These US political trivia questions and answers treat civics as history, in four rounds: writing and amending the Constitution, Congress and the Capitol, elections and old parties, and political words and where they come from.
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Politics trivia questions that stay with history
Writing and amending the Constitution asks who copied it out, who would not sign and which amendment waited 202 years. Congress, the Capitol and symbols covers cloture, the Mace and the elephant. Elections and old parties, as history meets the Federalists, the Whigs and the dark horse of 1844. Political words and where they come from explains filibuster, lame duck, pork and mugwump.
For a civics class or a quiz night
Ten questions come up at a time, and each tap shows the right answer with its reason and its source. Scored round asks 20 before any is marked. No living office-holder is asked about, and nothing after 2000.
Questions and answers
What are some easy US political trivia questions?
Who was the first to sign the Constitution? What is a legislature of two chambers called? Which president coined the term bully pulpit? The answers are George Washington, bicameral and Theodore Roosevelt.
Where does the word gerrymander come from?
From Elbridge Gerry and a salamander. As governor of Massachusetts in 1812 he signed a bill that drew a district thought to look like one, and the Boston Gazette printed the word on March 26 that year.
How many votes does it take to end a filibuster?
On legislation, 60 of the 100 senators: three-fifths of all senators, a threshold the Senate set in 1975. The first cloture rule, adopted in 1917, asked for a two-thirds majority.
How were the answers checked?
Each was read on October 3, 2026 on the page linked under it: National Archives pages for 9 questions, Senate and House history pages for 8, and Wikipedia for the rest. Unofficial, not legal advice; no party is compared with another.
The 21st Amendment is the only one that did what to an earlier amendment?Answer: Repealed it. Source: Wikipedia: Twenty-first Amendment to the United States Constitution
The 27th Amendment, on the pay of members of Congress, was accepted as ratified in 1992. How long had the task taken?Answer: More than 202 years. Source: Wikipedia: Twenty-seventh Amendment to the United States Constitution
At the Convention, which proposal was also known as the Small State Plan?Answer: The New Jersey Plan. Source: Wikipedia: New Jersey Plan
George Mason, Elbridge Gerry and Edmund Randolph refused to sign the Constitution. What did it lack?Answer: A bill of rights. Source: National Archives: The Constitution, How Was It Made?
How many handwritten copies of the Bill of Rights, then a set of proposed amendments, did the clerks of the House and Senate make?Answer: 14. Source: National Archives: The Bill of Rights, How Was It Made?
How much was the clerk who wrote out the Constitution paid for the work?Answer: $30. Source: National Archives: The Constitution, How Was It Made?
How often did the Convention decide the population must be counted, so that seats in the House could be shared out again?Answer: Every 10 years. Source: US House of Representatives, History, Art and Archives: Proportional Representation
Twelve articles of amendment were proposed in 1789. On which date in 1791 was the Bill of Rights ratified?Answer: December 15. Source: Wikipedia: United States Bill of Rights
Under the Articles of Confederation, how many votes did each state delegation have in the congress?Answer: One. Source: US House of Representatives, History, Art and Archives: Proportional Representation
When copies of the proposed Bill of Rights were sent to the states, which two had not yet adopted the Constitution?Answer: Rhode Island and North Carolina. Source: National Archives: The Bill of Rights, How Was It Made?
Which clerk engrossed the Constitution, copying it in a fine, clear hand in about 40 hours?Answer: Jacob Shallus. Source: National Archives: The Constitution, How Was It Made?
Which Pennsylvania delegate, called the Penman of the Constitution, wrote its preamble?Answer: Gouverneur Morris. Source: Wikipedia: Gouverneur Morris
Which state put its certificate of ratification and its seal straight onto the copy of the Bill of Rights it had received?Answer: Delaware. Source: National Archives: The Bill of Rights, How Was It Made?
Who was the first to sign the Constitution?Answer: George Washington. Source: National Archives: The Constitution, How Was It Made?
Why did Thomas Jefferson and John Adams not sign the Constitution?Answer: They were on diplomatic missions in Europe. Source: National Archives: The Constitution, How Was It Made?
