259 Politics Trivia Questions (Ranked From Easiest to Hardest)

Updated Date:
January 4, 2024
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Are you looking for politics trivia questions?

Well, you've come to the right place!

This collection of 259 trivia questions on politics will keep your brain humming while you learn a thing or two about the history of policies, presidents, prime ministers, and more.

With questions on everything from the American Revolution to the Cold War, political trivia questions will test your knowledge and improve your understanding of the world around you.

Here's just a few questions to get you warmed up:

A military program announced by President Reagan in March 1983 promoted funding for lasers and particle beam weapons and was formally known as the Strategic Defense Initiative. However, what two-word name was the program (somewhat mockingly) nicknamed by the public?

Answer: Star Wars

What ancient man wrote a work titled "Politics" which included the idea that "Every community established with a view to some good"?

Answer: Aristotle

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246 Politics Trivia Questions Ranked From Easiest to Hardest (Updated For 2024)

  1. The 2000 U.S. presidential election was officially decided by a controversial Supreme Court decision following a recount of votes in what state? The recount determined that George W. Bush had defeated Al Gore in that state by a mere 537 votes.

    Answer: Florida

  2. The ANZUS Agreement of 1951 is a non-binding security agreement between Australia, the United States, and what guessable island nation?

    Answer: New Zealand

  3. On August 17, 2020, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced that her country's national election would be delayed by four weeks. The cause? A new cluster of coronavirus cases after the country had previously gone months without a case of local transmission. What is this country?

    Answer: New Zealand

  4. Repping social and political scientists, the national honor society Pi Sigma Alpha's headquarters are on New Hampshire Avenue in what guessable U.S. city?

    Answer: Washington D.C.

  5. What is the political and legal term for the act in which one jurisdiction delivers a person accused or convicted of committing a crime in another jurisdiction over to their law enforcement? A proposed change in this process sparked massive June 2019 protests in Hong Kong.

    Answer: Extradition

  6. What nation has the world's highest minimum wage, at $21.38 AUD per hour (or a little more than fifteen U.S. dollars)?

    Answer: Australia

  7. At first count, over 60% of California voters rejected a September 2021 recall of what current governor?

    Answer: Gavin Newsom

  8. What is the full name of the US Department focused on ensuring access to shelter? The department was founded as a Cabinet department in 1965, and Carla Anderson Hills was its first female head.

    Answer: Housing and Urban Development

  9. What "O" term simply means government by the few, but is most often used to describe corrupt rule of a nation by a small and self-interested group?

    Answer: OIigarchy

  10. In 1917, Woodrow Wilson famously declared that "the world must be made safe for" what form of political system?

    Answer: Democracy

  11. As of 2018, the highest-ranking Asian-American in US history was the man who served as President pro tempore of the Senate from 2010 to 2012. What state did this man represent? Although he was a native son, the state he represented was not yet a state when this man was born. We're looking for a state, not a man's name.

    Answer: Hawaii (Daniel Inouye)

  12. Just like the sports analytics of "Moneyball," Nate Silver uses sabermetrics to balance political polling on what website named for the number of electors in the U.S. Electoral College?

    Answer: FiveThirtyEight

  13. In April 2019, who became the first African American woman to serve as Chicago's mayor?

    Answer: Lori Lightfoot

  14. J. Warren Keifer, Nicholas Longworth, and John Boehner were all U.S. Congressmen from Ohio that held what powerful position in the House of Representatives?

    Answer: Speaker of the House

  15. A metonym is a figure of speech in which a thing is referred to by the name of something closely associated with that thing. Cool, with that definition out of the way, K Street is typically a DC metonym for what industry?

    Answer: Lobbying

  16. In the 2020 election cycle, the two Super PACs that raised the money were named "______ Leadership Fund" and "______ Majority PAC." Both of these organizations are missing the same word from their name. What is that word?

    Answer: Senate

  17. As of July 15, 2020 which of the nine Supreme Court justices is the oldest?

    Answer: Ruth Bader Ginsburg

  18. In Article IV, the U.S. Constitution requires that convicted criminals caught in one state can be sent back to the state where the crime occurred. What is the "E" term for this type of legal action?

    Answer: Extradition

  19. What man served as the 26th United States Secretary of Defense from January 2017 until January 2019 before resigning over policy differences with President Donald Trump?

    Answer: Jim Mattis

  20. What multisyllabic "G" word is used to describe the practice establishing a political advantage for a particular party or group by manipulating district boundaries?

    Answer: Gerrymandering

  21. The No Child Left Behind Act was a U.S. Act of Congress that reauthorized the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and was signed into law by what U.S. President?

    Answer: George W Bush

  22. First used all the way back in the 1800s, and coming from the Dutch term "free booter," what is the common political term for a delaying tactic?

    Answer: Filibuster

  23. The Fifth Party System in the United States, which hosted relative Democratic dominance with their New Deal Coalition, began with which president's 1932 election?

    Answer: Franklin D Roosevelt

  24. Olaf Scholz heads the Social Democratic Party that narrowly edged out the Christian Democratic Union in the 2021 elections of what EU nation?

    Answer: Germany

  25. "Americans for a Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow" was a Super PAC founded by what US comedian who raised awareness of Super PACs in his late-night television program during 2012?

    Answer: Stephen Colbert

  26. 10 Downing Street is an address that has been in the news for much of 2019 as it nears an internationally-important deadline. What man currently holds the seat of most power at this address?

    Answer: Boris Johnson

  27. A 2016 referendum in Switzerland rejected what would have been a first-of-its-kind UBI program for Swiss citizens. What do the letters "UBI" stand for?

    Answer: Universal Basic Income

  28. Which of the three branches of government in the United States is made up of courts to uphold the law in the name of the states?

