U.S. Citizenship Test Questions and Answers 2026

The U.S. citizenship test questions and answers you should study depend on when you filed Form N-400, Application for Naturalization.

If you filed Form N-400 on or after October 20, 2025, you generally take the 2025 Naturalization Civics Test and should study its 128-question bank. If you filed before October 20, 2025, you generally take the 2008 Civics Test and should study its 100-question bank.

Both question banks remain relevant in 2026 because some applicants with earlier Form N-400 filings are still completing the naturalization process.

This guide provides the USCIS civics questions and accepted answers for both test versions. Applicants who qualify for 65/20 special consideration study a designated group of civics questions. Check your Form N-400 filing date first, then use the question bank that applies to you.

Choose the Civics Question Bank That Applies to You

Use your Form N-400 filing date to choose the question bank you should study.

How to Practice With These Citizenship Test Questions

Use the official USCIS question bank that matches your Form N-400 filing date. Then practice in a way that is similar to how the civics test is given during the naturalization interview.

1. Study the correct question bank. Use the 2025 or 2008 civics questions that apply to your Form N-400 filing date.
2. Answer the questions aloud. USCIS administers the civics test orally, so practice giving your answers verbally instead of only reading them.
3. Hide the answers while practicing. Read each question first, answer it on your own, and then check your response against the USCIS answer.
4. Change the question order. Practice questions in different sequences so you learn the answers rather than memorizing the order of the list.
5. Check answers that can change. Before your interview, review current answers for questions about elected or appointed officials.

For broader preparation guidance, including how the full citizenship test works, see our U.S. Citizenship Test Guide.

2025 Naturalization Civics Test: 128 Questions and Answers

The 2025 Naturalization Civics Test has a study bank of 128 questions about American government and history. During the naturalization interview, the USCIS officer asks up to 20 questions, and you must answer at least 12 correctly to pass.

The test is given orally. The questions and answers below follow the official USCIS 2025 civics study material. USCIS notes that additional correct answers may exist, but applicants are encouraged to study the answers provided in its official materials.

★ 65/20 Special Consideration: Questions marked with a star are part of the 20-question study set for applicants who qualify for 65/20 special consideration.

Some answers can change because of elections or appointments. For those questions, check the current USCIS answer before your naturalization interview.

American Government

Principles of American Government

Question 1. What is the form of government of the United States?

Answer:

• Republic
• Constitution-based federal republic
• Representative democracy

Question 2. What is the supreme law of the land? ★

Answer:

• (U.S.) Constitution

Question 3. Name one thing the U.S. Constitution does.

Answer:

• Forms the government
• Defines powers of government
• Defines the parts of government
• Protects the rights of the people

Question 4. The U.S. Constitution starts with the words “We the People.” What does “We the People” mean?

Answer:

• Self-government
• Popular sovereignty
• Consent of the governed
• People should govern themselves
• (Example of) social contract

Question 5. How are changes made to the U.S. Constitution?

Answer:

• Amendments
• The amendment process

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Question 6. What does the Bill of Rights protect?

Answer:

• (The basic) rights of Americans
• (The basic) rights of people living in the United States

Question 7. How many amendments does the U.S. Constitution have? ★

Answer:

• Twenty-seven (27)

Question 8. Why is the Declaration of Independence important?

Answer:

• It says America is free from British control.
• It says all people are created equal.
• It identifies inherent rights.
• It identifies individual freedoms.

Question 9. What founding document said the American colonies were free from Britain?

Answer:

• Declaration of Independence

Question 10. Name two important ideas from the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution.

Answer:

• Equality
• Liberty
• Social contract
• Natural rights
• Limited government
• Self-government

Question 11. The words “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness” are in what founding document?

Answer:

• Declaration of Independence

Question 12. What is the economic system of the United States? ★

Answer:

• Capitalism
• Free market economy

Question 13. 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.

Question 14. Many documents influenced the U.S. Constitution. Name one.

Answer:

• Declaration of Independence
• Articles of Confederation
• Federalist Papers
• Anti-Federalist Papers
• Virginia Declaration of Rights
• Fundamental Orders of Connecticut
• Mayflower Compact
• Iroquois Great Law of Peace

Question 15. There are three branches of government. Why?

