Want to become a US citizen? or just curious to see how much you know about your own country?
The following questions are meant for US immigrants applying to become US citizens to help study in preparation for their interview.
This is meant for your never ending pursuit of education only. :-)
Question 16: Who becomes President if the President dies?
Question 17: What is the Constitution?
Question 18: What do we call changes to the Constitution?
Question 19: How many changes, or amendments, are there to the Constistution?
Question 20: What are the three branches of our government?
Scroll down to read the official answers
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Answer 16: The Vice President
The Vice President is first in line to take over as President. William Henry Harrison died in office in 1841. Zachary Taylor died in office in 1850. Abraham Lincoln was killed in office in 1865. James Garfield was killed in office in 1881. William McKinley was killed in office in 1901. Warren Harding died in office in 1923. Franklin Roosevelt died in office in 1945. John F. Kennedy was killed in office in 1963.
Answer 17: The supreme law of the land
The U.S. Constitution has lasted longer than any other country's constitution in human history. It is the basic legal framework establishing the U.S. government. Every person and every agency and department of government must follow the Constitution. This is why it is called the "supreme law of the land." Under this system, the powers of the national government are limited to those written in the Constitution. The guiding principle behind this system is often known as the "rule of law."
Answer 18: Amendments
It is not easy for the Constitution to be changed, or amended. First, two-thirds of the Senate and two-thirds of the House of Representatives must vote for an Amendment. Then, the states must act. Three-fourths of the states must approve the Amendment. This process is called "ratification." Six times an Amendment has passed the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, but was not approved by enough states to be ratified.
Answer 19: Twenty-seven amendments
The first Amendments to the Constitution were added in 1791. These original ten Amendments are called the Bill of Rights. Since the Bill of Rights passed, 17 more Amendments have been added. The 27th Amendment is the most recent one. It was added in 1992 and addresses how Senators and Representatives are paid. Interestingly, Congress first discussed this Amendment back in 1789.
Answer 20: Executive, Judicial, and Legislative
The Constitution divides the government's power among three branches. These branches operate under a system of "checks and balances." This means that each branch can block, or threaten to block, the action of another branch. This way, no one branch can grow too powerful and harm the liberties of citizens. For example, the Senate can block a treaty signed by the President, or the U.S. Supreme Court can reject a law passed by Congress. In the first example, the legislative branch is "checking" the executive, and in the second, the judicial branch is "checking" the legislative.
For more questions visit the Table of Contents to see the entire list of questions that have been posted so far.
Mario
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