    Answer: Judiciary

  29. In the Republican party's common party abbreviation "GOP," what does the letter G stand for?

    Answer: Grand

  30. If you'd recently committed regicide, what important person did you just kill?

    Answer: Monarch (King, Queen)

  31. What current Prime Minister was born on Christmas Day 1971 in Ottawa?

    Answer: Justin Trudeau

  32. As of 2018, there are 338 seats in the lower house of Canada's national government which is officially known by what three-word phrase?

    Answer: House of Commons

  33. Although Washington has had a locally-elected mayor and a 13-member council since 1973, technically what political body maintains supreme authority over the city and may overturn local laws?

    Answer: Congress

  34. This president resided in his mansion at Monticello and was a famed inventor. He controversially enforced the Embargo Act, but also successfully led a raid against Barbary pirates. Who was this president?

    Answer: Thomas Jefferson

  35. Deriving from a Hindi phrase meaning “learned one”, what six-letter “P” word describes a broadcaster, commentator, or writer who specializes in analyzing politics?

    Answer: Pundit

  36. "Informal cyber security adviser" and personal attorney are two of the latest titles for what famous New Yorker that has been officially registered as a Democrat, Independent, and Republican in his multi-decade political career? This man served as the 107th Mayor of New York City.

    Answer: Rudy Giuliani

  37. NATO headquarters are a short bike ride from the Atomium statue in what Belgian city?

    Answer: Brussels

  38. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru was an Indian independence activist that served as the first holder of what central role in Indian politics? Nehru served in this role from 1947 to 1964.

    Answer: Prime Minister

  39. What "J" word is a Spanish, Greek and Portuguese term for a civil deliberative or administrative council? In English, the term takes on a slightly more ominous meaning, frequently referring to a military-led authoritarian state.

    Answer: junta

  40. Which president has their presidential library located in Atlanta, Georgia in a facility that features a replica of the oval office?

    Answer: Jimmy Carter

  41. Ralph Bunche received his doctorate in political science from Harvard University in 1934. In 1950, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his work mediating the Arab crisis in what newly formed Middle Eastern country?

    Answer: Israel

  42. What are the two Washington DC colleges that came in the top 5 for the best schools in the US for Political Science in a report by College Factual in 2021?

    Answer: Georgetown, George Washington

  43. The results of two different 2010 court cases ultimately led to the creation of "Super PACs." One was Speechnow.org v. FEC, and the other more famous case was ______ ______ v. FEC. What two words fill in the blanks?

    Answer: Citizens United

  44. What country's bicameral legislature includes the Rajya Sabha, which represents the states, and a lower house, the Lok Sabha which represents the people of the country as a whole?

    Answer: India

  45. What nine-letter term serves as a noun or adjective that refers to the current holder of a political office?

    Answer: Incumbent

  46. The 1977 Torrijos-Carter Treaties guaranteed the transfer of control of the Panama Canal from which country back to Panama after 1999?

    Answer: U.S.

  47. What Howard University alumna and former California attorney general and senator was sworn in as the new President of the Senate on January 20, 2021?

    Answer: Kamala Harris

  48. Since 1952, what international organization has had its headquarters in the Turtle Bay neighborhood of Manhattan at a complex that stretches more than six blocks?

    Answer: United Nations

  49. Comedian Beppe Grillo is the cofounder of the Five Star Movement, a populist political party in what country?

    Answer: Italy

  50. The first televised U.S. presidential debate was broadcast from Chicago's CBS Studios. With one guess, name either of the two men participating in the debate as a presidential candidate.

    Answer: John F Kennedy and Richard Nixon

  51. William Rehnquist was a 20th century American most famous for his long-serving role in which of the three branches of the federal government?

    Answer: Judicial

  52. Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison used the pen name "Publius" to publish what set of 85 essays in New York newspapers in 1787 and 1788?

    Answer: The Federalist Papers

  53. Instant-runoff voting and single transferable vote are the two specific types of a more general voting system that is used in various jurisdictions in the United States. As of November 1, 2020, Maine is the only U.S. state which uses this voting system in all state primary, congressional, and presidential elections. What is the name of this system?

    Answer: Ranked-choice voting

  54. What is the four-letter name for a fragment sometimes created when holes are made in a paper or card? The "hanging" variety of this common noun became a hot topic during the 2000 U.S. Presidential election in the state of Florida.

    Answer: Chad

  55. Often attributed to a 1980 Virginia newspaper article as the source, the common acronym NIMBY holds what meaning related to local politics and anti-development tendencies?

    Answer: Not in my backyard

  56. In the United States, what process must began with the lower house of a legislature bringing charges against a civil officer of government and is an analogous process to a grand jury bringing an indictment?

    Answer: Impeachment

  57. In 1997, David Wolf became the first American to vote from where? A Texas state law enabled him to do so.

    Answer: Space

  58. What document from 1215 exhibited a strong influence on the drafting of the U.S. Constitution? Eighteenth-century understanding of this document spurred concepts such as representative government, the idea of a supreme law, and judicial review.

    Answer: Magna Carta

  59. What form of government was referred to by Winston Churchill as "the worst form of government except all those other forms that have been tried?"

    Answer: Democracy

  60. What was the unsurprising surname of the 1915-born politician who became the first mayor of DC in more than a century after winning the District's 1974 mayoral election?

    Answer: Walter Washington

  61. Named for Judiciary Chairman Andrew Volstead, the 1919 Volstead Act overrode President Woodrow Wilson’s veto to what national act that was later repealed by the 21st amendment?

    Answer: Prohibition

  62. A military program announced by President Reagan in March 1983 promoted funding for lasers and particle beam weapons and was formally known as the Strategic Defense Initiative. However, what two-word name was the program (somewhat mockingly) nicknamed by the public?

    Answer: Star Wars

  63. In 2019, the U.S. Department of State issued more than 20 million of what type of document whose design now includes quotes from Martin Luther King Jr. and astronaut Ellison Onizuka?

