Appendix I: Citizenship Test

A major part of the American Experiment has been immigration. More than any other country, the United States was built and largely populated by immigrants and their descendants.

Today, out of a U.S. population of roughly 331 million people, about 46 million are immigrants, and 40 million are second-generation Americans. At the country’s outset, there were essentially no constraints on who could enter the country, or even who could become citizens.

But in 1790, as the new U.S. government was getting organized under the Constitution, legislation was passed to permit immigrants who were white, over twenty-one, and residents of the U.S. for two years to petition a federal court for citizenship.

Five years later, the residency requirement was extended to five years, and an affidavit of a U.S. citizen witness vouching that the applicant “possessed a good moral character” was added. From 1795 to 1906, requirements for citizenship changed—an oath to support the Constitution was added; previous citizenship (and any nobility title) had to be renounced; and Blacks were finally permitted to become citizens after the Fourteenth Amendment was ratified in 1868.

In 1906, under new legislation, a Bureau of Immigration and Naturalization was created; an English literacy test was essentially established (later officially required in 1917); and federal judges (who administered the citizenship process) were allowed to ask questions about U.S. history and civics—though no preparatory materials were provided and each judge was the sole arbiter of the answers’ accuracy.

In subsequent years, different requirements were imposed before citizenship was granted—literacy; nationality quotas; basic verbal English proficiency; race and ethnicity. From time to time, these requirements were amended, allowed to lapse, or made more precise.

But not until new legislation was enacted in 1990 was the process of judicial admission ended; federal naturalization examiners would now review whether the applicants met the various standards, and judges would be limited to administering the oath of allegiance to the United States.

As part of the citizenship process, a requirement was established in 1952 to ensure that the prospective citizen had a “knowledge and understanding of the fundamentals of the history, and of the principles and form of government, of the United States.”

In short, a history and civics requirement was imposed. This was met in a variety of ways, but the current system provides prospective citizens with materials outlining one hundred potential questions in the American history and civics area. The prospective citizens can study these questions and appear for the test when they are ready to do so.

When an applicant is being considered for citizenship, the examiner (now a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services officer) orally asks the applicant ten of the potential one hundred questions. Six correct answers are required to pass.I

Currently, about 91 percent of prospective citizens pass both this test (presumably after some studying of the potential one hundred questions) and the English proficiency test (the other component of the citizenship test).

The questions are basic ones, and it would be presumed that nonnaturalized Americans—who likely had the benefit of civics or history classes in school—would be able to readily pass the same test.

That presumption, it turns out, is wrong. In 2018, the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation (now the Institute for Citizens and Scholars) created a process under which mostly natural-born Americans (who volunteered to participate in advance) were given five minutes to complete an online, multiple-choice survey. Twenty questions were chosen, at random, from the standard citizenship one hundred–question list.

The results were largely shocking. Forty-one thousand adults (approximately 90 percent were U.S. citizens at birth) from all fifty states and the District of Columbia participated. In only one state (Vermont) did a majority (53 percent) of the respondents pass (i.e. getting twelve questions correct out of the twenty that were asked). In forty-nine other states and the District, a majority of those interviewed could not answer correctly twelve questions out of the twenty asked.

How would you do in taking this portion of the U.S. citizenship test?

The actual test involves ten questions out of a potential one hundred. I have included over the next few pages those one hundred questions (available on the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services website, uscis.gov/citizenship). I have arranged them in a format of ten questions—and thus there are in effect ten tests. The questions are in nine categories; in each mini test, I have included one question from each of the categories to the extent possible. Take any one of the ten tests—or all of them—to gauge your own ability to pass this basic civics and history test.

U.S. CITIZENSHIP—SAMPLE TEST ONE

  1. What is the supreme law of the land?
  2. Name one branch or part of the government.
  3. There are four amendments to the Constitution about who can vote. Describe one of them.
  4. What is one reason colonists came to America?
  5. What territory did the United States buy from France in 1803?
  6. Name one war fought by the United States in the 1900s.
  7. Name one of the two longest rivers in the United States.
  8. Why does the flag have 13 stripes?
  9. When do we celebrate Independence Day?
  10. What stops one branch of government from becoming too powerful?

U.S. CITIZENSHIP—SAMPLE TEST TWO

  1. What does the Constitution do?
  2. Who is in charge of the executive branch?
  3. What is one responsibility that is only for United States citizens?
  4. Who lived in America before the Europeans arrived?
  5. Name one war fought by the United States in the 1800s.
  6. Who was President during World War I?
  7. What ocean is on the West Coast of the United States?
  8. Why does the flag have 50 stars?
  9. Name two national U.S. holidays.
  10. Who makes federal laws?

