Civics Study Guide SOL 3.10

1. What is a community? A community is a place where people live, work, and play.

2. What are rules? Rules are what people must or must not do in schools, homes, buses, or in their community.

3. What are laws? Laws are rules made by the government that all people must obey. Examples: obey traffic signs, attend school

4. Why do we have rules and laws? *We have rules to let people know how they should act or behave, to keep people safe, and to protect the rights of everyone.

5. What happens if people don’t obey the laws? *There are consequences for breaking the laws. *The consequence depends on the laws that were not obeyed.

6. Who makes the laws? Laws are made by the government.

7. Who is the government? The government is a group of people: 1. who make the laws (legislators), 2. carry out the laws (police department), and 3. decide if the laws have been broken (courts and judges).

8. What are our basic rights as citizens of the United States of America? We have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

9. What is our responsibility as citizens? Our responsibility as citizens is to take care of ourselves, to respect the rights of other citizens and to obey the laws and rules of our community.