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About This Quiz
Frank Capra continued to inject his idealism into the political comedy-drama "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington." Although the film was disliked by those in government, it did well in theaters in the U. S. and abroad. How well do you remember "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington"? Find out by taking this quiz.
Why did the governor need to appoint a new senator?
The former one had an affair.
The former senator died.
"Senator Samuel Foley is dead. Yeah, died here at St. Vincent's. At the bedside, was political sidekick, Senator Joseph Paine."
The former one committed a crime.
The former senator resigned.
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What was the governor's nickname?
Gorgeous.
Stinky.
Happy.
Capra was a firm believer in no small acting parts. He would even tell actors whose sole job was to be part of the crowd walking on the street where they were going—the store, the post office, home after a hard day at work, etc.
Puss.
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Finish the quote: "Dad always used to say the only causes worth fighting for were _______________."
"…the big ones."
"…those involving freedom of speech."
"…humanitarian efforts."
"…the lost causes."
"Dad always used to say the only causes worth fighting for were the lost causes."
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Which actor played Jefferson Smith?
Thomas Mitchell.
Porter Hall.
James Stewart.
James Stewart (May 20, 1908—July 2, 1997) never served in politics in real life, but he did serve in the military. He was drafted shortly before Pearl Harbor and was used for promotional films as well as commanding an air squadron. His efforts earned him several medals, including the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Croix de Guerre.
Harry Carey.
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Which candidate did the governor's children want him to appoint?
Joseph Paine
Henry Hill.
Horace Miller.
Jefferson Smith.
"That's easy, Dad, Jefferson Smith. …He's the only senator to have."
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What happened when the governor flipped the coin?
It was tails.
It was heads.
It landed on its edge.
In general, it is theoretically possible for a nickel to land on its edge one in 6,000 times. The coin Happy flipped was about the size of a quarter but had a thicker edge, like a nickel. It landed on its side with the help of a newspaper.
It fell in the trash.
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What was Jefferson Smith doing when the governor called on him to tell him he would be the next senator?
He was taking donations to a homeless center.
He was teaching his wife to dance.
He was putting out a fire.
He was leading a boys' band.
Initially, Capra wanted to do a musical about Frédéric Chopin, but the studio felt it would be too expensive to produce. The boys' band was playing Semper Fidelis by John Philip Sousa when the Governor entered.
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How did Jefferson Smith know the other senator, Joseph Paine?
His mother had dated him once.
His father went to school with him.
"He probably doesn't remember me, but he knew my father very well, Clayton Smith. They went to school together.
They were neighbors at one time.
He used to be Smith's Sunday School teacher.
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How long was Mr. Smith missing after he first arrived in Washington, D. C.?
Five hours.
Mr. Smith was missing for five hours. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington was Capra's last film with Columbia Pictures. The relationship built between Capra and Stewart during the movie encouraged Capra to give Stewart the part in "It's a Wonderful Life" — the first film in which Stewart was cast after his service in World War II.
One hour.
Twenty-four hours.
Twelve hours.
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What did the Boy Rangers get Jefferson Smith as a going away present?
Binoculars.
A new suit.
A ledger.
A briefcase.
"We are happy to take this opportunity to present, uh, this, uh this small token of our affection and esteem… It's a briefcase, Jeff."
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What time did the Senate convene each day?
7 AM.
Noon.
The Senate met at noon. When Senator Smith presented his credentials to the President of the Senate, they would have been submitted to the Committee on Privileges and Elections (which is now under the Committee on Rules and Administration). The committee would then have made a decision as to whether or not Smith was fit to serve — not later, as it is in the movie.
10 AM.
9 AM.
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What did Mr. Smith want to make his pet project?
Saving the buffalo.
A national boys' camp.
"For the last couple years, I've thought it would be a wonderful idea to have a boys' camp in our state… You see, if we could get the poor kids off the streets, out of the cities for a few months in the summer, and let them learn something about nature and American ideals..."
Creating pensions for everyone.
Fixing highways to make the wilderness more accessible.
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What did Senator Paine say makes Ms. Saunders stay on and not quit?
He will give her a promotion.
He will blackmail her.
