Civics trivia
Published 1:30 am Thursday, August 6, 2026
Presented by The League of Women Voters.
1. Who was the month of August named after?
a) Augustus Caesar.
b) Augustus Saint-Gaudens.
c) Augustus Henry FitzRoy.
2. Why are summer days often called the “Dog Days of Summer”?
a) To remind people that dogs cool themselves by panting, which becomes highly ineffective in humid conditions.
b) The summer heat coincides with the rising of Sirius, the Dog Star.
c) The National Weather Service coined the term when it started its “Keep Your Pets Cool” campaign.
3. When do the Dog Days begin and end?
a) June 21 through Sept. 20.
b) Aug. 1 through Aug. 31.
c) July 3 through Aug. 11.
Last week’s answers:
1. Who wrote, “Under our present denomination of British subjects, we can neither be received nor heard abroad; the custom of all Courts is against us, and will be so, until by an independence we take rank with other nations.” Answer: Thomas Paine in “Common Sense.”
2. Which country modeled its Declaration of the Rights of Man on the Declaration of Independence? Answer: France.
3. Two amendments to the Constitution were ratified in the month of July, bringing the United States closer to the promises of the Declaration of Independence. Which two were ratified in July? Answer: 14th and 26th amendments (the 13th was ratified in December).
