Are the answers self-evident ?

When we celebrate the Fourth of July with a three-day weekend vacation, picnics, and fireworks, we sometimes forget the real meaning of the holiday.  The quiz below provides an opportunity for you to test and refresh your civic knowledge of the landmark occasion in American history that we celebrate.

1. The Fourth of July commemorates what important historic occasion?
A) The end of the Revolutionary War
B) The signing of the Declaration of Independence
C) Adoption of the Declaration of Independence by Congress
D) The signing of the Constitution

2. In which city was the Declaration of Independence signed?
A) Boston
B) New York
C) Philadelphia
D) Washington

3. Which of the following did not sign the Declaration of Independence?
A) Thomas Jefferson
B) John Adams
C) William Whipple
D) George Washington

4. Which of the following was included in the Declaration as a complaint against King George and the British Parliament?
A) Allowed only British tea to be sold in America
B) Imposed taxes without consent
C) Appointed liberal non-originalist judges
D) Gave charters to Church of England only, not other religious bodies

5. Which memorable phrase is not included in the Declaration of Independence?
A) Give me liberty or give me death
B) Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness
C) The laws of nature and of nature's God
D) Supreme judge of the world

6. The original Declaration of Independence is housed in :
A) Independence Hall in Philadelphia
B) Library of Congress
C) Smithsonian Institution
D) National Archives

7. How many delegates from the 13 colonies signed the Declaration of Independence?
A) 13
B) 26
C) 39
D) 56

8. Which two presidents died on the Fourth of July?
A) George Washington and John Adams
B) John Adams and Thomas Jefferson
C) Thomas Jefferson and James Madison
D) Herbert Hoover and Franklin Roosevelt

9. Which president was born on the Fourth of July?
A) Calvin Coolidge
B) William Howard Taft
C) Dwight Eisenhower
D) Richard Nixon

10. According the Declaration of Independence, the people have the following right:
A) The right to bear arms
B) The right to equal protection of the laws
C) The right to alter or abolish their government
D) The right to a free education



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Answers : 1-c  ; 2-c  ; 3-d  ; 4-b  ; 5-a  ; 6-d  ; 7-d  ; 8-b  ; 9-a   ; 10-c

Here are some of the "new" words created by this esteemed group!!

1. Cashtration : The act of buying a house, which renders the subject financially impotent for
                            an indefinite period of time.

2. Intaxication : Euphoria at getting a tax refund, which lasts until you realize it was your money
                            to start with.

3. Reintarnation : Coming back to life as a hillbilly.

4. Bozone : The substance surrounding stupid people that stops bright ideas from penetrating.
                    The bozone layer, unfortunately, shows little sign of breaking down in the near future!

5. Giraffiti : Vandalism spray-painted very high.

6. Sarchasm : The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn't get it.

7. Inoculatte : To take coffee intravenously when you are running late.

8. Beelzebug : Satan in the form of a mosquito, that gets into your bedroom at three in the morning
                         and cannot be cast out.

9. Carepallor : The color you turn after finding half a worm in the fruit you're eating.

And Speaking of The Scripps National Spelling Bee..........

Here are some winning words of years gone by.

1925 : gladiolus
1926 : abrogate
1931 : foulard
1934 : deteriorating
1939 : canonical
1942 : sacrilegious
1943 to 1945  : No Spelling Bee due to World War II
1946 : semaphore
1950 : meticulosity
1953 : soubrette
1960 : eudaemonic
1961 : smaragdine
1962 : esquamulose
1971 : shalloon
1979 : maculature
1980 : elucubrate
1986 : odontalgia
1988 : elegiacal
1995 : xanthosis
1998 : chiaroscurist
2001 : succedaneum
2005 : appoggiatura
2012 : guetapens