Las Vegas Sun

March 19, 2024

Las Vegas Sol:

Would you pass the U.S. citizenship test?

Take a sample quiz to test your civics knowledge

Citizens

Kyssilla Nestor, born in Colombia, is sworn in as U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and the city of Las Vegas welcome her and 98 other new U.S. citizens during an annual pre-Independence Day ceremony at Las Vegas City Hall Thursday, June 30, 2011.

September is the month for celebrating the people who have worked hard to become citizens of the United States, with Citizenship Day, also known as Constitution Day, on Sept. 17.

Earlier this month The Sun profiled a handful of people who were on their way to citizenship, and one person who had taken the oath of allegiance earlier this summer.

Candidates for U.S. citizenship must pass both an English and civics test. The English exam tests reading, speaking and writing skills.

For the civics test, there are 100 questions that an interviewer uses. It is an oral exam, and each applicant must correctly answer six out of ten questions. Test questions are taken from three categories, American government, American history and integrated civics.

According to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, 92 percent of naturalization candidates pass the English and civics tests. Applicants get two chances at both tests. If they fail twice, they have to reapply for naturalization and pay the $680 fee again.

Think you could pass the civics test? Here is a sampling of ten questions taken from all three categories. After noting your responses, scroll down for the answers. Test your civics knowledge, and to find out more about the process for citizenship visit the website for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.



Citizenship Civics Test Sample Questions:

1. Before he was President, Eisenhower was a general. What war was he in?

2. Name one of the two longest rivers in the United States.

3. Name one U.S. territory.

4. Why does the flag have 13 stripes?

5. How many amendments does the Constitution have?

6. We elect a U.S. Senator for how many years?

7. If both the President and the Vice President can no longer serve, who becomes President?

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

9. Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?

10. What year was the Constitution written?









Test Answers:

1. World War II

2. Missouri River or Mississippi River

3. Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Northern Mariana Islands, or Guam

4. The stripes represent the 13 original colonies

5. Twenty-seven (27)

6. Six (6)

7. The Speaker of the House

8. John Roberts

9. Thomas Jefferson

10. 1787

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