2008 civics test · Question 32 · System of Government
Who is the Commander in Chief of the military?
Official answer
- the President
What this means
The President is the Commander in Chief of the U.S. military.
This means the country’s armed forces answer to an elected civilian, the president, rather than to a general or the military itself. The Constitution placed this power with the president on purpose, to keep the military under civilian control.
The president leads the military, but only Congress can formally declare war, another example of the branches balancing each other.
Both tests ask this the same way. Answer: the President.
Why this is on the test
The idea that a civilian leader controls the military is a basic principle of American government, and both tests ask who fills that role.
How this question is asked
On the 2008 civics test, the officer asks up to 10 of the 100 questions out loud and you pass by answering 6 correctly. You answer in your own words. There is no multiple choice and nothing to write down for the civics portion.
Related questions
More from System of Government.
- 13 Name one branch or part of the government. ★ 65/20 question
- 14 What stops one branch of government from becoming too powerful?
- 15 Who is in charge of the executive branch?
- 16 Who makes federal laws?
- 17 What are the two parts of the U.S. Congress? ★ 65/20 question
- 18 How many U.S. Senators are there?