U.S. CITIZENSHIP—SAMPLE TEST THREE

  1. What is an amendment?
  2. What are the two parts of the U.S. Congress?
  3. Name one right only for United States citizens.
  4. What group of people was taken to America and sold as slaves?
  5. Name the U.S. war between the North and the South.
  6. Who was President during the Great Depression and World War II?
  7. What ocean is on the East Coast of the United States?
  8. What is the name of the national anthem?
  9. How many U.S. Senators are there?
  10. We elect a U.S. Senator for how many years?

U.S. CITIZENSHIP—SAMPLE TEST FOUR

  1. What do we call the first ten amendments to the Constitution?
  2. Who is one of your state’s U.S. Senators now?
  3. What are two rights of everyone living in the United States?
  4. Why did the colonists fight the British?
  5. Name one problem that led to the Civil War.
  6. Who did the United States fight in World War II?
  7. Name one U.S. territory.
  8. The House of Representatives has how many voting members?
  9. We elect a U.S. Representative for how many years?
  10. Name your U.S. Representative.

U.S. CITIZENSHIP—SAMPLE TEST FIVE

  1. What is one right or freedom from the First Amendment?
  2. Who does a U.S. Senator represent?
  3. What do we show loyalty to when we say the Pledge of Allegiance?
  4. Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?
  5. What was one important thing that Abraham Lincoln did?
  6. Before he was President, Eisenhower was a general. What war was he in?
  7. Name one state that borders Canada.
  8. Why do some states have more Representatives than other states?
  9. We elect a President for how many years?
  10. In what month do we vote for President?

U.S. CITIZENSHIP—SAMPLE TEST SIX

  1. How many amendments does the Constitution have?
  2. What is the name of the President of the United States now?
  3. What is one promise you make when you become a United States citizen?
  4. When was the Declaration of Independence adopted?
  5. What did the Emancipation Proclamation do?
  6. During the Cold War, what was the main concern of the United States?
  7. Name one state that borders Mexico.
  8. What is the name of the Vice President of the United States now?
  9. If the President can no longer serve, who becomes President?
  10. If both the President and the Vice President can no longer serve, who becomes President?

U.S. CITIZENSHIP—SAMPLE TEST SEVEN

  1. What did the Declaration of Independence do?
  2. Who is the Commander in Chief of the military?
  3. How old do citizens have to be to vote for President?
  4. There were 13 original states. Name three.
  5. What did Susan B. Anthony do?
  6. What movement tried to end racial discrimination?
  7. What is the capital of the United States?
  8. Who signs bills to become laws?
  9. Who vetoes bills?
  10. What does the President’s Cabinet do?

U.S. CITIZENSHIP—SAMPLE TEST EIGHT

  1. What are two rights in the Declaration of Independence?
  2. What are two Cabinet-level positions?
  3. What are two ways that Americans can participate in their democracy?
  4. What happened at the Constitutional Convention?
  5. What did Martin Luther King Jr. do?
  6. Where is the Statue of Liberty?
  7. What does the judicial branch do?
  8. What is the highest court in the United States?
  9. How many justices are on the Supreme Court?
  10. Who is the Chief Justice of the United States now?

U.S. CITIZENSHIP—SAMPLE TEST NINE

  1. What is freedom of religion?
  2. Under our Constitution, some powers belong to the federal government. What is one power of the federal government?
  3. When is the last day you can send in federal income tax forms?
  4. When was the Constitution written?
  5. What major event happened on September 11, 2001, in the United States?
  6. What is the economic system in the United States?
  7. Under our Constitution, some powers belong to the states. What is one power of the states?
  8. Who is the Governor of your state now?
  9. What is the capital of your state?
  10. The Federalist Papers supported the passage of the U.S. Constitution. Name one of the writers.

U.S. CITIZENSHIP—SAMPLE TEST TEN

  1. What is the “rule of law”?
  2. What are the two major political parties in the United States?
  3. When must all men register for the Selective Service?
  4. What is one thing Benjamin Franklin is famous for?
  5. Name one American Indian tribe in the United States.
  6. The idea of self-government is in the first three words of the Constitution. What are these words?
  7. What is the political party of the President now?
  8. What is the name of the Speaker of the House of Representatives now?
  9. Who is the “Father of Our Country”?
  10. Who was the first President?

