The 2020 presidential election, which takes place Nov. 3, will be hotly contested and complicated by the global coronavirus pandemic.

With Election Day fast approaching, and early voting taking place now in a number of states, the quiz below from the Ashbrook Center at Ashland University, provides an opportunity for you to test your knowledge of the presidency and presidential elections.

1. According to the U.S. Constitution, a president must have lived in the United States for at least how many years in order to serve in the office?

A. 10 years

B. 14 years

C. 20 years

D. Entire life

 

2. Which U.S. president was never elected to the presidency or vice presidency?

A. George Washington

B. Grover Cleveland

C. William McKinley

D. Gerald Ford

 

3. In what year did Congress mandate that elections would take place on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November?

A. 1815

B. 1830

C. 1845

D. 1860

 

4. Joanne “Jo” Jorgensen is which political party’s 2020 candidate for president?

A. Libertarian Party

B. Green Party

C. Constitution Party

D. Democratic Party

 

5. Who was the first woman to run for president of the United States?

A. Margaret Chase Smith

B. Shirley Chisholm

C. Hillary Clinton

D. Victoria Woodhull

 

6. How many U.S. presidents have died in office?

A. Four

B. Six

C. Eight

D. Eleven

 

7. Which two former presidents had very limited formal education?

A. George Washington and Millard Filmore

B. Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson

C. James Monroe and Donald Trump

D. Martin Van Buren and Zachary Taylor

 

8. Which U.S. president served more than two terms?

A. William Clinton

B. Abraham Lincoln

C. Dwight D. Eisenhower

D. Franklin D. Roosevelt

 

9. Which amendment to the Constitution states that “No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice” and what year was it ratified?  

A. 19^th Amendment in 1920

B. 22^nd Amendment in 1951

C. 24^th Amendment in 1964

D. 27^th Amendment in 1992

 

10. Which former president served the shortest term in office?

A. William Henry Harrison

B. Richard Nixon

C. John F. Kennedy

D. James Garfield

 

Answers: 1-B, 2-D, 3-C, 4-A, 5-D, 6-C, 7-B, 8-D, 9-B, 10-A

 

ABOUT THE WRITER

J. David Alvis is a member of the faculty of the Ashbrook Center, Ashland University, and is associate professor of government and international affairs at Wofford College.