2025 Civics Test Notes

2025 Version of the Civics Test Study Guide

Introduction

• Overview of the civics test structure for naturalization.
  • Oral test administered by a USCIS officer.
  • Up to 20 questions selected from a pool of 128.
  • Requirement to answer at least 12 questions correctly to pass.
  • Answers may change based on elections or appointments; current officials' names will be required.
  • Special consideration for applicants 65 years or older with 20 years of residency.
  • Applicants in this category study only 20 specific questions marked with an asterisk and only need to answer 6 correctly to pass.

Section A: Principles of American Government

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

   • Republic
   • Constitution-based federal republic
   • 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 powers of government
   • Defines the 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
   • People should govern themselves
   • Example of social contract

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
   • The basic rights of people living in the United States

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

   • Twenty-seven (27)

8. Why is the Declaration of Independence important?

   • It asserts America’s freedom from British control.
   • It states that all people are created equal.
   • It identifies inherent rights and individual freedoms.

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

   • Declaration of Independence

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

    • Equality
    • Liberty
    • Social contract
    • Natural rights
    • Limited government
    • Self-government

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

    • 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 must obey the law.
    • Government must obey the law.
    • No one is above the law.

14. Many documents influenced the U.S. Constitution. Name one.

    • 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. There are three branches of government. Why?

    • To ensure no single part becomes too powerful
    • Checks and balances
    • Separation of powers

Section B: System of Government

16. Name the three branches of government.

    • Legislative, Executive, and Judicial
    • Congress, President, and the Courts

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?

    • (U.S.) Congress
    • (U.S. or national) Legislature
    • 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.

    • Writes laws
    • Declares war
    • Makes the federal budget

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

    • One hundred (100)

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

    • Six (6) years

23. Who is one of your state’s U.S. senators now?

    • Answers will vary (D.C. residents have no U.S. Senators).

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

    • Four hundred thirty-five (435)

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

    • Two (2) years

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

    • To be more responsive to public opinion

27. How many senators does each state have?

    • Two (2)

28. Why does each state have two senators?

    • Equal representation for small states
    • The Great Compromise

29. Name your U.S. representative.

    • Answers will vary (non-voting delegates acceptable).

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

    • Visit uscis.gov/citizenship/testupdates for the current name.

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

    • Citizens 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 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?

    • Based on the state’s population

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

    • Four (4) years

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

    • Due to the 22nd Amendment to prevent excessive power concentration

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

    • Visit uscis.gov/citizenship/testupdates for the current name.

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

    • Visit uscis.gov/citizenship/testupdates for the current name.

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

    • The Vice President of the United States

41. Name one power of the president.

    • Signs bills into law
    • Vetoes bills
    • Enforces laws
    • Commander in Chief of the military
    • Chief diplomat
    • Appoints federal judges

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

    • The President of the United States

43. Who signs bills to become laws?

    • The President of the United States

44. Who vetoes bills?

    • The President of the United States

45. Who appoints federal judges?

    • The President of the United States

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

    • President of the United States
    • Cabinet
    • Federal departments and agencies

47. What does the President’s Cabinet do?

    • Advises the President of the United States

48. What are two Cabinet-level positions?

    • 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 War (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 is a compromise between popular election 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 laws
    • Decides if laws conflict with the U.S. Constitution

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

    • Supreme Court

53. How many seats are on the Supreme Court?

    • Nine (9)

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

    • Five (5)

55. How long do Supreme Court justices serve?

    • For life, considered a lifetime appointment until retirement

56. Why do Supreme Court justices serve for life?

    • To ensure independence from political influence

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

    • Visit uscis.gov/citizenship/testupdates for the current name.

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

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

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

61. Who is the governor of your state now?

    • Answers will vary (D.C. does not have a governor).

62. What is the capital of your state?

    • Answers will vary (D.C. is not a state and has no capital).

Section C: Rights and Responsibilities

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

    • Citizens eighteen (18) and older can vote.
    • No poll tax to vote.
    • Any citizen can vote regardless of gender.
    • 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?

    • Citizens of the United States

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

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 U.S. Constitution
    • Obey the laws of the United States
    • Serve in the military if needed
    • Serve the nation if needed
    • Be loyal to the United States

68. How can people become United States citizens?

    • Be born in the United States (as per 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 civic/community groups
    • Contact elected officials
    • 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 in government

71. Why is it important to pay federal taxes?

    • Required by law
    • To fund the federal government
    • 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
    • Ensures fairness for draft if needed

Section D: American History

A: Colonial Period and Independence

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
    • The Revolutionary War
    • War for Independence

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

    • High taxes
    • Taxation without representation
    • British soldiers boarding in colonists’ homes
    • Lack of self-governance
    • The Boston Massacre
    • The 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 included many important events. Name one.