Answer:

• So one part does not become too powerful
• Checks and balances
• Separation of powers

System of Government

Question 16. Name the three branches of government.

Answer:

• Legislative, executive, and judicial
• Congress, president, and the courts

Question 17. The President of the United States is in charge of which branch of government?

Answer:

• Executive branch

Question 18. What part of the federal government writes laws?

Answer:

• (U.S.) Congress
• (U.S. or national) legislature
• Legislative branch

Question 19. What are the two parts of the U.S. Congress?

Answer:

• Senate and House (of Representatives)

Question 20. Name one power of the U.S. Congress. ★

Answer:

• Writes laws
• Declares war
• Makes the federal budget

Question 21. How many U.S. senators are there?

Answer:

• One hundred (100)

Question 22. How long is a term for a U.S. senator?

Answer:

• Six (6) years

Question 23. Who is one of your state’s U.S. senators now?

Answer:

• Answers will vary.
• District of Columbia residents and residents of U.S. territories should answer that D.C. or the territory where the applicant lives has no U.S. senators.

Question 24. How many voting members are in the House of Representatives?

Answer:

• Four hundred thirty-five (435)

Question 25. How long is a term for a member of the House of Representatives?

Answer:

• Two (2) years

Question 26. Why do U.S. representatives serve shorter terms than U.S. senators?

Answer:

• To more closely follow public opinion

Question 27. How many senators does each state have?

Answer:

• Two (2)

Question 28. Why does each state have two senators?

Answer:

• Equal representation (for small states)
• The Great Compromise (Connecticut Compromise)

Question 29. Name your U.S. representative.

Answer:

• 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.

Question 30. What is the name of the Speaker of the House of Representatives now? ★

Answer:

• Check the USCIS Test Updates page for the current Speaker of the House of Representatives.

Question 31. Who does a U.S. senator represent?

Answer:

• Citizens of their state
• People of their state

Question 32. Who elects U.S. senators?

Answer:

• Citizens from their state

Question 33. Who does a member of the House of Representatives represent?

Answer:

• Citizens in their congressional district
• Citizens in their district
• People from their congressional district
• People in their district

Question 34. Who elects members of the House of Representatives?

Answer:

• Citizens from their congressional district

Question 35. Some states have more representatives than other states. Why?

Answer:

• (Because of) the state’s population
• (Because) they have more people
• (Because) some states have more people

Question 36. The President of the United States is elected for how many years? ★

Answer:

• Four (4) years

Question 37. The President of the United States can serve only two terms. Why?

Answer:

• (Because of) the 22nd Amendment
• To keep the president from becoming too powerful

Question 38. What is the name of the President of the United States now? ★

Answer:

• Check the USCIS Test Updates page for the current President of the United States.

Question 39. What is the name of the Vice President of the United States now? ★

Answer:

• Check the USCIS Test Updates page for the current Vice President of the United States.

Question 40. If the president can no longer serve, who becomes president?

Answer:

• The Vice President (of the United States)

Question 41. Name one power of the president.

Answer:

• Signs bills into law
• Vetoes bills
• Enforces laws
• Commander in Chief (of the military)
• Chief diplomat
• Appoints federal judges

Question 42. Who is Commander in Chief of the U.S. military?

Answer:

• The President (of the United States)

Question 43. Who signs bills to become laws?

Answer:

• The President (of the United States)

Question 44. Who vetoes bills? ★

Answer:

• The President (of the United States)

Question 45. Who appoints federal judges?

Answer:

• The President (of the United States)

Question 46. The executive branch has many parts. Name one.

Answer:

• President (of the United States)
• Cabinet
• Federal departments and agencies

Question 47. What does the President’s Cabinet do?

Answer:

• Advises the President (of the United States)

Question 48. What are two Cabinet-level positions?

Answer:

• Attorney General
• Secretary of Agriculture
• Secretary of Commerce
• 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
• Secretary of War (Defense)
• Vice-President
• Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency
• Administrator of the Small Business Administration
• Director of the Central Intelligence Agency
• Director of the Office of Management and Budget
• Director of National Intelligence
• United States Trade Representative

Question 49. Why is the Electoral College important?

