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Civics test questions

All 100 questions USCIS can ask at the naturalisation interview, with the answers they accept. You are asked up to 10 and need 6 right.

American Government57

Principles of American Democracy

  1. 1What is the supreme law of the land?

    The Constitution

  2. 2What does the Constitution do?

    Sets up the government, defines the government, and protects basic rights of Americans

  3. 3The idea of self-government is in the first three words of the Constitution. What are these words?

    We the People

  4. 4What is an amendment?

    A change or addition to the Constitution

  5. 5What do we call the first ten amendments to the Constitution?

    The Bill of Rights

  6. 6What is one right or freedom from the First Amendment?

    Speech, religion, assembly, press, or petition the government

  7. 7How many amendments does the Constitution have?

    Twenty-seven (27)

  8. 8What did the Declaration of Independence do?

    Announced our independence from Great Britain; declared our independence from Great Britain; said that the United States is free from Great Britain

  9. 9What are two rights in the Declaration of Independence?

    Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness

  10. 10What is freedom of religion?

    You can practice any religion, or not practice a religion

  11. 11What is the economic system in the United States?

    Capitalist economy; market economy

  12. 12What is the "rule of law"?

    Everyone must follow the law; leaders must obey the law; government must obey the law; no one is above the law

System of Government

  1. 13Name one branch or part of the government.

    Congress (legislative), President (executive), the courts (judicial)

  2. 14What stops one branch of government from becoming too powerful?

    Checks and balances; separation of powers

  3. 15Who is in charge of the executive branch?

    The President

  4. 16Who makes federal laws?

    Congress; Senate and House of Representatives; U.S. or national legislature

  5. 17What are the two parts of the U.S. Congress?

    The Senate and House of Representatives

  6. 18How many U.S. Senators are there?

    One hundred (100)

  7. 19We elect a U.S. Senator for how many years?

    Six (6)

  8. 20Who is one of your state's U.S. Senators now?

    Answers will vary by state. Visit uscis.gov for your state's senators.

  9. 21The House of Representatives has how many voting members?

    Four hundred thirty-five (435)

  10. 22We elect a U.S. Representative for how many years?

    Two (2)

  11. 23Name your U.S. Representative.

    Answers will vary by district. Visit house.gov for your representative.

  12. 24Who does a U.S. Senator represent?

    All people of the state

  13. 25Why do some states have more Representatives than other states?

    Because of the state's population; because they have more people; because some states have more people

  14. 26We elect a President for how many years?

    Four (4)

  15. 27In what month do we vote for President?

    November

  16. 28What is the name of the President of the United States now?

    Visit uscis.gov for the current answer

  17. 29What is the name of the Vice President of the United States now?

    Visit uscis.gov for the current answer

  18. 30If the President can no longer serve, who becomes President?

    The Vice President

  19. 31If both the President and the Vice President can no longer serve, who becomes President?

    The Speaker of the House

  20. 32Who is the Commander in Chief of the military?

    The President

  21. 33Who signs bills to become laws?

    The President

  22. 34Who vetoes bills?

    The President

  23. 35What does the President's Cabinet do?

    Advises the President

  24. 36What are two Cabinet-level positions?

    Secretary of State, Secretary of the Treasury, Secretary of Defense, Attorney General, Secretary of Education, and others

  25. 37What does the judicial branch do?

    Reviews laws; explains laws; resolves disputes; decides if a law goes against the Constitution

  26. 38What is the highest court in the United States?

    The Supreme Court

  27. 39How many justices are on the Supreme Court?

    Nine (9)

  28. 40Who is the Chief Justice of the United States now?

    Visit uscis.gov for the current answer

  29. 41Under our Constitution, some powers belong to the federal government. What is one power of the federal government?

    To print money; to declare war; to create an army; to make treaties

  30. 42Under our Constitution, some powers belong to the states. What is one power of the states?

    Provide schooling and education; provide protection (police); provide safety (fire departments); give a driver's license; approve zoning and land use

  31. 43Who is the Governor of your state now?

    Answers will vary by state. Visit uscis.gov for the current answer.

  32. 44What is the capital of your state?

    Answers will vary by state. Visit uscis.gov for the current answer.

  33. 45What are the two major political parties in the United States?

    Democratic and Republican

  34. 46What is the political party of the President now?

    Visit uscis.gov for the current answer

  35. 47What is the name of the Speaker of the House of Representatives now?

    Visit uscis.gov for the current answer

Rights and Responsibilities

  1. 48There are four amendments to the Constitution about who can vote. Describe one of them.

    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

  2. 49What is one responsibility that is only for United States citizens?

    Serve on a jury; vote in a federal election

  3. 50Name one right only for United States citizens.

    Vote in a federal election; run for federal office

  4. 51What are two rights of everyone living in the United States?

