ProCon’s Filibuster Quiz

Question: A marathon filibuster is famously depicted in which film?

Answer: A famous depiction of a marathon filibuster is in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939), when the star of the film, an idealistic freshman senator played by Jimmy Stewart, collapses on the U.S. Senate floor from exhaustion after speaking for 24 hours.

Question: Which of the following has been used to battle filibusters?

Answer: All of these are tactics for ending or frustrating filibusters.

Question: Which of the following is a common argument for eliminating the filibuster?

Answer: All of these are common arguments for eliminating the filibuster.

Question: Sometimes just the threat of a filibuster is enough to kill legislation. What’s the name for this tactic?

Answer: Sometimes just the threat of a filibuster (called a “virtual filibuster” or “silent filibuster”) is enough to block legislation.

Question: Which of the following is true about the filibuster?

Answer: All of these are true about the filibuster.

Question: Which U.S. senator conducted the longest filibuster in U.S. history?

Answer: The longest single-senator filibuster in U.S. Senate history was conducted by Strom Thurmond, then a Democratic senator from South Carolina, who spoke for 24 hours and 18 minutes in an attempt to block the Civil Rights Act of 1957. In 2025 Cory Booker, a Democratic senator from New Jersey, spoke on the Senate floor for 25 hours and 5 minutes, but this was not a filibuster (there was no specific legislation being blocked)—his speech was a general protest against Pres. Donald Trump and his policies.

Question: Which of the following is a common argument for keeping the filibuster?

Answer: All of these are common arguments for keeping the filibuster.

Question: Where does the word filibuster come from?

Answer: As early as the late 16th century, pirates were called flee-booters. From this term came the word filibuster, which later referred to legislators who “hijacked debate” like pirates hijacked boats.