Civics (History and Government) Questions for Naturalization Test Review

Flashcards covering key vocabulary, history, and government concepts from the naturalization test civics questions.

Civics Test (Naturalization)

An oral test for naturalization applicants, requiring 6 out of 10 correct answers from 100 questions.

Supreme Law of the Land (U.S.)

The U.S. Constitution.

U.S. Constitution (Purpose)

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

Self-Government (U.S. Constitution)

The idea found in the first three words of the Constitution: 'We the People.'

Amendment (to the U.S. Constitution)

A change or an addition to the Constitution.

Bill of Rights

The first ten amendments to the Constitution.

First Amendment Rights

Includes freedom of speech, religion, assembly, press, or to petition the government.

Number of U.S. Constitutional Amendments

Twenty-seven (27).

Declaration of Independence (Purpose)

Announced or declared our independence from Great Britain.

Unalienable Rights (Declaration of Independence)

Rights such as life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Freedom of Religion (U.S.)

The ability to practice any religion, or not practice a religion.

U.S. Economic System

A capitalist economy or a market economy.

Rule of Law

The principle that everyone, including leaders and the government, must follow the law, and no one is above the law.

Branches of U.S. Government

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

Checks and Balances / Separation of Powers

Mechanisms that stop one branch of government from becoming too powerful.

Executive Branch Head

The President.

Federal Lawmaking Body

Congress (the Senate and House of Representatives).

U.S. Congress Composition

The Senate and the House of Representatives.

Number of U.S. Senators

One hundred (100).

U.S. Senator Term Length

Six (6) years.

Number of U.S. House of Representatives Voting Members

Four hundred thirty-five (435).

U.S. Representative Term Length

Two (2) years.

U.S. Senator Representation

Represents all people of the state.

Congressional Representation (States)

Based on the state's population.

President of the U.S. Term Length

Four (4) years.

U.S. Presidential Election Month

November.

Presidential Succession (Vacant Presidency)

If the President can no longer serve, the Vice President becomes President.

Presidential Succession (President & VP Vacant)

If both the President and Vice President can no longer serve, the Speaker of the House becomes President.

Commander in Chief of the Military (U.S.)

The President.

Bill Signing Authority (U.S.)

The President signs bills to become laws.

Veto Authority (U.S.)

The President vetoes bills.

President's Cabinet (Function)

Advises the President.

Cabinet-Level Positions (Examples)

Secretary of State, Secretary of Defense, Attorney General, or Vice President.

Judicial Branch (Function)

Reviews and explains laws, resolves disputes (disagreements), and decides if a law goes against the Constitution.

Highest U.S. Court

The Supreme Court.

Federal Government Powers (Examples)

To print money, to declare war, to create an army, or to make treaties.

State Government Powers (Examples)

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

Major U.S. Political Parties

Democratic and Republican.

Constitutional Amendments on Voting Rights

Include the right to vote for citizens eighteen and older, freedom from poll taxes, and voting rights for all citizens (women and men, and male citizens of any race).

U.S. Citizen Responsibilities

Serving on a jury or voting in a federal election.

U.S. Citizen Rights (Exclusive)

To vote in a federal election or run for federal office.

Rights of U.S. Residents (General)

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

Pledge of Allegiance (Loyalty)

A declaration of loyalty to the United States and the flag.

Oath of Allegiance (U.S. Citizenship)

Promises to 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), and be loyal to the United States.

U.S. Presidential Voting Age

Eighteen (18) and older.

Ways Americans Participate in Democracy

Voting, joining a political party, helping with a campaign, joining a civic group, giving an elected official your opinion, calling Senators and Representatives, publicly supporting or opposing an issue, running for office, or writing to a newspaper.

Federal Income Tax Deadline

April 15.

Selective Service Registration

All men must register at age eighteen (18), or between eighteen (18) and twenty-six (26).

Reasons for Colonization of America

Seeking freedom, political liberty, religious freedom, economic opportunity, to practice their religion, or to escape persecution.

Indigenous Peoples of America

American Indians or Native Americans.

Transatlantic Slave Trade (Origin)

Africans or people from Africa were taken to America and sold as slaves.

Causes of the American Revolution

High taxes (taxation without representation), the British army staying in their houses (boarding/quartering), or a lack of self-government.

Author of the Declaration of Independence

Thomas Jefferson.

Declaration of Independence Adoption Date

July 4, 1776.

Original 13 Colonies (Examples)

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

Constitutional Convention (Outcome)

The Constitution was written by the Founding Fathers.

U.S. Constitution Writing Date

1787.

The Federalist Papers (Authors)

Supported the passage of the U.S. Constitution, written by James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, or John Jay (under the pseudonym Publius).

Benjamin Franklin (Accomplishments)

Famous as a U.S. diplomat, the oldest member of the Constitutional Convention, the first Postmaster General, writer of 'Poor Richard’s Almanac,' or for starting the first free libraries.

Father of Our Country

George Washington.

First U.S. President

George Washington.

Louisiana Purchase

The territory the United States bought from France in 1803.

U.S. Wars in the 1800s (Examples)

War of 1812, Mexican-American War, Civil War, or Spanish-American War.

U.S. Civil War

The war between the North and the South in the United States.

Causes of the Civil War

Slavery, economic reasons, or states' rights.

Abraham Lincoln (Key Actions)

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

Emancipation Proclamation

Freed the slaves in the Confederacy (Confederate states or most Southern states).

Susan B. Anthony (Activism)

Fought for women’s rights and civil rights.

U.S. Wars in the 1900s (Examples)

World War I, World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War, or (Persian) Gulf War.

U.S. President during World War I

Woodrow Wilson.

U.S. President during the Great Depression and World War II

Franklin Roosevelt.

Axis Powers (World War II)

The countries the United States fought in World War II: Japan, Germany, and Italy.

Dwight D. Eisenhower (Military Service)

Was a general in World War II before becoming President.

Main U.S. Concern during the Cold War

Communism.

Civil Rights Movement

The movement that tried to end racial discrimination.

Martin Luther King, Jr. (Contributions)

Fought for civil rights and worked for equality for all Americans.

September 11, 2001 Event

Terrorists attacked the United States.

American Indian Tribe (Example)

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

Longest Rivers in the U.S. (Examples)

The Missouri River or the Mississippi River.

Ocean on the U.S. West Coast

The Pacific Ocean.

Ocean on the U.S. East Coast

The Atlantic Ocean.

U.S. Territories (Examples)

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

U.S. State Bordering Canada (Example)

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

U.S. State Bordering Mexico (Example)

California, Arizona, New Mexico, or Texas.

Capital of the United States

Washington, D.C.

Location of the Statue of Liberty

New York Harbor or Liberty Island (also acceptable: New Jersey, near New York City, or on the Hudson River).

U.S. Flag (13 Stripes)

Represent the 13 original colonies.

U.S. Flag (50 Stars)

Represents the 50 states (one star for each state).

U.S. National Anthem

The Star-Spangled Banner.

Independence Day (U.S.)

Celebrated on July 4.

National U.S. Holidays (Examples)

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