Comprehensive Study Guide for the 2020 USCIS Civics Naturalization Test

Civics Test Administration and General Regulations

• Test Format and Structure:

  • The 2020 version of the United States civics test consists of $128$ civics questions and answers covering key topics in American government and history.
  • The civics examination is conducted orally by a United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) officer.
  • For standard applicants, the USCIS officer asks $20$ questions chosen from the total pool of $128$ questions.

• Passing Requirements:

  • Standard applicants must answer at least $12$ out of $20$ questions correctly to pass the 2020 version of the civics test, representing a minimum score of $60\%$.

• Dynamic Test Answers and Official Updates:

  • Certain test answers may change over time as a result of elections, appointments, or political transitions.
  • Applicants are required to visit uscis.gov/citizenship/testupdates to verify any updated answers prior to their examination.
  • On the civics test, applicants must provide the name of the official currently serving in office at the specific time of their naturalization interview.
  • USCIS acknowledges that additional correct answers to the civics questions may exist; however, applicants are strongly encouraged to respond using the official answers provided in the study guide.

• Document Identification:

  • Official publication reference number: Form M-1778 (02/21).

65/20 Special Consideration Exemption Rules

• Eligibility Criteria:

  • Applies to applicants who are $65$ years of age or older and have lived in the United States as a Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR) for $20$ or more years.

• Designated Study Material:

  • Qualifying applicants are required to study only the $20$ designated questions marked with an asterisk ($*$) found throughout the official test guide.

• Language Option:

  • Applicants qualifying under the 65/20 special consideration may take the civics examination in the language of their choice.

• Examination Format and Passing Threshold:

  • The USCIS officer asks the applicant $10$ questions chosen from the $20$ designated asterisk ($*$) questions.
  • The applicant must answer at least $6$ out of $10$ questions correctly to pass the 2020 version of the civics test, representing a minimum score of $60\%$.

Principles of American Government

• Form of Government:

  • Republic
  • Constitution-based federal republic
  • Representative democracy

• Supreme Law of the Land:

  • (U.S.) Constitution (Designated 65/20 Special Consideration Question)

• Functions of the U.S. Constitution:

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

• Meaning of "We the People":

  • The opening words of the U.S. Constitution represent:
  • Self-government
  • Popular sovereignty
  • Consent of the governed
  • The principle that people should govern themselves
  • An example of a social contract

• Constitutional Amendments:

  • Changes to the U.S. Constitution are made through amendments or the amendment process.
  • The Bill of Rights protects the basic rights of Americans and the basic rights of people living in the United States.
  • Total number of amendments to the U.S. Constitution: Twenty-seven ($27$) (Designated 65/20 Special Consideration Question)

• Declaration of Independence:

  • Significance: States that America is free from British control, asserts that all people are created equal, identifies inherent rights, and identifies individual freedoms.
  • Primary document stating freedom from Britain: Declaration of Independence.
  • Famous phrase included: "Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness."

• Core Ideals of Founding Documents:

  • Important ideas shared by the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution include equality, liberty, social contract, natural rights, limited government, and self-government.

• Economic System:

  • Capitalism
  • Free market economy (Designated 65/20 Special Consideration Question)

• The Rule of Law:

  • Principles governing 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.

• Historical Influences on the U.S. Constitution:

  • Documents that influenced the U.S. Constitution include the Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation, Federalist Papers, Anti-Federalist Papers, Virginia Declaration of Rights, Fundamental Orders of Connecticut, Mayflower Compact, and the Iroquois Great Law of Peace.

• Separation of Powers:

  • The government is divided into three branches so one part does not become too powerful, establishing a system of checks and balances and separation of powers.

System of Government: Legislative Branch

• Branches of Government:

  • Three branches: Legislative, executive, and judicial (also expressed as Congress, president, and the courts).

• Lawmaking Authority:

  • Writes laws: (U.S.) Congress, (U.S. or national) legislature, or the legislative branch.
  • Two parts of the U.S. Congress: Senate and House (of Representatives).

