Category: USCIS

35. What does the President’s Cabinet do?

35. What does the President’s Cabinet do?

  • Advises the President

The Constitution says that the leaders of the executive departments should advise the president. These department leaders, most of them called “secretaries,” make up the cabinet.

The president nominates the cabinet members to be his advisors. For a nominee to be confirmed, a majority of the Senate must approve the nominee. Throughout history, presidents have been able to change who makes up the cabinet or add departments to the cabinet.

For example, when the Department of Homeland Security was created, President George W. Bush added the leader of this department to his cabinet.

** As you prepare for U.S. citizenship, Learn About the United States: Quick Civics Lessons will help you study for the civics and English portions of the naturalization interview. There are 100 civics (history and government) questions on the naturalization test. During your naturalization interview, you will be asked up to 10 questions from the list of 100 questions. You must answer correctly six (6) of the 10 questions to pass the civics test.

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34. Who vetoes bills?

34. Who vetoes bills?

  • The President

The president has veto power. This means that the president can reject a bill passed by Congress. If the president vetoes a bill, he prevents it from becoming a law.

The president can send the bill back to Congress unsigned. Often he will list reasons why he rejects it. The president has 10 days to evaluate the bill.

If the president does not sign the bill after 10 days and Congress is in session, the bill automatically becomes a law.

If the president does nothing with the bill and Congress adjourns within the 10-day period, the bill does not become law—this is called a “pocket veto.” If two-thirds of the House and two-thirds of the Senate vote to pass the bill again, the bill becomes a law, even though the president did not sign it.

This process is called “overriding the president’s veto.” It is not easy to do.

** As you prepare for U.S. citizenship, Learn About the United States: Quick Civics Lessons will help you study for the civics and English portions of the naturalization interview. There are 100 civics (history and government) questions on the naturalization test. During your naturalization interview, you will be asked up to 10 questions from the list of 100 questions. You must answer correctly six (6) of the 10 questions to pass the civics test.

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33. Who signs bills to become laws?

33. Who signs bills to become laws?

  • The President

Every law begins as a proposal made by a member of Congress, either a senator (member of the Senate) or representative (member of the House of Representatives).

When the Senate or House begins to debate the proposal, it is called a “bill.” After debate in both houses of Congress, if a majority of both the Senate and House vote to pass the bill, it goes to the president.

If the president wants the bill to become law, he signs it. If the president does not want the bill to become law, he vetoes it. The president cannot introduce a bill. If he has an idea for a bill, he must ask a member of Congress to introduce it.

** As you prepare for U.S. citizenship, Learn About the United States: Quick Civics Lessons will help you study for the civics and English portions of the naturalization interview. There are 100 civics (history and government) questions on the naturalization test. During your naturalization interview, you will be asked up to 10 questions from the list of 100 questions. You must answer correctly six (6) of the 10 questions to pass the civics test.

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32. Who is the Commander in Chief of the military?

32. Who is the Commander in Chief of the military?

  • The President

The Founding Fathers strongly believed in republican ideals. A republic is a government where a country’s political power comes from the citizens, not the rulers, and is put into use by representatives elected by the citizens. That is why they made the president the commander in chief.

They wanted a civilian selected by the people. They did not want a professional military leader. The president commands the armed forces, but Congress has the power to pay for the armed forces and declare war.

In 1973, many members of Congress believed that the president was misusing or abusing his powers as commander in chief.

They thought that the president was ignoring the legislative branch and not allowing the system of checks and balances to work. In response, Congress passed the War Powers Act.

The War Powers Act gave Congress a stronger voice in decisions about the use of U.S. troops. President Richard Nixon vetoed this bill, but Congress overrode his veto. Because we have a system of checks and balances, one branch of government is able to check the other branches.

 
** As you prepare for U.S. citizenship, Learn About the United States: Quick Civics Lessons will help you study for the civics and English portions of the naturalization interview. There are 100 civics (history and government) questions on the naturalization test. During your naturalization interview, you will be asked up to 10 questions from the list of 100 questions. You must answer correctly six (6) of the 10 questions to pass the civics test.

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30. If the President can no longer serve, who becomes President?

30. If the President can no longer serve, who becomes President?

  • The Vice President

If the president dies, resigns, or cannot work while still in office, the vice president becomes president.  For this reason, the qualifications for vice president and president are the same.

A vice president became president nine times in U.S. history when the president died or left office.

