Civics Test Questions 11–20 with Answers & Explanations2008 · for earlier filers

Quick answer: this block drills Principles of American Democracy and System of Government — questions 11-20, each with the official correct answer and a plain-English explanation. Study it as one session: answer from memory first, verify second. Nothing here is rated hard — good warm-up territory.

Questions 11-20

Question 11: What is the economic system in the United States?

• A. a barter system without money
• B. a command economy run by the government
• C. a feudal system of landowners
• D. capitalist economy ✓

Answer: D — capitalist economy. The United States runs on a capitalist — market — economy: most businesses are privately owned and prices are set by supply and demand. "Market economy" is an equally correct official answer. A command economy is one where the government owns production and sets prices, which is what the Constitution's protections of private property rule out. Official, adapted

Question 12: What is the “rule of law”?

• A. No one is above the law. ✓
• B. Only citizens must follow the law
• C. Courts decide when the law applies to them
• D. The President may set aside the law in emergencies

Answer: A — No one is above the law.. The rule of law means everyone must follow the law — citizens, leaders, and the government itself. Any of the official phrasings counts: everyone must follow it, leaders must obey it, government must obey it, no one is above it. "Only citizens" and presidential exceptions are precisely what the rule of law rejects. Official, adapted

Question 13: Name one branch or part of the government.

• A. The Census Bureau
• B. The Electoral College
• C. The state governments
• D. Congress (legislative) ✓

Answer: D — Congress (legislative). The federal government has three branches: the legislative (Congress), the executive (the President), and the judicial (the courts). Naming any one of the three — in any official phrasing — fully answers the question. The Census Bureau is an agency inside a branch, not a branch itself. Official, adapted

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

• A. federal preemption of state laws
• B. the freedom of the press
• C. the Electoral College
• D. checks and balances ✓

Answer: D — checks and balances. Checks and balances — separation of powers is an equally correct official answer — keep any one branch from dominating. Congress passes laws but the President can veto them; Congress can override a veto; the courts can strike down laws that violate the Constitution; the President appoints judges but the Senate confirms them. Official, adapted

Question 15: Who is in charge of the executive branch?

• A. the President ✓
• B. the Speaker of the House
• C. the Chief Justice
• D. the Secretary of State

Answer: A — the President. The President heads the executive branch — the fifteen departments and the many agencies that carry out federal law. The Speaker leads the House; the Chief Justice leads the courts; the Secretary of State runs one department under the President. Official, adapted

Question 16: Who makes federal laws?

• A. Congress ✓
• B. the President
• C. the Supreme Court
• D. the President's Cabinet

Answer: A — Congress. Congress — the Senate and the House of Representatives acting together — makes federal laws. "Legislature" and "Senate and House" are equally correct official answers. The President signs or vetoes what Congress passes; the courts interpret the laws afterward. Official, adapted

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

• A. the Senate and the Supreme Court
• B. the executive and the judiciary
• C. the House and the Cabinet
• D. the Senate and the House (of Representatives) ✓

Answer: D — the Senate and the House (of Representatives). Congress is bicameral — two chambers: the Senate, with 100 senators, and the House of Representatives, with 435 voting members. The executive and the judiciary are separate branches, not parts of Congress. Official, adapted

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

• A. one hundred (100) ✓
• B. four hundred thirty-five (435)
• C. fifty (50)
• D. two hundred (200)

Answer: A — one hundred (100). There are 100 senators — two from each of the 50 states. The classic trap is 435: that is the count of House members, not senators. Official, adapted

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

• A. two (2)
• B. six (6) ✓
• C. four (4)
• D. eight (8)

Answer: B — six (6). Senators serve six-year terms, with elections staggered so roughly one-third of the Senate stands every two years. The memory hook: Representative = 2, President = 4, Senator = 6. Official, adapted

Question 20: Who is one of your state’s U.S. Senators now?

• A. The two sitting U.S. senators from the state where you live ✓
• B. A senator you select from any state you have lived in
• C. Senators are appointed by the state governor, so the answer changes
• D. The most senior senator from a neighboring state

Answer: A — The two sitting U.S. senators from the state where you live. On test day the officer expects you to say the name of either sitting senator from your own state — look both up before your interview at senate.gov. Residents of the District of Columbia and U.S. territories should answer that D.C. (or the territory) has no U.S. senators. Because the answer depends on where you live, this personalized question is excluded from the random mock here and appears only in study pages. Official, adapted

Answer key at a glance

Answer from memory first, then check the key — the fastest way to find which explanations you actually need to read in full.

Study notes for this set

The habit that moves scores: after each miss, restate the correct fact out loud in your own words before moving on. Then run the section drill until the misses stop repeating, close the loop on the full practice test, and use the question bank index to revisit any group.