The United States Capitol Building at sunset

iStock/Getty Images

What Do You Know About Congress?

Take this quiz and see how knowledgeable you are about the legislative branch

Dena Bunis

En español

Published October 19, 2018

12 Questions

SWczZlFvbElHMGM9

What Do You Know About Congress?

[ {
  "question" : "How many members are there in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate?",
  "answers" : [ {
    "answer" : "50 senators and 300 representatives",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "100 senators and 435 representatives",
    "correctAnswer" : true
  }, {
    "answer" : "150 senators and 350 representatives",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "200 senators and 500 representatives",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  } ],
  "multiSelect" : false,
  "explanation" : "",
  "hint" : "",
  "hintLink" : "",
  "questionImgCaption" : "",
  "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
  "question" : "During the Civil War the Capitol building was used as:",
  "answers" : [ {
    "answer" : "A bakery",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Military barracks",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "A hospital",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "All of the above",
    "correctAnswer" : true
  } ],
  "multiSelect" : false,
  "explanation" : "",
  "hint" : "",
  "hintLink" : "",
  "questionImgCaption" : "",
  "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
  "question" : "Who is the oldest sitting senator?",
  "answers" : [ {
    "answer" : "Sen. Bernie Sanders, Vermont",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Sen. Orrin Hatch, Utah",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Sen. Dianne Feinstein, California",
    "correctAnswer" : true
  }, {
    "answer" : "Sen. Chuck Grassley, Iowa",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  } ],
  "multiSelect" : false,
  "explanation" : "Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who is 85. (The oldest senator ever was Strom Thurmond of South Carolina, who retired at age 100.)",
  "hint" : "",
  "hintLink" : "",
  "questionImgCaption" : "",
  "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
  "question" : "How often do House members run for reelection?",
  "answers" : [ {
    "answer" : "Every two years",
    "correctAnswer" : true
  }, {
    "answer" : "Every three years",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Every six years",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Every eight years",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  } ],
  "multiSelect" : false,
  "explanation" : "",
  "hint" : "",
  "hintLink" : "",
  "questionImgCaption" : "",
  "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
  "question" : "How often do U.S. senators run for reelection?",
  "answers" : [ {
    "answer" : "Every four years",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Every six years",
    "correctAnswer" : true
  }, {
    "answer" : "Every 10 years",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Never. They are elected for life.",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  } ],
  "multiSelect" : false,
  "explanation" : "",
  "hint" : "",
  "hintLink" : "",
  "questionImgCaption" : "",
  "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
  "question" : "Who breaks a tie vote in the U.S. Senate?",
  "answers" : [ {
    "answer" : "The most senior senator",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "The secretary of state",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "The vice president of the United States",
    "correctAnswer" : true
  }, {
    "answer" : "The majority leader",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  } ],
  "multiSelect" : false,
  "explanation" : "The vice president of the United States, who also serves as president of the Senate and can vote only when there’s a tie.",
  "hint" : "",
  "hintLink" : "",
  "questionImgCaption" : "",
  "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
  "question" : "Where did the first Congress meet?",
  "answers" : [ {
    "answer" : "New York City",
    "correctAnswer" : true
  }, {
    "answer" : "Philadelphia",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Boston",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Washington, D.C.",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  } ],
  "multiSelect" : false,
  "explanation" : "",
  "hint" : "",
  "hintLink" : "",
  "questionImgCaption" : "",
  "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
  "question" : "How old do you have to be to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives?",
  "answers" : [ {
    "answer" : "21",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "25",
    "correctAnswer" : true
  }, {
    "answer" : "35",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "40",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  } ],
  "multiSelect" : false,
  "explanation" : "",
  "hint" : "",
  "hintLink" : "",
  "questionImgCaption" : "",
  "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
  "question" : "How many times can a U.S. senator or member of the U.S. House of Representatives run for reelection?",
  "answers" : [ {
    "answer" : "Twice",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Four times",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Ten times",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "An unlimited number of times",
    "correctAnswer" : true
  } ],
  "multiSelect" : false,
  "explanation" : "",
  "hint" : "",
  "hintLink" : "",
  "questionImgCaption" : "",
  "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
  "question" : "Can Congress override a presidential veto?",
  "answers" : [ {
    "answer" : "Yes, Congress can appeal the veto to the U.S. Supreme Court",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Yes, a two-thirds majority vote of the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate can override the veto",
    "correctAnswer" : true
  }, {
    "answer" : "Yes, a simple majority vote of the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate can override the veto",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "No",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  } ],
  "multiSelect" : false,
  "explanation" : "",
  "hint" : "",
  "hintLink" : "",
  "questionImgCaption" : "",
  "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
  "question" : "The junior senator of a state is always younger than the senior senator.",
  "answers" : [ {
    "answer" : "True",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "False",
    "correctAnswer" : true
  } ],
  "multiSelect" : false,
  "explanation" : "The junior senator is the senator with less seniority, regardless of his or her age.",
  "hint" : "",
  "hintLink" : "",
  "questionImgCaption" : "",
  "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
  "question" : "Who has the power to declare war?",
  "answers" : [ {
    "answer" : "The president’s cabinet",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Congress",
    "correctAnswer" : true
  }, {
    "answer" : "The secretary of defense",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "The president",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  } ],
  "multiSelect" : false,
  "explanation" : "",
  "hint" : "",
  "hintLink" : "",
  "questionImgCaption" : "",
  "questionImgCredit" : ""
} ]

Quiz Progress

0 Correct

0 Incorrect

get help and give help through AARP Community Connections

Caption for quiz image

Credit for quiz image

NEED A HINT?

CLOSE HINT

CORRECT

INCORRECT

Answer:

What Do You Know About Congress?

0 Correct

0 Incorrect

Score:

Oops...something went wrong. Please log out and log back in to continue.

Dena Bunis covers Medicare, health care, health policy and Congress. She also writes the “Medicare Made Easy” column for the AARP Bulletin. An award-winning journalist, Bunis spent decades working for metropolitan daily newspapers, including as Washington bureau chief for the Orange County Register and as a health policy and workplace writer for Newsday.

AARP Membership

Join AARP for just $15 for your first year when you sign up for automatic renewal. Gain instant access to exclusive products, hundreds of discounts and services, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP The Magazine.

Join Now

Benefits Recommended For You

See All

What Do You Know About Congress?

What Do You Know About Congress?

What Do You Know About Congress?

Election Quiz