    Answer: Passport

  64. Alex Azar is an American attorney and former pharmaceutical lobbyist that has been serving as the Secretary of what US Cabinet since 2017? He also served as the Chairman of the Coronavirus Task Force until replaced by Mike Pence in February 2020.

    Answer: Health and Human Services

  65. Despite not running in the 2016 election, a retired Secretary of State earned three electoral votes for president from "faithless electors" in Washington. This man inadvertently became the first black Republican to earn electoral votes. Who is this man?

    Answer: Colin Powell

  66. Passing free-rein leadership and decision-making to subordinates is a leadership style that shares what French name with a non-interventionist economic system?

    Answer: Laissez-faire

  67. Alexis de Tocqueville is a famous European political scientist who famously wrote a 19th century treatise titled "Democracy in America." What nationality is de Tocqueville?

    Answer: French

  68. What "meaty" term is used to refer to the act when a politician appropriates government spending for localized projects? This is often considered a legal method for bringing money to a representative's district.

    Answer: Pork barrel

  69. Ajit Pai was the chairman of what federal organization when it repealed "Net Neutrality" rules in 2017?

    Answer: Federal Communications Commission

  70. What “A” term refers to, in a political sense, to a renunciation of a high office, usually by a monarch? A famous example is Edward VIII giving up his role as King of England in 1936.

    Answer: Abdication

  71. What four-word phrase spoken by Ronald Reagan in Europe in 1987 received relatively little media coverage at the time but exploded into ubiquity two years later when the phrase became reality? The phrase eventually became shorthand for an entire speech and foreign policy achievement.

    Answer: Tear down this wall

  72. Political theorist John Rawls is most famous for his 1971 book A Theory of ___, where the blank is filled with what word? (In the U.S. it can also refer to one of a group of nine people.)

    Answer: Justice

  73. Carlos Danger was the infamous alias of what former congressman whose political career evaporated after a sexting scandal led to a federal prison sentence?

    Answer: Anthony Weiner

  74. A politician once said "I would have loved to have been in a band but sadly I just wasn't good enough." Instead, this man ended up spending eight years as the Prime Minister of the UK. Who is he?

    Answer: Tony Blair

  75. In 1921 the black flag flew at the funeral of Peter Kropotkin, philosopher of what government-negating ideology?

    Answer: Anarchy

  76. Obviously coming after FDR's 3+ terms as the head of the US, what president introduced and secured the passage of the legislation that establishes a two-term limit for US Presidents?

    Answer: Harry Truman

  77. What famous document begins: "When in the course of human events..."?

    Answer: The Declaration of Independence

  78. Before his stints as Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack served two terms as governor of what corn-fed state?

    Answer: Iowa

  79. What President allowed his six children to bring their pets to the White House which included a small bear, a lizard, guinea pigs, a snake, a hyena, a rabbit, and more?

    Answer: Teddy Roosevelt

  80. 48 U.S. states are divided into counties. Alaska is instead divided into boroughs. What other state has unique intra-state division by using a system of 64 parishes?

    Answer: Louisiana

  81. What "K" man served as the Secretary of State and National Security Advisor under the presidential administrations of Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford? He was a Jewish refugee who fled Nazi Germany with his family in 1938 and he later received a controversial Nobel Peace Prize in 1973 after negotiating a ceasefire in Vietnam.

    Answer: Henry Kissinger

  82. Since 1993, Russia has technically been a democracy, but before that government was put in place the country was known by another name. What does U.S.S.R stand for?

    Answer: Union of Soviet Socialist Republics

  83. 2360 Massachusetts Avenue NW, 2306 Massachusetts Avenue NW, 2200 Massachusetts Avenue NW, and 2374 Massachusetts Avenue NW are all addresses of what type of building in Washington, DC?

    Answer: Embassies

  84. As of March 3rd 2019, John Bolton serves as the 27th National Security Advisor of the US. Under George W Bush, Bolton served as an ambassador, although he was not an ambassador to a specific country. Rather, he represented the interests of the US in front of what polity?

    Answer: The United Nations

  85. Rod Blagojevich, George Ryan, Dan Walker, and Otto Kerner have all been governors of the same state in the past 70 years. Coincidentally, each man has also served a prison term since leaving public office. Over what state did all of these men govern?

    Answer: Illinois

  86. What "B" word signifies a legislative body that has two bodies or chambers?

    Answer: Bicameral

  87. Intel might dip into making their products in Ohio if Congress passes a semiconductor funding bill with what five-letter acronym that was also the name of an early '80s California motorcycle cop show?

    Answer: CHIPS

  88. The U.S. National Cyber Security Division opened for the first time in 2003 and is currently housed within what Federal Department? John Kelly, Kirstjen Nielsen, and Kevin McAleenan all served as Secretary of this Department during the Trump administration.

    Answer: Department of Homeland Security

  89. In January 2019, a former Obama Cabinet Secretary announced his 2020 Presidential campaign. What Cabinet department did this man oversee from 2014-17?

    Answer: Housing and Urban Development

  90. Sarah Palin was mayor of which city, the fourth largest by population, before her election as the first female Governor of Alaska?

    Answer: Wasilla

  91. Tunisia's Jasmine Revolution kicked off a wave of early-2011 Middle East protests now known by what two-word name that sounds like a pretty decent soap?

    Answer: Arab Spring

  92. The first African-American female major-party gubernatorial nominee in the United States occurred during the 2018 election. What is this woman's name? Note, we are looking for the woman's name, not the name of the state where she (unsuccessfully) ran.

    Answer: Stacey Abrams

  93. Margrethe II has been the reigning monarch of what European country for 47 years? She succeeded Frederick IX and before him Christian X.

    Answer: Denmark

  94. Popular from the 16th to the 18th centuries, what "M" trade system is based on the principle that the world's wealth was static, and nations should use protectionism to gain the greatest share of that wealth?

