USCIS Civics Test Vocabulary Review

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering principles of government, historical documents, amendments, and key historical periods based on the USCIS Civics Test textbook.

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

A republic; a Constitution-based federal republic; a representative democracy.

2. What is the supreme law of the land?

The U.S. Constitution.

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

Forms the government; defines the powers and parts of government; protects the rights of the people.

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

Self-government; popular sovereignty; consent of the governed.

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

Through amendments/the amendment process.

6. What does the Bill of Rights protect?

The basic rights of Americans and people living in the United States.

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

27

8. Why is the Declaration of Independence important?

It declares independence from Britain and identifies equality, inherent rights, and individual freedoms.

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

The Declaration of Independence.

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

Equality; liberty; social contract; natural rights; limited government; self-government. Know any two.

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

The Declaration of Independence.

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

Capitalism; free-market economy.

13. What is the rule of law?

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

14. Name one document that influenced the U.S. Constitution.

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.

15. Why are there three branches of government?

To prevent one part of government from becoming too powerful; checks and balances; separation of powers.

16. Name the three branches of government.

Legislative; executive; judicial.

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

Executive branch.

18. What part of the federal government writes laws?

Congress; legislative branch.

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

Senate and House of Representatives.

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

Write laws; declare war; make the federal budget.

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

100

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

6 years.

23. Who is one of Iowa's U.S. senators now?

Chuck Grassley or Joni Ernst.

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

435

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

2 years.

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

To more closely follow public opinion.

27. How many senators does each state have?

2

28. Why does each state have two senators?

Equal representation for states; Great Compromise; Connecticut Compromise.

29. Name your U.S. representative.

Zach Nunn.

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

Mike Johnson.

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

The citizens or people of their state.

32. Who elects U.S. senators?

Citizens from their state.

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

Citizens or people in their congressional district.

34. Who elects members of the House of Representatives?

Citizens from their congressional district.

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

Because of the state's population.

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

4 years.

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

Because of the 22nd Amendment; to keep the president from becoming too powerful.

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

Donald J. Trump.

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

JD Vance.

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

The Vice President.

41. Name one power of the president.

Signs bills into law; vetoes bills; enforces laws; Commander in Chief; chief diplomat; appoints federal judges.

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

The President.

43. Who signs bills to become laws?

The President.

44. Who vetoes bills?

The President.

45. Who appoints federal judges?

The President.

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

President; Cabinet; federal departments and agencies.

47. What does the President's Cabinet do?

Advises the President.

48. What are two Cabinet-level positions?

Examples include 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 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.

49. Why is the Electoral College important?

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

50. What is one part of the judicial branch?

Supreme Court; federal courts.

51. What does the judicial branch do?

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

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

Supreme Court.

53. How many seats are on the Supreme Court?

9

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

5

55. How long do Supreme Court justices serve?

For life; lifetime appointment; until retirement.

56. Supreme Court justices serve for life. Why?

To be independent of politics; to limit outside political influence.

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

John G. Roberts Jr.

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

Print paper money; mint coins; declare war; create an army; make treaties; set foreign policy.

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

Provide schooling and education; provide police protection; provide fire protection; give driver's licenses; approve zoning and land use.

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

Powers not given to the federal government belong to the states or the people.

61. Who is the governor of Iowa now?

Kim Reynolds.

62. What is the capital of Iowa?

Des Moines.

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

Citizens 18 and older can vote; you do not have to pay a poll tax to vote; any citizen can vote; a male citizen of any race can vote.

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

U.S. citizens.

65. What are three 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. Know any three.

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

The United States; the flag.

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

Give up loyalty to other countries; defend the Constitution; obey U.S. laws; serve in the military if needed; serve the nation if needed; be loyal to the United States. Know any two.

68. How can people become United States citizens?

Be born in the United States under the conditions set by the 14th Amendment; naturalize; derive citizenship under conditions set by Congress.

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

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; contact elected officials; support or oppose an issue or policy; write to a newspaper.

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

Vote; pay taxes; obey the law; serve in the military; run for office; work for local, state, or federal government.

71. Why is it important to pay federal taxes?

Required by law; helps fund the federal government; required by the 16th Amendment; civic duty.

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

Required by law; civic duty; makes the draft fair if needed.

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

Freedom; political liberty; religious freedom; economic opportunity; escape persecution.

74. Who lived in America before the Europeans arrived?

American Indians; Native Americans.

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

Africans; people from Africa.

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

American Revolution; Revolutionary War; War for American Independence.

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

High taxes; taxation without representation; British soldiers stayed in Americans' houses; no self-government; Boston Massacre; Boston Tea Party; Stamp Act; Sugar Act; Townshend Acts; Intolerable Acts.

78. Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?

Thomas Jefferson.

79. When was the Declaration of Independence adopted?

July 4, 1776.

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

Battle of Bunker Hill; Declaration of Independence; Washington Crossing the Delaware; Battle of Trenton; Battle of Saratoga; Valley Forge; Battle of Yorktown; British surrender at Yorktown.

81. There were 13 original states. Name five.

New Hampshire; Massachusetts; Rhode Island; Connecticut; New York; New Jersey; Pennsylvania; Delaware; Maryland; Virginia; North Carolina; South Carolina; Georgia. Know any five.

82. What founding document was written in 1787?

U.S. Constitution.

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

James Madison; Alexander Hamilton; John Jay; Publius.

84. Why were the Federalist Papers important?

They helped people understand the Constitution; they supported passing the Constitution.

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

Founded the first free public libraries; first Postmaster General; helped write the Declaration of Independence; inventor; U.S. diplomat.

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

Father of Our Country; first president of the United States; General of the Continental Army; president of the Constitutional Convention.

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

Writer of the Declaration of Independence; third president; doubled the size of the United States through the Louisiana Purchase; first Secretary of State; founded the University of Virginia; writer of the Virginia Statute on Religious Freedom.

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

Father of the Constitution; fourth president; president during the War of 1812; writer of the Federalist Papers.

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

First Secretary of the Treasury; writer of the Federalist Papers; helped establish the First Bank of the United States; aide to George Washington; member of the Continental Congress.

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

Louisiana Territory; Louisiana.

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

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

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

Civil War.

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

Battle of Fort Sumter; Emancipation Proclamation; Battle of Vicksburg; Battle of Gettysburg; Sherman's March; surrender at Appomattox; Battle of Antietam; Lincoln was assassinated.

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

Freed the slaves through the Emancipation Proclamation; saved or preserved the Union; led the United States during the Civil War; 16th president; delivered the Gettysburg Address.

95. What did the Emancipation Proclamation do?

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

96. What U.S. war ended slavery?

Civil War.

97. What amendment says all persons born or naturalized in the United States are U.S. citizens?

14th Amendment.

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

After the Civil War; during Reconstruction; with the 15th Amendment; 1870.

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

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

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

World War I; World War II; Korean War; Vietnam War; Persian Gulf War.