GED Civics and Government Practice

Civics and government is roughly half of the GED Social Studies test. If you study one area on this section, make it this one.

Question 1 of 26

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The Declaration of Independence states that when any government becomes destructive of the people’s rights, “it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government.” Which idea does this statement express?

Civics and government study guide

Civics and government is the largest content area on GED Social Studies, about half of the test. A clear picture of how the U.S. government is built, and why, answers a large share of the questions.

Founding principles

Several principles run through the Constitution. Popular sovereignty means power comes from the people. Limited government means the government has only the powers the people grant it. Rule of law means leaders must obey the law too. Federalism divides power between the national government and the states.

Expect questions that give a scenario and ask which principle it illustrates. A state setting its own driving age is federalism; a court ruling a law unconstitutional is a check on legislative power.

Three branches and checks and balances

The legislative branch, Congress, makes laws. It has two houses: the House of Representatives, with seats based on population, and the Senate, with two senators per state. The executive branch, led by the President, carries out laws. The judicial branch, headed by the Supreme Court, interprets laws.

Each branch can limit the others. The President can veto bills, and Congress can override a veto with a two-thirds vote in both houses. The Senate confirms judges and approves treaties. Courts can strike down laws or executive actions that violate the Constitution. Congress can impeach and remove officials.

Federalism: national and state powers

Enumerated powers belong to the national government, such as coining money, declaring war, and regulating trade between states. Reserved powers belong to the states, such as running elections and setting most education policy. Concurrent powers are shared, such as taxing and making courts.

The Supremacy Clause makes the Constitution and federal law the highest law of the land when they conflict with state law.

Rights and amendments

The Bill of Rights protects freedoms of religion, speech, press, assembly, and petition (First Amendment), along with protections for people accused of crimes, such as freedom from unreasonable searches, the right to remain silent, and the right to a lawyer and a jury trial.

Later amendments expanded voting rights. The 15th Amendment addressed race, the 19th addressed sex, the 24th banned poll taxes in federal elections, and the 26th lowered the voting age to 18. Amending the Constitution requires approval by two-thirds of both houses of Congress and ratification by three-fourths of the states, or another route through a national convention.

Elections and participation

Members of the House serve two-year terms, senators six-year terms, and the President a four-year term with a limit of two elected terms. The President is chosen through the Electoral College, in which each state’s electors equal its number of representatives plus senators.

Citizens participate by voting, serving on juries, contacting representatives, joining interest groups, and running for office. Political parties organize candidates and positions, and interest groups try to influence policy on specific issues.

How a bill becomes a law

Anyone can write a bill, but only a member of Congress can introduce it. Bills that raise taxes must start in the House; most others can start in either chamber. The bill goes to a committee, which holds hearings, rewrites sections, and votes on whether to send it to the full chamber. Most bills never leave committee, so this is where many ideas die.

In the House, the Rules Committee sets how long a bill will be debated and whether amendments are allowed. In the Senate, debate is usually unlimited, so a minority can block a vote with a filibuster unless 60 senators vote for cloture to end debate. If the House and Senate pass different versions, a conference committee or further votes must produce one identical text before it goes to the president.

The president then has ten days, not counting Sundays, to act. Signing the bill makes it law. A veto sends it back, and Congress can override with a two-thirds vote in each chamber. If the president does nothing, the bill becomes law while Congress is in session, but it dies if Congress adjourns first. That last case is called a pocket veto.

GED questions often give vote counts and ask what happens next. Always check each chamber separately against the threshold the question gives you.

Worked example

The president vetoes a bill. The House votes 300 to 125 to override, and the Senate votes 65 to 35. Does the bill become law?

  1. Find the House total: 300 + 125 = 425 members voting.
  2. Two-thirds of 425 is about 283.3, and 300 is more than that, so the House override succeeds.
  3. Find the Senate total: 65 + 35 = 100 senators voting.
  4. Two-thirds of 100 is about 66.7, so at least 67 votes are needed. Only 65 voted yes.
  5. Both chambers must reach two-thirds, so the override fails and the bill does not become law.

Courts and landmark rights cases

Federal cases usually start in a district court, where a judge or jury hears witnesses and decides the facts. The losing side can appeal to a court of appeals, where a panel of judges reviews the record for legal errors. The Supreme Court takes only a small share of cases, often when lower courts disagree. Its rulings become precedent that other courts must follow.

