Cabinet Fever! Test your knowledge of government.

Get a historic perspective as you and your kids follow the current Presidential appointments.

  1. Which of the following people is typically included in a President's Cabinet meetings?

    Vice President
    Secretary of Commerce
    Attorney General
    All of the above

  2. Which Cabinet post was formed more than 100 years after the other two?

    Secretary of State
    Secretary of Commerce
    Secretary of the Treasury

  3. Which President had an informal group of advisors that was referred to as "The Kitchen Cabinet"?

    George Washington
    Andrew Jackson
    Franklin Delano Roosevelt

  4. Cabinet members include the heads of the executive departments. How many executive departments are there currently?

    8
    12
    15

  5. Which of these executive departments was formed most recently?

    Energy
    Homeland Security
    Health and Human Services

  6. How many Senate votes are required to confirm a Cabinet member?

    50
    51
    60

  7. Which executive department is responsible for conservation efforts?

    Department of the Interior
    Department of Agriculture
    Department of Energy

  8. Who was the first Secretary of State?

    Thomas Jefferson
    Alexander Hamilton
    James Madison

  9. Which Cabinet post was eliminated in 1971?

    Postmaster General
    Secretary of War
    Director of Central Intelligence

Answers:

Answers:

  1. Which of the following people is typically included in a President's Cabinet meetings?

    The Vice President, the Secretary of Commerce, and the Attorney General are all usually included in Cabinet meetings.

  2. Which Cabinet post was formed more than 100 years after the other two?

    The Secretary of State and the Secretary of the Treasury were formed in 1789 under George Washington. Then, in 1903, Theodore Roosevelt created the position of Secretary of Commerce.

  3. Which President had an informal group of advisors that was referred to as "The Kitchen Cabinet"?

    Andrew Jackson, President from 1829 until 1837, had the informal "Kitchen Cabinet."

  4. Cabinet members include the heads of the executive departments. How many executive departments are there currently?

    There are currently 15 executive departments: Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, the Interior, Justice, Labor, State, Transportation, the Treasury, and Veterans Affairs. Each has a Secretary. The Attorney General oversees the Department of Justice.

  5. Which of these executive departments was formed most recently?

    Homeland Security was formed in 2003.

  6. How many Senate votes are required to confirm a Cabinet member?

    A simple majority of 51 senators is required to confirm a Cabinet position.

  7. Which executive department is responsible for conservation efforts?

    The Department of the Interior.

  8. Who was the first Secretary of State?

    Thomas Jefferson was George Washington's Secretary of State.

  9. Which Cabinet post was eliminated in 1971?

    The Postmaster General was a Cabinet position from 1829 until 1971. In 1947, the Secretary of War was given a new title—Secretary of Defense. The Secretary of Defense remains a Cabinet position. From 1993 to 2001, the Director of Central Intelligence was a member of the Cabinet.

For more information, go to: bensguide.gpo.gov.