Congress, the Capitol and symbols 24
About what share of the seats in the Senate comes up for election every two years?Answer: One-third. Source: Wikipedia: United States Senate
Cloture, the motion that brings a debate to an end, took its name and its procedure from the assembly of which country?Answer: France. Source: Wikipedia: Cloture
Frances Perkins, the first woman to serve in a president's Cabinet, headed which department?Answer: Labor. Source: Wikipedia: Frances Perkins
How early in the life of the Senate did long speeches meant to delay a bill appear?Answer: In its very first session. Source: United States Senate: About Filibusters and Cloture, Historical Overview
How many statues may each state place in the National Statuary Hall Collection?Answer: Two. Source: Wikipedia: National Statuary Hall
In 1917 the Senate adopted a rule that let it limit debate by what vote?Answer: A two-thirds majority. Source: United States Senate: About Filibusters and Cloture, Historical Overview
In the line of succession to the presidency, who comes right after the vice president?Answer: The Speaker of the House. Source: Wikipedia: Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
In which year was the Library of Congress established?Answer: 1800. Source: Wikipedia: Library of Congress
The Mace of the House of Representatives is made of 13 rods of which wood?Answer: Ebony. Source: Wikipedia: Mace of the United States House of Representatives
Number One Observatory Circle is the official residence of which officer?Answer: The vice president. Source: Wikipedia: Number One Observatory Circle
The Residence Act settled where the national capital would be built. In which year did it become law?Answer: 1790. Source: Wikipedia: Residence Act
The Resolute desk in the White House is built from the timbers of what?Answer: A British ship of Arctic exploration. Source: Wikipedia: Resolute desk
The Senate first invoked cloture in 1919, to end a filibuster against which treaty?Answer: The Treaty of Versailles. Source: United States Senate: About Filibusters and Cloture, Historical Overview
Since 1975, how many of the 100 senators does it take to invoke cloture on legislation?Answer: 60. Source: United States Senate: About Filibusters and Cloture, Historical Overview
Thomas Nast did not create Uncle Sam or the Democratic donkey. What did he do for those symbols?Answer: Made them popular through his artwork. Source: Wikipedia: Thomas Nast
What is a legislature divided into two chambers called?Answer: Bicameral. Source: Wikipedia: Bicameralism
What is a pocket veto?Answer: Killing a bill by taking no action on it. Source: Wikipedia: Pocket veto
What is the official record of the proceedings and debates of Congress called?Answer: The Congressional Record. Source: Wikipedia: Congressional Record
What is the smallest number of members who must be present for a body to meet called?Answer: A quorum. Source: Wikipedia: Quorum
Which cartoonist is credited as the first to draw the Republican Party as an elephant?Answer: Thomas Nast. Source: Wikipedia: Thomas Nast
Which French thinker's idea of separating the powers of government is tied to the Constitution?Answer: Montesquieu. Source: Wikipedia: Separation of powers under the United States Constitution
Which Speaker of the House signed the handwritten copies of the proposed Bill of Rights?Answer: Frederick Muhlenberg. Source: National Archives: The Bill of Rights, How Was It Made?
Who is the longest-serving chief justice in the history of the Supreme Court?Answer: John Marshall. Source: Wikipedia: John Marshall
Who laid the cornerstone of the Capitol on September 18, 1793?Answer: George Washington. Source: Wikipedia: United States Capitol
Elections and old parties, as history 16
The Free Soil Party lasted from 1848 to 1854. Into which party did it merge?Answer: The Republican Party. Source: Wikipedia: Free Soil Party
In a front porch campaign, what does the candidate do?Answer: Stays at or near home and speaks to supporters who visit. Source: Wikipedia: Front porch campaign
In a whistle-stop tour, where does a politician speak?Answer: At a number of small towns, briefly, over a short period. Source: Wikipedia: Whistle-stop train tour
In which year did Congress set one national date for choosing presidential electors?Answer: 1845. Source: Wikipedia: Election Day (United States)
The Progressive Party of 1912 is remembered by the name of which animal?Answer: The bull moose. Source: Wikipedia: Bull Moose Party
The secret ballot is also known by the name of which country?Answer: Australia. Source: Wikipedia: Secret ballot
What does a primary election decide?Answer: Which candidates will run in the general election. Source: Wikipedia: Primary election
What is the coattail effect?Answer: A popular party leader draws votes to other candidates of the same party. Source: Wikipedia: Coattail effect
What is the election called that picks a president when no candidate wins a majority in the Electoral College?Answer: A contingent election. Source: Wikipedia: Contingent election
Which little-known Tennessee politician, nominated for president in 1844, is a classic dark horse?Answer: James K. Polk. Source: Wikipedia: Dark horse