    Answer: Mercantilism

  95. Which social system, common in Medieval Europe, is simply defined as a system in which people worked and fought for nobles who gave them protection and land in return?

    Answer: Feudalism

  96. Kentucky-based Falls City Brewing Company capitalized on the 1977 political climate by releasing “Billy Beer.” The beer was named after and heavily promoted by the brother of what sitting U.S. president?

    Answer: Jimmy Carter

  97. Born and raised in the Texas-Arkansas border town of Texarkana, what U.S. businessman was the founder of Electronic Data Systems and later ran two of the most successful third party presidential campaigns in U.S. history?

    Answer: Ross Perot

  98. Economists Clément Juglar and later Joseph Schumpeter suggested four stages for an economic cycle: Expansion, Crisis, Recession, and what fourth stage?

    Answer: Recovery

  99. In January 2021, Janet Yellen became the first woman to serve as the United States Secretary of the Treasury. From 2014-18, she was the first woman to serve in which role?

    Answer: Chair of the Federal Reserve

  100. The 24th Amendment prohibited them. Harper v. Virginia Board of Elections ruled them unconstitutional. What two-word type of payment are we talking about?

    Answer: Poll tax

  101. What senator, first elected in the 1974 senatorial elections, is the only Democrat to ever be a Senator from Vermont?

    Answer: Patrick Leahy

  102. What American polling company, named for its 1935 founder, conducts telephone 500 interviews a day for its famous political and economic survey?

    Answer: Gallup

  103. The close results of the 1948 election created the unusual scenario in which Harry Truman won the election, but the Chicago Tribune speculated that what Republican governor of New York was victorious? A celebratory Truman held up this headline while celebrating his win.

    Answer: Thomas Dewey

  104. Passed by Congress in 1798, a set of four laws restricting foreigners' activity in America was known by the Alien and ___ Acts. What word goes in the blank?

    Answer: Sedition

  105. Hattie Wyatt Caraway holds a place in Arkansas and US history as the first woman to serve a full term in what role?

    Answer: US Senator

  106. The origin of the word politics is adopted from the Greek title of a famous philosopher's book on affairs of state. Who is this Greek philosopher?

    Answer: Aristotle

  107. There's a political scandal in the United States that occurred during the second term of the Reagan administration typically referenced with a well-known two-word phrase. However, in the other country who was party to the event, it is known as the McFarlane affair. What is this event?

    Answer: Iran-Contra Affair

  108. Despite a bellicose reputation, what US President won the Nobel Peace Prize for his role as a peacemaker in the Russo-Japanese War?

    Answer: Theodore Roosevelt

  109. Established by President John F. Kennedy in 1963, Elvis Presley, Babe Ruth, Tiger Woods and Rush Limbaugh received what prestigious medal by President Donald Trump during his presidential term?

    Answer: Presidential Medal of Freedom

  110. Who was the only U.S. president to have a PhD in political science? He earned it from Johns Hopkins University in 1886.

    Answer: Woodrow Wilson

  111. Although the term was initially coined on the London Stock Exchange in the 18th century for a stockbroker who defaulted on his debts, it's now commonly used to refer to office-holders headed out the door. What is this fowl two-word term?

    Answer: Lame duck

  112. Although it continued to lack voting representation in Congress, the 23rd amendment to the US Constitution was ratified in 1961 and granted how many Electoral College votes to the District of Columbia?

    Answer: 3

  113. James Edward Oglethorpe was the founder of the colony of Georgia in 1732. He was also a soldier, public servant, and philanthropist. What nationality was Oglethorpe?

    Answer: British

  114. As I write this, the US and North Korea are preparing for their second summit during the Trump presidency, scheduled for February 2019 in Vietnam. In what country was the first summit held in June 2017?

    Answer: Singapore

  115. The 2nd President of the US belonged to 3 different political parties during his life. Name 1 of them.

    Answer: Pro-Administration or Federalist or Democratic-Republican

  116. Degrees from Stanford, Oxford, and Yale. Former Mayor of Newark. Vegetarian since 1992. Which former contender for the Democratic 2020 Presidential nomination does this describe?

    Answer: Cory Booker

  117. What U.S. federal employee penned "Madam Secretary: A Memoir" as her only book along with some other political science writings?

    Answer: Madeleine Albright

  118. Prior to Harry Truman's re-branding of the Department of Defense in the 1940s, what was the agency previously known as?

    Answer: The Department of War

  119. As of 2018, two countries in the world use the title Sultan for the nation's head of state. Name one of these countries. Hint: one country is 6 letters and in Southeast Asia. The other is 4 letters and in the Middle East.

    Answer: Oman and Brunei

  120. The longest-serving US Senator from Montana had initials MM. He also served as a professor of history and political science at the University of Montana. Who was this man?

    Answer: Mike Mansfield

  121. Written as a Socratic dialogue in the 4th century BC, "The Republic" is a treatise on what makes a just city-state, by what ancient Greek philosopher?

    Answer: Plato

  122. From the name of a fictional character who was deeply devoted to Napoleon, what 10-letter word often associated with sexism is used in political science to mean excessive patriotism?

    Answer: chauvinism

  123. Written around 375 BC, what Socratic dialogue about the character of the just city-state, and the just man, is one of the classic texts of Greek philosophy?

    Answer: The Republic

  124. What is the two-word title of the 1859 essay by political philosopher John Stuart Mill, which applied his theory of utilitarianism to societies and governments?

    Answer: On Liberty

  125. What 20th-century political scientist and University of Michigan professor wrote such books as “Political Representation In France”, “Dynamics Of Party Support”, and the “American Social Attitudes Data Sourcebook?” His last name is the same as a shoe company that makes Chuck Taylors.

    Answer: Philip Converse

  126. Complete the expression introduced by political philosopher and Holocaust survivor Hannah Arendt: “the banality of ______.” The missing word can be defined as profoundly immoral and wicked.