Answer:

• It decides who is elected president.
• It provides a compromise between the popular election of the president and congressional selection.

Question 50. What is one part of the judicial branch?

Answer:

• Supreme Court
• Federal Courts

Question 51. What does the judicial branch do?

Answer:

• Reviews laws
• Explains laws
• Resolves disputes (disagreements) about the law
• Decides if a law goes against the (U.S.) Constitution

Question 52. What is the highest court in the United States? ★

Answer:

• Supreme Court

Question 53. How many seats are on the Supreme Court?

Answer:

• Nine (9)

Question 54. How many Supreme Court justices are usually needed to decide a case?

Answer:

• Five (5)

Question 55. How long do Supreme Court justices serve?

Answer:

• (For) life
• Lifetime appointment
• (Until) retirement

Question 56. Supreme Court justices serve for life. Why?

Answer:

• To be independent (of politics)
• To limit outside (political) influence

Question 57. Who is the Chief Justice of the United States now?

Answer:

• Check the USCIS Test Updates page for the current Chief Justice of the United States.

Question 58. Name one power that is only for the federal government.

Answer:

• Print paper money
• Mint coins
• Declare war
• Create an army
• Make treaties
• Set foreign policy

Question 59. Name one power that is only for the states.

Answer:

• Provide schooling and education
• Provide protection (police)
• Provide safety (fire departments)
• Give a driver’s license
• Approve zoning and land use

Question 60. What is the purpose of the 10th Amendment?

Answer:

• (It states that the) powers not given to the federal government belong to the states or to the people.

Question 61. Who is the governor of your state now? ★

Answer:

• Answers will vary.
• District of Columbia residents should answer that D.C. does not have a governor.

Question 62. What is the capital of your state?

Answer:

• 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.

Rights and Responsibilities

Question 63. There are four amendments to the U.S. Constitution about who can vote. Describe one of them.

Answer:

• 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.

Question 64. Who can vote in federal elections, run for federal office, and serve on a jury in the United States?

Answer:

• Citizens
• Citizens of the United States
• U.S. citizens

Question 65. What are three rights of everyone living in the United States?

Answer:

• Freedom of expression
• Freedom of speech
• Freedom of assembly
• Freedom to petition the government
• Freedom of religion
• The right to bear arms

Question 66. What do we show loyalty to when we say the Pledge of Allegiance? ★

Answer:

• The United States
• The flag

Question 67. Name two promises that new citizens make in the Oath of Allegiance.

Answer:

• Give up loyalty to other countries
• Defend the (U.S.) Constitution
• Obey the laws of the United States
• Serve in the military (if needed)
• Serve (help, do important work for) the nation (if needed)
• Be loyal to the United States

Question 68. How can people become United States citizens?

Answer:

• Be born in the United States, under the conditions set by the 14th Amendment
• Naturalize
• Derive citizenship (under conditions set by Congress)

Question 69. What are two examples of civic participation in the United States?

Answer:

• Vote
• Run for office
• 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
• Contact elected officials
• Support or oppose an issue or policy
• Write to a newspaper

Question 70. What is one way Americans can serve their country?

Answer:

• Vote
• Pay taxes
• Obey the law
• Serve in the military
• Run for office
• Work for local, state, or federal government

Question 71. Why is it important to pay federal taxes?

Answer:

• Required by law
• All people pay to fund the federal government
• Required by the (U.S.) Constitution (16th Amendment)
• Civic duty

Question 72. It is important for all men age 18 through 25 to register for the Selective Service. Name one reason why.

Answer:

• Required by law
• Civic duty
• Makes the draft fair, if needed

American History

Colonial Period and Independence

Question 73. The colonists came to America for many reasons. Name one.

Answer:

• Freedom
• Political liberty
• Religious freedom
• Economic opportunity
• Escape persecution

Question 74. Who lived in America before the Europeans arrived? ★

Answer:

• American Indians
• Native Americans

Question 75. What group of people was taken and sold as slaves?

Answer:

• Africans
• People from Africa

Question 76. What war did the Americans fight to win independence from Britain?

Answer:

• American Revolution
• The (American) Revolutionary War
• War for (American) Independence

Question 77. Name one reason why the Americans declared independence from Britain.