He will give her a bonus if she does a good job.
Jean Arthur, who played Clarissa Saunders in the movie, was an extremely shy actress who shunned publicity. She began her career during the silent film era and ended it with her first color movie, "Shane."
He will marry her.
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Who was supposed to keep Mr. Smith occupied during the presentation of the bill?
Susan Paine.
"Susan Paine… I'm elected to snatch Mr. Jefferson Smith from the Senate tomorrow… You sympathize — don't you, Saunders?"
Clarissa Saunders.
Jim Taylor.
Senator Paine.
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With what did they frame Senator Smith?
They said he was having an affair with Susan Paine and shirking his duties.
They accused him of child abuse.
They said he made inappropriate advances toward his secretary.
They said he bought the land around Willet Creek with the intent to sell it for profit to the government.
Although this does not make sense logically — one would think he could sell it to the government either way and still make a profit — the contract was dependent upon whether Smith's bill went through.
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What two words did Mr. Smith have in his bill that caused Paine distress?
Appropriation bill.
Boys' camp.
Willet Creek.
"Diz, Don Quixote with this bill will get to his feet in a minute and speak two important words: Willet Creek. When that happens, the Silver Knight will fall off his tightrope, and Puss will jump out of his boots.
Discrepancy Bill.
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Who told Paine what to do for 20 years?
Governor Hopper.
His wife.
Taylor.
It was assumed they modeled Taylor after Tom Pendergast and his political machine in Kansas City, Missouri. Pendergast was Harry Truman's friend, and some credited Truman's election to him. However, there were a number of political machines in cities throughout the U. S. (such as New York's Tammany Hall and Chicago's Cook County Democratic Party), especially in the early 1900s.
Saunders.
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What pet did Jefferson bring to Washington?
Stray cats.
Goldfish.
Pigeons.
"I better see about my pigeons… Just a second. I'd better make sure."
A large dog.
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What did Paine do to prevent Senator Smith from speaking out against the dam?
He kidnapped him.
He began a filibuster.
He told him his mother is sick.
He accused him of graft.
A fight broke out between two senators from the same state on February 22, 1902, and one accused the other of misconduct (and was subsequently punched by the other). Senate Rule 19 (Section 2) was amended shortly afterward and prevented one senator from attacking another senator's character during a debate. Because of that, Senator Paine could have been silenced as Elizabeth Warren recently had been.
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How did Jefferson Smith's dad die?
Someone shot him in the back.
"He and his little four-paged paper against that mining syndicate… Shot in the back. I was there."
He committed suicide under mysterious circumstances.
He had a heart attack.
He was in an automobile accident.
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What did Senator Smith do when he was called to testify before the committee?
He punched Paine.
He left.
All impeachments — whether for presidents, senators, representatives, or judges — must begin in the House of Representatives and are usually addressed by a committee there. At this point, Smith would need to be impeached. Impeachments then move to the Senate. But if a senator is being impeached, he or she could be expelled from the Senate at that time and ordered to appear before the investigating committee. The Sergeant-at-Arms has the power to arrest senators who fail to appear when summoned, or who leave the meeting, as Senator Smith did.
He refused to attend the meeting.
He pleaded his innocence and refused to give anyone else a chance to talk.
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Mr. Smith's desk on the Senate floor once belonged to whom?
Daniel Webster.
"This was Daniel Webster's desk. Did you know that?"
John C. Calhoun.
Henry Clay.
Abraham Lincoln.
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Where did Smith go immediately after the committee hearing?
The Lincoln Memorial.
While at the Lincoln Memorial, the camera focuses on the words from the Gettysburg Address, "…And that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth."
Mount Vernon.
The Washington Monument.
The Jefferson Memorial.
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Who did Smith meet at the memorial who helped him decide to fight?
His mother.
Saunders.
"You sure had the right idea about me, Saunders. You told me to go back home and keep filling those kids full of hooey."
Dix.
The page boy from the Senate floor.
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When Smith was talking, what did Paine get the senators to do?
Leave the floor.
If all the senators had left, it would have been easier for them to invoke cloture. If two-thirds of the voting senators agree, cloture can stop a filibuster. This rule (number 22) was added to the Senate in 1917 under President Wilson's direction.