Criminal and civil cases use different standards of proof. A criminal conviction requires proof beyond a reasonable doubt. A civil plaintiff usually needs to show only that the claim is more likely true than not. So a person found not guilty of a crime can still lose a civil suit over the same events.

Landmark cases turn the broad words of the Bill of Rights into specific rules. Miranda v. Arizona requires police to tell suspects in custody about their right to remain silent. Terry v. Ohio lets police briefly stop and pat down a person when they have reasonable suspicion of crime, a lower bar than probable cause. Brandenburg v. Ohio protects speech that advocates force unless it aims to cause, and is likely to cause, immediate lawbreaking. On the GED, pull out the rule and apply it to the new facts.

Worked example

A passage says that in Tinker v. Des Moines (1969), the Court protected students who wore black armbands to protest a war, because the armbands did not substantially disrupt school. A student is then suspended for wearing a protest button that caused no disruption. Is the suspension likely allowed?

  1. Identify the government action: a public school punished a student for a symbol of protest.
  2. Identify the right claimed: free speech under the First Amendment.
  3. State the rule in plain words: schools may limit student expression only if it substantially disrupts school.
  4. Apply the rule: the button caused no disruption, so it is like the armbands in Tinker.
  5. Conclude: the suspension likely violates the student’s free speech rights and would not be allowed.

Checklist before test day

These ideas carry the most weight on the test.

  • Match a scenario to popular sovereignty, federalism, or rule of law.
  • Name what each branch does and one check it holds over another.
  • Sort a power as enumerated, reserved, or concurrent.
  • List the First Amendment freedoms.
  • Know which amendments expanded voting rights.
  • Explain how the Electoral College assigns electors.

Civics and Government practice set 1: 26 questions with answers

Work each question on paper first, then open the answer to check your reasoning.

  1. 1.The Declaration of Independence states that when any government becomes destructive of the people’s rights, “it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government.” Which idea does this statement express?

    1. A.Only federal judges may decide when a government has failed
    2. B.Colonies must obey Parliament until a treaty is signed
    3. C.People may replace a government that violates their rights
    4. D.A new government needs the approval of the old one
    Show answer

    Answer: C. People may replace a government that violates their rights

    The passage gives the people themselves the right to change or abolish a government that abuses their rights. Nothing in it assigns that decision to judges or requires permission from the existing government.

  1. 2.“The accumulation of all powers, legislative, executive, and judiciary, in the same hands... may justly be pronounced the very definition of tyranny.” (James Madison, Federalist No. 47) Which constitutional principle does this quotation support?

    1. A.Separation of powers
    2. B.National supremacy
    3. C.Representative democracy
    4. D.Popular sovereignty
    Show answer

    Answer: A. Separation of powers

    Madison warns against putting lawmaking, enforcing and judging in the same hands, which is the case for separation of powers. Popular sovereignty concerns the source of power, not how it is divided.

  1. 3.The Preamble to the Constitution lists goals including to “establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare.” Which government action most directly serves the goal to “provide for the common defence”?

    1. A.Counting the population every ten years
    2. B.Creating a system of federal courts
    3. C.Funding and equipping the armed forces
    4. D.Building a network of post offices
    Show answer

    Answer: C. Funding and equipping the armed forces

    Common defense means protecting the nation from attack, which is the job of the military. Federal courts serve the goal to “establish Justice,” a different phrase in the Preamble.

  1. 4.Congress passes a clean air law. The Environmental Protection Agency then writes detailed rules for factories and fines companies that break them. To which branch of government does the EPA belong?

    1. A.The judicial branch
    2. B.The executive branch
    3. C.The state governments
    4. D.The legislative branch
    Show answer

    Answer: B. The executive branch

    Federal agencies carry out and enforce laws, which is the role of the executive branch led by the president. Congress wrote the law, but enforcing it is not a legislative function.

  1. 5.Article II says the president “shall have Power, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, to make Treaties, provided two thirds of the Senators present concur.” All 100 senators are present, and 60 vote to approve a treaty. What is the result?

    1. A.The treaty is approved because a majority voted yes
    2. B.The treaty fails because it lacks a two-thirds vote
    3. C.The House must vote next to settle the outcome
    4. D.The Supreme Court must decide if the treaty stands
    Show answer

    Answer: B. The treaty fails because it lacks a two-thirds vote

    Two thirds of 100 senators is about 66.7, so 67 votes are needed and 60 falls short. A simple majority is enough for ordinary bills, not treaties.