Answer:

• High taxes
• Taxation without representation
• British soldiers stayed in Americans’ houses (boarding, quartering)
• They did not have self-government
• Boston Massacre
• Boston Tea Party (Tea Act)
• Stamp Act
• Sugar Act
• Townshend Acts
• Intolerable (Coercive) Acts

Question 78. Who wrote the Declaration of Independence? ★

Answer:

• (Thomas) Jefferson

Question 79. When was the Declaration of Independence adopted?

Answer:

• July 4, 1776

Question 80. The American Revolution had many important events. Name one.

Answer:

• (Battle of) Bunker Hill
• Declaration of Independence
• Washington Crossing the Delaware (Battle of Trenton)
• (Battle of) Saratoga
• Valley Forge (Encampment)
• (Battle of) Yorktown (British surrender at Yorktown)

Question 81. There were 13 original states. Name five.

Answer:

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

Question 82. What founding document was written in 1787?

Answer:

• (U.S.) Constitution

Question 83. The Federalist Papers supported the passage of the U.S. Constitution. Name one of the writers.

Answer:

• (James) Madison
• (Alexander) Hamilton
• (John) Jay
• Publius

Question 84. Why were the Federalist Papers important?

Answer:

• They helped people understand the (U.S.) Constitution.
• They supported passing the (U.S.) Constitution.

Question 85. Benjamin Franklin is famous for many things. Name one.

Answer:

• Founded the first free public libraries
• First Postmaster General of the United States
• Helped write the Declaration of Independence
• Inventor
• U.S. diplomat

Question 86. George Washington is famous for many things. Name one. ★

Answer:

• “Father of Our Country”
• First president of the United States
• General of the Continental Army
• President of the Constitutional Convention

Question 87. Thomas Jefferson is famous for many things. Name one.

Answer:

• Writer of the Declaration of Independence
• Third president of the United States
• Doubled the size of the United States (Louisiana Purchase)
• First Secretary of State
• Founded the University of Virginia
• Writer of the Virginia Statute on Religious Freedom

Question 88. James Madison is famous for many things. Name one.

Answer:

• “Father of the Constitution”
• Fourth president of the United States
• President during the War of 1812
• One of the writers of the Federalist Papers

Question 89. Alexander Hamilton is famous for many things. Name one.

Answer:

• First Secretary of the Treasury
• One of the writers of the Federalist Papers
• Helped establish the First Bank of the United States
• Aide to General George Washington
• Member of the Continental Congress

1800s

Question 90. What territory did the United States buy from France in 1803?

Answer:

• Louisiana Territory
• Louisiana

Question 91. Name one war fought by the United States in the 1800s.

Answer:

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

Question 92. Name the U.S. war between the North and the South.

Answer:

• The Civil War

Question 93. The Civil War had many important events. Name one.

Answer:

• (Battle of) Fort Sumter
• Emancipation Proclamation
• (Battle of) Vicksburg
• (Battle of) Gettysburg
• Sherman’s March
• (Surrender at) Appomattox
• (Battle of) Antietam/Sharpsburg
• Lincoln was assassinated.

Question 94. Abraham Lincoln is famous for many things. Name one. ★

Answer:

• Freed the slaves (Emancipation Proclamation)
• Saved (or preserved) the Union
• Led the United States during the Civil War
• 16th president of the United States
• Delivered the Gettysburg Address

Question 95. 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

Question 96. What U.S. war ended slavery?

Answer:

• The Civil War

Question 97. What amendment says all persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are U.S. citizens?

Answer:

• 14th Amendment

Question 98. When did all men get the right to vote?

Answer:

• After the Civil War
• During Reconstruction
• (With the) 15th Amendment
• 1870

Question 99. Name one leader of the women’s rights movement in the 1800s.

Answer:

• Susan B. Anthony
• Elizabeth Cady Stanton
• Sojourner Truth
• Harriet Tubman
• Lucretia Mott
• Lucy Stone

Recent American History and Other Important Historical Information

Question 100. Name one war fought by the United States in the 1900s.

Answer:

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

Question 101. Why did the United States enter World War I?

