# Trivia Set: Sergeant at Arms  
**Used:** 2025-06-10

---

## Regular Questions

### 1. Who is the current Senate Sergeant at Arms (as of Jan 3, 2025)?  
**Answer:** Jennifer Hemingway  

**Taglines:**  
- Took the gavel into the future.  
- First female Senate enforcer in the digital age.  
- Keeps senators in line—and online.  
- From security clearance to cable management.  
- Protecting democracy one badge scan at a time.

---

### 2. Who holds the position of House Sergeant at Arms (since Jan 7, 2023)?  
**Answer:** William McFarland  

**Taglines:**  
- From NSA nerves to congressional control.  
- Now wielding the mace and the mayhem.  
- Your friendly House-floor hall monitor.  
- Whispering “Order!” since 2023.  
- Just enough authority to make lawmakers sweat.

---

### 3. What symbolic object does the House Sergeant at Arms use to restore order?  
**Answer:** The Mace of the United States House of Representatives  

**Taglines:**  
- The original “shut it down” stick.  
- Ceremonial bling with disciplinary bite.  
- Shiny, symbolic, and steeped in drama.  
- More gravitas than your last group chat.  
- Flashy enough to get C-SPAN coverage.

---

### 4. Which president did the Senate Sergeant at Arms escort into joint sessions and inaugurations?  
**Answer:** The President of the United States  

**Taglines:**  
- Escorting the executive like it’s prom night.  
- It’s not just tradition, it’s protocol ballet.  
- Even the Commander-in-Chief needs an usher.  
- "Mr. Speaker, the President of the United States!" Boom.  
- You don’t skip this entrance cue.

---

### 5. When was the House position of Sergeant at Arms first established?  
**Answer:** May 12, 1789  

**Taglines:**  
- America’s first hall monitor.  
- George Washington’s Congress needed babysitting.  
- Born before coffee breaks.  
- They had security before they had decent plumbing.  
- Keeping chaos in check since powdered wigs.

---

## Fill-in-the-Blank Questions

### 1. The Senate Sergeant at Arms can compel the attendance of an absent senator to establish a ______.  
**Answer:** quorum  

**Taglines:**  
- No skipping work when they’ve got handcuffs.  
- Quorum: the reason senators can’t hide forever.  
- Democracy waits for no truant.  
- “Get in here or we’ll send someone.”  
- The SAA’s got better things to do than play hide-and-seek.

---

### 2. The House Sergeant at Arms carries and places the ______ during session to signify authority.  
**Answer:** Mace  

**Taglines:**  
- Power in pole form.  
- One symbol to rule them all.  
- They slam it down—Congress chills out.  
- No mace, no meeting.  
- Looks like décor, acts like order.

---

### 3. The Senate Sergeant at Arms chairs the Capitol ______ Board.  
**Answer:** Police  

**Taglines:**  
- Basically the security Avengers.  
- Where protocol meets patrol.  
- Not your average neighborhood watch.  
- Because the Capitol isn’t going to defend itself.  
- Stop, drop, and board meeting.

---

### 4. The Senate SAA oversees technology, including cybersecurity and network services for all ______ offices.  
**Answer:** Senate  

**Taglines:**  
- The Wi-Fi whisperers of democracy.  
- You thought your IT guy had stress? Try the Senate’s.  
- Firewalls and fire drills.  
- Digital defense with a gavel.  
- Keeping boomers from clicking malware since forever.

---

### 5. The first Senate SAA, James Mathers, was originally titled “Doorkeeper” and appointed in ______.  
**Answer:** 1789  

**Taglines:**  
- He guarded the door before it was cool.  
- From greeter to enforcer.  
- First guy to say “You’re not on the list.”  
- Before security badges, there was James.  
- Doorkeeper of destiny.

---

## Multiple Choice Questions

### 1. Which of these is NOT a Senate Sergeant at Arms duty?  
A. Maintaining order in the chamber  
B. Escorting foreign dignitaries  
C. Legislating new bills  
D. Managing Senate IT services  
**Answer:** C. Legislating new bills  

**Taglines:**  
- They keep the peace, not write the laws.  
- Enforce, don’t legislate.  
- Their job ends when the debate begins.  
- Not your policy wonk.  
- Order, yes. Order of business, no.

