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What Are the Questions & Answers for the U.S. Citizenship Test?2024-03-14T09:50:42-04:00
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What Are the Questions & Answers for the U.S. Citizenship Test?

On the day of your citizenship interview you will take a two-part naturalization test. The first half allows you to prove you can read, write, speak, and understand English.

The second half is a civics test in which you prove your knowledge of U.S. history and government. The questions and answers to the civics test will be provided in this guide. This exam is administered orally, meaning, the USCIS will read the question out loud to you.

NOTE: Any applicant aged 65 or older who has lived in the U.S. as a lawful permanent resident for at least 20 years will only be required to study 20 specific questions. In this guide, those questions are marked with an asterisk*. Those applicants will only be asked 10 of the 20 questions with an asterisk. Then, those applicants only have to answer 6 of the 10 correctly.

What are the questions and answers on the civics test?
In this guide we will include all 100 questions and the correct answers. The questions are organized into the following 3 categories.

Section 1: American Government

A: Principles of American Democracy

1. What is the supreme law of the land?
Answer: The Constitution
2. What does the Constitution do?

Answer:

  • Sets up the government
  • Defines the government
  • Protects basic rights of Americans
3. The idea of self-government is in the first three words of the Constitution. What are these words?
Answer: “We the People…”
4. What is an amendment

Answers:

  • A change (to the Constitution)
  • An addition (to the Constitution)
5. What do we call the first ten amendments to the Constitution?
Answer: The Bill of Rights
6. What is one right or freedom from the First Amendment?*

Answers: (Choose any of the following 5 options)

  • Speech
  • Religion
  • Assembly
  • Press
  • Petition the government
7. How many amendments does the Constitution have
Answer: Twenty-seven (27)
8. What did the Declaration of Independence do

Answer:

  • Announced our independence (from Great Britain)
  • Declared our independence (from Great Britain)
  • Said that the United States is free (from Great Britain)
9. What are tworights in the Declaration of Independence

Answers: (Choose any 2 of the following 3 options)

  • Life
  • Liberty
  • Pursuit of happiness
10. What is freedom of religion
Answer: You can practice any religion, or not practice a religion.
11. What is the economic system in the United States?

Answer:

  • Capitalist economy
  • Market economy
12. What is the “rule of law”

Answer:

  • Everyone must follow the law
  • Leaders must obey the law
  • Government must obey the law
  • No one is above the law.

B: System of Government

13. Name one branch or part of the government.

Answers: (Choose any of the following 6 options)

  • Congress
  • Legislative
  • President
  • Executive
  • The courts
  • Judicial
14. What stops one branch of government from becoming too powerful

Answer:

  • Checks and balances
  • Separation of powers
15. Who is in charge of the executive branch
Answer: The President
16. Who makes federal laws

Answer:

  • Congress
  • Senate and House (of Representatives)
  • (U.S. or national) legislature
17. What are the two parts of the U.S. Congress?
Answer: The Senate and House (of Representatives)
18. How many U.S. Senators are there
Answer: One hundred (100)
19. We elect a U.S. Senator for how many years
Answer: Six (6)
20. Who is one of your state’s U.S. Senators now?
Answers will vary based on where each applicant lives. [District of Columbia residents and residents of U.S. territories should answer that D.C. (or the territory where the applicantlives) has no U.S. Senators.]
21. The House of Representatives has how many voting members?
Answer: Four hundred thirty-five (435)
22. We elect a U.S. Representative for how many years
Answer: Two (2)
23. Name your U.S. Representative
Answers will vary. [Residents of territories with nonvoting Delegates or Resident Commissioners may provide the name of that Delegate or Commissioner. Also acceptable is any statement that the territory has no (voting) Representatives in Congress.]
24. Who does a U.S. Senator represent
Answer: All people of the state
25. Why do some states have more Representatives than other states

Answer:

  • (Because of) the state’s population
  • (Because) they have more people
  • (Because) some states have more people
26. We elect a President for how many years
Answer: Four (4)
27. In what month do we vote for President?
Answer: November
28. What is the name of the President of the United States now?
Answer: Visit uscis.gov/citizenship/testupdates for the name of the President of the United States
29. What is the name of the Vice President of the United States now
Answer: Visit uscis.gov/citizenship/testupdates for the name of the Vice President of the United States
30. If the President can no longer serve, who becomes President
Answer: The Vice President
31. If both the President and the Vice President can no longer serve, who becomes President
Answer: The Speaker of the House
32. Who is the Commander in Chief of the military
Answer: The President
33. Who signs bills to become laws
Answer: The President
34. Who vetoes bills
Answer: The President
35. What does the President’s Cabinet do
Answer: Advises the President
36. What are two Cabinet-level positions

Answers: (Choose any 2 of the following 16 options)

  • Secretary of Agriculture
  • Secretary of Commerce
  • Secretary of Defense
  • Secretary of Education
  • Secretary of Energy
  • Secretary of Health and Human Services
  • Secretary of Homeland Security
  • Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
  • Secretary of the Interior
  • Secretary of Labor
  • Secretary of State
  • Secretary of Transportation
  • Secretary of the Treasury
  • Secretary of Veterans Affairs
  • Attorney General
  • Vice President
37. What does the judicial branch do

Answer:

  • Reviews laws
  • Explain laws
  • Resolves disputes (disagreements)
  • Decides if a law goes against the Constitution
38. What is the highest court in the United States
Answer: The Supreme Court
39. How many justices are on the Supreme Court
Answer: Visit uscis.gov/citizenship/testupdates for the number of justices on the Supreme Court
40. Who is the Chief Justice of the United States now
Answer: Visit uscis.gov/citizenship/testupdates for the name of the Chief Justice of the United States
41. Under our Constitution, some powers belong to the federal government. What is one power of the federal government

Answers: (Choose any of the following 4 options)

  • To print money
  • To declare war
  • To create an army
  • To make treaties
42. Under our Constitution, some powers belong to the states. What is one power of the states

Answers: (Choose any of the following 5 options)

  • Provide schooling and education
  • Provide protection (police)
  • Provide safety (fire departments)
  • Issue driver’s licenses
  • Approve zoning and land use
43. Who is the Governor of your state now
Answers will vary. [District of Columbia residents should answer that D.C. does not have a Governor.]
44. What is the capital of your state?
Answers will vary. [District of Columbia residents should answer that D.C. is not a state and does not have a capital. Residents of U.S. territories should name the capital of the territory.]
45. What are the two major political parties in the United States?
Answer: Democratic and Republican
46. What is the political party of the President now
Answer: Visit uscis.gov/citizenship/testupdates for the political party of the President
47. What is the name of the Speaker of the House of Representatives now
Answer: Visit uscis.gov/citizenship/testupdates for the name of the Speaker of the House of Representatives>

C: Rights and Responsibilities

48. There are four amendments to the Constitution about who can vote. Describe one of them

Answers: (Choose any of the following 4 options)

  • Citizens eighteen (18) and older (can vote)
  • You don’t have to pay (a poll tax) to vote
  • Any citizen can vote. (Women and men can vote)
  • A male citizen of any race (can vote)
49. What is one responsibility that is only for United States citizens?

Answers: (Choose any of the following 2 options)

  • Serve on a jury
  • Vote in a federal election
50. Name one right only for United States citizens

Answers: (Choose any of the following 2 options)

  • Vote in a federal election
  • Run for federal office
51. What are two rights of everyone living in the United States

Answers: (Choose any of the following 6 options)

  • Freedom of expression
  • Freedom of speech
  • Freedom of assembly
  • Freedom to petition the government
  • Freedom of religion
  • The right to bear arms
52. What do we show loyalty to when we say the Pledge of Allegiance

Answers:

  • The United States
  • The flag
53. What is one promise you make when you become a United States citizen

Answers: (Choose any of the following 6 options)

  • Give up loyalty to other countries
  • Defend the Constitution and laws of the United States
  • Obey the laws of the United States
  • Serve in the U.S. military (if needed)
  • Serve (do important work for) the nation (if needed)
  • Be loyal to the United States
54. How old do citizens have to be to vote for President?
Answer: Eighteen (18) and older
55. What are two ways that Americans can participate in their democracy

