Proposed legislation in North Dakota would require high school students to pass a test that asks some very basic questions about American history and our form of government before they can graduate.
The questions will come from the “Civics, History and Government Questions for the Naturalization Test” which immigrants must pass before they can become American citizens.
In an effort to ensure that high school graduates are aware how the U.S. government operates, the state legislature in North Dakota is considering a new bill, which would impose one more requirement on seniors prior to graduation. [...]
The proposed bill has many backers, including the Civics Education Initiative, whose goal is to have similar laws enacted in every state by September 17, 2017 – the 230th anniversary of the signing of the Constitution.
Here are some examples of the questions that will be asked and the knowledge graduating seniors will have to have before they can graduate:
1. What is the supreme law of the land?
2. What does the Constitution do?
3. The idea of self-government is in the first three words of the Constitution. What are these words?
4. What is an amendment?
5. What do we call the first ten amendments to the Constitution?
6. What is one right or freedom from the First Amendment?*
7. How many amendments does the Constitution have?
8. What did the Declaration of Independence do?
9. What are two rights in the Declaration of Independence?
10. What is freedom of religion?
11. What is the economic system in the United States?
12. What is the “rule of law”?
13. Name one branch or part of the government.
14. What stops one branch of government from becoming too powerful?
15. Who is in charge of the executive branch?
16. Who makes federal laws?
17. What are the two parts of the U.S. Congress?
18. How many U.S. Senators are there?
2. What does the Constitution do?
3. The idea of self-government is in the first three words of the Constitution. What are these words?
4. What is an amendment?
5. What do we call the first ten amendments to the Constitution?
6. What is one right or freedom from the First Amendment?*
7. How many amendments does the Constitution have?
8. What did the Declaration of Independence do?
9. What are two rights in the Declaration of Independence?
10. What is freedom of religion?
11. What is the economic system in the United States?
12. What is the “rule of law”?
13. Name one branch or part of the government.
14. What stops one branch of government from becoming too powerful?
15. Who is in charge of the executive branch?
16. Who makes federal laws?
17. What are the two parts of the U.S. Congress?
18. How many U.S. Senators are there?