Bill Clinton

A policy and civics test on Bill Clinton, from his inauguration in 1993 through the end of his term.

1.How did Bill Clinton win the presidency in 1992?
The south side of the White House.Photo by Daniel Schwen, CC BY-SA 3.0.
A. He lost the popular vote, and the House then chose him under the Twelfth Amendment.B. He led a three-way popular vote and won a majority of the electoral votes.C. A December runoff gave him a national majority of about ten percentage points.D. The Supreme Court stopped a recount, and one state decided the electors.
2.Who was Clinton's vice president, and how was he chosen?
The vice president's residence.White House photograph by D. Myles Cullen. Public domain.
A. Bob Dole. He had won the primaries, then agreed to take the second spot.B. Lloyd Bentsen. He kept the Treasury job and the vice presidency together.C. Al Gore. Clinton asked the senator from Tennessee to join the ticket.D. Hillary Clinton. The health task force was the route onto the ticket.
3.Who held the Speaker's gavel while Clinton was president?
The chamber of the House of Representatives.United States House of Representatives. Public domain.
A. Speaker Tom Foley, then Newt Gingrich, and then Dennis Hastert.B. Newt Gingrich for the whole eight years, with no change of party.C. Tom Foley for eight years, because the House never changed hands.D. Dennis Hastert from the inauguration until the end of the term.
4.What did the 1994 midterm elections do to Congress?
The west front of the United States Capitol.Architect of the Capitol. Public domain.
A. Democrats enlarged their majorities in both the House and the Senate that year.B. The Senate flipped to Republicans, while Democrats kept the House.C. Neither chamber changed control, and the leadership stayed in place.D. Republicans won the House and the Senate, their first House since the 1950s.
5.Who led the Senate majority after the 1994 election?
The United States Capitol.Photo by Martin Falbisoner, CC BY-SA 3.0.
A. George Mitchell stayed on as majority leader through the rest of the term.B. Bob Dole, and then Trent Lott after Dole resigned to run for president.C. Tom Daschle became majority leader as soon as the new Senate met.D. The vice president ran the daily agenda because the Senate was tied.
6.What was the budget bill Clinton signed in August 1993?
The Treasury Department building.Photograph by Carol M. Highsmith. Public domain.
A. A bipartisan law that cut the top income-tax rates and raised spending.B. A constitutional amendment that required a balanced federal budget within five years.C. An income-tax increase passed with no Republican votes and a Senate tie-break.D. A bill he vetoed, which Congress then enacted over that veto in a week.
7.What happened to the health-care plan Clinton offered in 1993?
The Department of Health and Human Services.Photo by Gunnar Klack, CC BY-SA 4.0.
A. It never became law. Congress did not enact that coverage plan.B. Congress passed it, and he signed universal coverage that autumn.C. The Supreme Court struck the statute down the year after he signed it.D. He vetoed the plan after Congress passed it by a wide margin.
8.What did Clinton do about the North American trade agreement?
A container ship.Photo by Petar Milošević, CC BY-SA 4.0.
A. He withdrew the United States from the talks and closed the Mexican border.B. He sent it to the states, and three-fourths of them ratified it as a treaty.C. He vetoed the implementing bill after the House passed it in 1993.D. He signed the implementing law in 1993, and the pact began in 1994.
9.What did the Brady law, which Clinton signed in 1993, require?
The Department of Justice.Photo by Sdkb, CC BY-SA 4.0.
A. A ban on private ownership of every handgun, enforced by house searches.B. A waiting period and a background check before a dealer sold a handgun.C. A ten-year ban on many semiautomatic rifles, with no handgun rule.D. Repeal of the Second Amendment by a vote of both houses of Congress.
10.What did the crime bill Clinton signed in 1994 contain?
A federal courthouse.Photograph by Carol M. Highsmith. Public domain.
A. A repeal of federal criminal law and a ban on any new prison funding.B. Only a study commission, with no money, no new crimes, and no weapons provision.C. Police-hiring money, a ten-year assault-weapons ban, and new federal penalties.D. Martial law in large cities, run by the Army for the rest of the decade.
11.What did the welfare law Clinton signed in 1996 do?
The Department of Labor.U.S. Department of Labor, CC BY 2.0.
A. It ended the open-ended cash entitlement and gave states work-based, time-limited grants.B. He signed it, and the Supreme Court then fully restored the old open-ended cash entitlement.C. It expanded the old cash program and removed every work rule and time limit.D. It abolished food aid, Medicaid, and Social Security in the same statute.
12.What was the Defense of Marriage Act, which Clinton signed in 1996?
The Capitol at dusk.Photo by Martin Falbisoner, CC BY-SA 3.0.
A. A constitutional amendment, ratified by the states, that defined marriage for the whole country.B. A statute he vetoed, which Congress enacted over the veto the next day.C. A law requiring every state to license and recognize same-sex marriages.D. A law defining marriage for federal purposes and letting states refuse other states' marriages.
13.What happened in the budget fight between Clinton and Congress in 1995 and 1996?
The National Mall.U.S. Air Force photograph by Tech. Sgt. Andy Dunaway. Public domain.