Which party held the first presidential nominating convention, in 1831?Answer: The Anti-Masonic Party. Source: Wikipedia: Anti-Masonic Party
Which party was a major party of the 1830s, the 1840s and the early 1850s, part of the Second Party System?Answer: The Whig Party. Source: Wikipedia: Whig Party (United States)
Which state's vote settled the ratification of the 19th Amendment?Answer: Tennessee. Source: Wikipedia: Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
Which was the first known political party in the United States?Answer: The Federalist Party. Source: Wikipedia: Federalist Party
Who founded the Democratic-Republican Party in the early 1790s?Answer: Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. Source: Wikipedia: Democratic-Republican Party
Who was the Equal Rights Party's candidate for president in 1872, on a platform of women's suffrage and equal rights?Answer: Victoria Woodhull. Source: Wikipedia: Victoria Woodhull
Political words and where they come from 18
A legislature may adjourn sine die. What does the Latin mean?Answer: Without a date. Source: Wikipedia: Adjournment sine die
A literal bandwagon carried what in a parade or circus?Answer: A band of musicians. Source: Wikipedia: Bandwagon effect
After the Civil War, whom did Southerners call carpetbaggers?Answer: Northerners who came to the Southern states. Source: Wikipedia: Carpetbagger
In an election, who is the incumbent?Answer: The current holder of the office. Source: Wikipedia: Incumbent
In lawmaking, what is a rider?Answer: An extra provision added to a bill. Source: Wikipedia: Rider (legislation)
In politics, what is "pork"?Answer: Government spending steered to projects in a member's own district. Source: Wikipedia: Pork barrel
In which decade did the term filibuster begin to appear in American legislative debates?Answer: The 1850s. Source: United States Senate: About Filibusters and Cloture, Historical Overview
In which newspaper was the word gerrymander used for the first time, on March 26, 1812?Answer: The Boston Gazette. Source: Wikipedia: Gerrymandering
The Mugwumps of 1884 were given a jocular name. What does the word mean?Answer: Important person, kingpin. Source: Wikipedia: Mugwumps
The origins of the word caucus are uncertain. One theory traces it to a word for "counsel" in which family of languages?Answer: Algonquian. Source: Wikipedia: Caucus
The party official called a whip is said to be named after the whipper-in. What did a whipper-in do?Answer: Kept the hounds of a hunt from wandering off. Source: Wikipedia: Whip (politics)
The phrase lame duck was first used in the 18th century, at the London Stock Exchange, for whom?Answer: A stockbroker who defaulted on his debts. Source: Wikipedia: Lame duck
The spoils system takes its name from a remark about the election of 1828. Who made it?Answer: William L. Marcy. Source: Wikipedia: Spoils system
What is a stump speech?Answer: The standard speech a candidate repeats at many stops. Source: Wikipedia: Stump speech
What is logrolling?Answer: The trading of favors, such as votes, among lawmakers. Source: Wikipedia: Logrolling
Which president coined the term bully pulpit for his own office?Answer: Theodore Roosevelt. Source: Wikipedia: Bully pulpit
The word filibuster goes back to Dutch and Spanish words for whom?Answer: Pirates. Source: United States Senate: About Filibusters and Cloture, Historical Overview
The word gerrymander joins the name of Governor Elbridge Gerry to the name of which animal?Answer: A salamander. Source: Wikipedia: Gerrymandering
How this list was compiled
Written for this site; nothing was copied from another list. Questions and wrong choices are our own. Each explanation restates, in our own sentences, facts from the page named and linked beside it. Each answer was checked on 2026-10-03 against that page, fetched that day: two National Archives pages on how the Constitution and the Bill of Rights were made (https://www.archives.gov) for 9 questions; the Senate's historical overview of filibusters and cloture (https://www.senate.gov) and the House's history page on proportional representation (https://history.house.gov) for 8; and the English Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org, text under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license) for the rest. This site is not affiliated with the National Archives, the Senate or the House of Representatives, and nothing here is legal advice or a statement of what the law is today; check the official source. This is civics asked as history. No living office-holder is asked about, nothing after the year 2000, no party is compared with another, and no question asks for an opinion. Parties are named only as dated history. Not repeated here, because other quizzes on this site already ask them: the Electoral College and the disputed elections, the first woman in Congress, what the amendments on slavery, citizenship, the vote, the income tax and the presidency did, the number of signers and of articles, Publius, the Father of the Constitution, the term of a senator, the Oval Office and the mountain retreat. Levels are our estimate: easy is fair for any table, medium suits people who follow civics, hard will stump most of them. Each round is stored easiest first, and each question carries the date its page was read. Licence: own work