    Answer: Evil

  127. What “S” Irish political scientist worked for Dublin’s Economic and Social Research Institute, and regularly appeared on Irish television to analyze elections?

    Answer: Richard Sinnott

  128. From the 1972 album "Sail Away," "Political Science" is a lesser-known tune by what singer-songwriter who also wrote the "Toy Story" theme song, "You've Got a Friend in Me?"

    Answer: Randy Newman

  129. Which term is used for the tax or duty a country puts on imports and exports from another country (typically as a way to make money and regulate trade)?

    Answer: Tariff

  130. The Communist Manifesto was co-authored by Karl Marx and which other German political theorist?

    Answer: Friedrich Engels

  131. Which term is used for a form of government where just a few powerful people are running the show? (Hint: A historical example might be Sparta, while Russia could be a more modern example)

    Answer: Oligarchy

  132. The separation of powers—that is, the three branches of the U.S. government—is also referred to as checks and ______?

    Answer: Balances

  133. A person running for office can benefit financially from a super PAC, which sounds like a video game power-up but it’s actually an acronym for what?

    Answer: Political Action Committee

  134. Which C-term describes powers that are shared by federal and state governments?

    Answer: Concurrent

  135. Political scientist John Mearsheimer is credited with the theory of _____ realism, in which great power states aim to dominate international politics. The blank is filled by what word, more often seen in the context of team sports?

    Answer: Offensive

  136. What is it called when a person loses their nationality in the country they’ve been living in—for example, because they’ve renounced it or become a naturalized citizen somewhere else?

    Answer: Expatriation

  137. ____ ____ Decides is the name of an influential 2008 book by American political scientists Marty Cohen, David Karol, Hans Noel, and John Zaller that argues that who, as per the title, ultimately determines a nominee for the U.S. presidency?

    Answer: The Party

  138. What political movement of the 20th century is ultimately named for the image of a bundle of rods tied around an axe, an ancient Roman symbol of authority?

    Answer: Fascism

  139. What does the common American slogan "E pluribus unum" mean when translated from Latin to English?

    Answer: Out of many one

  140. Which amendment to the United States Constitution coincidentally (fitting) establishes a limit of two terms for the office of presidency?

    Answer: 22nd Amendment

  141. About one third of the U.S. government's revenue came from liquor and alcohol until a 1913 Constitutional amendment allowed for a tax on what?

    Answer: Income

  142. What new economic program did China's Mao Zedong announce in 1958?

    Answer: The Great Leap Forward

  143. Al Gore sought the Democratic nomination for US President in 1988 as the junior senator from which state?

    Answer: Tennessee

  144. The 17th amendment to the U.S. Constitution enabled the direct election of what type of public official?

    Answer: Senators

  145. Put into effect in 2018, the European Union's GDPR is considered one of the world's toughest privacy laws. GDPR stands for "General Data [BLANK] Regulation." What word goes in the blank?

    Answer: Protection

  146. In early analytics, punch card readers helped make processing efficient for what recurring project? The Tabulating Machine Company successfully trimmed 5 ½ years off processing the data. It originally took seven years.

    Answer: Census (1890)

  147. What ancient man wrote a work of political philosophy titled simply "Politics"? Admittedly that's a translated title. The work is divided into eight books and ranges from discussing the instability of tyrannies to pontificating on marriage and children.

    Answer: Aristotle

  148. The Nineteenth Amendment, which granted women the right to vote in the U.S., was passed more than 40 shameful years after the U.S. Supreme Court had ruled explicitly against early women suffragettes. Who was president when the Nineteenth Amendment passed?

    Answer: Woodrow Wilson

  149. What is the minimum age to serve in the US House of Representatives?

    Answer: 25

  150. Manufacturer supply chain audits are one of many things in the 2010 Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, commonly known by the hyphenated last names of what two U.S. senators?

    Answer: Dodd-Frank

  151. What 20th century U.S. President escaped two assassination attempts within 17 days in September 1975?

    Answer: Gerald Ford

  152. The Minnesota DFL is a political party in its namesake state affiliated with the US Democratic Party. The D stands for Democratic. The L stands for Labor. What does the F stand for?

    Answer: Farmer

  153. In October 2019, what country's ruling Law and Justice Party expanded their power by taking a majority in the lower house of parliament? The leader of the party is Jaroslaw Kaczynski.

    Answer: Poland

  154. USGS is a bureau within the US Department of the Interior with the motto "science for a changing world." What do the initials of this organization stand for? The group is headquartered in Reston, Virginia and is a fact-finding organization with no regulatory responsibility.

    Answer: United States Geological Survey

  155. What famous sixth king of the First Babylonian Dynasty became famous for his titular "code" which importantly shifted law codes from compensating victims to physical punishment of perpetrators?

    Answer: Hammurabi

  156. What political term can mean either a meeting at which local members of a political party register candidate preferences or a conference of members within a legislative body that belong to a particular faction?

    Answer: Caucus

  157. Inspired by similar wording in the English Bill of Rights from the 1600s, "Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel or unusual punishments inflicted" is the text of which amendment to the U.S. Constitution?

    Answer: Eighth

  158. According to the US Constitution, what is the minimum age requirement to be president of the United States?

    Answer: 35

  159. What is the four-word phrase that completes this passage from Article Two of the U.S. Constitution? "The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other ____________."

    Answer: High Crimes and Misdemeanors

  160. 48 US states are divided into Counties. Two are not, using either Boroughs or Parishes as the term to delineate state regions. Name one of the 2 non-County states.

    Answer: Louisiana (parish) and Alaska (borough)

  161. Thomas Barclay negotiated a treaty in 1786 that was then signed by Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and Muhammad III. This treaty is now the longest-standing US treaty. What nation (besides the US) was part of this "Treaty of Friendship"?

