“I had a terrible education. I attended a school for emotionally disturbed teachers.”
-Woody Allen
Much has been said in recent years about the lack of civics education in our public schools. Students, and even teachers it seems, often exhibit a lack of understanding as to how our government and country work. An interesting news story broke recently related to this very topic, and I was intrigued. Apparently, the fine state of Oklahoma has decided to tackle this problem head on, now requiring teachers to pass a general knowledge and civics exam before being employed and deployed in the classroom. Questions are primarily focused on civics, but included are questions regarding parental rights, biology, recent Supreme Court decisions, Constitutional freedoms, politics, and the proper role of education. Test questions are multiple choice, so most applicants could probably pass. Sorry, there are no essay questions.
For fun this week I thought I’d share some of this test with you. If you pass, you could probably teach school in Oklahoma. I passed the test but might not maintain employment if called by the Sooners for service based on my substandard social skills and suspect academic behavior in a former life. Here is a sampling of the exact questions from the test…
1- What are the first three words of the Constitution?
In God We Trust
We the People
Life/Liberty/Happiness
The United States
2- Why is freedom of religion important to America’s identity?
It protects religious choice from control of government
It makes Christianity the national religion
It bans all forms of public worship
It limits religious teaching in the public square
3- What are the two parts of the U. S. Congress?
The House of Lords and the House of Commons
The Judiciary and the Senate
The Executive and the Legislature
The Senate and House of Representatives
4- How many U. S. Senators are there?
435 b. 535
100 d. 50
5- Why do some states have more Representatives than others in Congress?
Representation is allocated by population
They cover a larger geographic area
They have held statehood for a longer period
Number is determined by Congress
6- Who signs bills into law?
The Vice President
The Chief Justice
The President
Speaker of the House
7- What is the highest court in the United States?
The Federal Court
The Court of Appeals
The District Court
The Supreme Court
8- Which of the following is explicitly listed in the Bill of Rights?
Freedom of Speech and Religion
Voting and public education
Reproductive rights & healthcare
Freedom from data collection / surveillance
9- What right does the Second Amendment protect?
The right to hunt & fish
The right to arm the military
The right to restrict certain kinds of speech
The right to keep and bear arms
10- What is the supreme law of the United States?
Presidential Executive Orders
Laws passed by Congress
Laws passed by state legislatures
The Constitution
11- When was the Declaration of Independence adopted?
July 4, 1778
July 4, 1787
July 4, 1776
July 4, 1619
12- What was the primary reason the colonists fought the British?
To resist expansion of British Empire
To maintain slavery
To resist taxation without representation
To resist forced military service
13- Who is called the “Father of Our Country”?
Benjamin Franklin
Abraham Lincoln
Martin Luther King, Jr.
George Washington
14- What did the Emancipation Proclamation do?
Ended Prohibition
Freed Confederate Generals
Freed slaves in the North
Ended slavery in the rebelling Confederate states
15- From whom does the United States government derive its power?
The Supreme Court
The American people
The President
The military
*If you need help, here are correct answers: 1-b, 2-a, 3-d, 4-c, 5-a, 6-c, 7-d, 8-a, 9-d, 10-d, 11-c, 12-c, 13-d, 14-d, 15-b.
© 2025 Jody Dyer
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