    • Battle of Bunker Hill
    • Declaration of Independence
    • Washington Crossing the Delaware
    • Battle of Saratoga
    • Valley Forge
    • Battle of 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

82. What founding document was written in 1787?

    • The 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?

    • Helped people understand the U.S. Constitution
    • Supported passage of the Constitution

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

    • Founded the first free public libraries
    • First Postmaster General of the U.S.
    • 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 U.S.
    • 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 of the U.S.
    • Doubled the size of the U.S. (Louisiana Purchase)
    • First Secretary of State
    • Founded the University of Virginia
    • Writer of the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom

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

    • “Father of the Constitution”
    • Fourth President of the U.S.
    • President during the War of 1812
    • One of the writers of the Federalist Papers

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

    • First Secretary of the Treasury
    • One of the writers of the Federalist Papers
    • Established the First Bank of the U.S.
    • Aide to General Washington
    • Member of the Continental Congress

B: 1800s

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

    • Louisiana Territory

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.

    • The 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

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

    • Freed the slaves (Emancipation Proclamation)
    • Preserved the Union
    • Led the U.S. during the Civil War
    • 16th President of the U.S.
    • Delivered the Gettysburg Address

95. What did the Emancipation Proclamation do?

    • Freed slaves in the Confederacy

96. What U.S. war ended slavery?

    • The 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 in 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

C: Recent American History and Other Important Historical Information

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

101. Why did the United States enter World War I?

     • Germany attacked U.S. civilian ships
     • To support the Allied Powers
     • To oppose the Central Powers

102. When did all women get the right to vote?

     • 1920
     • With the 19th Amendment

103. What was the Great Depression?

     • Longest economic recession in modern history

104. When did the Great Depression start?

     • The Great Crash in 1929

105. Who was president during the Great Depression and World War II?

     • Franklin Roosevelt

106. Why did the United States enter World War II?

     • Bombing of Pearl Harbor
     • To support the Allied Powers
     • To oppose the Axis Powers

107. Dwight Eisenhower is famous for many things. Name one.

     • General during World War II
     • 34th President of the U.S.
     • Signed the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956

108. Who was the United States’ main rival during the Cold War?

     • Soviet Union
     • USSR
     • Russia

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

     • Communism
     • Nuclear war

110. Why did the United States enter the Korean War?

     • To stop the spread of communism

111. Why did the United States enter the Vietnam War?

     • To stop the spread of communism

112. What did the civil rights movement do?

     • Fought to end racial discrimination

113. Martin Luther King, Jr. is famous for many things. Name one.

     • Fought for civil rights
     • Worked for equality for all Americans
     • Advocated for judging people by character not skin color

114. Why did the United States enter the Persian Gulf War?

     • To force Iraqi military from Kuwait

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

     • Terrorists attacked the United States
     • Crashed planes into World Trade Center and Pentagon
     • Flight directed towards Washington D.C. crashed in Pennsylvania

116. Name one U.S. military conflict after the September 11, 2001 attacks.

     • War on Terror
     • War in Afghanistan
     • War in Iraq

117. Name one American Indian tribe in the United States.

     • Apache
     • Blackfeet
     • Cayuga
     • Cherokee
     • Cheyenne
     • Chippewa
     • Choctaw
     • Creek
     • Crow
     • Hopi
     • Huron
     • Inupiat
     • Lakota
     • Mohawk
     • Mohegan
     • Navajo
     • Oneida
     • Onondaga
     • Pueblo
     • Seminole
     • Seneca
     • Shawnee
     • Sioux
     • Teton
     • Tuscarora

118. Name one example of an American innovation.

     • Light bulb
     • Automobile
     • Skyscrapers
     • Airplane
     • Assembly line
     • Landing on the moon
     • Integrated circuit (IC)

Section E: Symbols and Holidays

A: Symbols

119. What is the capital of the United States?

     • Washington, D.C.

120. Where is the Statue of Liberty?

     • New York Harbor
     • Liberty Island

121. Why does the flag have 13 stripes?

     • There were 13 original colonies

122. Why does the flag have 50 stars?

     • One star for each state

123. What is the name of the national anthem?

     • The Star-Spangled Banner

124. The Nation’s first motto was “E Pluribus Unum.” What does that mean?

     • Out of many, one

B: Holidays

125. What is Independence Day?

     • A holiday celebrating U.S. independence from Britain
     • The country’s birthday

126. Name three national U.S. holidays.

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

127. What is Memorial Day?

     • A holiday to honor soldiers who died in military service

128. What is Veterans Day?

     • A holiday to honor those who served in the military