• Powers of the U.S. Congress:

  • Writes laws
  • Declares war
  • Makes the federal budget (Designated 65/20 Special Consideration Question)

• U.S. Senate Specifications:

  • Total number of U.S. senators: One hundred ($100$).
  • Term length: Six ($6$) years.
  • Allocation per state: Two ($2$) senators per state.
  • Rationale for two senators per state: Ensures equal representation for small states; established by the Great Compromise (also known as the Connecticut Compromise).
  • Representation: Represents citizens of their state / people of their state.
  • Electorate: Elected by citizens from their state.
  • Current representation status: Varies by state. District of Columbia residents and residents of U.S. territories must state that D.C. or their territory has no U.S. senators.

• House of Representatives Specifications:

  • Total voting members: Four hundred thirty-five ($435$).
  • Term length: Two ($2$) years.
  • Rationale for shorter terms: Designed to more closely follow public opinion.
  • Allocation: Based on the state's population (states with more people have more representatives).
  • Representation: Represents citizens in their (congressional) district / people in their district.
  • Electorate: Elected by citizens from their (congressional) district.
  • Territory representation rule: Residents of territories with nonvoting Delegates or Resident Commissioners may provide the name of that official, or state that the territory has no voting representatives in Congress.

• Speaker of the House of Representatives:

  • Current official: Applicants must visit uscis.gov/citizenship/testupdates for the name of the current Speaker of the House (Designated 65/20 Special Consideration Question).

System of Government: Executive Branch

• Leadership and Term Limits:

  • The President of the United States is in charge of the executive branch.
  • Term length: Four ($4$) years (Designated 65/20 Special Consideration Question).
  • Two-term limitation rationale: Mandated by the $22\text{nd}$ Amendment to keep the president from becoming too powerful.

• Current Executive Officials:

  • President of the United States: Visit uscis.gov/citizenship/testupdates for current official (Designated 65/20 Special Consideration Question).
  • Vice President of the United States: Visit uscis.gov/citizenship/testupdates for current official (Designated 65/20 Special Consideration Question).

• Presidential Succession:

  • If the president can no longer serve, the Vice President (of the United States) becomes president.

• Powers of the President:

  • Signs bills into law
  • Vetoes bills (Designated 65/20 Special Consideration Question)
  • Enforces laws
  • Commander in Chief of the military
  • Chief diplomat

• Military, Legislative, and Judicial Roles:

  • Commander in Chief of the U.S. military: The President (of the United States).
  • Signs bills into law: The President (of the United States).
  • Vetoes bills: The President (of the United States).
  • Appoints federal judges: The President (of the United States).

• Structure of Executive Branch:

  • Executive branch components: President (of the United States), Cabinet, and federal departments and agencies.

• The President's Cabinet:

  • Purpose: Advises the President (of the United States).
  • Cabinet-level positions include:
  • Attorney General
  • 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
  • Vice President (of the United States)

• The Electoral College:

  • Decides who is elected president.
  • Provides a compromise between the popular election of the president and congressional selection.

System of Government: Judicial Branch

• Structure and Functions:

  • Components: Supreme Court and Federal Courts.
  • Functions: Reviews laws, explains laws, resolves disputes (disagreements) about the law, and decides if a law goes against the (U.S.) Constitution.

• The Supreme Court:

  • Highest court in the United States (Designated 65/20 Special Consideration Question).
  • Number of seats: Nine ($9$).
  • Quorum for decisions: Five ($5$) justices are usually needed to decide a case.

• Tenure of Supreme Court Justices:

  • Tenure length: For life, lifetime appointment, or until retirement.
  • Rationale for lifetime tenure: To be independent of politics and limit outside political influence.

• Chief Justice of the United States:

  • Current official: Visit uscis.gov/citizenship/testupdates for the name of the Chief Justice of the United States.

System of Government: Federalism and State Powers

• Exclusive Federal Powers:

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

• Exclusive State Powers:

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

• The 10th Amendment:

  • States that powers not given to the federal government belong to the states or to the people.

• State Officials and Capitals:

  • Current Governor: Answers vary by state. District of Columbia residents must answer that D.C. does not have a governor (Designated 65/20 Special Consideration Question).
  • State Capital: Answers vary by state. District of Columbia residents must answer that D.C. is not a state and does not have a capital. Residents of U.S. territories must name the capital of their territory.

