Question 4 of 100 · 2008 civics test
What is an amendment?
From the 100-question list, the version for applications filed before October 20, 2025.
Accepted answers
- a change (to the Constitution)
- an addition (to the Constitution)
Any one of these is accepted, unless the question asks for more than one.
Why this is the answer
An amendment is a formal change or addition to the text of the Constitution. The Framers knew the law would have to change as the country grew, but they did not want the supreme law altered easily, so they made the path deliberately hard. A proposal needs a two-thirds vote in both the Senate and the House, or a special convention requested by two-thirds of the states. It then has to be ratified by three-fourths of the states before it counts. Not every proposal makes it: six times an amendment passed Congress and still failed to win enough states. Memory hook: an amendment is a change that has to clear two very high walls.