U.S. Presidents True or False

Guess whether these statements about U.S. Presidents are true or false.
Quiz by Quizmaster
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Last updated: July 9, 2019
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First submittedJuly 9, 2019
Times taken13,099
Average score72.2%
Rating3.96
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1. Abraham Lincoln was born in a log cabin
True
False
2. If the President and Vice President were to die, the Secretary of State would become President
True
False
The Speaker of the House is next in line
3. Woodrow Wilson was President during World War One
True
False
4. Dwight Eisenhower was the most recent Army General to become President
True
False
5. Ronald Reagan was born in California
True
False
He was born in Illinois and moved to California as an adult
6. Since the end of the Civil War, only Democrats or Republicans have held the Presidency
True
False
7. Lyndon B. Johnson was a member of the Democratic Party
True
False
8. Donald Trump is the first President to have been divorced
True
False
Ronald Reagan was also divorced
9. Franklin Roosevelt was Theodore Roosevelt's grandson
True
False
Franklin and Theodore Roosevelt were fifth cousins, once removed
10. Bill Clinton was impeached
True
False
He was "impeached" by the house but he was not "convicted" by 2/3rds of Senate
11. John F. Kennedy appointed his brother Robert to be Attorney General
True
False
12. George W. Bush was elected to the Presidency twice but never won the popular vote
True
False
Bush won 50.7% of the popular vote in 2004
13. In general, Thomas Jefferson was a proponent of increasing the power of the federal government
True
False
14. George Washington was very short - only about 5'4" tall
True
False
He was at least six feet tall and sturdily built
15. Four of the first five Presidents were from Virginia
True
False
16. Taft was the most recent President to wear facial hair as President
True
False
17. U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War started during the Nixon administration
True
False
Nixon actually reduced and then ended U.S. involvement in Vietnam. However, he did escalate the conflict during the invasion of Cambodia in 1970.
18. James Buchanan is generally considered to be one of the worst Presidents in U.S. history
True
False
+2
Level 86
Jul 10, 2019
If you--like me--have spent entirely too much of your life driving through Illinois on I-74, where there is a prominent sign pointing out that Ronnie went to college in nearby Eureka, then the "Reagan was born in California" question is probably not too hard for you.
+1
Level 82
Jul 10, 2019
Spent a weekend with an ex-girlfriend in Milledgeville, very near the actual site of the Reagan nativity. We went to see Batman Begins in Dixon.
+5
Level 82
Jul 10, 2019
Nothing immaculate about that conception
+5
Level 82
Aug 25, 2019
Were you at that showing?? We thought we were the only ones in the theater.
+2
Level 39
Aug 27, 2019
That not what he's referring to lol
+1
Level 43
Aug 25, 2019
I also live in IL and Dixon (his hometown) is clearly marked on I-88
+1
Level 52
Aug 26, 2019
He was an actor first. I just figured very few actors were actually born in California...
+1
Level 62
Jul 14, 2019
I mean, Jefferson, without any explicit or implied authority to do so, entered into the Louisiana Purchase. Maybe that's the exception that proves the rule, but that was a pretty radical undertaking at the time, and rather obscures his legacy as a proponent of "small government."
+1
Level 75
Feb 16, 2021
That's why is says general. The Louisiana Purchase was a large exception to his own ideas.
+3
Level 56
Aug 25, 2019
Not impressed by the image at the top of the quiz.
+5
Level 33
Aug 25, 2019
why?
+2
Level 72
Sep 4, 2019
Was it meant to be impressive?
+1
Level 66
Jun 1, 2023
You miss the point—it's a reference to Obama's "unimpressed" face in the photo.
+1
Level 63
Aug 25, 2019
That last question tho. Ask 100 people who the worst presidents were and maybe 5 would name Buchanan.
+4
Level 78
Aug 25, 2019
Maybe try it the other way. Ask 100 people, how many who know about Buchanan would say that he was a bad president?
+3
Level 70
Aug 25, 2019
Buchanan has been last on nearly every list I've seen (aside from the few that have William Henry Harrison there, since he was only in office for 30 days).
+7
Level 67
Aug 25, 2019
But that's because most people don't know presidential history. They only learn about the great ones, and for a lot of people, if you asked them *why* Jefferson or Teddy Roosevelt were great, they couldn't tell you. Most people just say "the worst" is the most recent president from the opposing party. Lots of Republicans genuinely believe Obama is the worst president in history because they know his administration. Scholarship on the issue puts him somewhere near the top of the middle, but the average person has no idea about Buchanan, Grant, Harding, or Taylor, all of whom were demonstrably worse by any measure.
+3
Level ∞
Jan 18, 2021
This is so true @jmellor, but I am increasingly convinced that scholars are just as biased as the average dope on the street. There are really two axis that one can judge a President on: competence and ideology. But if you think the ideology is wrong, then competence could even be a negative. For example, FDR is generally cited as one of the greatest Presidents ever but if you are a proponent of small government, then he is one of the worst. When something like 95% percent of historians belong to one political party, the ranking should be taken with a massive grain of salt.
+1
Level ∞
Jan 18, 2021
That said, there are things that a President can do that are genuinely good or bad across the board. Presidents like FDR, Reagan, and Obama were strong communicators who brought a message of hope that inspired people across the country. For this, you could rank them more highly even if you disagreed with their policies.
+2
Level 77
Jul 6, 2021
I really don't like that last question. Subjective questions shouldn't be on a quiz. William Henry Harrison died 30 days into his presidency. I'm not sure how you can adequately compare.
+2
Level 52
Aug 1, 2021
Missed number six because I thought Johnson's time as a National Unionist would count.
+2
Level 91
Jul 7, 2022
Agreed, that’s a problem with this particular question. Lincoln and Johnson were elected as members of the Union Party, and both held office after the end of the Civil War (Lincoln only briefly). That question should be changed or dropped.