Rights and Responsibilities of American Citizens

• Constitutional Voting Amendments:

  • Four amendments address voting rights:
  • Citizens eighteen ($18$) and older can vote.
  • Prohibition of poll taxes (you don't have to pay to vote).
  • Universal citizen suffrage (any citizen can vote, including women and men).
  • Racial equality in voting (a male citizen of any race can vote).

• Rights Reserved Exclusively for U.S. Citizens:

  • Voting in federal elections
  • Running for federal office
  • Serving on a jury in the United States

• Rights Guaranteed to Everyone Living in the U.S.:

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

• Loyalty and the Pledge of Allegiance:

  • Reciting the Pledge of Allegiance demonstrates loyalty to the United States and to the flag (Designated 65/20 Special Consideration Question).

• Promises Made in the Oath of Allegiance:

  • 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

• Obtaining U.S. Citizenship:

  • Naturalization
  • Deriving citizenship
  • Being born in the United States

• Civic Participation:

  • Examples include: voting, running for office, joining a political party, helping with a campaign, joining a civic or community group, giving an elected official an opinion on an issue, contacting elected officials, supporting or opposing an issue or policy, and writing to a newspaper.

• Ways to Serve the Country:

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

• Federal Taxes:

  • Paying federal taxes is required by law, funds the federal government, is mandated by the U.S. Constitution ($16\text{th}$ Amendment), and is a civic duty.

• Selective Service Registration:

  • Men aged $18$ through $25$ must register for Selective Service because it is required by law, represents a civic duty, and ensures a fair draft if needed.

American History: Colonial Period and Independence

• Reasons Colonists Came to America:

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

• Early Inhabitants:

  • American Indians or Native Americans lived in America before Europeans arrived (Designated 65/20 Special Consideration Question).

• Slavery:

  • Africans / people from Africa were taken and sold as slaves.

• American Revolutionary War:

  • War fought by Americans to win independence from Britain: American Revolution, (American) Revolutionary War, or War for (American) Independence.
  • Causes for declaring independence: high taxes (taxation without representation), boarding/quartering of British soldiers in private homes, lack of self-government, Boston Massacre, Boston Tea Party (Tea Act), Stamp Act, Sugar Act, Townshend Acts, and Intolerable (Coercive) Acts.

• Declaration of Independence:

  • Author: (Thomas) Jefferson (Designated 65/20 Special Consideration Question).
  • Adoption date: July 4, 1776.

• Key Events of the American Revolution:

  • (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)

• The 13 Original States:

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

• Constitutional History:

  • The U.S. Constitution was written in 1787.
  • The Federalist Papers supported passing the U.S. Constitution. Writers included (James) Madison, (Alexander) Hamilton, (John) Jay, and Publius.
  • Importance of Federalist Papers: Helped people understand the U.S. Constitution and supported its passage.

American History: Founding Figures and Leaders

• Benjamin Franklin:

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

• George Washington:

  • "Father of Our Country" (Designated 65/20 Special Consideration Question)
  • First president of the United States
  • General of the Continental Army
  • President of the Constitutional Convention

• Thomas Jefferson:

  • 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

• James Madison:

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

• Alexander Hamilton:

  • 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

American History: 1800s and the Civil War Era

• Territorial Expansion:

  • In 1803, the United States bought the Louisiana Territory (Louisiana) from France.

• 19th-Century Wars:

  • Wars fought by the U.S. in the 1800s: War of 1812, Mexican-American War, Civil War, and Spanish-American War.

• The Civil War:

  • Conflict fought between the North and the South.
  • Key events: (Battle of) Fort Sumter, Emancipation Proclamation, (Battle of) Vicksburg, (Battle of) Gettysburg, Sherman's March, (Surrender at) Appomattox, (Battle of) Antietam/Sharpsburg, and Lincoln's assassination.
  • Outcome: The Civil War ended slavery.

• Abraham Lincoln:

  • Freed the slaves (Emancipation Proclamation) (Designated 65/20 Special Consideration Question)
  • Saved (or preserved) the Union
  • Led the United States during the Civil War
  • $16\text{th}$ president of the United States
  • Delivered the Gettysburg Address

• Emancipation Proclamation:

  • Freed the slaves in the Confederacy, Confederate states, or most Southern states.

