Can You Pass The Test?

Articles

Scott Jones

Can You Pass The Test?
June 9, 2003

Well now. One thing that I very much enjoy about reading the articles and opinions posted on this site is that it is obvious that most of the writers view themselves as good and true Americans who are sincerely interested in the course of this great nation of ours. Of course I will not claim that I agree with everyone who submits their opinions here, and I am certain that there are some of you out there who may have taken exception to some of my opinions as well. And you know what? That’s great! That’s what this country is supposed to be all about, right? We have all been born into, or come to the United States because we believe in the basic idea of America, namely that “All men are created equal” and that our forefathers hammered out a Constitution and a Bill of Rights that clearly detailed the inherent freedoms and responsibilities represented by that still noble phrase, “All men are created equal.”

Oh I know that there may be a few of yours and my friends who might disagree with that basic idea. Those friends of ours may even go so far as to claim that “There are just too many Non- American’s here all ready”. And that America should just be for Americans, not all those immigrants.

To those friends I say, “Fair enough, guess you better start packing.” Because there isn’t a one of us that isn’t either an immigrant ourselves or descended from one, and that includes you ‘Native Americans’ those, to be fair, you did get here a lot earlier than the rest of us. But for all the rest of us who didn’t cross that land bridge, you or your parents or your grand-parents or their grand-parents all came here from somewhere else, and more than likely they came for the same reasons: Freedom, Opportunity and the promise of a chance at a better life for them and their families.

Still, some of those friends of mine (and yours?) feel that the people who have been here longer should have more rights than those who are just coming in now, that somehow, those coming in now are just lousy opportunists who are after our jobs, and not real Americans who love this country.

When I hear this, I like to point out that their complaint is nothing new. It seems to be an unfortunate commonality amongst each new group of immigrants that the immigrants who came before them all feel that the open door ought to have been locked once they got inside. Fortunately, it doesn’t work that way.

So I got to thinking about how we might try and drive the point home that we are all equal here in the United States of America, and that part of that equality is a responsibility to know and understand the legal and philosophical foundations that support all of our freedoms. After all, for most of us to qualify for the main duty and responsibility of every good US citizen, all we have to do is manage to get ourselves born and live for another 18 years afterward. That’s it.

But that seems kind of easy, especially when you think about what the right to Vote really means. It really is a huge responsibility, one that should be approached intelligently with a definite understanding of what stepping into that little booth represents. That’s why I am suggesting that we consider tightening up the standards for being allowed to exercise that right just a little bit. After all, you don’t just get to drive a car when you turn 16 right? Nope, you have to take a test. So why not have a basic Citizenship Literacy test that we have to pass before we can step into that little booth? It could be the same test that we make new citizens take so that they can have the right to vote in this country.

Well, I guess that you can see where this is going can’t you? I just so happen to have some of the actual questions that are included in the Citizenship test that is given to new American Citizens, and I am offering up those questions for you to take a shot at. This is approximately one third of the actual test, but it will give you a chance to test your basic knowledge of this country.

Of course, I’m interested in your continuing to read my own articles so I’ll be posting the answers here in a few days. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to send them along to the e-mail address below.

Have fun, and here you go….

1. What do the stripes on the flag mean?
2. What is the date of Independence Day?
3. Independence from whom?
4. What country did we fight during the Revolutionary War?
5. Who elects the president of the United States?
6. Can the Constitution be changed?
7. How many changes or amendments are there to the Constitution?
8. How many branches are there in our government?
9. What are the three branches of our government?
10. Who makes the laws in the United States?
11. For how long do we elect each senator?
12. How many representatives are there in Congress?
13. What is the executive branch of our government?
14. What are the duties of the Supreme Court?
15. What is the supreme law of the United States?
16. Can you name the 13 original states?
17. Which countries were our principal allies during World War II?
18. What is the 49th state of the Union (United States)?
19. According to the Constitution, a person must meet certain requirements in order to be eligible to become president. Name one of these requirements.
20. Why did the Pilgrims come to America?
21. What holiday was celebrated for the first time by the American Colonists?
22. Who was the main writer of the Declaration of Independence?
23. What is the basic belief of the Declaration of Independence?
24. Who helped the Pilgrims in America?
25. Who has the power to declare war?
26. In what year was the Constitution written?
27. Whose rights are guaranteed by the Constitution and the Bill of Rights?
28. Name one benefit of being a citizen of the United States.
29. Name one right guaranteed by the First Amendment.
30. How many times may be a senator be reelected?
31. How many times may a congressman be reelected?

------------

Email Scott Jones: scott.jones@medem.com

Comment on this column in the forum.
------------