    Answer: Morocco

  162. Who is the only US President to have a PhD? It was in Political Science at Johns Hopkins.

    Answer: Woodrow Wilson

  163. As of December 2018, Michelle Bowman, Lael Brainard, Randal Quarles, and Richard Clarida all serve with Jerome Powell on the Board of what governing body?

    Answer: Federal Reserve

  164. What 1651 Thomas Hobbes book, named after a Biblical monster, argues for a social contract and rule by an absolute sovereign?

    Answer: Leviathan

  165. What phrase common in international politics was coined in 1952 by French writer Alfred Sauvy to describe a "tiers monde" that was aligned neither to the U.S. nor the Soviet Union?

    Answer: Third World

  166. After losing 49 states in the 1984 presidential election and then a last-minute Minnesota Senate race in 2002, what man became the first and, so far, only person to lose a statewide election in every U.S. state?

    Answer: Walter Mondale

  167. What 13-letter "P" word typically means a greater or weightier part? It is often used in civil lawsuits when determining the amount of evidence required for conviction.

    Answer: Preponderance

  168. What country's 1978 constitution was the culmination of the nation's transition to democracy after decades of dictator rule? The document was formally approved by Cortes Generales, officially sanctioned by Juan Carlos, and was overwhelmingly approved by the public with over 90% of votes cast in favor.

    Answer: Spain

  169. Gracie Mansion is the official name of the home of what political office? Past holders of the office have included John Lindsay, Abraham Beame, and David Dinkins.

    Answer: NYC Mayor

  170. David Malpass, Kristalina Georgieva, and Jim Yong Kim are the three most recent leaders of what international financial institution formed in 1945 with a current stated goal of "reduction of poverty?"

    Answer: The World Bank

  171. Aside from Donald Trump, who was the only other U.S. president who had been divorced?

    Answer: Ronald Reagan

  172. A landmark moment in the history of electronic voting in U.S. elections was when the Reform Party used "I-Voting" (internet voting) to select their presidential candidate in 1996. Unsurprisingly, they selected what man who had founded the party one year prior?

    Answer: Ross Perot

  173. In 1958, high school junior Robert Heft designed an iconic American item that was later accepted by congress in 1959. His teacher upgraded his grade on the design assignment from a B- to an A. What item did young Mr. Heft design?

    Answer: The 50-star American flag

  174. Looking to stimulate a stagnant Soviet economy in the '80s, Mikhail Gorbachev introduced what P-word political movement that's just Russian for "reconstruction" or "restructuring"?

    Answer: Perestroika

  175. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) was formed in 1944 by the ideas of Harry Dexter White and John Maynard Keynes with objectives to secure financial stability, facilitate international trade, promote high employment and sustainable economic growth, and reduce poverty around the world. In what American city is the IMF headquartered?

    Answer: Washington

  176. What country has the longest-standing treaty with the U.S.? This "Treaty of Friendship" with an African nation was negotiated by Thomas Barclay, and signed by Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and Muhammad III in 1786.

    Answer: Morocco

  177. Name the only person to be a United States President and Supreme Court Justice. He was even Chief Justice! He was the 27th president and the tenth chief justice.

    Answer: Taft

  178. What is the term for a Senate aide appointed and sponsored by a senator with a role that primarily consists of delivering correspondence and legislative documentation? These aides must be at least sixteen years old and attend school.

    Answer: Page

  179. Pioneer of political economy Adam Smith, best known for his work “The Wealth of Nations,” was born in which country of the U.K?

    Answer: Scotland

  180. In October 1884 in Washington, U.S. President Chester Arthur hosted an international conference to discuss the choice of "a ______ to be employed as a common zero of longitude and standard of time reckoning throughout the world". What word fills in the blank?

    Answer: Meridian

  181. What ancient man wrote a work titled "Politics" which included the idea that "Every community established with a view to some good"?

    Answer: Aristotle

  182. Disappointed office seeker Charles Guiteau shot what US President (and native Ohioan) in 1881? Although the wound was not immediately fatal, its subsequent infections resulted in this man's death.

    Answer: James Garfield

  183. What country held its first democratic elections on January 30, 2005?

    Answer: Iraq

  184. In February of 1945, Joseph Stalin, Winston Churchill, and Franklin D. Roosevelt met for a conference in what Crimean city to discuss the post-war organization of Germany and Europe?

    Answer: Yalta

  185. Strasbourg, France is home to the parliament of what ginormous international organization with a main HQ in Belgium?

    Answer: European Union

  186. In 2003, John Ashcroft sang “Let The Eagle Soar” while serving what non-musical role in the administration of George W. Bush?

    Answer: Attorney General

  187. Often lauded as an example of "ends justify the means" political behavior, what 1532 Niccolo Machiavelli book was written in Italian as an instruction guide for new royalty, replete with historical and classical examples?

    Answer: The Prince

  188. Political thinker Hannah Arendt introduced the concept of "the ____ of evil" in her book Eichmann in Jerusalem. What word, meant to emphasize Eichmann's normality, fills in the blank?

    Answer: Banality

  189. The Pittsburgh native Edith Spurlock Sampson was a lawyer and judge who served as the first Black U.S. delegate to what body in August 1950?

    Answer: United Nations

  190. In the 1912 election, which presidential incumbent became the only major party (Democrat or Republican) candidate in US in the 20th century to finish third in both the electoral vote and popular vote?

    Answer: Taft

  191. What is the "B" term that can be used to describe the Australian government (along with many other democracies) in which the legislature has legislators in two separate assemblies, chambers, or houses?

    Answer: Bicameralism

  192. The British cabinet meets with the prime minister at what famous residence?

    Answer: 10 Downing Street

  193. What J-word means extreme nationalism, often expressed by pursuing a belligerent foreign policy?

    Answer: Jingoism

  194. Designated a National Historic Landmark in 1987, what building lives at 1 First Street, NE, in the block immediately east of the United States Capitol?