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. Richard Nixon resigned from office in 1974.

No one other than the vice president has ever succeeded to the presidency.

** As you prepare for U.S. citizenship, Learn About the United States: Quick Civics Lessons will help you study for the civics and English portions of the naturalization interview. There are 100 civics (history and government) questions on the naturalization test. During your naturalization interview, you will be asked up to 10 questions from the list of 100 questions. You must answer correctly six (6) of the 10 questions to pass the civics test.

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29. What is the name of the Vice President of the United States now?

29. What is the name of the Vice President of the United States now?

  • Michael Richard Pence
  • Mike Pence
  • Pence

** As you prepare for U.S. citizenship, Learn About the United States: Quick Civics Lessons will help you study for the civics and English portions of the naturalization interview. There are 100 civics (history and government) questions on the naturalization test. During your naturalization interview, you will be asked up to 10 questions from the list of 100 questions. You must answer correctly six (6) of the 10 questions to pass the civics test.

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28. What is the name of the President of the United States now?*

28. What is the name of the President of the United States now?*

  • Donald J. Trump
  • Donald Trump
  • Trump

* If you are 65 or older and have been a permanent resident of the United States for 20 or more years, you may study just the questions marked with an asterisk.

** As you prepare for U.S. citizenship, Learn About the United States: Quick Civics Lessons will help you study for the civics and English portions of the naturalization interview. There are 100 civics (history and government) questions on the naturalization test. During your naturalization interview, you will be asked up to 10 questions from the list of 100 questions. You must answer correctly six (6) of the 10 questions to pass the civics test.

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27. In what month do we vote for President?*

27. In what month do we vote for President?*

The Constitution did not set a national election day.
In the past, elections for federal office took place on different days in different states.

In 1845, Congress passed legislation to designate a single day for all Americans to vote. It made Election Day the Tuesday after the first Monday in November. Congress chose November because the United States was mostly rural.

By November, farmers had completed their harvests and were available to vote. Another reason for this date was the weather.

People were able to travel because it was not yet winter. They chose Tuesday for Election Day so that voters had a full day after Sunday to travel to the polls.

* If you are 65 or older and have been a permanent resident of the United States for 20 or more years, you may study just the questions marked with an asterisk.

** As you prepare for U.S. citizenship, Learn About the United States: Quick Civics Lessons will help you study for the civics and English portions of the naturalization interview. There are 100 civics (history and government) questions on the naturalization test. During your naturalization interview, you will be asked up to 10 questions from the list of 100 questions. You must answer correctly six (6) of the 10 questions to pass the civics test.

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26. We elect a President for how many years?

26. We elect a President for how many years?

  • Four (4)

Early American leaders thought that the head of the British government, the king, had too much power. Because of this, they limited the powers of the head of the new U.S. government. They decided that the people would elect the president every four years.

The president is the only official elected by the entire country through the Electoral College.

The Electoral College is a process that was designed by the writers of the Constitution to select presidents. It came from a compromise between the president being elected directly by the people and the president being chosen by Congress.

Citizens vote for electors, who then choose the president. Before 1951, there was no limit on the number of terms a president could serve.

With the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution, the president can only be elected to two terms (four years each) for a total of eight years.

** As you prepare for U.S. citizenship, Learn About the United States: Quick Civics Lessons will help you study for the civics and English portions of the naturalization interview. There are 100 civics (history and government) questions on the naturalization test. During your naturalization interview, you will be asked up to 10 questions from the list of 100 questions. You must answer correctly six (6) of the 10 questions to pass the civics test.

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25. Why do some states have more Representatives than other states?

25. Why do some states have more Representatives than other states?

  • (Because of) the state’s population
  • (Because) they have more people
  • (Because) some states have more people

The Founding Fathers wanted people in all states to be represented fairly.

In the House of Representatives, a state’s population determines the number of representatives it has. In this way, states with many people have a stronger voice in the House.

In the Senate, every state has the same number of senators. This means that states with few people still have a strong voice in the national government.

** As you prepare for U.S. citizenship, Learn About the United States: Quick Civics Lessons will help you study for the civics and English portions of the naturalization interview. There are 100 civics (history and government) questions on the naturalization test. During your naturalization interview, you will be asked up to 10 questions from the list of 100 questions. You must answer correctly six (6) of the 10 questions to pass the civics test.

Download PDF