Forms of Government
Executive Branch
Legislative Branch
Judicial Branch
World from A to Z
Philosophers
Constitutional Principles
Amendments
Misc.
100

This is the term for the most extreme form of authoritarianism.

Totalitarianism

100

This is the purpose of the Executive Branch.

To Enforce Laws

100

Bills dealing with raising revenue originate in which chamber?

The House of Representatives
100

How many federal District Courts are there? 

94

100

October 31 marked exactly 513 years since the artist Michelangelo completed what masterpiece, which he worked on alone for four years?

The Sistine Chapel Ceiling

100

This was the title of Hobbes' book, detailing his ideas about society and government.

Leviathan

100

This means "the people rule"

Popular Sovereignty

100

This amendment repealed prohibition.

21st

100

To convince reluctant states to ratify the Constitution, Federalists wrote this series of persuasive essays

The Federalist Papers

200

This government is ruled by a few people that are part of some form of the elite.

Oligarchy

200

This is the current salary of the President.

$400,000/year with $100,000 additional per year for expenses.

200

This is a tactic used by senators to prolong a floor debate so the bill never gets voted on.

Filibuster

200

Who is the current Chief Justice of the Supreme Court?

John Roberts

200

A newly published study in the journal Science suggests that macaque monkeys may be among the few animal species with a sense of what?

Rhythm

200

According to Locke, if a ruler violated the rights and freedoms of the citizens, the people were allowed to do this.

Revolt or launch a rebellion

200

This process is the Executive Branch's check on the Legislative Branch.

Veto

200

If convicted of a crime and set free, this right prevents you from being convicted again.

Double Jeopardy

200

This was the 9th state to ratify the Constitution.

New Hampshire

300

Tommy is a resident of Capital City in the fictional country of Bergundia. Each Tuesday morning before going to work he, along will all other residents, stops by city hall and votes on any rules and laws that are being considered. He, and other citizens, do the same thing on Thursday afternoons, usually face-to-face.

Direct Democracy

300

If the president and the vice-president can no longer serve, who takes over the presidency?

The Speaker of the House

300

What chamber must ratify treaties?

The Senate

300

Who was the first Latin-American Supreme Court Justice? 

Sonia Sotomayor

300

In December, U.S. forces seized control of an oil tanker that is believed to be violating sanctions against what South American country, which criticized the ship’s takeover?

Venezuela

300

Montesquieu's ideas influenced the United States government and its creation. What concept did we take from him?

Separation of Powers

300

Because the Supreme Court can reject laws created by congress and signed by the president, Judicial Review is part of this system

Checks and Balances

300

This bill stopped race from defining who got to vote.

15th

300

This was the only branch of government created by the Articles of Confederation

Legislative

400

In which system of government does the central government have all the power? (Also the most common system of government in the world).

Unitary System

400

If the President, Vice-President, and Speaker of the House can no longer serve, who takes over the presidency?

The President Pro-Tempore of the Senate

400

When voting on a bill or a law, members of Congress can vote Yes, No, or this third option.

Present

400

What is the Supreme Court’s session length each year (from month to month)?

October to June

400

What kind of object, which was recovered from the wreckage of the Titanic, is expected to become one of the most expensive relics of the shipwreck ever auctioned?

A Pocket Watch
400

Which philosopher believed humans are basically good but corrupted by society?  

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

400

This system of power sharing divides powers between the national government and the state governments

Federalism

400

This amendment says that you can't sue a state if you do not live there.

11th

400

Benjamin Franklin had to be carried to the convention on a _____________________ during the Constitutional Convention.

Sedan Chair

500

A government ruled entirely by one person that is domineering. Dictatorships, authoritarian regimes, and totalitarian regimes are all forms of these.

Autocracy

500

How long (in words) was George Washington's inaugural address?

135 words.

500

Who is the current Senate Majority Leader?

John Thune

500

On average, how many cases are filed with the Supreme Court each year? 

7000-8000

500

In what island nation would you find Mount Semeru, an active volcano that erupted in November, sending ash into the sky and a pyroclastic flow rushing down its slopes?

Indonesia

500

Hobbes believed that human lives were "brutish, short and this"

Violent

500

The power of the Supreme Court to determine the constitutionality of laws is called this

Judicial Review

500

What Amendment says that private property should not be taken for public use without just compensation being given for it?

5th

500

This is the name of one theory that St. Thomas Aquinas was famous for.

Just War Theory