Your Subtitle text

NATURALIZATION CIVICS EXAM

The civics test is an oral test and the USCIS Officer will ask the applicant up to 10 of the 100 civics questions. An applicant must answer 6 out of 10 questions correctly to pass the civics portion of the naturalization test.

Although USCIS is aware that there may be additional correct answers to the 100 civics questions, applicants are encouraged to respond to the civics questions using the answers provided below.

It is now possible to select from a wider range of responses as the range of acceptable answers has increased. Below are 100 questions; you will find more than one possible answer is provided for some of the questions. Although CIS hopes that applicants will learn all the content, applicants will only be required to give one answer from the list unless the question asks for more than one.

An example of a question that requires more than one of the listed answers is, "What are two Cabinet-level positions?" In this example, applicants would be required to tell the adjudicator any two of the listed possible responses.

QUALIFYING FOR A LIMITED EXAM

If you are 65 years old or older and have been a legal permanent resident of the United States for 20 or more years, you may study just the questions listed below in bold red font and marked with an asterik (*).

QUESTIONS AND ACCEPTABLE ANSWERS
AMERICAN GOVERNMENT - Principals of American Democracy
2. What does the Constitution do?	--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?	We the People
4. What is an amendment?	--a change to the Constitution --an addition to the Constitution
5. What do we call the first ten amendments to the Constitution?	the Bill of Rights
6. What is one right or freedom from the first Amendment?*	--speech --religion --assembly --press --petition the government
7. How many amendments does the constitution have?	twenty-seven (27)
8. What 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. What are two rights in the Declaration of Independence?	--life --liberty --pursuit of Happiness
10. What is freedom of religion?	You can practice any religion, or not practice a religion
11. What is the economic system in the United States?*	Capitalist economy or market economy
12. What 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.
AMERICAN GOVERNMENT -- System of Government
13. Name one branch or part of the government.*	--Congress legislative --President --executive --judicial the courts
14. What stops one branch of government from becoming too powerful?	--checks and balances --separation of powers
15. Who is in charge of the executive branch?	President
16. Who makes federal laws?	Congress Senate and House of Representatives Legislature
17. What are the two parts of the U.S. Congress?*	Senate and House of Representatives
18. How many U.S. Senators are there?	one hundred (100)
19. We elect a U.S. Senator for how many years?	six (6)
20. Who is one of your state's U.S. Senators now?*
21. The house of Representatives has how many voting members?	four hundred thirty five (435)
22. We elect a U.S. Representative for how many years?	two (2)
23. Name your U.S. Representative.
24. Who does a U.S. Senator represent?	All the people of the state
25. Why do some states have more Representatives than other states?	--because of the state's population --because they have more people --because some states have move people
26. We elect a U.S. President for how many years?	four (4)
27. In what month do we vote for President?*	November
28. What is the name of the President of the United States now?*	Barack Obama Obama
29. What is the name of the Vice President of the United States now?	Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Joe Biden Biden
30. If the President can no longer serve, who becomes President?	the Vice President
31. If both the President and Vice President can no longer serve, who becomes President?	the Speaker of the House
32. Who is the Commander in Chief of the military?	the President
33. Who signs bills to become laws?	the President
34. Who vetoes bills?	the President
35. What does the President's Cabinet do?	advises the President
44. What is the capital of your state?*	Answers will vary. D.C. residents should answer that D.C. is not a state and does not have a capital.
45. What are the two major political parties in the U.S.?*	Democratic and Republican
46. What is the political party of the President now?	Democratic
47. What is the name of the Speaker of the House of Representatives now?	Nancy Pelosi
48. There are four amendments to the Constitution about who can vote. Describe one of the four.	--Citizens eighteen (18) 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.
AMERICAN GOVERNMENT -- Rights and Responsibilities
49. What is one responsibility that is only for U.S. citizens?	Serve on a jury Vote
50. What are two rights only for U.S. citizens?	--Apply for a federal job --Vote in a federal election --Run for federal office --Carry a U.S. passport
51. What are two rights of everyone living in the U.S.?	--freedom of expression --freedom of speech --freedom of assembly --freedom to petition the government --freedom of worship the right to bear arms
52. What do we show loyalty to when we say the Pledge of Allegiance?	the United States the flag of the U.S.
