ANSWERS: State of the Union... for Kids!

Parents, below you will find the answers to the questions posed in the article "The State of the Union... for Kids!"

How did your children do?  (Did any stump you?)

ANSWERS

1. The State of the Union is:
C.  a message given by the President of the United States to Congress

2. In the State of the Union:
B.  the President talks about important issues facing Americans

3. The State of the Union message is usually given:
D.  once a year, in January or February

4. The State of the Union message is required by:
D.  the United States Constitution

5. The first president to give a State of the Union message was:
A.    George Washington

6. Which President gave the shortest State of the Union message?
C.  Though it's hard to tell (since records of of the timing have not been kept, George Washington’s first annual message was surely one of the shortest, comprising only 833 words according to this study:  "If contemporary speech delivery guidelines (which range from 115 to 175 words per minute) are used to calculate the length of time he spoke, Washington would have taken between four and seven minutes to deliver his first message.  This estimate does not account for interruptions for any applause he may have received, although this was perhaps unlikely, given the solemnity attached to the proceedings at that time."

7. Which President gave the longest State of the Union message?
C.  This study says: "Harry Truman’s 1946 message was the longest to date, at over 25,000 words.  This was a unique effort, however, as it combined both the State of the Union and Annual Budget Messages, and was not delivered personally by the President."

8. Which President gave the most State of the Union messages?
B.    Franklin Roosevelt

9. Calvin Coolidge was the first President to give his State of the Union message:
C.  on the radio

10. The first State of the Union Message on television was given in:
B.  1947