---

### 2. What is the typical term length for a House Sergeant at Arms?  
A. 1 year  
B. 2 years  
C. 4 years  
D. Lifetime  
**Answer:** B. 2 years  

**Taglines:**  
- Just like the reps they keep wrangling.  
- Every two years, Congress hits refresh.  
- Short term, long mace.  
- Keeps ‘em on a leash—term-wise.  
- Blink and you might miss their whole career.

---

### 3. Which first Senate SAA issued a proclamation demanding silence during impeachment proceedings?  
A. Mountjoy Bayly  
B. James Mathers  
C. Stephen Haight  
D. Jennifer Hemingway  
**Answer:** B. James Mathers  

**Taglines:**  
- The OG shush master.  
- “Silence or contempt” was his vibe.  
- First to throw shade in print.  
- Kept the Founders quiet—legend.  
- Courtroom hush, Senate style.

---

### 4. How many staff does the Senate Sergeant at Arms roughly oversee?  
A. 200–300  
B. 400–500  
C. 800–900  
D. 1,500–2,000  
**Answer:** C. 800–900  

**Taglines:**  
- That’s a lot of door-checkers and tech nerds.  
- Enough staff to run a small nation—or an IT help desk.  
- Policing, printing, patching routers.  
- Everyone’s boss but no one’s friend.  
- It takes a village to run the Senate’s chaos.

---

### 5. Who became the second woman to serve as Senate Sergeant at Arms in 2021?  
A. Martha S. Pope  
B. Jennifer Hemingway  
C. Karen Gibson  
D. Kelly Fado  
**Answer:** C. Karen Gibson  

**Taglines:**  
- From general to gavel guard.  
- She knows her way around both brigades and bureaucrats.  
- Breaking ceilings with boots on.  
- Orders, ranks, and rosters.  
- The general who became Senate security royalty.
# Trivia Set: Sergeant at Arms (as Answer)  
**Used:** 2025-06-10

---

## Regular Questions

### 1. What official is responsible for maintaining order on the House and Senate floors, overseeing security, and carrying ceremonial symbols like the mace?  
**Answer:** Sergeant at Arms  

**Taglines:**  
- The Capitol’s combo of bouncer, IT manager, and crossing guard.  
- Part cop, part babysitter, part ceremonial showboat.  
- They keep the mace, the peace, and the Wi-Fi.  
- Congress’s MVP: Most Valuable Patroller.  
- Basically the Capitol’s "you shall not pass."

---

### 2. Who escorts the President into the House chamber during the State of the Union address?  
**Answer:** Sergeant at Arms  

**Taglines:**  
- The nation’s most formal hype man.  
- Walking the president down like it’s the Met Gala.  
- Escorting POTUS like a red carpet pro.  
- “Mr. Speaker… the President of the United States!” *cue applause*  
- Swag levels maxed.

---

### 3. What position, created in 1789, was originally titled “Doorkeeper” in the U.S. Senate?  
**Answer:** Sergeant at Arms  

**Taglines:**  
- The glow-up from greeter to enforcer.  
- Started with doors, ended with dominance.  
- You thought promotions in Congress took a while?  
- Doorkeeper to gavel wrangler in just 235 years.  
- From coat check to Capitol commander.

---

### 4. What role oversees technology, security, and decorum in the Senate and House?  
**Answer:** Sergeant at Arms  

**Taglines:**  
- Their resume has more tabs than your browser.  
- They juggle cyber threats and tie protocol.  
- Your grandma’s tech guy... if she ran Congress.  
- If it plugs in, they’ve got jurisdiction.  
- Order, honor, and two-factor authentication.

---

### 5. Who places the ceremonial mace in the House chamber when it’s in session?  
**Answer:** Sergeant at Arms  

**Taglines:**  
- The original staff drop.  
- If Beyoncé had a political twin.  
- The only person allowed to slam metal on mahogany.  
- Symbolism never looked this heavy.  
- Weaponized tradition.

