Which option lists the correct number of amendments currently in the United States Constitution?

• A. 24
• B. 27
• C. 28
• D. 29

Answer: (B)

Amendments are formal changes or additions to the Constitution. There are twenty-seven amendments in force today. The first ten form the Bill of Rights, ratified in 1791, and the most recent one—ratified in 1992—limits changes to Congress’s pay to take effect after the next election. So, the current total is twenty-seven. There is no twenty-eighth or twenty-ninth amendment ratified yet, and the number twenty-four refers to a past amendment, not the current total.