  1. 6.A federal judge rules that a president’s executive order goes beyond the authority Congress granted and blocks the order from taking effect. Which relationship does this ruling show?

    1. A.The judicial branch checking the executive branch
    2. B.The judicial branch checking the legislative branch
    3. C.The executive branch checking the judicial branch
    4. D.The legislative branch checking the judicial branch
    Show answer

    Answer: A. The judicial branch checking the executive branch

    A court (judicial branch) stopped an action by the president (executive branch). The ruling is about an executive order, not a law passed by Congress, so it is not a check on the legislature.

  1. 7.Article I, Section 7: “If any Bill shall not be returned by the President within ten Days (Sundays excepted) after it shall have been presented to him, the Same shall be a Law, in like Manner as if he had signed it, unless the Congress by their Adjournment prevent its Return.” The president neither signs nor returns a bill, and Congress stays in session for the next month. What happens?

    1. A.The bill dies as a pocket veto of the president
    2. B.The bill returns to its committee
    3. C.The bill becomes law without the signature
    4. D.The bill goes to the Supreme Court
    Show answer

    Answer: C. The bill becomes law without the signature

    Because Congress stayed in session, the ten-day rule makes the bill law without a signature. A pocket veto happens only when Congress adjourns and prevents the bill’s return.

  1. 8.A civics worksheet sorts government powers into three columns: national only, state only, and shared by both. Which power belongs in the “shared by both” column?

    1. A.Coining money
    2. B.Declaring war
    3. C.Making treaties
    4. D.Borrowing money
    Show answer

    Answer: D. Borrowing money

    Both the national and state governments can borrow money, so it is a concurrent power. Coining money looks similar but is reserved to the national government by Article I.

  1. 9.Under federalism, some powers are reserved to the states. Which of the following is a power exercised mainly by state governments?

    1. A.Issuing driver’s licenses
    2. B.Regulating foreign trade
    3. C.Running the postal service
    4. D.Maintaining a navy
    Show answer

    Answer: A. Issuing driver’s licenses

    States set licensing rules for drivers, a reserved power. Running the postal service may seem local, but the Constitution gives that power to Congress.

  1. 10.Article I, Section 8 ends by giving Congress the power “To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers.” This clause is the main basis for

    1. A.the president’s power to veto bills
    2. B.the reserved powers of the states
    3. C.the original jurisdiction of courts
    4. D.the implied powers of Congress
    Show answer

    Answer: D. the implied powers of Congress

    The Necessary and Proper Clause lets Congress act on powers not listed but needed to carry out listed ones, which are called implied powers. Reserved powers come from the Tenth Amendment, not from this clause.

  1. 11.Congress passes a law setting safety standards for trucks that carry goods from one state to another. Which power granted in Article I most directly supports this law?

    1. A.Coining money and setting its value
    2. B.Establishing rules for naturalization
    3. C.Raising and supporting the armies
    4. D.Regulating commerce among the states
    Show answer

    Answer: D. Regulating commerce among the states

    Trucks carrying goods across state lines are interstate commerce, which Congress may regulate. None of the other powers concerns trade or transportation between states.

  1. 12.“Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.” A judge sets bail at $5 million for a first-time shoplifting charge. The defendant’s lawyer challenges the amount. Which amendment is the lawyer relying on?

    1. A.The Eighth Amendment
    2. B.The Fourth Amendment
    3. C.The Fifth Amendment
    4. D.The Sixth Amendment
    Show answer

    Answer: A. The Eighth Amendment

    The quoted text is the Eighth Amendment, which bars excessive bail. The Sixth Amendment covers trial rights such as a jury and a lawyer, not the amount of bail.

  1. 13.The Bill of Rights originally limited only the federal government. Through the Fourteenth Amendment’s due process clause, the Supreme Court has gradually applied most Bill of Rights protections to state and local governments as well. Which statement best describes the effect of this process?

    1. A.States may vote to opt out of the Bill of Rights entirely
    2. B.The Bill of Rights now limits private employers as well
    3. C.State governments must now respect most Bill of Rights freedoms
    4. D.Only Congress is still bound by the Bill of Rights today
    Show answer

    Answer: C. State governments must now respect most Bill of Rights freedoms

    The passage says most protections now apply to state and local governments. The Bill of Rights limits government action, so extending it to private employers goes beyond what the passage says.

