D.C. Statehood Quiz

1. Which of the following people is not from D.C.?
a) James Brown
b) Duke Ellington
c) Marvin Gaye
d) Goldie Hawn

2. How does the population of Washington D.C. compare to the population of Vermont and Wyoming?
a) D.C. has almost as many people as Vermont and Wyoming.
b) D.C. has more people than Vermont and Wyoming.
c) D.C. has more people than Vermont, but less than Wyoming.

3. How would statehood for D.C. be achieved?
a) Congress would pass an admission act.
b) Congress must pass a constitutional amendment.
c) D.C. must pay Maryland 500 billion dollars for the land.

4. What is the reason for the location of our nation’s capital?
a) The North/South compromise
b) Residence Act
c) Both A and B

1. Who is the President of the Senate?

(U.S. Vice President)

2. Voters have elected their state senators since what year?

(1913)

3. Which senator has served longer than any other in history?

(Robert C. Byrd (D-WV)

4. Who was the only former American president to serve in the United States Senate?

(Andrew Johnson)

5. Who was the first woman to serve in the Senate and in what year?

Rebecca Felton (D-GA); 1922

1: The Honorable John G. Roberts, Jr., is the 17th Chief Justice of the United States, and there have been (102) Associate Justices in the Supreme Court’s history.

2: The first Black member of the Supreme Court was (Thurgood Marshall), who took the oaths of office on October 2, 1967.

3: The first female member of the Supreme Court was (Sandra Day O’Connor) who took the oaths of office on September 25, 1981.

4: The first Latinx member of the Supreme Court was (Sonia Sotomayor), who took the oaths of office on August 8, 2009.

5: The first Justice to be fully vested as a member of the Supreme Court was (James Wilson), who took his oaths on October 5, 1789.

1.  How many electoral votes are necessary to elect the U.S. president?

a.            140

b.            210

c.            270

2. Who was the only U.S. president to serve two non-consecutive terms?

a.            Grover Cleveland

b.            Franklin D. Roosevelt

c.            Woodrow Wilson

d.            John Adams

3. The first presidential election took place in _____.

a.            1777

b.            1789    

c.            1791

4. Every U.S. president since 1852 has been either a Republican or a Democrat.

a.            True     

b.            False

5. Match our country’s earlier presidents to their political parties.

No Party – George Washington

Federalist – John Adams

Whig – Millard Fillmore

What’s Your U.S. History IQ?

1: What is Old Glory?
a) A statue of George Washington’s horse
b) A nickname for the flag of the United States
c) Declaration of Independence

2: There have been  (19) Republicans and  (15) Democrats elected as President of the United States.

3: Which president was not a member of any party? (George Washington)

4: How many full terms can a U.S. president serve? (2)

5: Washington, D.C. didn’t become the nation’s capital until what year?  (1790)

Surveillance Law

1. What member of the House of Representatives sponsored H.R.6172 or the USA FREEDOM Reauthorization Act of 2020?

a) Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA)
b) Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY)
c) Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY)

2. H.R.6172 or the USA FREEDOM Reauthorization Act of 2020 is a bill that would reauthorize provisions related to intelligence gathering under the Foreign Intelligence and Surveillance Act (FISA) until what date?

a) Dec. 1, 2023
b) March 15, 2024
c) Oct. 31, 2024

3. Which of the members of Congress below did not support H.R.6172 or the USA FREEDOM Reauthorization Act of 2020?

a) Rep. Chris Stewart (R-UT)
b) Rep. Bradley Byrne (R-AL)
c) Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-CA)
d) None of the above

4. Which government agency was not created by executive action but rather by Congress’s passing of the National Security Act of 1947?

a) Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
b) Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
c) National Security Agency (NSA)

Equal Rights Amendment

1. To expand the rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution to both women and men, the Equal Rights Amendment was first introduced in 1923 by                           .
a) Phyllis Schlafly
b) Lucretia Mott
c) Alice Paul

2. The only right that the Constitution guarantees specifically for women is the right to vote.
 a) True
b) False

3.    According to the Fifth Amendment, a constitutional amendment can be proposed by either two-thirds of the members of both the House and Senate or at a convention called by _____ of the states.
a) three-fourths
b) two-thirds
c) three-fifths

4. According to the United Nations, ____ out of 195 countries guarantee equality between women and men in their constitutions as of 2014.
  a) 143
b) 110
c) 101

5. The equal protection clause of the U.S. Constitution’s 14th Amendment was first applied to sex discrimination in __________.
a) 1923
b) 1964
c) 1971

Minimum Wage

1. The ____ is a federal labor law that created the right to a minimum wage and overtime pay when people work more than 40 hours a week.

a) Equal Pay Act

b) Fair Labor Standards Act

c) Fair Minimum Wage Act

2. The federal minimum wage for tipped workers is ____ an hour.

a)  $2.13

b)  $4.02

c)   $5.45

3. Employers can pay workers under age 20 a “youth minimum wage” of only $4.25 an hour for their first 90 days of employment.