• Constitutional Rights Post-Civil War:

  • $14\text{th}$ Amendment: Gives citizenship to all persons born in the United States.
  • $15\text{th}$ Amendment: Granted voting rights to all men in 1870 (during Reconstruction / after the Civil War).

• Women's Rights Movement Leaders:

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

American History: 20th Century Conflicts and Civil Rights

• 20th-Century Wars:

  • Wars fought by the U.S. in the 1900s: World War I, World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War, and (Persian) Gulf War.

• World War I:

  • Reasons for U.S. entry: Germany attacked U.S. (civilian) ships, to support the Allied Powers (England, France, Italy, Russia), and to oppose the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire, Bulgaria).
  • Women's Suffrage: All women received the right to vote in 1920, after World War I, via the $19\text{th}$ Amendment.

• The Great Depression and World War II:

  • Great Depression definition: Longest economic recession in modern history, starting with the stock market crash of 1929 (The Great Crash).
  • President during Great Depression and World War II: (Franklin) Roosevelt.
  • World War II entry reasons: Bombing of Pearl Harbor (Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor), to support the Allied Powers (England, France, Russia), and to oppose the Axis Powers (Germany, Italy, Japan).

• Dwight D. Eisenhower:

  • General during World War II
  • $34\text{th}$ president of the United States (president at the end of/during the Korean War)
  • Signed the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 (created the Interstate System)

• The Cold War Era:

  • Main rival: Soviet Union (USSR, Russia).
  • Main concerns: Communism and nuclear war.
  • U.S. military interventions to stop communism: Korean War and Vietnam War.

• The Civil Rights Movement:

  • Purpose: Fought to end racial discrimination.
  • Martin Luther King, Jr.: Fought for civil rights, worked for equality for all Americans, and worked to ensure people would "not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character" (Designated 65/20 Special Consideration Question).

• Persian Gulf War:

  • Reason for U.S. entry: To force the Iraqi military from Kuwait.

Recent American History and Native American Heritage

• September 11, 2001 Attacks:

  • Terrorists attacked the United States (Designated 65/20 Special Consideration Question).
  • Terrorists hijacked two planes and crashed them into the World Trade Center in New York City.
  • Terrorists hijacked a plane and crashed it into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia.
  • Terrorists hijacked a plane aimed at Washington, D.C., which crashed in a field in Pennsylvania.

• Post-9/11 Military Conflicts:

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

• American Indian Tribes:

  • Recognized tribes in the United States include: Apache, Blackfeet, Cayuga, Cherokee, Cheyenne, Chippewa, Choctaw, Creek, Crow, Hopi, Huron, Inupiat, Lakota, Mohawk, Mohegan, Navajo, Oneida, Onondaga, Pueblo, Seminole, Seneca, Shawnee, Sioux, Teton, and Tuscarora (a complete list is maintained at bia.gov).

American Innovations

• Key Technological and Industrial Innovations:
  • Light bulb
  • Automobile (cars, internal combustion engine)
  • Skyscrapers
  • Airplane
  • Assembly line
  • Landing on the moon
  • Integrated circuit (IC)

American Symbols and Mottoes

• National Capital:

  • Washington, D.C.

• Statue of Liberty:

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

• Flag Symbolism:

  • 13 Stripes: Represent the 13 original colonies (Designated 65/20 Special Consideration Question).
  • 50 Stars: Represent the 50 states (one star for each state).

• National Anthem and Motto:

  • National Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner.
  • First National Motto: "E Pluribus Unum" (meaning "Out of many, one" or "We all become one").

National U.S. Holidays

• Independence Day:

  • Celebrated on July 4 as a holiday to mark U.S. independence from Britain (the country's birthday).

• Official National Holidays:

  • Ten recognized national U.S. holidays (Designated 65/20 Special Consideration Question requires naming three):
  • New Year's Day
  • Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
  • Presidents Day (Washington's Birthday)
  • Memorial Day
  • Independence Day
  • Labor Day
  • Columbus Day
  • Veterans Day
  • Thanksgiving Day
  • Christmas Day

• Commemorative Holiday Definitions:

  • Memorial Day: A holiday to honor soldiers who died in military service.
  • Veterans Day: A holiday to honor people in the (U.S.) military or people who have served in the (U.S.) military.