  1. 14.Fifteenth Amendment (1870): “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.” For nearly a century afterward, many Southern states used literacy tests and poll taxes to keep Black citizens from voting. What does this history best show?

    1. A.Congress repealed the amendment shortly after 1870
    2. B.A constitutional right can go unenforced for decades
    3. C.The amendment applied only to presidential elections
    4. D.The Constitution required states to charge poll taxes
    Show answer

    Answer: B. A constitutional right can go unenforced for decades

    The amendment stayed in force, but states found ways around it until federal laws such as the Voting Rights Act of 1965 enforced it. The amendment was never repealed.

  1. 15.Seventeenth Amendment (1913): “The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State, elected by the people thereof, for six years.” Before this amendment, U.S. senators were chosen by

    1. A.state legislatures
    2. B.the Electoral College
    3. C.state governors
    4. D.the House of Representatives
    Show answer

    Answer: A. state legislatures

    The original Constitution had state legislatures choose senators, and the Seventeenth Amendment shifted that choice to voters. The Electoral College selects the president, not senators.

  1. 16.Thousands of bills are introduced in each session of Congress, but only a small share ever reach a vote on the floor of the House or Senate. What is the most common reason?

    1. A.The Supreme Court rejects them before a vote
    2. B.Committees choose not to act on most bills
    3. C.The president vetoes most bills right away
    4. D.Bills expire if not passed within one week
    Show answer

    Answer: B. Committees choose not to act on most bills

    Most bills die in committee because committees decide which bills move forward. The president can veto only bills that have already passed both chambers.

  1. 17.Article I, Section 7: “All Bills for raising Revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives; but the Senate may propose or concur with Amendments as on other Bills.” A senator wants to introduce a bill raising the federal gasoline tax. Under this clause,

    1. A.the bill may begin in the Senate with a two-thirds vote
    2. B.the states must approve the tax before Congress acts
    3. C.the president must introduce the bill to Congress
    4. D.the bill must begin in the House of Representatives
    Show answer

    Answer: D. the bill must begin in the House of Representatives

    Tax bills must originate in the House, though the Senate may amend them afterward. The clause has no exception that lets the Senate start such a bill with a supermajority.

  1. 18.A news summary of a bill’s progress: House vote: passed 240 to 195 Senate vote to end debate (cloture): 57 yes, 43 no Senate rules require 60 votes to end debate on most bills. What is the bill’s current status?

    1. A.It was vetoed by the president after the vote
    2. B.It passed both chambers and goes to the president
    3. C.It goes to a conference committee for changes
    4. D.It is stalled in the Senate because cloture failed
    Show answer

    Answer: D. It is stalled in the Senate because cloture failed

    With 57 votes, the Senate fell short of the 60 needed to end debate, so the bill cannot reach a final vote. A majority voted yes, but a cloture vote is not passage of the bill.

  1. 19.A case is decided in a federal district court and then appealed to a U.S. court of appeals, which upholds the decision. The losing side asks the Supreme Court to hear the case, and the Court declines. What happens next?

    1. A.The court of appeals decision stands
    2. B.The case returns for a new jury trial
    3. C.Congress votes on how to settle the case
    4. D.The district court must hear it again
    Show answer

    Answer: A. The court of appeals decision stands

    When the Supreme Court declines to hear a case, the lower court’s ruling remains in effect. A new trial would happen only if a higher court ordered one.

  1. 20.Article III: federal judges “shall hold their Offices during good Behaviour, and shall... receive for their Services, a Compensation, which shall not be diminished during their Continuance in Office.” What is the main purpose of these protections?

    1. A.To let voters remove judges each term
    2. B.To make judges answer to the president
    3. C.To keep judges’ pay equal to senators’
    4. D.To shield judges from political pressure
    Show answer

    Answer: D. To shield judges from political pressure

    Judges who serve during good behavior and cannot have their pay cut are free to rule without fear of losing their jobs. These rules make judges less answerable to the president, not more.

  1. 21.The Supreme Court decides a case 6 to 3. One of the three justices in the minority writes an opinion explaining why the majority was wrong. What is this opinion called?