a) True

b) False

4. According to data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Americans work an average of 34.34 hours per week. In Germany, however, people clock in an average of _____ hours per week.

a) 32.85

b) 30.94

c) 26.21

5. On July 18, 2019, the Raise the Wage Act (H.R.582) passed the House. The bill would increase the federal minimum wage for:

a) Tipped workers

b) Workers under age 20

c) Disabled workers

d) All of the above

War Powers

1. Congress has formally declared war for which of the following conflicts?

a) Mexican-American War

b) Vietnam War

c) Gulf War

d) All of the above

2. The War Powers Resolution of 1973 (aka the War Powers Act) was passed by two-thirds each of the House and Senate, overriding the veto of the bill by President Gerald Ford.

a) True

b) False

3. Under the War Powers Resolution of 1973 (aka the War Powers Act), the president can declare war only in the following situations:

a) Declaration of Congress

b) Congressional authorization for use of military force (AUMF)

c) A national emergency created by an attack on the U.S.

d) All of the above

4. Article I, Section 8, of the U.S. Constitution gives ______ the power to declare war.

a) The President (executive branch)

b) Congress (legislative branch)

c) Supreme Court (judicial branch)

5. Despite the United States’ engagement in conflicts in Vietnam, Iraq and Iran, Congress has not declared war since _____.

a) 1917

b) 1942

c) 1960

Refugees

1. Refugees have the right to move anywhere in the U.S. after their initial resettlement, but at their own expense.

a) True

b) False

2. According to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), there are approximately ________refugees in the world, more than half of whom are under age 18.

a) 25.9 million

b) 44.1 million

c) 70.8 million

3. The Refugee Protection Act of 2019 was bicameral legislation introduced in the House as H.R.5210 and the Senate as ____ on Nov. 21, 2019.

a) S.1088

b) S.2936

c) S.3048

4. According to Amnesty International, the list of the world’s top 10 refugee host countries doesn’t include which country or countries?

a) United States

b) Germany

c) A and B

5. Texas and Alabama were the only states to opt out of the refugee resettlement program for 2020, after President Trump gave states the option to opt out.

a) True

b) False

Fuel Standards

1.  The legislation enacted by Congress in 1975 that directed the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to establish CAFE standards for cars and light trucks was the _____.

a)  Clean Power Plan Act

b)  Energy Independence and Security Act

c)  Energy Policy and Conservation Act

2. The CAFE standards aimed to reduce U.S. dependence on imported oil by increasing vehicle fuel efficiency. What does CAFE stand for?

a) Carbon Automobile Fuel Efficiency

b) Corporate Average Fuel Economy

c) Conservation Automobile Fuel Efficiency

3. California is the only state permitted to issue emissions standards under the federal Clean Air Act. Other states may choose to follow California’s standards, but may not set their own.

a)  True

b)  False

4. Some 13 states and the District of Columbia follow the stricter California standards. These states are known as _______ states.

a) C-CAFE

b) CARB

c) CRAF

5. Who is the lead sponsor of H.R.978, the Clean and Efficient Cars Act of 2019?

a)  Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA)

b)  Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-CA)

c)  Rep. Doris Matsui (D-CA)

Longer School Day

1. Per the National Center for Education Statistics’ 2015–16 National Teacher and Principal Survey, the average start time for public schools is 8:30 a.m.

a) True

b) False

2. Which of the senators below was not a co-sponsor of Sen. Kamala Harris’s legislation known as the Family Friendly Schools Act (S.2784)?

a) Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH)

b) Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY)

c) Sen. Christopher A. Coons (D-DE)

d) Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT)

3. Which of the organizations below support the Family Friendly Schools Act legislation?

a) American Federation of Teachers

b) Center for American Progress

c) Institute for Educational Leadership

d) All of the above

4. The National Center for Education Statistics is the primary federal entity for collecting, analyzing, and reporting data related to education in the United States and in foreign countries.

a) True

b) False

Balanced Budget Amendment

1. Of the three main categories of the United States federal budget, which category does Medicare fall under?

a) Mandatory spending

b) Discretionary spending

c) Interest on debt

2. Military and defense spending fall under mandatory spending.

a) True

b) False

3. The United States federal government shutdown of 2018–2019 lasted ______and was the longest U.S. government shutdown in history.

a) 19 days

b) 24 days

c) 35 days

4. According to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), annual mandatory spending will increase to about ___% of GDP by 2027.

a) 2.5%

b) 14%

c) 27%

5. According to Pew Research, since ______, Congress has never passed more than a third of its regular appropriations bills on time.

a) 1997

b) 2001

c) 2008

Cryptocurrency

1. What is the pseudonymous name used by the person or persons who developed Bitcoin and launched it in 2009?

            a) Satoshi Nakamoto

b) Hal Finney

c) Stefan Thomas

2. Due to the decentralized nature of the blockchain, cryptocurrency is not controlled by any government or traditional financial institution.

