Civics (History and Government) Items for the Redesigned Naturalization Test
American Government
A: Principles of American Democracy
What is the supreme law of the land?
- The Constitution.
What does the Constitution do?
- Sets up the government.
- Defines the government.
- 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).
- 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
- Petition the government
How many amendments does the Constitution have?
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).
What are two rights in the Declaration of Independence?
- Life
- Liberty
- Pursuit of happiness
What is freedom of religion?
- You can practice any religion, or not practice a religion.
What is the economic system in the United States?
- Capitalism
- Free 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.
B: System of Government
Name one branch or part of the government.
- Congress
- Legislative
- President
- Executive
- The courts
- Judicial
What stops one branch of government from becoming too powerful?
- Checks and balances
- Separation of powers
Who is in charge of the executive branch?
- The President
Who makes federal laws?
- Congress
- Senate and House (of Representatives)
- (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?
We elect a U.S. Senator for how many years?
- 6
Who is one of your state’s U.S. Senators?
- Answers will vary. (Residents of the District of Columbia and those living in U.S. territories should answer that D.C. (or the territory where the applicant lives) has no U.S. Senators.)
The House of Representatives has how many voting members?
We elect a U.S. Representative for how many years?
- 2
Name your U.S. Representative.
- Answers will vary based on where the applicant lives.
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
- (Because) they have more people
- (Because) some states have more people
We elect a President for how many years?
- 4
In what month do we vote for President?
- November
What is the name of the President of the United States now?
- Answers will vary.
What is the name of the Vice President of the United States now?
- Answers will vary.
If the President can no longer serve, who becomes President?
- The Vice President
If both the President and the Vice President can no longer serve, who becomes President?
- The Speaker of the House
Who is the Commander in Chief of the military?
- The President
Who signs bills to become laws?
- The President
Who vetoes bills?
- The President
What does the President’s Cabinet do?
- Advises the President
What are two Cabinet-level positions?
- 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
- Attorney General
- Vice President
What does the judicial branch do?
- Reviews laws
- Explains laws
- Resolves disputes (disagreements)
- Decides if a law goes against the Constitution
What is the highest court in the United States?
- The Supreme Court
How many justices are on the Supreme Court?
- Answers will vary.
Who is the Chief Justice of the United States?
- Answers will vary.
Under our Constitution, some powers belong to the federal government. What is one power of the federal government?
- To print money
- To declare war
- To create an army
- To make treaties
Under our Constitution, some powers belong to the states. What is one power of the states?
- Provide schooling and education
- Provide protection (police)
- Provide safety (fire departments)
- Give a driver’s license
- Approve zoning and land use
Who is the Governor of your state?
- Answers will vary.
What is the capital of your state?
- Answers will vary.
What are the two major political parties in the United States?
- Democratic and Republican
What is the political party of the President now?
- Answers will vary.
What is the name of the Speaker of the House of Representatives now?
- Answers will vary.
C: Rights and Responsibilities
There are four amendments to the Constitution about who can vote. Describe one of them.
- 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.)
- A male citizen of any race can vote.
What is one responsibility that is only for United States citizens?
- Serve on a jury
- Vote in a federal election
What are two rights only for United States citizens?
- Apply for a federal job
- Vote
- Run for office
- Travel with a U.S. passport
What are two 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
What do we show loyalty to when we say the Pledge of Allegiance?
- The United States
- The flag
What is one promise you make when you become a United States citizen?
- 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)
- Be loyal to the United States
How old do citizens have to be to vote for President?
- 18 and older
What are two ways that Americans can participate in their democracy?
- Vote
- Join a political party
- Help with a campaign
- Join a civic group
- Join a community group
- Give elected officials your opinion on an issue
- Call Senators and Representatives
- Publicly support or oppose an issue or policy
- Run for office
- Write to a newspaper
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 18
- Between 18 and 26
American History
A: Colonial Period and Independence
What is one reason colonists came to America?