Solutions

U.S. CITIZENSHIP—SAMPLE TEST ONE

  1. What is the supreme law of the land?
    • the Constitution
  2. Name one branch or part of the government.
    • Congress
    • legislative
    • President
    • executive
    • the courts
    • judicial
  3. 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).
  4. What is one reason colonists came to America?
    • freedom
    • political liberty
    • religious freedom
    • economic opportunity
    • practice their religion
    • escape persecution
  5. What territory did the United States buy from France in 1803?
    • the Louisiana Territory
    • Louisiana
  6. Name one war fought by the United States in the 1900s.
    • World War I
    • World War II
    • Korean War
    • Vietnam War
    • (Persian) Gulf War
  7. Name one of the two longest rivers in the United States.
    • Missouri (River)
    • Mississippi (River)
  8. Why does the flag have 13 stripes?
    • because there were 13 original colonies
    • because the stripes represent the original colonies
  9. When do we celebrate Independence Day?
    • July 4
  10. What stops one branch of government from becoming too powerful?
    • checks and balances
    • separation of powers

U.S. CITIZENSHIP—SAMPLE TEST TWO

  1. What does the Constitution do?
    • sets up the government
    • defines the government
    • protects basic rights of Americans
  2. Who is in charge of the executive branch?
    • the President
  3. What is one responsibility that is only for United States citizens?
    • serve on a jury
    • vote in a federal election
  4. Who lived in America before the Europeans arrived?
    • American Indians
    • Native Americans
  5. Name one war fought by the United States in the 1800s.
    • War of 1812
    • Mexican-American War
    • Civil War
    • Spanish-American War
  6. Who was President during World War I?
    • (Woodrow) Wilson
  7. What ocean is on the West Coast of the United States?
    • Pacific (Ocean)
  8. 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
  9. Name two national U.S. holidays.
    • New Year’s Day
    • Martin Luther King Jr. Day
    • Presidents’ Day
    • Memorial Day
    • Independence Day
    • Labor Day
    • Columbus Day
    • Veterans Day
    • Thanksgiving
    • Christmas
  10. Who makes federal laws?
    • Congress
    • Senate and House (of Representatives)
    • (U.S. or national) legislature

U.S. CITIZENSHIP—SAMPLE TEST THREE

  1. What is an amendment?
    • a change (to the Constitution)
    • an addition (to the Constitution)
  2. What are the two parts of the U.S. Congress?
    • the Senate and House (of Representatives)
  3. Name one right only for United States citizens.
    • vote in a federal election
    • run for federal office
  4. What group of people was taken to America and sold as slaves?
    • Africans
    • people from Africa
  5. Name the U.S. war between the North and the South.
    • the Civil War
    • the War between the States
  6. Who was President during the Great Depression and World War II?
    • (Franklin) Roosevelt
  7. What ocean is on the East Coast of the United States?
    • Atlantic (Ocean)
  8. What is the name of the national anthem?
    • The Star-Spangled Banner
  9. How many U.S. Senators are there?
    • one hundred (100)
  10. We elect a U.S. Senator for how many years?
    • six (6)

U.S. CITIZENSHIP—SAMPLE TEST FOUR

  1. What do we call the first ten amendments to the Constitution?
    • the Bill of Rights
  2. Who is one of your state’s U.S. Senators now?
    • Answers will vary. [District of Columbia residents and residents of U.S. territories should answer that D.C. (or the territory where the applicant lives) has no U.S. Senators.]
  3. 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
  4. 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
  5. Name one problem that led to the Civil War.
    • slavery
    • economic reasons
    • states’ rights
  6. Who did the United States fight in World War II?
    • Japan, Germany, and Italy
  7. Name one U.S. territory.
    • Puerto Rico
    • U.S. Virgin Islands
    • American Samoa
    • Northern Mariana Islands
    • Guam
  8. The House of Representatives has how many voting members?
    • four hundred thirty-five (435)
  9. We elect a U.S. Representative for how many years?
    • two (2)
  10. Name your U.S. Representative.
    • Answers will vary. [Residents of territories with nonvoting Delegates or Resident Commissioners may provide the name of that Delegate or Commissioner. Also acceptable is any statement that the territory has no (voting) Representatives in Congress.]

U.S. CITIZENSHIP—SAMPLE TEST FIVE

  1. What is one right or freedom from the First Amendment?
    • speech
    • religion
    • assembly
    • press
    • petition the government
  2. Who does a U.S. Senator represent?
    • all people of the state
  3. What do we show loyalty to when we say the Pledge of Allegiance?
    • the United States
    • the flag
  4. Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?
    • (Thomas) Jefferson
  5. 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
  6. Before he was President, Eisenhower was a general. What war was he in?
    • World War II
  7. Name one state that borders Canada.
    • Maine
    • New Hampshire
    • Vermont
    • New York
    • Pennsylvania
    • Ohio
    • Michigan
    • Minnesota
    • North Dakota
    • Montana
    • Idaho
    • Washington
    • Alaska
  8. 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
  9. We elect a President for how many years?
    • four (4)
  10. In what month do we vote for President?
    • November

