To become a naturalized US citizen one must pass the US citizenship test.

The US Citizenship Test is conducted orally during the interview and consists of questions about American history and governance.

The citizenship test has 100 questions. The officer from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will ask the applicant 10 of the 100 questions, and the applicant must properly answer 6 of the 10 questions in order to pass the test.

The citizenship test is a Civics Test on the American Government, American History, and Integrated Civics.

All 100 questions and answers for the 2008 version of the test are listed below.

Note: *If you are 65 or older and have held a green card for 20 years or more, you can concentrate on the questions indicated with an asterisk because you will only be assessed on those questions.

Questions that are based on the American Government 

These questions will put your knowledge of the American government to the test, including the principles of American democracy, the American system of government, and U.S. citizens’ obligations and rights.

A. Principles of American Democracy

1. What is the supreme law of the land?‍

Correct Answer: The Constitution

2. What does the Constitution do?‍

Correct Answers:

• Protects basic rights of Americans
• Sets up the government
•  Defines the government

3. The idea of self-government is in the first three words of the Constitution. What are these words?‍

Correct Answer: We The People

4. What is an amendment?

Correct Answers:

• A change to the Constitution
• An addition to the Constitution

5. What do we call the first ten amendments of the Constitution?‍

Correct Answer: The Bill of Rights

6. What is one right or freedom from the first amendment?*

Correct Answers:

• Petition the government
• Speech
• Religion
• Assembly
• Press

   7. How many amendments does the Constitution have?‍

Correct Answer: Twenty-seven (27)

8. What did the Declaration of Independence do?

Correct Answers:

• Declared that America is free from Great Britain
• Said that America is free from Great Britain
• Announced that America is free from Great Britain

9. What are two rights in the Declaration of Independence?‍

Correct Answers:

• Life
• Liberty
• The pursuit of happiness

   10. What is freedom of religion?‍

Correct Answer: You can practice any religion, or not practice a religion.

11. What is the economic system in the United States?*

Correct Answers:

• Market economy
• Capitalist economy

12. What is the “rule of law”?

Correct Answers:

• No one is above the law
• Everyone must follow the law
• Leaders must obey the law
• Government must obey the law

B. System of Government

13. Name one branch or part of the government.*

Correct Answers:

• Executive
• Judicial
• Congress
• President
• The Courts
• Legislative

14. What stops one branch of government from becoming too powerful?

Correct Answers:

• Checks and balances
• Separation of powers

15. Who is in charge of the Executive branch?

Correct Answer: The President

16. Who makes federal laws?

 Correct Answers:

• Congress
• Senate and House of Representatives
• Legislature

17. What are the two parts of the U.S. Congress?*

Correct Answer: The Senate and The House of Representatives

18. How many U.S. Senators are there?

Correct Answer: One hundred (100)

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

Correct Answer: Six (6) years

20. Who is one of your state’s U.S. Senators now?*

Correct Answer: Correct answers will vary by state. If you live in Washington D.C. or in a U.S. territory, the correct answer is that you have no U.S. senators.

21. The House of Representatives has how many voting members?

Correct Answer: Four hundred and thirty-five (435)

22. We elect a U.S. Representative for how many years?

Correct Answer: Two (2) years

23. Name your U.S. Representative.

Correct Answer: Correct answers will vary by state. If you live in a U.S. territory with non-voting Delegates or Resident Commissioners, you can provide their names. You will also be correct if you opt to say that your territory has no voting Representatives in Congress.

24. Who does a U.S. Senator represent?

Correct Answer: All the people of the state

25. Why do some states have more Representatives than others?

Correct Answers:

• Some states have more people than others
• Some states have a higher population than others

26. We elect a President for how many years?

Correct Answer: Four (4) years

27. In what month do we vote for President?*

Correct Answer: November

28. What is the name of the President of the United States now?*

Correct Answer: See uscis.gov/citizenship/testupdates for the most updated information on who the President of the United States is.

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

Correct Answer: See uscis.gov/citizenship/testupdates for the most updated information on who the Vice President of the United States is.

30. If the President can no longer serve, who becomes President?

Correct Answer: The Vice President

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

Correct Answer: The Speaker of the House

32. Who is the Commander in Chief of the military?

Correct Answer: The President

33. Who signs bills to become laws?

Correct Answer: The President

34. Who vetoes bills?

Correct Answer: The President

35. What does the President’s Cabinet do?

Correct Answer: Advises the President

36. What are two Cabinet-level positions?

Correct Answers:

• Vice President
• Attorney General
• Secretary of Defense
• Secretary of Homeland Security
• Secretary of Education
• Secretary of Agriculture
• Secretary of Commerce
• Secretary of Energy
• Secretary of Health and Human Services
• 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

37. What does the judicial branch do?

Correct Answers:

• Explains laws
• Reviews laws
• Decides if a law goes against the Constitution
• Resolves disagreements and disputes

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

Correct Answer: The Supreme Court

39. How many justices are on the Supreme Court?

Correct Answer: Check uscis.gov/citizenship/testupdates for the number of justices on the Supreme Court.

