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Civics Question Bank

Study the Official Civics Questions

English text is reproduced verbatim from official USCIS materials. Zomi/Burmese translations are community drafts โ€” look for the "Approved" badge for reviewed translations.

100 question(s) shown. Take a mock test on this set โ†’

#1 โ€” A: Principles of American Democracy

What is the supreme law of the land?

  • the Constitution
#2 โ€” A: Principles of American Democracy

What does the Constitution do?

  • sets up the government
  • defines the government
  • protects basic rights of Americans
#3 โ€” A: Principles of American Democracy

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

  • We the People
#4 โ€” A: Principles of American Democracy

What is an amendment?

  • a change (to the Constitution)
  • an addition (to the Constitution)
#5 โ€” A: Principles of American Democracy

What do we call the first ten amendments to the Constitution?

  • the Bill of Rights
#6 โ€” A: Principles of American Democracyโญ 65/20

What is one right or freedom from the First Amendment?

  • speech
  • religion
  • assembly
  • press
  • petition the government
#7 โ€” A: Principles of American Democracy

How many amendments does the Constitution have?

  • twenty-seven (27)
#8 โ€” A: Principles of American Democracy

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)
#9 โ€” A: Principles of American Democracy

What are two rights in the Declaration of Independence?

  • life
  • liberty
  • pursuit of happiness
#10 โ€” A: Principles of American Democracy

What is freedom of religion?

  • You can practice any religion, or not practice a religion.
#11 โ€” A: Principles of American Democracyโญ 65/20

What is the economic system in the United States?

  • capitalist economy
  • market economy
#12 โ€” A: Principles of American Democracy

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.
#13 โ€” B: System of Governmentโญ 65/20

Name one branch or part of the government.

  • Congress
  • legislative
  • President
  • executive
  • the courts
  • judicial
#14 โ€” B: System of Government

What stops one branch of government from becoming too powerful?

  • checks and balances
  • separation of powers
#15 โ€” B: System of Government

Who is in charge of the executive branch?

  • the President
#16 โ€” B: System of Government

Who makes federal laws?

  • Congress
  • Senate and House (of Representatives)
  • (U.S. or national) legislature
#17 โ€” B: System of Governmentโญ 65/20

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

  • the Senate and House (of Representatives)
#18 โ€” B: System of Government

How many U.S. Senators are there?

  • one hundred (100)
#19 โ€” B: System of Government

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

  • six (6)
#20 โ€” B: System of Governmentโญ 65/20

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.]
#21 โ€” B: System of Government

The House of Representatives has how many voting members?

  • four hundred thirty-five (435)
#22 โ€” B: System of Government

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

  • two (2)
#23 โ€” B: System of Government

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.]
#24 โ€” B: System of Government

Who does a U.S. Senator represent?

  • all people of the state
#25 โ€” B: System of Government

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
#26 โ€” B: System of Government

We elect a President for how many years?

  • four (4)
#27 โ€” B: System of Governmentโญ 65/20

In what month do we vote for President?

  • November
#28 โ€” B: System of Governmentโญ 65/20๐Ÿ”„ Updated Answer

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

  • (Current officeholder โ€” see Officeholders panel for the verified current name.)
#29 โ€” B: System of Government๐Ÿ”„ Updated Answer

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

  • (Current officeholder โ€” see Officeholders panel for the verified current name.)
#30 โ€” B: System of Government

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

  • the Vice President
#31 โ€” B: System of Government

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

  • the Speaker of the House
#32 โ€” B: System of Government

Who is the Commander in Chief of the military?

  • the President
#33 โ€” B: System of Government

Who signs bills to become laws?

  • the President
#34 โ€” B: System of Government

Who vetoes bills?

  • the President
#35 โ€” B: System of Government

What does the President's Cabinet do?

  • advises the President
#36 โ€” B: System of Government

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
#37 โ€” B: System of Government

What does the judicial branch do?

  • reviews laws
  • explains laws
  • resolves disputes (disagreements)
  • decides if a law goes against the Constitution
#38 โ€” B: System of Government

What is the highest court in the United States?

  • the Supreme Court
#39 โ€” B: System of Government

How many justices are on the Supreme Court?

  • (Verified current number โ€” nine (9) as of the current Federal Register / testupdates guidance.)
#40 โ€” B: System of Government๐Ÿ”„ Updated Answer

Who is the Chief Justice of the United States now?

  • (Current officeholder โ€” see Officeholders panel for the verified current name.)
#41 โ€” B: System of Government

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
#42 โ€” B: System of Government

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
#43 โ€” B: System of Government

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.]
#44 โ€” B: System of Governmentโญ 65/20

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.]
#45 โ€” B: System of Governmentโญ 65/20

What are the two major political parties in the United States?

  • Democratic and Republican
#46 โ€” B: System of Government๐Ÿ”„ Updated Answer

What is the political party of the President now?

  • (Current officeholder's party โ€” see Officeholders panel for the verified current answer.)
#47 โ€” B: System of Government๐Ÿ”„ Updated Answer

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

  • (Current officeholder โ€” see Officeholders panel for the verified current name.)
#48 โ€” 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).
#49 โ€” C: Rights and Responsibilitiesโญ 65/20

What is one responsibility that is only for United States citizens?

  • serve on a jury
  • vote in a federal election
#50 โ€” C: Rights and Responsibilities

Name one right only for United States citizens.