    Answer: The Supreme Court Building

  195. Following his political career, Al Gore achieved meme infamy status when he claimed to invent the internet. However, he is widely credited with coining what 2-word automotive phrase for the internet?

    Answer: Information Superhighway

  196. Carole Pateman wrote about a "Sexual" one, and Charles W. Mills a "Racial" one, according to the titles of their published works. Rousseau wrote about a "Social" one in 1762. What word completes all these phrases from political philosophy?

    Answer: Contract

  197. The United Kingdom was the first country on which the U.S. formally declared war. What was the second?

    Answer: Mexico

  198. Which song by "The Who" contains the lyrics 'Hope I die before I get old'

    Answer: My Generation

  199. What type of government is formed by members of competing parties since neither has a majority?

    Answer: Coalition Government

  200. How many members are on the Supreme Court of Canada?

    Answer: Nine

  201. When JFK decided against running for his House of Representatives seat in 1952 in order to run for the U.S. Senate, fellow Massachusettsan Tip O'Neill said "All politics is ______" and subsequently won and kept the seat for over 30 years. What word fills in the blank?

    Answer: Local

  202. In 2008 Canada officially established a TRC with the purpose of documenting the history and lasting impacts of the Canadian Indian residential school system on indigenous students and their families. Other well-known TRCs include post-apartheid South Africa and multiple in Latin America. What does TRC stand for?

    Answer: Truth and Reconciliation Commission

  203. From 1789 to 1807, how many justices sat on the US Supreme Court? Admittedly, this number may have made reaching clear decisions difficult.

    Answer: Six

  204. Which term that originated in Sweden broadly applies to a person who is appointed look into complaints made against the government by the public?

    Answer: Ombudsman

  205. African American track star Ralph Metcalfe was born in Atlanta in 1910. After holding the world records for the 100m and 200m races and racking up Olympic medals, he became a politician. In Congress he helped create what three-lettered group that aims to "achieve greater equity for persons of African descent?"

    Answer: Congressional Black Caucus (CBC)

  206. In presidential elections, Washington DC receives three electoral votes due to what numbered constitutional amendment, ratified in 1961?

    Answer: Twenty-third

  207. Analyzing American politics from a foreign perspective, what 19th-century work by Alexis de Tocqueville covers topics like judicial power and local government?

    Answer: Democracy in America

  208. What new economic program did China's Mao Zedong announce in 1958?

    Answer: The Great Leap Forward

  209. There's a certain type of "problem" popularly referenced in both political science and economics in which agents are motivated to act in their own best interests, which are contrary to those of either shareholders or citizens. This example of a moral hazard is typically referred to as the "______-agent problem." What word fills in the blank?

    Answer: Principal

  210. Which later-assassinated president was the only sitting member of the House of Representatives to be elected to the presidency?

    Answer: James Garfield

  211. In 2020, what North Carolina incumbent senator defeated challenger Cal Cunningham in the most expensive senate election in history up to that point?

    Answer: Thom Tillis

  212. There was a treaty signed in Versailles that stripped Germany of colonies, gave the Polish Corridor to Poland, placed the Saar Territory under French administration, and placed the Rhineland under Allied occupation. In what year was this treaty SIGNED? The actions did not take place until the subsequent year.

    Answer: 1919

  213. What co-founder of the NAACP was also the first African American to earn a doctorate at Harvard?

    Answer: W. E. B. Du Bois

  214. What political scientist, formerly of Yale University, wrote such political science texts as “On Democracy”, and “Who Governs?” He shares a last name with the children’s author of “The BFG.”

    Answer: Robert Dahl

  215. In 2008, Richard Thaler and Obama administration employee Cass Sunstein published what bestseller about how individuals and governments can push people towards better decision-making?

    Answer: Nudge

  216. An 1886 degree in Political Science from John Hopkins University made what man the only U.S. president to date to hold a PhD?

    Answer: Woodrow Wilson

  217. What equine term refers to the theory that the far right and far left of the political spectrum substantially resemble one another?

    Answer: Horseshoe Theory

  218. Still lying in state, what world leader defined "politics" as "the most concentrated expression of economics" in 1903?

    Answer: Vladimir Lenin

  219. In 1924 she was born in Brooklyn to Caribbean immigrant parents. In 1968 she became the first black woman elected to the United States Congress. Who is this woman? She served seven terms in Congress, was the first woman to appear in a Presidential debate, and most recently had a namesake state park opened in Brooklyn in 2019.

    Answer: Shirley Chisholm

  220. "Seward's Folly" was the contemporaneous nickname for The Alaska Purchase in 1867, which was technically a treaty with the Russian Empire later signed by what president?

    Answer: Andrew Johnson

  221. Anthony Downs' theory of which groups has them habitually moving toward the middle to win elections?

    Answer: Political Parties

  222. Consisting of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States, G7 is short for what international intergovernmental organization comprised of seven of world’s largest developed economies?

    Answer: Group of Seven

  223. The United States Secretary of Education is sixteenth in the line of succession to the presidency, just behind the secretary of what department that was created in 1977?

    Answer: Energy

  224. Created in January 1993 by Executive Order 12835, what government body coordinates economic policy with the White House and is currently overseen by its Director Larry Kudlow?

    Answer: National Economic Council

  225. What 11-letter K-word is defined by Merriam-Webster as "government by those who seek chiefly status and personal gain at the expense of the governed?"

    Answer: Kleptocracy

  226. Francis Fukuyama's 1992 book about the rise of liberal democracy is titled The End of _____, where the blank is filled with what broad concept?

    Answer: History

  227. Which amendment to the U.S. Constitution granted D.C. citizens 3 electoral college votes?

    Answer: 23rd

  228. Which U.S. state was the first which granted women the right to vote? When women were enfranchised, it was not yet a state but a territory. Suffrage came in 1869 and statehood in 1890.