Answer:

• Because Germany attacked U.S. civilian ships
• To support the Allied Powers (England, France, Italy, and Russia)
• To oppose the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, and Bulgaria)

Question 102. When did all women get the right to vote?

Answer:

• 1920
• After World War I
• (With the) 19th Amendment

Question 103. What was the Great Depression?

Answer:

• Longest economic recession in modern history

Question 104. When did the Great Depression start?

Answer:

• The Great Crash (1929)
• Stock market crash of 1929

Question 105. Who was president during the Great Depression and World War II?

Answer:

• (Franklin) Roosevelt

Question 106. Why did the United States enter World War II?

Answer:

• (Bombing of) Pearl Harbor
• Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor
• To support the Allied Powers (England, France, and Russia)
• To oppose the Axis Powers (Germany, Italy, and Japan)

Question 107. Dwight Eisenhower is famous for many things. Name one.

Answer:

• General during World War II
• President at the end of or during the Korean War
• 34th president of the United States
• Signed the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 (Created the Interstate System)

Question 108. Who was the United States’ main rival during the Cold War?

Answer:

• Soviet Union
• USSR
• Russia

Question 109. During the Cold War, what was one main concern of the United States?

Answer:

• Communism
• Nuclear war

Question 110. Why did the United States enter the Korean War?

Answer:

• To stop the spread of communism

Question 111. Why did the United States enter the Vietnam War?

Answer:

• To stop the spread of communism

Question 112. What did the civil rights movement do?

Answer:

• Fought to end racial discrimination

Question 113. Martin Luther King, Jr. is famous for many things. Name one. ★

Answer:

• Fought for civil rights
• Worked for equality for all Americans
• Worked to ensure that people would “not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character”

Question 114. Why did the United States enter the Persian Gulf War?

Answer:

• To force the Iraqi military from Kuwait

Question 115. What major event happened on September 11, 2001 in the United States? ★

Answer:

• Terrorists attacked the United States
• Terrorists took over two planes and crashed them into the World Trade Center in New York City
• Terrorists took over a plane and crashed into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia
• Terrorists took over a plane originally aimed at Washington, D.C., and crashed in a field in Pennsylvania

Question 116. Name one U.S. military conflict after the September 11, 2001 attacks.

Answer:

• (Global) War on Terror
• War in Afghanistan
• War in Iraq

Question 117. Name one American Indian tribe in the United States.

Answer:

• Apache
• Blackfeet
• Cayuga
• Cherokee
• Cheyenne
• Chippewa
• Choctaw
• Creek
• Crow
• Hopi
• Huron
• Inupiat
• Lakota
• Mohawk
• Mohegan
• Navajo
• Oneida
• Onondaga
• Pueblo
• Seminole
• Seneca
• Shawnee
• Sioux
• Teton
• Tuscarora

Question 118. Name one example of an American innovation.

Answer:

• Light bulb
• Automobile (cars, internal combustion engine)
• Skyscrapers
• Airplane
• Assembly line
• Landing on the moon
• Integrated circuit (IC)

Symbols and Holidays

Symbols

Question 119. What is the capital of the United States?

Answer:

• Washington, D.C.

Question 120. Where is the Statue of Liberty?

Answer:

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

Question 121. Why does the flag have 13 stripes? ★

Answer:

• (Because there were) 13 original colonies
• (Because the stripes) represent the original colonies

Question 122. 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

Question 123. What is the name of the national anthem?

Answer:

• The Star-Spangled Banner

Question 124. The Nation’s first motto was “E Pluribus Unum.” What does that mean?

Answer:

• Out of many, one
• We all become one

Holidays

Question 125. What is Independence Day?

Answer:

• A holiday to celebrate U.S. independence (from Britain)
• The country’s birthday

Question 126. Name three national U.S. holidays. ★

Answer:

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

Question 127. What is Memorial Day?

Answer:

• A holiday to honor soldiers who died in military service

Question 128. What is Veterans Day?

Answer:

• A holiday to honor people in the (U.S.) military
• A holiday to honor people who have served in the U.S. military

65/20 Citizenship Test Questions

USCIS provides special consideration for applicants who, at the time they file Form N-400, are 65 or older and have been lawful permanent residents for at least 20 years.