    Freedom of expression, freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, freedom to petition the government, freedom of religion, the right to bear arms

  5. 52What do we show loyalty to when we say the Pledge of Allegiance?

    The United States; the flag

  6. 53What is one promise you make when you become a United States citizen?

    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

  7. 54How old do citizens have to be to vote for President?

    Eighteen (18) and older

  8. 55What are two ways that Americans can participate in their democracy?

    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

  9. 56When is the last day you can send in federal income tax forms?

    April 15

  10. 57When must all men register for the Selective Service?

    At age eighteen (18); between eighteen (18) and twenty-six (26)

American History30

Colonial Period and Independence

  1. 58What is one reason colonists came to America?

    Freedom; political liberty; religious freedom; economic opportunity; practice their religion; escape persecution

  2. 59Who lived in America before the Europeans arrived?

    American Indians; Native Americans

  3. 60What group of people was taken to America and sold as slaves?

    Africans; people from Africa

  4. 61Why did the colonists fight the British?

    Because of high taxes (taxation without representation); because the British army stayed in their houses (quartering); because they didn't have self-government

  5. 62Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?

    Thomas Jefferson

  6. 63When was the Declaration of Independence adopted?

    July 4, 1776

  7. 64There were 13 original states. Name three.

    New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia

  8. 65What happened at the Constitutional Convention?

    The Constitution was written; the Founding Fathers wrote the Constitution

  9. 66When was the Constitution written?

    1787

  10. 67The Federalist Papers supported the passage of the U.S. Constitution. Name one of the writers.

    James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, Publius

  11. 68What is one thing Benjamin Franklin is famous for?

    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

  12. 69Who is the "Father of Our Country"?

    George Washington

  13. 70Who was the first President?

    George Washington

1800s

  1. 71What territory did the United States buy from France in 1803?

    The Louisiana Territory; Louisiana

  2. 72Name one war fought by the United States in the 1800s.

    War of 1812; Mexican-American War; Civil War; Spanish-American War

  3. 73Name the U.S. war between the North and the South.

    The Civil War; the War between the States

  4. 74Name one problem that led to the Civil War.

    Slavery; economic reasons; states' rights

  5. 75What was one important thing that Abraham Lincoln did?

    Freed the slaves (Emancipation Proclamation); saved (or preserved) the Union; led the United States during the Civil War

  6. 76What did the Emancipation Proclamation do?

    Freed the slaves; freed slaves in the Confederacy; freed slaves in the Confederate states; freed slaves in most Southern states

  7. 77What did Susan B. Anthony do?

    Fought for women's rights; fought for civil rights

Recent American History

  1. 78Name one war fought by the United States in the 1900s.

    World War I; World War II; Korean War; Vietnam War; Gulf (Persian Gulf) War

  2. 79Who was President during World War I?

    Woodrow Wilson

  3. 80Who was President during the Great Depression and World War II?

    Franklin Roosevelt

  4. 81Who did the United States fight in World War II?

    Japan, Germany, and Italy

  5. 82Before he was President, Eisenhower was a general. What war was he in?

    World War II

  6. 83During the Cold War, what was the main concern of the United States?

    Communism

  7. 84What movement tried to end racial discrimination?

    Civil rights movement

  8. 85What did Martin Luther King, Jr. do?

    Fought for civil rights; worked for equality for all Americans

  9. 86What major event happened on September 11, 2001, in the United States?

    Terrorists attacked the United States

  10. 87Name one American Indian tribe in the United States.

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

Integrated Civics13

Geography

  1. 88Name one of the two longest rivers in the United States.

    Missouri River; Mississippi River

  2. 89What ocean is on the West Coast of the United States?

    Pacific Ocean

  3. 90What ocean is on the East Coast of the United States?

    Atlantic Ocean

  4. 91Name one U.S. territory.

    Puerto Rico; U.S. Virgin Islands; American Samoa; Northern Mariana Islands; Guam

  5. 92Name one state that borders Canada.

    Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Washington, Alaska

  6. 93Name one state that borders Mexico.

    California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas

  7. 94What is the capital of the United States?

    Washington, D.C.

  8. 95Where is the Statue of Liberty?

    New York Harbor; Liberty Island; New Jersey; near New York City; on the Hudson River

Symbols

  1. 96Why does the flag have 13 stripes?

    Because there were 13 original colonies; because the stripes represent the original colonies

  2. 97Why does the flag have 50 stars?

    Because there is one star for each state; because each star represents a state; because there are 50 states

  3. 98What is the name of the national anthem?

    The Star-Spangled Banner

Holidays

  1. 99When do we celebrate Independence Day?

    July 4

  2. 100Name two national U.S. holidays.

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

Some questions have answers that change with who is in office, and a few depend on the state you live in. Confirm against USCIS's study materials before your interview.