A. The Supreme Court closed the agencies until the two sides signed a consent decree.B. Parts of the government shut down twice before a spending compromise.C. The House impeached him that month for refusing to sign the budget.D. He invoked the line-item veto and canceled the entire federal budget.
14.What happened in Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995?
Oklahoma City.Photo by Spatms, CC BY-SA 4.0.
A. A foreign air force bombed a U.S. military base, and Congress declared war the following week.B. A gas leak destroyed a stadium, and no person was charged with a crime.C. A truck bomb destroyed a federal building. Timothy McVeigh, an American, was convicted.D. Inmates seized a federal prison, and the standoff ended without any deaths.
15.What did the United States do about the war in Bosnia in 1995?
A street in Sarajevo.Photo by rejflinger, CC BY 2.0.
A. It backed a peace agreement and then sent troops to a NATO force enforcing it.B. It declined any role and kept every American soldier out of the Balkans.C. Congress declared war on Serbia, and U.S. forces occupied Belgrade.D. The United Nations vetoed a treaty, so Clinton annexed Bosnia by proclamation.
16.What was the 1999 campaign over Kosovo?
Hills in Kosovo.Photo by SUHEJLO, CC BY 4.0.
A. A declared war, followed by a U.S. ground occupation of all of Serbia.B. A Security Council invasion authorized under Chapter VII and led by U.S. armor.C. A refusal to use force, leaving the fighting entirely to European troops.D. A NATO bombing campaign, with no U.N. approval and no U.S. declaration of war.
17.What happened to the U.S. deployment in Somalia while Clinton was president?
A harbor in Somalia's capital.AMISOM Public Information, CC0.
A. He launched the deployment in 1995, and U.S. troops still remain under that same order.B. He inherited the mission, and after the Mogadishu battle he withdrew combat troops.C. The United Nations forbade any U.S. presence, so no American unit ever landed.D. Congress declared war on Somalia, and Clinton annexed the capital.
18.What was the rule for gay Americans in the military during most of his presidency?
The Pentagon.Photo by David B. Gleason, CC BY-SA 2.0.
A. A court opened the services, and orientation could be stated freely.B. He lifted the ban by order in 1993, and Congress never acted on it.C. Don't ask, don't tell: the services would not ask, and members were not to say.D. A constitutional amendment barred gay Americans from any federal civilian or military job.
19.What was the result of the impeachment proceedings against Clinton?
The Senate chamber.United States Senate. Public domain.
A. The House impeached him, and the Senate acquitted him short of two-thirds.B. The Senate convicted him and removed him from office with a month left in the term.C. The Supreme Court tried the case and sentenced him to a prison term.D. The House censured him, which the Constitution lists as a conviction.
20.Whom did Clinton appoint to the Supreme Court?
The Supreme Court building.Photo by Don Ramey Logan, CC BY-SA 4.0.
A. Clarence Thomas in 1991 and Sandra Day O'Connor in 1993.B. Robert Bork in 1993. The Senate rejected him, and the seat stayed empty.C. One justice only, a recess appointment who never received a confirmation vote.D. Ruth Bader Ginsburg in 1993 and Stephen Breyer in 1994. Both were confirmed.
21.What happened to the line-item veto Clinton sought?
The north side of the White House.Photo by Harrison Keely, CC BY 4.0.
A. Three-fourths of the states ratified the change as an amendment to the Constitution.B. Congress passed a statute, he used it, and the Supreme Court struck it down.C. The House passed it, and it died because the Senate never took it up.D. He issued it by executive order, and that order is still in force.
22.What did the banking law Clinton signed in 1999 do?
The New York Stock Exchange.Photo by Jakub Hałun, CC BY 4.0.
A. It broke up every large bank and restored a strict separation of finance with no exceptions.B. It created the Federal Reserve and gave it power to set income-tax rates.C. It let banks, securities firms, and insurers affiliate, undoing part of Glass-Steagall.D. He vetoed it, and the old separation statute stayed untouched through 2001.
23.What leave did the Family and Medical Leave Act, his first major law, provide?
An office workplace.Photo by Ged Carroll, CC BY 2.0.
A. Unpaid, job-protected leave for family and medical reasons at covered employers.B. Paid leave for every worker in the country, funded by a new payroll tax.C. A tax credit only, with no right to time off and no job protection.D. Leave for federal employees only. Private firms were written entirely out of the bill.
24.What did Clinton do about trade status for China near the end of his term?
A container terminal.Photo by Achim Lammerts, CC BY-SA 4.0.
A. He signed a defense treaty that placed U.S. bases under Chinese command.B. He imposed a total trade embargo and cut diplomatic relations in 2000.C. He vetoed the permanent-trade bill, and the annual review of China's trade status ended there.D. He signed a 2000 law granting China permanent normal trade status once it joined the WTO.
25.Who served Clinton as secretary of state, and in what order?
The State Department building.U.S. Department of State. Public domain.
A. Madeleine Albright for all eight years, after a career as vice president.B. Warren Christopher, then Madeleine Albright, the first woman in the job.C. Hillary Clinton, then Colin Powell, who stayed on into the next term.D. James Baker for the first term and Condoleezza Rice for the second.