During the civics test, the USCIS officer asks 10 of these 20 questions. You must answer at least 6 correctly to pass. You may also take the civics test in the language of your choice.

Citizenship Test Answers That Can Change

Some citizenship test answers can change because of elections, appointments, or changes in government officeholders. USCIS expects you to give the answer that is correct at the time of your naturalization interview.

This can affect questions asking for your current:

• President
• Vice President
• Speaker of the House of Representatives
• Chief Justice of the United States
• State governor
• U.S. senator
• U.S. representative

Do not rely on an answer you studied several months earlier. Shortly before your interview, check the USCIS Test Updates page for answers that may have changed. For state- or district-specific questions, confirm the officials who represent where you live.

The 128-question bank above identifies questions with changing or location-specific answers so you know which ones to verify before your appointment.

2008 Civics Test: 100 Questions and Answers

The 2008 Civics Test remains relevant for applicants whose Form N-400 filing date makes them subject to the earlier test version. If you filed Form N-400 before October 20, 2025, you generally study the 100-question bank below.

During the 2008 civics test, a USCIS officer asks up to 10 questions, and you must answer at least 6 correctly to pass. Applicants with Form N-400 filings on or after October 20, 2025 generally should study the 2025 Naturalization Civics Test instead.

The questions and accepted answers below follow the 2008 USCIS civics question bank.

★ 65/20 Special Consideration: Questions marked with a star are the designated questions for qualifying 65/20 applicants taking the 2008 Civics Test.

American Government

Principles of American Democracy

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

Answer:

• The Constitution

Question 2. What does the Constitution do?

Answer:

• Sets up the government
• Defines the government
• Protects basic rights of Americans

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

Answer:

• We the People

Question 4. What is an amendment?

Answer:

• A change (to the Constitution)
• An addition (to the Constitution)

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

Answer:

• The Bill of Rights

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

Answer:

• Speech
• Religion
• Assembly
• Press
• Petition the government

Question 7. How many amendments does the Constitution have?

Answer:

• Twenty-seven (27)

Question 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)

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

Answer:

• Life
• Liberty
• Pursuit of happiness

Question 10. What is freedom of religion?

Answer:

• You can practice any religion or not practice a religion.

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

Answer:

• Capitalist economy
• Market economy

Question 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.

System of Government

Question 13. Name one branch or part of the government. ★

Answer:

• Congress
• Legislative
• President
• Executive
• The courts
• Judicial

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

Answer:

• Checks and balances
• Separation of powers

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

Answer:

• The President

Question 16. Who makes federal laws?

Answer:

• Congress
• Senate and House (of Representatives)
• (U.S. or national) legislature

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

Answer:

• The Senate and House (of Representatives)

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

Answer:

• One hundred (100)

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

Answer:

• Six (6)

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Question 20. Who is one of your state’s U.S. Senators now? ★

Answer:

• Answers will vary depending on the state in which you live.
• District of Columbia residents and residents of U.S. territories should answer that D.C. or the territory where the applicant lives has no U.S. Senators.

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

Answer:

• Four hundred thirty-five (435)

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

Answer:

• Two (2)

Question 23. Name your U.S. Representative.

Answer:

• Answers will vary depending on the district in which you live.
• 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.

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

Answer:

• All people of the state

Question 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

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

Answer:

• Four (4)

Question 27. In what month do we vote for President? ★

Answer:

• November

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

Answer:

• Check the USCIS Test Updates page for the current President of the United States.

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

Answer:

• Check the USCIS Test Updates page for the current Vice President of the United States.

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

Answer:

• The Vice President

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

Answer:

• The Speaker of the House

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

Answer:

• The President

Question 33. Who signs bills to become laws?

Answer:

• The President

Question 34. Who vetoes bills?

Answer:

• The President

Question 35. What does the President’s Cabinet do?

Answer:

• Advises the President

Question 36. What are two Cabinet-level positions?

Answer:

• 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

Question 37. What does the judicial branch do?

Answer:

• Reviews laws
• Explains laws
• Resolves disputes (disagreements)
• Decides if a law goes against the Constitution

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

Answer:

• The Supreme Court

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

Answer:

• Check the USCIS Test Updates page for the current number of justices on the Supreme Court.

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

Answer:

• Check the USCIS Test Updates page for the current Chief Justice of the United States.