    1. A.A dissenting opinion
    2. B.An advisory opinion
    3. C.A concurring opinion
    4. D.A majority opinion
    Show answer

    Answer: A. A dissenting opinion

    A justice who disagrees with the outcome writes a dissent. A concurring opinion is written by a justice who agrees with the outcome but for different reasons.

  1. 22.In Miranda v. Arizona (1966), the Supreme Court ruled that before police question a suspect who is in custody, they must inform the suspect of certain rights. Which rights must police explain?

    1. A.The right to a jury drawn from the same town
    2. B.The right to remain silent and to have a lawyer
    3. C.The right to choose the judge who hears the case
    4. D.The right to post bail before any questioning
    Show answer

    Answer: B. The right to remain silent and to have a lawyer

    Miranda warnings tell suspects they may stay silent and may have an attorney. Bail is set by a court after arrest and is not part of the warnings.

  1. 23.In a three-way presidential race, the electoral votes are split 260, 250 and 28. The Twelfth Amendment says that if no candidate wins a majority of electoral votes, the House of Representatives chooses the president, with each state delegation casting one vote. What happens in this election?

    1. A.The Senate chooses by a simple majority vote
    2. B.A national runoff election is held in January
    3. C.The House chooses, with one vote per state
    4. D.The candidate with 260 votes wins outright
    Show answer

    Answer: C. The House chooses, with one vote per state

    No candidate reached 270, so the choice goes to the House, where each state has one vote. Having the most electoral votes is not enough without a majority.

  1. 24.A passage explains that political parties recruit people to run for office, write platforms stating their positions, raise money, and organize volunteers to get voters to the polls. Based on the passage, which is a main function of political parties?

    1. A.Interpreting laws passed by Congress
    2. B.Nominating candidates for public office
    3. C.Counting electoral votes every January
    4. D.Appointing federal judges to the courts
    Show answer

    Answer: B. Nominating candidates for public office

    Recruiting and running candidates is a core party function described in the passage. Interpreting laws is the job of the courts, not parties.

  1. 25.In one presidential election, an independent candidate won about 19 percent of the national popular vote but did not win a single electoral vote. Which feature of the election system best explains this result?

    1. A.Electors must belong to one of the two major parties
    2. B.Federal law bans independent candidates from the ballot
    3. C.Most states award all electors to the statewide winner
    4. D.Most states split their electors by share of the vote
    Show answer

    Answer: C. Most states award all electors to the statewide winner

    Under winner-take-all rules, a candidate who finishes second or third in every state gets no electors despite millions of votes. Splitting electors by vote share would have given this candidate some electoral votes.

  1. 26.An interest group forms a political action committee (PAC). What is the main purpose of a PAC?

    1. A.To draw new district lines after each census
    2. B.To count ballots and certify election results
    3. C.To write the official platform of a major party
    4. D.To raise and spend money to support candidates
    Show answer

    Answer: D. To raise and spend money to support candidates

    A PAC collects contributions and uses them to back candidates or causes in elections. Party platforms are written by the parties themselves, not by PACs.

More practice sets

Civics and Government has 5 practice sets. None of these questions appear in the full practice tests.

The three branches and checks and balances on the GED

The legislative branch makes law, the executive enforces it, and the judicial interprets it and rules on constitutionality. Each branch limits the others: the president can veto legislation, Congress can override with two-thirds of both houses, the Senate confirms judicial appointments, and the courts can strike down laws.

Questions usually describe a scenario and ask which branch acts or which check applies. Practice matching the action to the branch rather than reciting the structure.

Federalism and the Bill of Rights on the GED

Federalism divides authority between national and state governments. Some powers are exclusively national, such as coining money and conducting foreign policy. Some belong to the states, such as running elections and issuing licenses. Others, including taxation, are shared.

The Bill of Rights protects speech, religion, assembly, due process, and trial by jury, among others. Later amendments extended voting rights. Expect questions that give you a situation and ask which right is implicated.

Elections and civic participation on the GED

Presidential elections are decided by the Electoral College, where 270 of 538 votes wins. This is why a candidate can win the national popular vote and lose the election, a fact the test asks about directly.

Other recurring topics include the role of political parties, interest groups and lobbying, the difference between primaries and general elections, and the civic responsibilities of citizens such as voting and jury service.

Frequently asked questions

How much of GED Social Studies is civics?
About 50 percent, making it the largest content area on the test.
How many electoral votes are needed to win the presidency?
A majority of 538, which is 270.