    Answer: Wyoming

  229. The Bretton Woods Conference, formally known as the United Nations Monetary and Financial Conference, was the gathering of hundreds of delegates from 44 Allied nations at the end of World War II to regulate international finances and development. In what U.S. state was the Bretton Woods Conference hosted?

    Answer: New Hampshire

  230. What former financial analyst and television host was named as the Director of the National Economic Council under President Donald Trump in 2018, replacing Gary Cohn?

    Answer: Larry Kudlow

  231. In the 2016 Presidential election, the state of Minnesota had the highest share of voter turnout (from the eligible voting population) of any of the 50 states. What was the % turnout in Minnesota? Answers accepted if within 4% of the actual voter turnout.

    Answer: 75% (71 - 79 accepted)

  232. NASA was, unsurprisingly, established when an American president signed the National Aeronautics and Space Act. Which American president was this?

    Answer: Dwight Eisenhower

  233. What Roman historian with an “L” name wrote about the wars of Hannibal, among other historical recountings? Macchiaveli later wrote “Discourses” on his writing, providing a more modern point of view on his Roman stories.

    Answer: Livy

  234. Led by Doug Logan, what Floridan firm used “kinematic markers” to audit ballots in Arizona’s Maricopa County from the 2020 U.S. presidential election starring in April 2021?

    Answer: Cyber Ninjas

  235. What word for a political activity can trace its origin back to the name of the agent of an absentee Irish landlord of the 19th century, who was shunned and isolated by his neighbors?

    Answer: Boycott

  236. What numeric term, coined during the Spanish Civil War, refers to an imagined group of residents who seek to undermine a state from within, often in alliance with outside forces?

    Answer: Fifth Column

  237. While working as a lawyer in Illinois in 1858, Abraham Lincoln produced what two-word manual to prove that the witness testimony of seeing a crime in the moonlight could not have been true? Lincoln ultimately won the case.

    Answer: Farmers Almanac

  238. What scandal-ridden early 20th century president uttered this incomprehensible sentence "I would like the government to do all it can to mitigate, then, in understanding, in mutuality of interest, in concern for the common good, our tasks will be solved”?

    Answer: Warren Harding

  239. On July 21, 2022, what former European Central Bank president resigned his post as Prime Minister of Italy, throwing the country's politics into chaos?

    Answer: Mario Draghi

  240. What Italian saint differentiated between four kinds of law (eternal, divine positive, natural, and human law) in his 13th century "Treatise on Law?"

    Answer: Thomas Aquinas

  241. What two-word "medical" term was first used to describe advisors speaking to the press after a 1984 presidential debate between Ronald Reagan and Walter Mondale?

    Answer: Spin Doctor

  242. Considered one of the innovators of creative nonfiction via New Journalism, what American author's best-known work "The Executioner's Song" won the 1979 Pulitzer Prize for fiction? This "postal" author also ran in the Democratic primary for NYC's mayoral race of 1969 with a platform including the secession of New York City as the 51st US state.

    Answer: Norman Mailer

  243. What author famously proposed the concept of the "Veil of Ignorance" in his most famous work titled "A Theory of Justice"?

    Answer: John Rawls

  244. Kentucky changed its voting age requirement to 18 in 1955, over twenty years before what numbered constitutional amendment was ratified to do that nationally?

    Answer: 26

  245. What British statesman and Whig MP wrote "A Vindication of Natural Society" and "Reflections on the Revolution in France", and is considered by many to be the philosophical founder of conservatism?

    Answer: Edmund Burke

  246. President Obama says he most often drinks how many cups of coffee per day?

    Answer: zero

  247. Thomas Piketty proposes progressive wealth taxes as a way to reduce income inequality in what 2013 book that was translated into English the following year?

    Answer: Capital

  248. What American comedian from a famed troupe of brothers noted that "Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it, misdiagnosing it, and then misapplying the wrong remedies."?

    Answer: Groucho Marx

  249. 16 years apart, two Minnesotan politicians ran a losing campaign as the Democratic nominee for US President. Both men were a former US Vice President. Name the man who preceded the other.

    Answer: Hubert H Humphrey

  250. Which US President was a fashion model in his youth? Unsurprisingly, we're talking about a 20th-century president here.

    Answer: Gerald Ford

  251. What was the common name of the American nativist political party that operated nationally in the mid-1850s, began as a secret society, and held hostile views towards immigration and many different minority groups?

    Answer: Know Nothing Party

  252. Focusing on wealth and inequality in Europe and the United States, "Capital in the Twenty-First Century" is a widely-discussed 2013 work by what French economist?

    Answer: Thomas Piketty

  253. In the 2019 United States Congress, how many of the 50 U.S. states have only 1 Representative elected to represent the entire state?

    Answer: 7

  254. What “d” is defined as the transfer or delegation of power to a lower level, especially by central government to local or regional administration?

    Answer: Devolution

  255. In April 2019, Kirstjen Nielsen resigned as the 6th Secretary of Homeland Security. Nielsen has two degrees from east coast schools that are 113 miles apart. With one guess, name either of these schools.

    Answer: Georgetown and University of Virginia

  256. The dominating source of international conflict will be cultural, according to what influential 1996 nonfiction book by political scientist Samuel P. Huntington?

    Answer: The Clash of Civilizations

  257. What was the most populous city in the Confederate States of America?

    Answer: New Orleans

  258. Kenneth Arrow's famous "impossibility theorem" holds that no form of what political activity can produce a truly successful result according to several criteria, including universality and Pareto efficiency? Gibbard's theorem concerns the "strategic" form of this activity.

    Answer: Voting

  259. Clay Henry III is the third non-human mayor of Terlingua, Texas since the 1980s. What type of animal is he?

    Answer: Goat

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