two rights in the Declaration of Independence?

Show Answer

life, liberty, pursuit of happiness

Hide This Answer

10. What is freedom of religion?

Show Answer

You can practice any religion, or not practice a religion.

Hide This Answer

11. What is the economic system in the United States?

Show Answer

capitalist economy, market economy

Hide This Answer

12. What is the "rule of law"?

Show Answer

Everyone must follow the law. Leaders must obey the law. Government must obey the law. No one is above the law.

Hide This Answer

13. Name one branch or part of the government.

Show Answer

Congress, legislative, President, executive, the courts, judicial

Hide This Answer

14. What stops one branch of government from becoming too powerful?

Show Answer

checks and balances, separation of powers

Hide This Answer

15. Who is in charge of the executive branch?

Show Answer

the President

Hide This Answer

16. Who makes federal laws?

Show Answer

Congress, Senate and House (of Representatives), (U.S. or national) legislature

Hide This Answer

17. What are the two parts of the U.S. Congress?

Show Answer

the Senate and House (of Representatives)

Hide This Answer

18. How many U.S. Senators are there?

Show Answer

one hundred (100)

Hide This Answer

19. We elect a U.S. Senator for how many years?

Show Answer

six (6)

Hide This Answer

20. Who is one of your state's U.S. Senators now?

Show Answer

Answers will vary. [District of Columbia residents and residents of U.S. territories should answer that D.C. (or the territory where the applicant lives) has no U.S. Senators.]

Hide This Answer

21. The House of Representatives has how many voting members?

Show Answer

four hundred thirty-five (435)

Hide This Answer

22. We elect a U.S. Representative for how many years?

Show Answer

two (2)

Hide This Answer

23. Name your U.S. Representative.

Show Answer

Hide This Answer

24. Who does a U.S. Senator represent?

Show Answer

all people of the state

Hide This Answer

25. Why do some states have more Representatives than other states?

Show Answer

(because of) the state's population, (because) they have more people, (because) some states have more people

Hide This Answer

26. We elect a President for how many years?

Show Answer

four (4)

Hide This Answer

27. In what month do we vote for President?

Show Answer

November

Hide This Answer

28. What is the name of the President of the United States now?

Show Answer

Barack Obama or Obama

Hide This Answer

29. What is the name of the Vice President of the United States now?

Show Answer

Joseph R. Biden, Jr., Joe Biden, or Biden

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30. If the President can no longer serve, who becomes President?

Show Answer

the Vice President

Hide This Answer

31. If both the President and the Vice President can no longer serve, who becomes President?

Show Answer

the Speaker of the House

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32. Who is the Commander in Chief of the military?

Show Answer

the President

Hide This Answer

33. Who signs bills to become laws?

Show Answer

the President

Hide This Answer

34. Who vetoes bills?

Show Answer

the President

Hide This Answer

35. What does the President's Cabinet do?

Show Answer

advises the President

Hide This Answer

36. What are two Cabinet-level positions?

Show Answer

Hide This Answer

37. What does the judicial branch do?

Show Answer

reviews laws, explains laws, resolves disputes (disagreements), decides if a law goes against the Constitution

Hide This Answer

38. What is the highest court in the United States?

Show Answer

the Supreme Court

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39. How many justices are on the Supreme Court?

Show Answer

nine (9)

Hide This Answer

40. Who is the Chief Justice of the United States now?

Show Answer

John Roberts (John G. Roberts, Jr.)

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41. Under our Constitution, some powers belong to the federal government. What is one power of the federal government?

Show Answer

to print money, to declare war, to create an army, to make treaties

Hide This Answer

42. Under our Constitution, some powers belong to the states. What is one power of the states?

Show Answer

provide schooling and education, provide protection (police), provide safety (fire departments), give a driver's license, approve zoning and land use

Hide This Answer

43. Who is the Governor of your state now?

Show Answer

Answers will vary. [District of Columbia residents should answer that D.C. does not have a Governor.]

Hide This Answer

44. What is the capital of your state?

Show Answer

Answers will vary. [District of Columbia residents should answer that D.C. is not a state and does not have a capital. Residents of U.S. territories should name the capital of the territory.]

Hide This Answer

45. What are the two major political parties in the United States?

Show Answer

Democratic and Republican

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46. What is the political party of the President now?

Show Answer

Democratic (Party)

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47. What is the name of the Speaker of the House of Representatives now?

Show Answer

(John) Boehner

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48. There are four amendments to the Constitution about who can vote. Describe one of them.

Show Answer

Citizens eighteen (18) and older (can vote). You don't have to pay (a poll tax) to vote. Any citizen can vote. (Women and men can vote.) A male citizen of any race (can vote).

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49. What is one responsibility that is only for United States citizens?

Show Answer

serve on a jury, vote in a federal election

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50. Name one right only for United States citizens.

Show Answer

vote in a federal election, run for federal office

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51. What are two rights of everyone living in the United States?

Show Answer

freedom of expression, freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, freedom to petition the government, freedom of worship, the right to bear arms

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52. What do we show loyalty to when we say the Pledge of Allegiance?