            a) True

b) False

3. The first merchant transaction using Bitcoin was made in May 2010 by Laszlo Hanyecz, who paid 10,000 BTC in exchange for two Papa John’s Pizzas. As of May 2019, the value of 10,000 BTC is more than _________ .

a) $22 million

            b) $53 million

c) $8 million

4. What is the difference between Bitcoin and Libra?

a) Bitcoin is decentralized, so no entity controls it whereas Facebook will have a large amount of control over Libra.

b) Libra will be tied to national currencies while Bitcoin is not dependent on a government.

c) Bitcoin’s blockchain is permissionless while Libra will run on a permissioned blockchain.

d) All of the above

Subminimum Wage

1. In the year 2017, only _______percent of non-institutionalized, disabled people (ages 18-64) were employed, according to statistics from the American Community Survey.

a) 45%

            b) 37%

c) 28%

2. Employers must obtain an authorizing certificate from the Wage and Hour Division prior to paying subminimum wages to employees who have disabilities for the work being performed.

            a) True

b) False

3. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, to date, four states have eliminated the option of paying disabled workers a subminimum wage. Which of the states below is not one of those states?

            a) Pennsylvania

b) Texas

c) New Hampshire

4. In February 2018, which state became the first red state to bar employers from paying workers with disabilities less than the state’s minimum wage?

a) Alabama

b) Utah

            c) Alaska

E-Cigarettes

1. According to the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, tobacco products cause ________ in annual health costs and productivity losses.
   a) $300 billion
b) $500 billion
c) $700 billion

2. The Federal Trade Commission Cigarette Report for 2017 reported that tobacco companies spent __________ marketing cigarettes and smokeless tobacco in the U.S. in 2017.
a) $5.8 billion
b) $7.7 billion
 c) $9.36 billion

3. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has regulated e-cigarettes as a tobacco product since 2012.
a) True
b) False

4. As of Oct. 1, 2019, ________lung injury cases associated with using e-cigarette, or vaping, products had been reported to CDC from 48 states and 1 U.S. territory.
a) 997
b) 1,080
c) 1,243

5. Electronic cigarettes (or e-cigarettes) are also called vapes, e-hookahs, vape pens, tank systems, mods, and ENDS.
  a) True
b) False

Vaccines

1. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends getting 29 doses of 9 vaccines (plus a yearly flu shot after six months old) for children aged 0 to six.
   a) True
b) False

2. Which of the states below does not allow medical exemptions for vaccines?
a) New York
b) California
  c) None of the above

3.  In 1990, the CDC and FDA created the _________ , which collects information about vaccine-related adverse events via reports filed by anyone, including medical professionals and family members.
a) Immunization Adverse Reporting System
b) Vaccine Awareness Campaign Monitor
 c) Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System

4.  A scientist named _________created the first smallpox vaccine using cowpox, a disease similar to smallpox that infects cows, in 1796.
a) Louis Pasteur
b) Edward Jenner
c) Marie Curie

5.  Which of the senators below was not one of the co-sponsors of the VACCINES Act, introduced on May 22, 2019?
a) Sen. Pat Roberts (R-KS)
b) Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)
    c) Sen. Mike Braun (R-IN)

Prescription Drug Prices

1. The We PAID Act of 2019 would:

a) Direct the National Academy of Medicine to complete a study on how to determine the reasonableness of drug prices.
b) Establish a Drug Affordability and Access Committee to determine a reasonable price for each drug.
c) Require proper disclosure of government support in the development of patented technology.
 d) All of the above

2. If passed, the We PAID Act would only seek to regulate future drugs on the market, which would apply to about ________ percent of prescription drugs.

a) 20 to 25
b) 40 to 40
c) 50

3. Prescription drug prices in the United States are some of the highest drug prices in the world.
a) True
b) False

4. According to a study from the Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences, every one of the 210 drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration from 2010 to 2016 was based on research funded by the _______________________.
.
a) Food and Drug Administration
b) National Institutes of Health
c) National Academy of Medicine

Alaska Drilling

1. Which Republican congressman co-sponsored H.R. 1146 along with Rep. Jared Huffman (D-CA) when it was introduced in the House in February?
a) Rep. Don Young (R-AK)
  b) Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA)
c) Rep. Kevin Hern (R-OK)

2. Specifically, in which area of Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge would H.R. 1146 prohibit oil and gas drilling?
a) Wilderness Area
 b) 1002 Area
c) Arctic Village

3. Which U.S. president founded the National Wildlife Refuge System, which is a designation for certain protected areas managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service?
a) President Theodore Roosevelt
b) President Richard Nixon
c) President John F. Kennedy

4. The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge inhabits land which sits on __________billion barrels of oil.
a) 7.7 to 11.8
b) 20.3 to 25.4
c) 37.9 to 43.3

5. The 1002 area of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is a subsection of the area’s coastal plain.
a) True
b) False