Answers: (Choose any 2 of the following 10 options)

  • Vote
  • Join a political party
  • Help with a campaign
  • Join a civic group
  • Join a community group
  • Give an elected official your opinion on an issue
  • Call Senators and Representatives
  • Publicly support or oppose an issue or policy
  • Run for office
  • Write to a newspaper
56. When is the last day you can send in federal income tax forms?
Answer: April 15
57. When must all men register for the Selective Service

Answer:

  • Between eighteen (18) and twenty-six (26)

Section 2: American History

A: Colonial Period and Independence

58. What is one reason colonists came to America

Answers: (Choose any of the following 6 options)

  • Freedom
  • Political liberty
  • Religious freedom
  • Economic opportunity
  • Practice their religion
  • Escape persecution
59. Who lived in America before the Europeans arrived

Answer:

  • American Indians
  • Native Americans
60. What group of people was taken to America and sold as slaves

Answer:

  • Africans
  • People from Africa
61. Why did the colonists fight the British

Answer:

  • Because of high taxes (taxation without representation)
  • Because the British army stayed in their houses (boarding, quartering)
  • Because they didn’t have self-government
62. Who wrote the Declaration of Independence
Answer: (Thomas) Jefferson
63. When was the Declaration of Independence adopted
Answer: July 4, 1776
64. There were 13 original states. Name three

Answer: (Choose any 3 of the following 13 options)

  • New Hampshire
  • Massachusetts
  • Rhode Island
  • Connecticut
  • New York
  • New Jersey
  • Pennsylvania
  • Delaware
  • Maryland
  • Virginia
  • North Carolina
  • South Carolina
  • Georgia
65. What happened at the Constitutional Convention

Answer:

  • The Constitution was written
  • The Founding Fathers wrote the Constitution
66. When was the Constitution written
Answer: 1787
67. The Federalist Papers supported the passage of the U.S. Constitution. Name one of the writer

Answer: (Choose any of the following 4 options)

  • James) Madison
  • (Alexander) Hamilton
  • (John) Jay
  • Publius (Note: “Publius” was the collective pseudonym for Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay)
68. What is one thing Benjamin Franklin is famous for

Answers: (Choose any of the following 5 options)

  • U.S. diplomat
  • Oldest member of the Constitutional Convention
  • First Postmaster General of the United States
  • Writer of “Poor Richard’s Almanac”
  • Started the first free libraries
69. Who is the “Father of Our Country”
Answer: (George) Washington
70. Who was the first President?
Answer: (George) Washington

B: 1800s

71. What territory did the United States buy from France in 1803

Answer:

  • The Louisiana Territory
  • Louisiana
72. Name one war fought by the United States in the 1800s

Answers: (Choose any of the following 4 options)

  • War of 1812
  • Mexican-American War
  • Civil War
  • Spanish-American War
73. Name the U.S. war between the North and the South.

Answer:

  • The Civil War
  • The War Between the States
74. Name one problem that led to the Civil War

Answers: (Choose any of the following 3 options)

  • Slavery
  • Economic reasons
  • States’ rights
75. What was one important thing that Abraham Lincoln did?

Answers: (Choose any of the following 3 options)

  • Freed the slaves (Emancipation Proclamation)
  • Saved (or preserved) the Union
  • Led the United States during the Civil War
76. What did the Emancipation Proclamation do

Answer:

  • Freed the slaves
  • Freed slaves in the Confederacy
  • Freed slaves in the Confederate states
  • Freed slaves in most Southern states
77. What did Susan B. Anthony do

Answer:

  • Fought for women’s rights
  • Fought for civil rights

C: Recent American History and Other Important Historical Information

78. Name one war fought by the United States in the 1900s.

Answers: (Choose any of the following 5 options)

  • World War I
  • World War II
  • Korean War
  • Vietnam War
  • (Persian) Gulf War
79. Who was President during World War I
Answer: (Woodrow) Wilson
80. Who was President during the Great Depression and World War II
Answer: (Franklin) Roosevelt
81. Who did the United States fight in World War II
Answer: Japan, Germany, and Italy
82. Before he was President, Eisenhower was a general. What war was he in
Answer: World War II
83. During the Cold War, what was the main concern of the United States
Answer: Communism
84. What movement tried to end racial discrimination
Answer: Civil rights (movement)
85. What did Martin Luther King, Jr. do?