- Freedom
- Political liberty
- Religious freedom
- Economic opportunity
- Practice their religion
- Escape persecution
Who lived in America before the Europeans arrived?
- American Indians
- Native Americans
What group of people was taken to America and sold as slaves?
- Africans
- People from Africa
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
Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?
- (Thomas) Jefferson
When was the Declaration of Independence adopted?
- July 4, 1776
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
What happened at the Constitutional Convention?
- The Constitution was written.
- The Founding Fathers wrote the Constitution.
When was the Constitution written?
- 1787
The Federalist Papers supported the passage of the U.S. Constitution. Name one of the writers.
- (James) Madison
- (Alexander) Hamilton
- (John) Jay
- 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”
- Started the first free libraries
Who is the “Father of Our Country”?
- (George) Washington
Who was the first President?
- (George) Washington
B: The 1800s
What territory did the United States buy from France in 1803?
- The Louisiana Territory
- Louisiana
Name one war fought by the United States in the 1800s.
- War of 1812
- Mexican-American War
- Civil War
- Spanish-American War
Name the U.S. war between the North and the South.
- The Civil War
Name one problem that led to the Civil War.
- Slavery
- Economic reasons
- States’ rights
What was one important thing that Abraham Lincoln did?
- Freed the slaves (Emancipation Proclamation)
- Saved (or preserved) the Union
- Led the United States during the Civil War
What did the Emancipation Proclamation do?
- Freed the slaves
- Freed slaves in the Confederacy
- Freed slaves in the Confederate states
- Freed slaves in most Southern states
What did Susan B. Anthony do?
- Fought for women’s rights
- Fought for civil rights
C: Recent American History and Other Important Historical Information
Name one war fought by the United States in the 1900s.
- World War I
- World War II
- Korean War
- Vietnam War
- (Persian) Gulf War
Who was President during World War I?
- (Woodrow) Wilson
Who was President during the Great Depression and World War II?
- (Franklin) Roosevelt
Who did the United States fight in World War II?
- Japan, Germany, and Italy
Before he was President, Dwight D. Eisenhower was a general. What war was he in?
- World War II
During the Cold War, what was the main concern of the United States?
- Communism
What movement tried to end racial discrimination?
- Civil rights (movement)
What did Martin Luther King, Jr. do?
- Fought for civil rights
- Worked for equality for all Americans
What major event happened on September 11, 2001 in the United States?
- Terrorists attacked the United States.
Name one American Indian tribe in the United States.
- (The Bureau of Indian Affairs provides a list of federally recognized tribes).
Integrated Civics
A: Geography
Name one of the two longest rivers in the United States.
- Missouri (River)
- Mississippi (River)
What ocean is on the West Coast of the United States?
- Pacific (Ocean)
What ocean is on the East Coast of the United States?
- Atlantic (Ocean)
Name one U.S. territory.
- Puerto Rico
- U.S. Virgin Islands
- American Samoa
- Northern Mariana Islands
- Guam
Name one state that borders Canada.
- Maine
- New Hampshire
- Vermont
- New York
- Pennsylvania
- Ohio
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- North Dakota
- Montana
- Idaho
- Washington
- Alaska
Name one state that borders Mexico.
- California
- Arizona
- New Mexico
- Texas
What is the capital of the United States?
- Washington, D.C.
Where is the Statue of Liberty?
- New York (Harbor)
- Liberty Island
B: Symbols
Why does the flag have 13 stripes?
- Because there were 13 original colonies
- Because the stripes represent the original colonies
Why does the flag have 50 stars?
- Because there is one star for each state
- Because each star represents a state
- Because there are 50 states
What is the name of the national anthem?
- The Star-Spangled Banner
C: Holidays
When do we celebrate Independence Day?
- July 4
Name two national U.S. holidays.
- New Year’s Day
- Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
- President’s Day
- Memorial Day
- Independence Day
- Labor Day
- Columbus Day
- Veterans Day
- Thanksgiving
- Christmas