Show Answer

the United States, the flag

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53. What is one promise you make when you become a United States citizen?

Show Answer

Hide This Answer

54. How old do citizens have to be to vote for President?

Show Answer

eighteen (18) and older

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55. What are two ways that Americans can participate in their democracy?

Show Answer

Hide This Answer

56. When is the last day you can send in federal income tax forms?

Show Answer

April 15

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57. When must all men register for the Selective Service?

Show Answer

at age eighteen (18), between eighteen (18) and twenty-six (26)

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58. What is one reason colonists came to America?

Show Answer

freedom, political liberty, religious freedom, economic opportunity, practice their religion, escape persecution

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59. Who lived in America before the Europeans arrived?

Show Answer

American Indians, Native Americans

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60. What group of people was taken to America and sold as slaves?

Show Answer

Africans, people from Africa

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61. Why did the colonists fight the British?

Show Answer

because of high taxes (taxation without representation), because the British army stayed in their houses (boarding, quartering), because they didn't have self-government

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62. Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?

Show Answer

(Thomas) Jefferson

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63. When was the Declaration of Independence adopted?

Show Answer

July 4, 1776

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64. There were 13 original states. Name three.

Show Answer

New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia

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65. What happened at the Constitutional Convention?

Show Answer

The Constitution was written. The Founding Fathers wrote the Constitution.

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66. When was the Constitution written?

Show Answer

1787

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67. The Federalist Papers supported the passage of the U.S. Constitution. Name one of the writers.

Show Answer

(James) Madison, (Alexander) Hamilton, (John) Jay, Publius

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68. What is one thing Benjamin Franklin is famous for?

Show Answer

U.S. diplomat, oldest member of the Constitutional Convention, first Postmaster General of the United States, writer of "Poor Richard's Almanac", started the first free libraries

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69. Who is the "Father of Our Country"?

Show Answer

(George) Washington

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70. Who was the first President?

Show Answer

(George) Washington

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71. What territory did the United States buy from France in 1803?

Show Answer

the Louisiana Territory, Louisiana

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72. Name one war fought by the United States in the 1800s.

Show Answer

War of 1812, Mexican-American War, Civil War, Spanish-American War

Hide This Answer

73. Name the U.S. war between the North and the South.

Show Answer

the Civil War, the War between the States

Hide This Answer

74. Name one problem that led to the Civil War.

Show Answer

slavery, economic reasons, states' rights

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75. What was one important thing that Abraham Lincoln did?

Show Answer

freed the slaves (Emancipation Proclamation), saved (or preserved) the Union, led the United States during the Civil War

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76. What did the Emancipation Proclamation do?

Show Answer

freed the slaves, freed slaves in the Confederacy, freed slaves in the Confederate states, freed slaves in most Southern states

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77. What did Susan B. Anthony do?

Show Answer

fought for women's rights, fought for civil rights

Hide This Answer

78. Name one war fought by the United States in the 1900s.

Show Answer

World War I, World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War, (Persian) Gulf War

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79. Who was President during World War I?

Show Answer

(Woodrow) Wilson

Hide This Answer

80. Who was President during the Great Depression and World War II?

Show Answer

(Franklin) Roosevelt

Hide This Answer

81. Who did the United States fight in World War II?

Show Answer

Japan, Germany, and Italy

Hide This Answer

82. Before he was President, Eisenhower was a general. What war was he in?

Show Answer

World War II

Hide This Answer

83. During the Cold War, what was the main concern of the United States?

Show Answer

Communism

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84. What movement tried to end racial discrimination?

Show Answer

civil rights (movement)

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85. What did Martin Luther King, Jr. do?

Show Answer

fought for civil rights, worked for equality for all Americans

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86. What major event happened on September 11, 2001, in the United States?

Show Answer

Terrorists attacked the United States.

Hide This Answer

87. Name one American Indian tribe in the United States.

Show Answer

Hide This Answer

88. Name one of the two longest rivers in the United States.

Show Answer

Missouri (River), Mississippi (River)

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89. What ocean is on the West Coast of the United States?

Show Answer

Pacific (Ocean)

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90. What ocean is on the East Coast of the United States?

Show Answer

Atlantic (Ocean)

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91. Name one U.S. territory.

Show Answer

Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Northern Mariana Islands, Guam

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92. Name one state that borders Canada.

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Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan,Minnesota, North Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Washington, Alaska

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93. Name one state that borders Mexico.

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California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas

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94. What is the capital of the United States?

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Washington, D.C.

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95. Where is the Statue of Liberty?

Show Answer

New York (Harbor), Liberty Island, (Also acceptable are New Jersey, near New York City, and on the Hudson (River).)

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96. Why does the flag have 13 stripes?

Show Answer

because there were 13 original colonies, because the stripes represent the original colonies

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97. Why does the flag have 50 stars?

Show Answer

because there is one star for each state, because each star represents a state, because there are 50 states

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98. What is the name of the national anthem?

Show Answer

The Star-Spangled Banner

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99. When do we celebrate Independence Day?

Show Answer

July 4th or 4th of July

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100. Name two national U.S. holidays.

Show Answer

New Year's Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents' Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas

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