CFPT U.S. Government and Civics 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which constitutional amendment established the direct election of U.S. Senators by popular vote?
- Fifteenth Amendment
- Sixteenth Amendment
- Seventeenth Amendment (Correct answer)
- Nineteenth Amendment
Correct answer: Seventeenth Amendment
The Seventeenth Amendment (1913) transferred the election of U.S. Senators from state legislatures to direct popular vote.
Question 2: What is the primary function of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB)?
- Conducting foreign policy negotiations
- Overseeing the federal budget process and regulatory review (Correct answer)
- Managing the Federal Reserve
- Auditing executive branch agencies
Correct answer: Overseeing the federal budget process and regulatory review
OMB, part of the Executive Office of the President, prepares the federal budget and reviews agency regulations.
Question 3: Under the War Powers Resolution of 1973, the President must notify Congress within how many hours of committing U.S. armed forces into hostilities?
- 24 hours
- 48 hours (Correct answer)
- 72 hours
- 96 hours
Correct answer: 48 hours
The War Powers Resolution requires the President to notify Congress within 48 hours of deploying troops into hostilities.
Question 4: Which principle prevents any single branch of the U.S. government from becoming too powerful by giving each branch authority to limit the others?
- Separation of powers
- Checks and balances (Correct answer)
- Federalism
- Popular sovereignty
Correct answer: Checks and balances
Checks and balances is the specific mechanism by which each branch can limit the power of the others.
Question 5: The Tenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution reserves powers not delegated to the federal government to whom?
- The President
- Congress
- The states or the people (Correct answer)
- The federal judiciary
Correct answer: The states or the people
The Tenth Amendment states that powers not delegated to the United States nor prohibited to states are reserved to the states or the people.
Question 6: Which federal agency is responsible for implementing and enforcing U.S. immigration laws within the country's borders?
- U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)
- U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)
- U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) (Correct answer)
- Bureau of Consular Affairs
Correct answer: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) enforces federal immigration laws in the interior of the United States.
Question 7: How many electoral votes does a presidential candidate need to win the U.S. presidency?
- 269
- 270 (Correct answer)
- 271
- 300
Correct answer: 270
A candidate must receive at least 270 of the 538 total electoral votes to win the presidency.
CFPT U.S. Government and Civics 2
Which constitutional amendment established the direct election of U.S.
Senators by popular vote?