---

## Fill-in-the-Blank Questions

### 1. In Congress, the person responsible for maintaining order and carrying out arrests if necessary is the ______.  
**Answer:** Sergeant at Arms  

**Taglines:**  
- When recess turns into riot, they’re your hero.  
- Order in the court? Nah—order in the Capitol.  
- They don’t *ask* you to behave.  
- The Capitol’s bouncer since powdered wigs.  
- Gavel-adjacent with pepper spray access.

---

### 2. During joint sessions, the President is formally announced by the ______.  
**Answer:** Sergeant at Arms  

**Taglines:**  
- The Capitol’s biggest stage manager.  
- No spotlight, just raw power.  
- Forget DJs—this is the intro that matters.  
- "Let’s get ready to legislate!"  
- POTUS’s walk-in hype squad.

---

### 3. The official who chairs the Capitol Police Board and manages Senate security is the ______.  
**Answer:** Sergeant at Arms  

**Taglines:**  
- Law enforcement boss with office coffee access.  
- Their email signature just says “Try me.”  
- Makes the rules, secures the building, fixes the printer.  
- Someone’s got to run the fortress.  
- Their walkie-talkie is scarier than most senators.

---

### 4. The position in charge of technology, including cybersecurity, in the Senate is the ______.  
**Answer:** Sergeant at Arms  

**Taglines:**  
- Your taxpayer-funded IT overlord.  
- Cyber czar meets door greeter.  
- Makes sure TikTok doesn’t end up on Senate laptops.  
- Keeps hackers and staffers out of trouble.  
- Hacker repellent in a tailored suit.

---

### 5. The Senate and House each have a ______ to enforce decorum and protocol.  
**Answer:** Sergeant at Arms  

**Taglines:**  
- Two houses, one mace-wielding job.  
- Manners make the chamber.  
- Polite chaos, stern enforcement.  
- The decorum patrol.  
- More intimidating than your mom’s look.

---

## Multiple Choice Questions

### 1. Who is responsible for announcing the President at the State of the Union?  
A. House Speaker  
B. Majority Leader  
C. Clerk of the House  
D. Sergeant at Arms  
**Answer:** D. Sergeant at Arms  

**Taglines:**  
- If this was WWE, they’d hold the mic.  
- Without them, it’s just awkward silence.  
- The only person with a license to interrupt.  
- The Speaker might run things—but this guy brings the drama.  
- Walk-up music optional.

---

### 2. What position dates back to 1789 and enforces the Senate’s rules and security?  
A. Parliamentarian  
B. Doorkeeper  
C. Sergeant at Arms  
D. Chief Clerk  
**Answer:** C. Sergeant at Arms  

**Taglines:**  
- Job title: vintage. Responsibilities: eternal.  
- When the rules need muscle.  
- Oldest job that still gets no glory.  
- Before there was HR, there was this guy.  
- “Enforcer” but in a polite font.

---

### 3. Who places the mace on the House rostrum?  
A. House Chaplain  
B. Clerk of the House  
C. Sergeant at Arms  
D. Speaker’s Assistant  
**Answer:** C. Sergeant at Arms  

**Taglines:**  
- The closest Congress gets to pro wrestling.  
- That’s not just a prop—it’s authority.  
- The staff of democracy.  
- Drop the mace, not the ball.  
- Putting the “ceremony” in “session.”

---

### 4. Who chairs the Capitol Police Board alongside the House counterpart and Architect of the Capitol?  
A. Clerk of the Senate  
B. Architect’s Deputy  
C. Parliamentarian  
D. Sergeant at Arms  
**Answer:** D. Sergeant at Arms  

**Taglines:**  
- Behind every badge is their budget.  
- Policing the police board.  
- They chair with flair.  
- Not just ceremonial—they actually run stuff.  
- Tactical and administrative. What a combo.

---

### 5. Who was the first Senate Doorkeeper, now retroactively recognized as the first Sergeant at Arms?  
A. James Mathers  
B. Thomas Jefferson  
C. John Langdon  
D. George Clinton  
**Answer:** A. James Mathers  

**Taglines:**  
- OG gatekeeper. Literally.  
- They didn’t have tasers, but they had James.  
- The bouncer of 1789.  
- Kept people out—and history in.  
- Revolutionary War security clearance? Check.