Answer:

  • Fought for civil rights
  • Worked for equality for all Americans
86. What major event happened on September 11, 2001, in the United States
Answer: Terrorists attacked the United States.
87. Name one American Indian tribe in the United States

Answers: (Choose any of the following 22 options) (Note: [USCIS Officers will be supplied with a list of federally recognized American Indian tribes.)

  • Cherokee
  • Navajo
  • Sioux
  • Chippewa
  • Choctaw
  • Pueblo
  • Apache
  • Iroquois
  • Creek
  • Blackfeet
  • Seminole
  • Cheyenne
  • Arawak
  • Shawnee
  • Mohegan
  • Huron
  • Oneida
  • Lakota
  • Crow
  • Teton
  • Hopi
  • Inuit

Section 3: Integrated Civics

A: Geography

88. Name one of the two longest rivers in the United States

Answers: (Choose any of the following 2 options)

  • Missouri (River)
  • Mississippi (River)
89. What ocean is on the West Coast of the United States
Answer: Pacific (Ocean)
90. What ocean is on the East Coast of the United States
Answer: Atlantic (Ocean)
91. Name one U.S. territory

Answers: (Choose any of the following 5 options)

  • Puerto Rico
  • U.S. Virgin Islands
  • American Samoa
  • Northern Mariana Islands
  • Guam
92. Name one state that borders Canad

Answers: (Choose any of the following 13 options)

  • Maine
  • New Hampshire
  • Vermont
  • New York
  • Pennsylvania
  • Ohio
  • Michigan
  • Minnesota
  • North Dakota
  • Montana
  • Idaho
  • Washington
  • Alaska
93. Name one state that borders Mexic

Answers: (Choose any of the following 4 options)

  • California
  • Arizona
  • New Mexico
  • Texas
94. What is the capital of the United States?
Answer: Washington, D.C.
95. Where is the Statue of Liberty?

Answer:

  • New York (Harbor)
  • Liberty Island
  • Note: [Also acceptable are New Jersey, near New York City, and on the Hudson (River).]

B: Symbols

96. Why does the flag have 13 stripes

Answer:

  • Because there were 13 original colonies
  • Because the stripes represent the original colonies
97. Why does the flag have 50 stars?

Answer:

  • Because there is one star for each state
  • Because each star represents a state
  • Because there are 50 states
98. What is the name of the national anthem
Answer: The Star-Spangled Banner

C: Holidays

99. When do we celebrate Independence Day?
Answer: July 4
100. Name two national U.S. holidays

Answers: (Choose any 2 of the following 10 options)

  • New Year’s Day
  • Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
  • Presidents’ Day
  • Memorial Day
  • Independence Day
  • Labor Day
  • Columbus Day
  • Veterans Day
  • Thanksgiving
  • Christmas

Will I need any documents for the civics test?

You don’t need any documents specifically for the civics test. The purpose of the test is that you will have the above questions and answers memorized so that you don’t need written help.

However, as noted at the beginning of this guide, your civics test will take place on the same day as your citizenship interview. For that interview you’ll need all the documents required to go along with your N-400, Application for Naturalization. Some common documents needed for the N-400 are a copy of your green card, marriage certificates, or death certificates.

Should my documents be translated into English?

Yes, according to USCIS, if you submit a document with information in a foreign language, you must also submit an English translation.To guarantee that your naturalization application is processed quickly, it helps to use a certified translation.

Some documents that commonly need to be translated for immigration purposes include:

You can order a certified translation of these documents from our online store:

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A certified translation is a word-for-word translation required for official use by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), universities, colleges, state or federal institutions and courts.

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