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

Answer:

• To print money
• To declare war
• To create an army
• To make treaties

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

Answer:

• To provide schooling and education
• To provide protection (police)
• To provide safety (fire departments)
• To give a driver’s license
• To approve zoning and land use

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

Answer:

• Answers will vary depending on where you live.
• District of Columbia residents should answer that D.C. does not have a Governor.

Question 44. What is the capital of your state? ★

Answer:

• Answers will vary depending on where you live.
• 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.

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

Answer:

• Democratic and Republican

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

Answer:

• Check the USCIS Test Updates page for the political party of the current President.

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

Answer:

• Check the USCIS Test Updates page for the current Speaker of the House of Representatives.

Rights and Responsibilities

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

Answer:

• 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.

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

Answer:

• Serve on a jury
• Vote in a federal election

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

Answer:

• Vote in a federal election
• Run for federal office

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

Answer:

• Freedom of expression
• Freedom of speech
• Freedom of assembly
• Freedom to petition the government
• Freedom of religion
• The right to bear arms

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

Answer:

• The United States
• The flag

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

Answer:

• 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

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

Answer:

• Eighteen (18) and older

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

Answer:

• 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

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

Answer:

• April 15

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

Answer:

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

American History

Colonial Period and Independence

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

Answer:

• Freedom
• Political liberty
• Religious freedom
• Economic opportunity
• Practice their religion
• Escape persecution

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

Answer:

• American Indians
• Native Americans

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

Answer:

• Africans
• People from Africa

Question 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

Question 62. Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?

Answer:

• (Thomas) Jefferson

Question 63. When was the Declaration of Independence adopted?

Answer:

• July 4, 1776

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

Answer:

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

Question 65. What happened at the Constitutional Convention?

Answer:

• The Constitution was written.
• The Founding Fathers wrote the Constitution.

Question 66. When was the Constitution written?

Answer:

• 1787

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

Answer:

• (James) Madison
• (Alexander) Hamilton
• (John) Jay
• Publius

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

Answer:

• 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

Question 69. Who is the “Father of Our Country”?

Answer:

• (George) Washington

Question 70. Who was the first President? ★

Answer:

• (George) Washington

1800s

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

Answer:

• The Louisiana Territory
• Louisiana

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

Answer:

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

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

Answer:

• The Civil War
• The War between the States

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

Answer:

• Slavery
• Economic reasons
• States’ rights

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

Answer:

• Freed the slaves (Emancipation Proclamation)
• Saved (or preserved) the Union
• Led the United States during the Civil War

Question 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

Question 77. What did Susan B. Anthony do?

Answer:

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

Recent American History and Other Important Historical Information

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

Answer:

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

Question 79. Who was President during World War I?

Answer:

• (Woodrow) Wilson

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

Answer:

• (Franklin) Roosevelt

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

Answer:

• Japan, Germany, and Italy

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

Answer:

• World War II

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

Answer:

• Communism

Question 84. What movement tried to end racial discrimination?

Answer:

• Civil rights (movement)

Question 85. What did Martin Luther King, Jr. do? ★

Answer:

• Fought for civil rights
• Worked for equality for all Americans

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

Answer:

• Terrorists attacked the United States

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

Answer:

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

Integrated Civics

Geography

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

Answer:

• Missouri (River)
• Mississippi (River)

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

Answer:

• Pacific (Ocean)

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

Answer:

• Atlantic (Ocean)

Question 91. Name one U.S. territory.

Answer:

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

Question 92. Name one state that borders Canada.

Answer:

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

Question 93. Name one state that borders Mexico.

Answer:

• California
• Arizona
• New Mexico
• Texas

Question 94. What is the capital of the United States? ★

Answer:

• Washington, D.C.

Question 95. Where is the Statue of Liberty? ★

Answer:

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

Symbols

Question 96. Why does the flag have 13 stripes?

Answer:

• Because there were 13 original colonies
• Because the stripes represent the original colonies

Question 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

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

Answer:

• The Star-Spangled Banner

Holidays

Question 99. When do we celebrate Independence Day? ★

Answer:

• July 4

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

Answer:

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

U.S. Citizenship Test Questions FAQs