USCIS Civics (History and Government) Questions for the Naturalization Test

Comprehensive practice flashcards based on the official USCIS 100 civics questions and test requirements for the U.S. Naturalization Test.

How many questions must an applicant answer correctly to pass the civics portion of the naturalization test?

An applicant must answer $6$ out of $10$ questions correctly.

What civics study accommodation is given to applicants who are $65$ years old or older and have been permanent residents for $20$ or more years?

They may study just the questions that have been marked with an asterisk (*).

What is the supreme law of the land?

The Constitution

What does the Constitution do?

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

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

We the People

What is an amendment?

A change (to the Constitution) or an addition (to the Constitution).

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

The Bill of Rights

What is one right or freedom from the First Amendment?

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

How many amendments does the Constitution have?

Twenty-seven ($27$)

What did the Declaration of Independence do?

Announced our independence (from Great Britain), declared our independence (from Great Britain), or said that the United States is free (from Great Britain).

What are two rights listed in the Declaration of Independence?

Life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness (any two).

What is freedom of religion?

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

What is the economic system in the United States?

Capitalist economy or market economy.

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.

Name the three branches or parts of the U.S. government.

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

What stops one branch of government from becoming too powerful?

Checks and balances or separation of powers.

Who is in charge of the executive branch?

The President

Who makes federal laws in the United States?

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

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

The Senate and House (of Representatives).

How many U.S. Senators are there, and for how many years do we elect each one?

There are one hundred ($100$) U.S. Senators, and each is elected for six ($6$) years.

How many voting members does the House of Representatives have, and for how many years is a U.S. Representative elected?

Four hundred thirty-five ($435$) voting members, elected for two ($2$) years.

Who does a U.S. Senator represent?

All people of the state.

Why do some states have more Representatives than other states?

Because of the state's population / they have more people / some states have more people.

We elect a President for how many years, and in what month do we vote for President?

We elect a President for four ($4$) years, and we vote in November.

If the President can no longer serve, who becomes President? If both the President and the Vice President cannot serve, who becomes President?

The Vice President becomes President; if both cannot serve, the Speaker of the House becomes President.

What role does the President play regarding the military, and what role regarding bills passed by Congress?

The President is Commander in Chief of the military, signs bills to become laws, and vetoes bills.

What does the President's Cabinet do?

Advises the President.

What does the judicial branch do, and what is the highest court in the United States?

Reviews laws, explains laws, resolves disputes (disagreements), and decides if a law goes against the Constitution. The highest court is the Supreme Court.

Under the Constitution, what is one power that belongs to the federal government?

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

Under the Constitution, what is one power that belongs to the states?

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

What are the two major political parties in the United States?

Democratic and Republican

What are the four constitutional amendments about who can vote?

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); and a male citizen of any race can vote.

What is one responsibility that is only for United States citizens?

Serve on a jury or vote in a federal election.

What is one right only for United States citizens?

Vote in a federal election or run for federal office.

What do we show loyalty to when saying the Pledge of Allegiance?

The United States or the flag.

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

April 15

When must all men register for the Selective Service?

At age eighteen ($18$), or between eighteen ($18$) and twenty-six ($26$).

What is one reason colonists came to America?

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

Who lived in America before the Europeans arrived, and what group was taken to America and sold as slaves?

American Indians (Native Americans) lived in America before Europeans arrived; Africans (people from Africa) were taken and sold as slaves.

Why did the colonists fight the British?

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

Who wrote the Declaration of Independence, and when was it adopted?

Thomas Jefferson wrote it; it was adopted on July 4, 1776.

When was the Constitution written, and what happened at the Constitutional Convention?

It was written in 1787; at the Constitutional Convention, the Founding Fathers wrote the Constitution.

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

(James) Madison, (Alexander) Hamilton, (John) Jay, and Publius.

What 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", or starting the first free libraries.

Who is known as the "Father of Our Country" and was the first President?

George Washington

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

The Louisiana Territory (Louisiana).

What were the problems that led to the Civil War?

Slavery, economic reasons, and states' rights.

What was one important thing that Abraham Lincoln did, and what did the Emancipation Proclamation do?

Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves (Emancipation Proclamation), saved (or preserved) the Union, and led the United States during the Civil War. The Emancipation Proclamation freed slaves in the Confederacy / Confederate states / most Southern states.

What did Susan B. Anthony do?

Fought for women's rights and fought for civil rights.

Who was President during World War I, and who was President during the Great Depression and World War II?

Woodrow Wilson was President during World War I; Franklin Roosevelt was President during the Great Depression and World War II.

Who did the United States fight in World War II?

Japan, Germany, and Italy.

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

Communism

What movement tried to end racial discrimination, and what did Martin Luther King, Jr. do?

The civil rights movement; Martin Luther King, Jr. fought for civil rights and worked for equality for all Americans.

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

Terrorists attacked the United States.

What are the two longest rivers in the United States?

Missouri (River) and Mississippi (River).

What oceans are on the West Coast and East Coast of the United States?

The Pacific Ocean is on the West Coast, and the Atlantic Ocean is on the East Coast.

Why does the American flag have $13$ stripes and $50$ stars?

It has $13$ stripes because there were $13$ original colonies (representing the original colonies), and $50$ stars because there is one star for each state ($50$ states).

What is the name of the national anthem of the United States?

The Star-Spangled Banner

When do we celebrate Independence Day?

July 4