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

Correct Answer: Check uscis.gov/citizenship/testupdates for the name of the Chief Justice of the United States.

41. Under our Constitution, some powers belong to the federal government. What is one power of the federal government?

Correct Answers:

• To print money
• To create an army
• To declare war
• To make treaties

42. Under our Constitution, some powers belong to the states. What is one power of the states?

Correct Answers:

• Provide schooling and education
• Provide protection through the police
• Provide safety through fire departments
• Give out driver’s license
• Approve zoning and land use

43. Who is the Governor of your state now?

Correct Answer: Correct answers will differ on a state-to-state basis. If you live in Washington D.C., the correct answer is that you have no governor.

44. What is the capital of your state?*

Correct Answer: Correct answers will differ on a state-to-state basis. If you live in Washington D.C., the correct answer is that D.C. is not a state and so has no capital. If you live in a U.S. territory, you should name the capital of the territory.

45. What are the two major political parties in the United States?*

Correct Answer: The Democratic Party and the Republican Party

46. What is the political party of the President now?

Correct Answer: See uscis.gov/citizenship/check-for-test-updates for the political party of the President of the United States.

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

Correct Answer: See uscis.gov/citizenship/check-for-test-updates for the name of the Speaker of the House of Representatives of the United States.

C. Rights & Responsibilities

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

Correct Answers:

• A male citizen of any race can vote
• Women and men can vote
• You don’t have to pay to vote
• Any citizen 18 years and older can vote

49. What is one responsibility that is only for United States citizens?*

Correct Answers:

• Vote in a federal election
• Serve on a jury

50. Name one right only for United States citizens.

Correct Answers:

• Run for federal office
• Vote in a federal election

51. What are two rights of everyone living in the United States?

Correct Answers:

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

52. What do we show loyalty to when we say the Pledge of Allegiance?

Correct Answers:

• The United States
• The flag

53. What is one promise you make when you become a United States citizen?

Correct Answers:

• Be loyal to the United States
• Give up loyalty to any other countries
• Obey the laws of the United States
• Defend the Constitution and laws of the United States
• Serve in the U.S. military if needed
• Serve the nation if needed

54. How old do citizens have to be to vote for President?*

Correct Answer: Eighteen (18) years old

55. What are two ways that Americans can participate in their democracy?

Correct Answers:

• 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

56. When is the last day you can send in federal income tax forms?*

Correct Answer: April 15

57. When must all men register for the Selective Service?

Correct Answers:

• Age eighteen (18)
• Between ages eighteen (18) and twenty-six (26)

Questions that are based on American History

This set of questions evaluates your knowledge of American history, ranging from the colonial period and independence to the 1800s and present American society.

A. The Colonial Period & Independence

 58. What is one reason colonists came to America?

Correct Answers:

• Freedom
• Political liberty
• Religious freedom
• Economic opportunity
• To escape persecution

59. Who lived in America before the Europeans arrived?

Correct Answers:

• Native Americans
• American Indians

60. What group of people was taken to America and sold as slaves?

 Correct Answers:

• People from Africa
• Africans

61. Why did the colonists fight the British?‍

Correct Answers:

• High taxes
• The British army stayed in their houses
• Colonists didn’t have self-government

62. Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?

Correct Answer: Thomas Jefferson

63. When was the Declaration of Independence adopted?

Correct Answer: July 4, 1776

64. There were 13 original states. Name three.

Correct Answers:

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

65. What happened at the Constitutional Convention?

Correct Answers:

• The Constitution was written
• The Founding Fathers wrote the Constitution

66. When was the Constitution written?

Correct Answer: 1787

67. The Federalist Papers supported the passage of the U.S. Constitution. Name one of the writers.

Correct Answers:

• James Madison
• Alexander Hamilton
• John Jay
• Publius

68. What is one thing Benjamin Franklin is famous for?

Correct Answers:

• U.S. diplomat
• Started the first free libraries
• The oldest member of the Constitutional Convention
• First Postmaster General of the United States
• Writer of “Poor Richard’s Almanac”

69. Who is the “Father of Our Country”?

Correct Answer: George Washington

70. Who was the first President?*

Correct Answer: George Washington

B. The 1800s

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

Correct Answers:

• Louisiana
• Louisiana Territory

72. Name one war fought by the United States in the 1800s.

Correct Answers:

• Civil War
• War of 1812
• Mexican-American War
• Spanish-American War

73. Name the U.S. war between the North and the South.

Correct Answers:

• The Civil War
• The War between the States

74. Name one problem that led to the Civil War.

Correct Answers:

• Slavery
• States’ rights
• Economic reasons

75. What was one important thing that Abraham Lincoln did?*

Correct Answers:

• Emancipation Proclamation
• Freed the slaves
• Saved the union
• Led the United States during the Civil War

76. What did the Emancipation Proclamation do?

Correct Answers:

• Freed slaves
• Freed slaves in the southern states
• Freed slaves in the Confederacy
• Freed slaves in the Confederate states

77. What did Susan B. Anthony do?

Correct Answers:

• Fought for women’s rights
• Fought for civil rights

C. Recent American History & Other Important Historical Information

78. Name one war fought by the United States in the 1900s.*

Correct Answers:

• World War I
• World War II
• Vietnam War
• Korean War
• Persian War/Gulf War

79. Who was President during World War I?

Correct Answer: Woodrow Wilson

80. Who was President during the Great Depression and World War II?

Correct Answer: Franklin Roosevelt

81. Who did the United States fight in World War II?

Correct Answer: Italy, Japan, and Germany

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

Correct Answer: World War II

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

Correct Answer: Communism

84. What movement tried to end racial discrimination?

Correct Answer: Civil Rights Movement

85. What did Martin Luther King, Jr. do?*

Correct Answers:

• Fought for civil rights
• Fought for equality for all Americans

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

Correct Answer: Terrorists attacked the United States

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

Correct Answers:

• Cherokee
• Navajo
• Inuit
• Hopi
• Cheyenne
• Sioux
• Chippewa
• Choctaw
• Pueblo
• Apache
• Iroquois
• Creek
• Blackfeet
• Seminole
• Arawak
• Shawnee
• Mohegan
• Huron
• Oneida
• Lakota
• Crow
• Teton

Based on Integrated Civics

This set of questions evaluates your understanding of US geography, symbols, and holidays.

A. Geography

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

Correct Answers:

• Mississippi River
• Missouri River

89. What ocean is on the West Coast of the United States?

Correct Answer: Pacific Ocean

90. What ocean is on the East Coast of the United States?

Correct Answer: Atlantic Ocean

91. Name one U.S. territory.

Correct Answers:

• Puerto Rico
• U.S. Virgin Islands
• American Samoa
• Guam
• Northern Mariana Islands

92. Name one state that borders Canada.

Correct Answers:

• New York
• Maine
• Pennsylvania
• Montana
• Idaho
• Alaska
• Washington
• North Dakota
• Vermont
• Ohio
• Michigan
• Minnesota
• New Hampshire

93. Name one state that borders Mexico.

Correct Answers:

• Arizona
• Texas
• California
• New Mexico

94. What is the capital of the United States?*

Correct Answer: Washington D.C.

95. Where is the Statue of Liberty?*

Correct Answers:

• New York Harbor
• Liberty Island
• On the Hudson River
• New Jersey
• Near New York City

B. Symbols

96. Why does the flag have 13 stripes?

Correct Answers:

• There were 13 original colonies
• The stripes represent the 13 original colonies

97. Why does the flag have 50 stars?*

Correct Answers:

• There are 50 states
• Each star represents each state
• There is one star for each state

98. What is the name of the national anthem?

Correct Answer: The Star-Spangled Banner

C. Holidays

99. When do we celebrate Independence Day?*

Correct Answer: July 4

100. Name two national U.S. holidays.

Correct Answers:

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

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. How hard is the US citizenship test to pass?

   Many people aspire to become citizens of the United States. The procedure is famously difficult and taxing, but for many, the most nerve-racking portion is taking the U.S. citizenship test. It’s so difficult, in fact, that only 36% of American citizens could pass it, according to NBCNews. The citizenship exam has 100 questions. The USCIS officer will ask the applicant 10 of the 100 questions, and the applicant must properly answer 6 of the 10 questions in order to pass the civics test.

2. What if I don’t pass the test?

   A failure on the citizenship test might occur during either the English or civics sections. If a person fails either section of the examination, he or she must retake the failed portions no later than 60 to 90 days after the initial exam and interview. If he or she fails these sections a second time, he or she will be unable to retake the exam and will be denied citizenship by USCIS.

3. What will happen if I fail the test on my second attempt?

   If you fail either of the exams during the interview, you will be scheduled for another interview within 60 to 90 days of the first, and you will be able to retake the examinations. If you fail either test a second time, your naturalization application will be rejected.

4. How many attempts are allowed to pass the citizenship test?

   An applicant gets two chances to pass the civics tests: the original examination and the interview for re-examination. If the candidate fails to pass the test after two attempts, the citizenship application will be denied by the USCIS.

5. Can I give the Citizenship Test online?

   The civics test is an oral exam, and the USCIS officer will ask you ten questions from a list of 100 civics test questions. To pass the civics exam, you must properly answer 6 questions.

Conclusion

It should be noted that some of the above citizenship exam questions have more than one answer. The answers provided here, however, are those that the USCIS officer who conducts your test will be digging from you.