Q 01/05

What is the Cabinet member kept at a secret location during the State of the Union address called?

A) Presidential understudy

B) Designated survivor

C) Shadow president

D) Continuity officer

Answer · why

B) Designated survivor

The designated survivor practice began in the 1950s, when Cold War planners feared a nuclear strike could kill everyone in the line of succession at o...

Q 02/05

Which first Secretary of the Treasury, under George Washington, appears on the ten-dollar bill?

A) Alexander Hamilton

B) Benjamin Franklin

C) Oliver Wolcott Jr.

D) Robert Morris

Answer · why

A) Alexander Hamilton

Alexander Hamilton held the post from 1789 to 1795 and was killed in a pistol duel with Aaron Burr in 1804.

Q 03/05

Which building in Arlington, Virginia, houses the office of the Cabinet secretary who oversees the armed forces?

A) Eisenhower Building

B) Fort Belvoir

C) The Pentagon

D) Truman Building

Answer · why

C) The Pentagon

The Pentagon was dedicated in January 1943 and has about 6.5 million square feet of floor space, making it one of the largest office buildings in the ...

Q 04/05

Which agency, founded to fight counterfeit money, was part of the Treasury Department until 2003?

A) Marshals Service

B) Capitol Police

C) Border Patrol

D) Secret Service

Answer · why

D) Secret Service

The Secret Service began in 1865 chasing forgers and was only asked to protect presidents after William McKinley was assassinated in 1901.

Q 05/05

Which New Deal reformer became the first woman to serve in a U.S. Cabinet, joining in 1933?

A) Eleanor Roosevelt

B) Frances Perkins

C) Jeannette Rankin

D) Margaret Chase Smith

Answer · why

B) Frances Perkins

Frances Perkins stayed in the Cabinet until 1945 and helped design the Social Security Act of 1935.