  • vote in a federal election
  • run for federal office
#51 โ€” C: Rights and Responsibilities

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
#52 โ€” C: Rights and Responsibilities

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

  • the United States
  • the flag
#53 โ€” C: Rights and Responsibilities

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
#54 โ€” C: Rights and Responsibilitiesโญ 65/20

How old do citizens have to be to vote for President?

  • eighteen (18) and older
#55 โ€” C: Rights and Responsibilities

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
#56 โ€” C: Rights and Responsibilitiesโญ 65/20

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

  • April 15
#57 โ€” C: Rights and Responsibilities

When must all men register for the Selective Service?

  • at age eighteen (18)
  • between eighteen (18) and twenty-six (26)
#58 โ€” 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
#59 โ€” A: Colonial Period and Independence

Who lived in America before the Europeans arrived?

  • American Indians
  • Native Americans
#60 โ€” A: Colonial Period and Independence

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

  • Africans
  • people from Africa
#61 โ€” A: Colonial Period and Independence

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
#62 โ€” A: Colonial Period and Independence

Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?

  • (Thomas) Jefferson
#63 โ€” A: Colonial Period and Independence

When was the Declaration of Independence adopted?

  • July 4, 1776
#64 โ€” A: Colonial Period and Independence

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
#65 โ€” A: Colonial Period and Independence

What happened at the Constitutional Convention?

  • The Constitution was written.
  • The Founding Fathers wrote the Constitution.
#66 โ€” A: Colonial Period and Independence

When was the Constitution written?

  • 1787
#67 โ€” A: Colonial Period and Independence

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

  • (James) Madison
  • (Alexander) Hamilton
  • (John) Jay
  • Publius
#68 โ€” A: Colonial Period and Independence

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
#69 โ€” A: Colonial Period and Independence

Who is the "Father of Our Country"?

  • (George) Washington
#70 โ€” A: Colonial Period and Independenceโญ 65/20

Who was the first President?

  • (George) Washington
#71 โ€” B: 1800s

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

  • the Louisiana Territory
  • Louisiana
#72 โ€” B: 1800s

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

  • War of 1812
  • Mexican-American War
  • Civil War
  • Spanish-American War
#73 โ€” B: 1800s

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

  • the Civil War
  • the War between the States
#74 โ€” B: 1800s

Name one problem that led to the Civil War.

  • slavery
  • economic reasons
  • states' rights
#75 โ€” B: 1800sโญ 65/20

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
#76 โ€” B: 1800s

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
#77 โ€” B: 1800s

What did Susan B. Anthony do?

  • fought for women's rights
  • fought for civil rights
#78 โ€” C: Recent American History and Other Important Historical Informationโญ 65/20

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

  • World War I
  • World War II
  • Korean War
  • Vietnam War
  • (Persian) Gulf War
#79 โ€” C: Recent American History and Other Important Historical Information

Who was President during World War I?

  • (Woodrow) Wilson
#80 โ€” C: Recent American History and Other Important Historical Information

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

  • (Franklin) Roosevelt
#81 โ€” C: Recent American History and Other Important Historical Information

Who did the United States fight in World War II?

  • Japan, Germany, and Italy
#82 โ€” C: Recent American History and Other Important Historical Information

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

  • World War II
#83 โ€” C: Recent American History and Other Important Historical Information

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

  • Communism
#84 โ€” C: Recent American History and Other Important Historical Information

What movement tried to end racial discrimination?

  • civil rights (movement)
#85 โ€” C: Recent American History and Other Important Historical Informationโญ 65/20

What did Martin Luther King, Jr. do?

  • fought for civil rights
  • worked for equality for all Americans
#86 โ€” C: Recent American History and Other Important Historical Information

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

  • Terrorists attacked the United States.
#87 โ€” C: Recent American History and Other Important Historical Information

Name one American Indian tribe in the United States.

  • Cherokee
  • Navajo
  • Sioux
  • Chippewa
  • Choctaw
  • Pueblo
  • Apache
  • Iroquois
  • Creek
  • Blackfeet
  • Seminole
  • Cheyenne
  • Arawak
  • Shawnee
  • Mohegan
  • Huron
  • Oneida
  • Lakota
  • Crow
  • Teton
  • Hopi
  • Inuit
#88 โ€” A: Geography

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

  • Missouri (River)
  • Mississippi (River)
#89 โ€” A: Geography

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

  • Pacific (Ocean)
#90 โ€” A: Geography

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

  • Atlantic (Ocean)
#91 โ€” A: Geography

Name one U.S. territory.

  • Puerto Rico
  • U.S. Virgin Islands
  • American Samoa
  • Northern Mariana Islands
  • Guam
#92 โ€” A: Geography

Name one state that borders Canada.

  • Maine
  • New Hampshire
  • Vermont
  • New York
  • Pennsylvania
  • Ohio
  • Michigan
  • Minnesota
  • North Dakota
  • Montana
  • Idaho
  • Washington
  • Alaska
#93 โ€” A: Geography

Name one state that borders Mexico.

  • California
  • Arizona
  • New Mexico
  • Texas
#94 โ€” A: Geographyโญ 65/20

What is the capital of the United States?

  • Washington, D.C.
#95 โ€” A: Geographyโญ 65/20

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).]
#96 โ€” B: Symbols

Why does the flag have 13 stripes?

  • because there were 13 original colonies
  • because the stripes represent the original colonies
#97 โ€” B: Symbolsโญ 65/20

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
#98 โ€” B: Symbols

What is the name of the national anthem?

  • The Star-Spangled Banner
#99 โ€” C: Holidaysโญ 65/20

When do we celebrate Independence Day?

  • July 4
#100 โ€” C: Holidays

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