Boo him.
Stomp their feet.
Turn their backs to him.
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Once the floor was empty, what was the next rule he invoked?
The requirement for a quorum.
"I call the chair's attention to, uh, Rule 5 of the Standing Rules of the Senate, Section — Section 3. If it shall be found that a quorum is not present -- a majority of the senators present —and that looks like me—uh, uh, may direct the sergeant-at-arms to request and if necessary compel the attendance of the absent Senators."
The right to remain silent.
The allowance for a recess.
A closed-door session.
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Why didn't the people in Smith's home state immediately rally behind him?
Smith initially had a bad name in his state.
Taylor prevented the news in the state from printing anything good about Smith.
The studio system in place at the time had movie studios offering long-term contracts to actors and others involved in the film-making process. It was a rigorous system turning out many films each year, which then had to be bought en masse by theaters—17% of which were also owned by the studios. After the Supreme Court ruling (in the United States v. Paramount Pictures, Inc.), studios lost much of their power, resulting in fewer movies produced each year but more independent films and foreign films being shown in American theaters.
The people adored Taylor for his heroism.
The weather prevented the news from getting there.
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What evidence did the committee hear that Smith said he could not defend against?
Spectral evidence.
Forged papers.
"Mr. President? …I have no defense against forged papers."
Photographic evidence.
Forensic evidence.
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How does Saunders confess her love to Smith?
She throws him a paper airplane with the note in it.
She used some of the sign language he had taught her.
She shouts it from the galley.
She sends him a note in a book.
Senator Alben Barkley disliked the movie because he felt it portrayed senators as idiots. But the film was a huge success, even in Washington, D. C. Barkley had recently been accused of using federal employees to campaign for him, something that became illegal under the Hatch Act (1939). He later he became vice-president under Harry Truman.
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What did Smith have against the Discrepancy Bill?
Section 40 was graft.
"I wish to ask my junior colleague -- this piece he intends to speak, does it concern Section 40 of that bill, the dam on Willet Creek? …Every aspect of this matter, the gentleman's attack on that section, everything was dealt with in committee hearings."
The boys' camp was not added to it.
He wanted the Senate to operate within the normal budget.
It required budget cuts to youth programs.
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What was the name of the paper owned by Jefferson Smith?
Boy Stuff.
Despite the negative reception by senators and congressmen, the film was careful not only to never to mention which state Senators Paine and Smith represented, but also not to mention Republicans or Democrats. As a diplomat, Joseph Kennedy didn't want foreigners to see the film because he felt they would take a cynical view of American politics and it's corruption. Instead, the international audience saw it as a model of how democracy worked -- in a positive way.
Boy's Life.
Boy News.
Boy's Camp.
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What happened when the boys distributed the papers for Senator Smith?
Jim Taylor gave up.
Jim Taylor sent out orders to keep the kids quiet at all costs.
"Children hurt all over the city. Tell Jeff to stop!"
The people in the state lynched Jim Taylor.
The people of the state accused Jefferson of corrupting young boys.
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How long did Smith talk?
More than 23 hours and 16 minutes.
The longest filibuster by a single person lasted 24 hours and 18 minutes and was done by James Strom Thurmond to protest the Civil Rights Act. Many times filibusters last longer—even 60 days—because a group of Senators will trade off talking, with each one yielding to the other.
Less than 18 hours and 28 minutes.
Less than 23 hours.
Less than 7 ½ hours.
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What happened to Senator Smith at the very end of his filibuster that made him stop talking?
He had a heart attack.
He was shot in the back.
He passed out.
"He's OK. He just fainted."
Saunders told him to stop talking because boys were being hurt.
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What did Senator Paine do while Smith was removed from the floor of the Senate?
He called for an immediate vote on the Discrepancy Bill.
He tried to shoot himself.
The movie ended abruptly after Senator Paine attempted to shoot himself and confessed to everyone, but it originally ended with a parade in Smith's honor. When test audiences were not pleased with the ending, Capra cut it. A part of it can only be seen in trailers.
He called an ambulance.
He led the Senate in singing Auld Lang Syne.
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You Got:
/35
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