53. What is one promise you make when you become a U.S. citizen?	--give up loyalty to other countries --defend the constitution of the United States --obey the laws of the United States --service in the U.S. military (if needed) --serve (do important work) the nation (if needed) --be loyal to the United States
54. How old do citizens have to be to vote for President?*	eighteen (18) or older
55. What are two ways that Americans can participate in their democracy?	--Join a political party --Join a civic group --Join a community group --Given 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?*	April 15
57. When must all men register for the Selective Service?	--at age eighteen (18) --between eighteen (18) and twenty-six (26)
AMERICAN HISTORY -- Colonial Period and Independence
58. What is one reason colonists came to America?	--Freedom --Political liberty --Religious freedom --Economic opportunity --Practice their religion --Escape persecution
59. Who lived in America before the Europeans arrived?	--Native Americans --American Indians
60. What group of people was taken to America and sold as slaves?	--Africans --People from Africa
61. Why did the colonists fight the British?	--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?	Thomas Jefferson
63. When was the Declaration of Independence adopted?	July 4, 1776
64. There 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
65. What happened at the constitutional convention?	--The Constitution was written. --The Founding Fathers wrote the Constitution.
66. When was the Constitution written?	1787
67. The Federalist Papers supported the passage of the U.S. Constitution. Name one of the writers.	--James Madison --Alexander Hamilton --John Jay Publius
68. What is one thing Benjamin Franklin is famous for?	--Writer of Poor Richard's Almanac --Oldest member of the Constitution Convention --Started the first free libraries --First Postmaster General of the U.S. --U.S. diplomat
69. Who is the "Father of Our Country"?	George Washington
70. Who was the first President?*	George Washington
AMERICAN HISTORY -- 1800s
71. What territory did the U.S. buy from France in 1803?	the Louisiana Territory Louisiana
72. Name one war fought by the U.S. in the 1800s.	--War of 1812 --Mexican-American War --Civil War --Spanish-American War
73. Name the U.S. war between the North and the South.	The Civil War
74. Name one problem that led to the Civil War.	--Slavery --Economic reasons --States' rights
75. What was one important thing that Abraham Lincoln did?*	--Freed the slaves (Emancipation Proclamation) --Saved (or preserved) the Union --Led the U.S. during the civil war
76. What did the Emancipation Proclamation do?	--Freed the slaves (Emancipation Proclamation) --Freed slaves in the Confederacy --Freed slaves in the Confederate slaves --Freed slaves in most Southern states
77. What did Susan B. Anthony do?	--Fought for women's rights --Fought for civil rights
AMERICAN HISTORY -- Recent American History and Other Important Historical Information
78. Name one war fought by the U.S. in the 1900s?*	World War I World War II Korean War Vietnam War Persian Gulf War
79. Who was President during World War I?	Woodrow Wilson
80. Who was President during the Great Depression and World War II?	Franklin Roosevelt
81. Who did the U.S. fight during WWII?	Japan, Germany, and Italy
82. Before he was President, Eisenhower was a general. What war was he in?	World War I
83. During the Cold War, what was the main concern of the U.S.?	Communism
84. What movement tried to end racial discrimination?	civil rights movement
85. What did Martin Luther King, Jr. do?*	--Fought for civil rights --Worked for equality for all Americans
86. What major even happened on September 11, 2001 in the U.S.?	Terrorists attacked the United States.
87. Name one American Indian tribe in the U.S.?	Cherokee Navajo Sioux Chippewa Choctaw Pueblo Apache Iroquois Creek Blackfeet Seminole Cheyenne Arawak Shawnee Mohegan Huron Oneida Lakota Crow Teton Hopi Inuit CIS officers will be supplied with a list of 562 American Indian tribes that are recognized by the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
INTEGRATED CIVICS -- Geography
88. Name one of the two longest rivers in the United States.	Missouri River Mississippi River
89. What ocean is on the West Coast of the United States?	Pacific Ocean
90. What ocean is one the East Coast of the United States?	Atlantic Ocean
91. Name one U.S. territory.	Puerto Rico U.S. Virgin Islands American Samoa Northern Mariana Islands Guam
92. Name one state that borders Canada.	Maine New Hampshire Vermont New York Pennsylvania Ohio Michigan Minnesota North Dakota Montana Idaho Washington Alaska
93. Name one state that borders Mexico.	California Arizona New Mexico Texas
94. What is the capital of the United States?*	Washington D.C.
95. Where is the Statute of Liberty?*	--New York (Harbor) --Liberty Island --New Jersey, --near New York, --on the Hudson River
INTEGRATED CIVICS -- Symbols
96. Why does the flag have 13 stripes?	--because there were 13 original colonies --because the stripes represent the original colonies
97. Why does the flag have 50 stars?*	--because there is one star in each state --because each star represents a state --because there are 50 states
98. What is the name of the national anthem?	the Star-Spangled Banner
INTEGRATED CIVICS -- Holidays
99. When do we celebrate Independence Day?*	July 4
100. Name two national U.S. holidays.	New Year's Day Martin Luther King, Jr. President's Day Memorial Day Independence Day Labor Day Columbus Day Veterans Day Thanksgiving Christmas