CORRECTION

The original version of this story, published July 4, 2001, contained incorrect answers to several of the following questions. The answers as listed at the end of the question list are now correct.

        Picture yourself on the Weakest Link. The red-headed Anne Robinson looks at you through those slitty glasses. She asks through tight lips with a hauty British accent.

        “In what year was the Declaration of Independence adopted by the Continental Congress?”

        The hot, bright lights make you sweat. The audience makes your nervous. Your mind goes blank. You peer across the half-circle at the Omaha waitress who was the strongest link the last round with a series of history questions and quickly glance at the Chicago lawyer on your left who tried to vote you out because you forgot to bank. They're both smirking as you hesitate. Then it dawns on you.

        “July 4,” you blurt.

        “Wrong.” Ms. Anderson says with a tone that slaps you in the face. “The correct answer is 1776.”

        In the spirit of Independence Day and recent surge in popularity of prime-time television quiz shows, the Enquirer presents this history quiz. But we're not so tough on you as Ms. Robinson, and what you say doesn't have to be the final answer Regis Philbin wants.

1. Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?

        A. George Washington

        B. Thomas Jefferson

        C. A committee of founding fathers

        D. None of the above

2. The Declaration of Independence's reference to the right to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” is supported by what part of the Constitution?

        A. The Preamble

        B. The Bill of Rights

        C. The 14th Amendment

        D. It's not in the Constitution.

3. Officially, the United States is:

        A. A Christian country

        B. A Judeo-Christian country

        C. An atheist country

        D. None of the above — one may believe whatever one chooses.

4. The Declaration of Independence:

        A. Made America free

        B. Said America ought to be free

        C. Gave all Americans their civil rights

        D. None of the above

5. The original Declaration of Independence is on free public display in:

        A. Boston

        B. Philadelphia

        C. Washington, D.C.

        D. New York

6. Which of these founding fathers did NOT sign the Declaration of Independence?

        A. Thomas Jefferson

        B. George Washington

        C. John Adams

        D. Samuel Adams

7. Whose famous signature is the first and largest on the Declaration of Independence?

        A. John Hancock

        B. Thomas Jefferson

        C. Richard Henry Lee

        D. Benjamin Franklin

8. Who said, “Give me liberty or give me death”?

        A. Richard Henry Lee

        B. Patrick Henry

        C. John Henry

        D. William Henry Harrison

9. Which was NOT one of the original 13 colonies?

        A. Rhode Island

        B. New York

        C. Kentucky

        D. Georgia

10. What did the Declaration of Independence do about slavery?

        A. It abolished slavery.

        B. It allowed slavery in the South.

        C. It began the slave trade.

        D. Nothing.

11. On July 5, 1776, the inhabitants of the original 13 colonies were:

        A. The first American citizens.

        B. Still British subjects.

        C. All opposed to British rule.

        D. None of the above.

12. What country gave us the Statue of Liberty?

        A. Liberia

        B. Germany

        C. France

        E. Taiwan

13. Of George Whitefield, a minister and orator credited with helping a new spirit of toleration and secularism that became embedded in the Constitution, "An Elgiac Poem' was written by whom containing this passage:

        Thou didst, in strains of eloquence refin'd,

        Inflame the soul, and captivate the mind.

        A. A 17-year-old black slave named Phyllis Wheatley

        B. The traitor Benedict Arnold.

        C. Benjamin Franklin who was moved by Whitefield's oratory skill.

        D. Whitefield's mentor Jonathan Edwards.

14. Who was the only president to serve as U.S. Supreme Court justice as well?

        A. William Howard Taft

        B. Franklin Pierce

        C. James Monroe

        D. Gerald R. Ford

15. Whose faces are on Mount Rushmore?

        A. Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt

        B. Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and Franklin D. Roosevelt

        C. Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and Harry Truman

        D. George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison

16. Which first lady saved George Washington's portrait hours before the British attacked the White House in Washington, D.C., in the War of 1812?

        A. Martha Washington

        B. Abigail Adams

        C. Dolly Madison

        D. The British never attacked the White House.

17. The Fourth of July celebrates the date when the Declaration of Independence was signed by the Continental Congress in Philadelphia. How does the declaration begin?

        A. “When in the course of human events...”

        B. “We the people of the United States...”

        C. “Four score and seven years ago...”

        D. “I pledge allegiance...”

18. The Revolutionary War was fought in what years?

        A. 1776 to 1779

        B. 1775 to 1783

        C. 1777 to 1997

        D. 1776 to 1786

19. What country's aid was key in helping the Americans win the Revolutionary War against Britain?

        A. Canada

        B. Mexico

        C. France

        D. Ireland

20. What Asian country built its constitution upon the precepts ennunciated in the Declaration of Independence?

        A. India

        B. South Korea

        C. Japan (after 1945)

        D. Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam)

        Answers: 1. B; 2. D; 3. D; 4. B; 5. C; 6. B; 7. A; 8. B; 9. C; 10. D; 11. B; 12. C; 13. A; 14. A; 15. A; 16. C; 17. A; 18. B; 19. C; 20. D.

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