U.S. CITIZENSHIP—SAMPLE TEST SIX

  1. How many amendments does the Constitution have?
    • twenty-seven (27)
  2. What is the name of the President of the United States now?
  3. 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
  4. When was the Declaration of Independence adopted?
    • July 4, 1776
  5. 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
  6. During the Cold War, what was the main concern of the United States?
    • Communism
  7. Name one state that borders Mexico.
    • California
    • Arizona
    • New Mexico
    • Texas
  8. What is the name of the Vice President of the United States now?
  9. If the President can no longer serve, who becomes President?
    • the Vice President
  10. If both the President and the Vice President can no longer serve, who becomes President?
    • the Speaker of the House

U.S. CITIZENSHIP—SAMPLE TEST SEVEN

  1. 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)
  2. Who is the Commander in Chief of the military?
    • the President
  3. How old do citizens have to be to vote for President?
    • eighteen (18) and older
  4. 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
  5. What did Susan B. Anthony do?
    • fought for women’s rights
    • fought for civil rights
  6. What movement tried to end racial discrimination?
    • civil rights (movement)
  7. What is the capital of the United States?
    • Washington, D.C.
  8. Who signs bills to become laws?
    • the President
  9. Who vetoes bills?
    • the President
  10. What does the President’s Cabinet do?
    • advises the President

U.S. CITIZENSHIP—SAMPLE TEST EIGHT

  1. What are two rights in the Declaration of Independence?
    • life
    • liberty
    • pursuit of happiness
  2. 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
  3. 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 an elected official your opinion on an issue
    • call Senators and Representatives
    • publicly support or oppose an issue or policy
    • run for office
    • write to a newspaper
  4. What happened at the Constitutional Convention?
    • The Constitution was written.
    • The Founding Fathers wrote the Constitution.
  5. What did Martin Luther King Jr. do?
    • fought for civil rights
    • worked for equality for all Americans
  6. Where is the Statue of Liberty?
    • New York (Harbor)
    • Liberty Island [Also acceptable are New Jersey, near New York City, and on the Hudson (River).]
  7. What does the judicial branch do?
    • reviews laws
    • explains laws
    • resolves disputes (disagreements)
    • decides if a law goes against the Constitution
  8. What is the highest court in the United States?
    • the Supreme Court
  9. How many justices are on the Supreme Court?
  10. Who is the Chief Justice of the United States now?

U.S. CITIZENSHIP—SAMPLE TEST NINE

  1. What is freedom of religion?
    • You can practice any religion, or not practice a religion.
  2. 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
  3. When is the last day you can send in federal income tax forms?
    • April 15
  4. When was the Constitution written?
    • 1787
  5. What major event happened on September 11, 2001, in the United States?
    • Terrorists attacked the United States.
  6. What is the economic system in the United States?
    • capitalist economy
    • market economy
  7. 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
  8. Who is the Governor of your state now?
    • Answers will vary. [District of Columbia residents should answer that D.C. does not have a Governor.]
  9. What is the capital of your state?
    • Answers will vary. [District of Columbia residents should answer that D.C. is not a state and does not have a capital. Residents of U.S. territories should name the capital of the territory.]
  10. The Federalist Papers supported the passage of the U.S. Constitution. Name one of the writers.
    • (James) Madison
    • (Alexander) Hamilton
    • (John) Jay
    • Publius

U.S. CITIZENSHIP—SAMPLE TEST TEN

  1. 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.
  2. What are the two major political parties in the United States?
    • Democratic and Republican
  3. When must all men register for the Selective Service?
    • at age eighteen (18)
    • between eighteen (18) and twenty-six (26)
  4. 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
  5. Name one American Indian tribe in the United States. [USCIS Officers will be supplied with a list of federally recognized American Indian tribes.]
    • Cherokee
    • Navajo
    • Sioux
    • Chippewa
    • Choctaw
    • Pueblo
    • Apache
    • Iroquois
    • Creek
    • Blackfeet
    • Seminole
    • Cheyenne
    • Arawak
    • Shawnee
    • Mohegan
    • Huron
    • Oneida
    • Lakota
    • Crow
    • Teton
    • Hopi
    • Inuit
  6. The idea of self-government is in the first three words of the Constitution. What are these words?
    • We the People
  7. What is the political party of the President now?
  8. What is the name of the Speaker of the House of Representatives now?
  9. Who is the “Father of Our Country”?
    • (George) Washington
  10. Who was the first President?
    • (George) Washington

I. On November 13, 2020, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced a revised version of the civics test. Under the revised version, the list of potential test questions increased from 100 to 128, the number of test questions asked increased from 10 to 20, and the number of correct answers required to pass increased from 6 to 12. The test score required to pass (60 percent correct) did not change. The revised version was viewed by some as an effort by the Trump administration to make the test more difficult. On February 22, 2021, under the Biden administration, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced it would revert back to the previous version of the test, which had been in use since October 1, 2008. The version implemented under the Trump administration was phased out on April 19, 2021.