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CivicPrep

All 100 civics questions and answers (2008 test)

For applicants whose Form N-400 was filed before October 20, 2025. In the interview, the officer asks up to 10 of these questions out loud, and you need 6 correct to pass. Questions and accepted answers are from the official USCIS list; words in parentheses are optional.

65/20marks the 20 questions for the 65/20 test.

Study one at a timeTake a practice testSee the 2025 test questions

American Government

Principles of American Democracy

  1. 1. What is the supreme law of the land?

    the Constitution

  2. 2. What does the Constitution do?

    sets up the government
    defines the government
    protects basic rights of Americans

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

    We the People

  4. 4. What is an amendment?

    a change (to the Constitution)
    an addition (to the Constitution)

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

    the Bill of Rights

  6. 6. What is one right or freedom from the First Amendment?65/20

    speech
    religion
    assembly
    press
    petition the government

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

    twenty-seven (27)

  8. 8. 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. 9. What are two rights in the Declaration of Independence?

    life
    liberty
    pursuit of happiness

    Give 2 of these answers.

  10. 10. What is freedom of religion?

    You can practice any religion, or not practice a religion.

  11. 11. What is the economic system in the United States?65/20

    capitalist economy
    market economy

  12. 12. 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.

System of Government

  1. 13. Name one branch or part of the government.65/20

    Congress
    legislative
    President
    executive
    the courts
    judicial

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

    checks and balances
    separation of powers

  3. 15. Who is in charge of the executive branch?

    the President

  4. 16. Who makes federal laws?

    Congress
    Senate and House (of Representatives)
    (U.S. or national) legislature

  5. 17. What are the two parts of the U.S. Congress?65/20

    the Senate and House (of Representatives)

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

    one hundred (100)

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

    six (6)

  8. 20. Who is one of your state’s U.S. Senators now?65/20

    The answer depends on where you live.

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

    four hundred thirty-five (435)

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

    two (2)

  11. 23. Name your U.S. Representative.

    The answer depends on where you live.

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

    all people of the state

  13. 25. 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

  14. 26. We elect a President for how many years?

    four (4)

  15. 27. In what month do we vote for President?65/20

    November

  16. 28. What is the name of the President of the United States now?65/20

    Donald J. TrumpPresident of the United States
    Donald Trump
    Trump

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

    JD VanceVice President of the United States
    Vance

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

    the Vice President

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

    the Speaker of the House

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

    the President

  21. 33. Who signs bills to become laws?

    the President

  22. 34. Who vetoes bills?

    the President

  23. 35. What does the President’s Cabinet do?

    advises the President

  24. 36. 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

    Give 2 of these answers.

  25. 37. What does the judicial branch do?

    reviews laws
    explains laws
    resolves disputes (disagreements)
    decides if a law goes against the Constitution

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

    the Supreme Court

  27. 39. How many justices are on the Supreme Court?

    nine (9)

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

    John RobertsChief Justice of the United States
    John G. Roberts, Jr.
    Roberts

  29. 41. 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

  30. 42. 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

  31. 43. Who is the Governor of your state now?

    The answer depends on where you live.

  32. 44. What is the capital of your state?65/20

    The answer depends on where you live.

  33. 45. What are the two major political parties in the United States?65/20

    Democratic and Republican

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

    Republican (Party)

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

    Mike JohnsonSpeaker of the House of Representatives
    Johnson
    James Michael Johnson (birth name)

Rights and Responsibilities

  1. 48. 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).

  2. 49. What is one responsibility that is only for United States citizens?65/20

    serve on a jury
    vote in a federal election

  3. 50. Name one right only for United States citizens.

    vote in a federal election
    run for federal office

  4. 51. 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

    Give 2 of these answers.

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

    the United States
    the flag

  6. 53. 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

  7. 54. How old do citizens have to be to vote for President?65/20

    eighteen (18) and older

  8. 55. 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

    Give 2 of these answers.

  9. 56. When is the last day you can send in federal income tax forms?65/20

    April 15

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

    at age eighteen (18)
    between eighteen (18) and twenty-six (26)

American History

Colonial Period and Independence

  1. 58. What is one reason colonists came to America?

    freedom
    political liberty
    religious freedom
    economic opportunity
    practice their religion
    escape persecution

  2. 59. Who lived in America before the Europeans arrived?

    American Indians
    Native Americans

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

    Africans
    people from Africa

  4. 61. 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. 62. Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?

    (Thomas) Jefferson

  6. 63. When was the Declaration of Independence adopted?

    July 4, 1776

  7. 64. 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

    Give 3 of these answers.

  8. 65. What happened at the Constitutional Convention?

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

  9. 66. When was the Constitution written?

    1787

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

    (James) Madison
    (Alexander) Hamilton
    (John) Jay
    Publius

  11. 68. 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

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

    (George) Washington

  13. 70. Who was the first President?65/20

    (George) Washington

1800s

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

    the Louisiana Territory
    Louisiana

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

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

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

    the Civil War
    the War between the States

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

    slavery
    economic reasons
    states’ rights

  5. 75. What was one important thing that Abraham Lincoln did?65/20

    freed the slaves (Emancipation Proclamation)
    saved (or preserved) the Union
    led the United States during the Civil War

  6. 76. 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

  7. 77. What did Susan B. Anthony do?

    fought for women’s rights
    fought for civil rights

Recent American History and Other Important Historical Information

  1. 78. Name one war fought by the United States in the 1900s.65/20

    World War I
    World War II
    Korean War
    Vietnam War
    (Persian) Gulf War

  2. 79. Who was President during World War I?

    (Woodrow) Wilson

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

    (Franklin) Roosevelt

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

    Japan, Germany, and Italy

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

    World War II

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

    Communism

  7. 84. What movement tried to end racial discrimination?

    civil rights (movement)

  8. 85. What did Martin Luther King, Jr. do?65/20

    fought for civil rights
    worked for equality for all Americans

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

    Terrorists attacked the United States.

  10. 87. 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

    USCIS Officers will be supplied with a list of federally recognized American Indian tribes.

Integrated Civics

Geography

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

    Missouri (River)
    Mississippi (River)

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

    Pacific (Ocean)

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

    Atlantic (Ocean)

  4. 91. Name one U.S. territory.

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

  5. 92. Name one state that borders Canada.

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

  6. 93. Name one state that borders Mexico.

    California
    Arizona
    New Mexico
    Texas

  7. 94. What is the capital of the United States?65/20

    Washington, D.C.

  8. 95. Where is the Statue of Liberty?65/20

    New York (Harbor)
    Liberty Island

    Also acceptable are New Jersey, near New York City, and on the Hudson (River).

Symbols

  1. 96. Why does the flag have 13 stripes?

    because there were 13 original colonies
    because the stripes represent the original colonies

  2. 97. Why does the flag have 50 stars?65/20

    because there is one star for each state
    because each star represents a state
    because there are 50 states

  3. 98. What is the name of the national anthem?

    The Star-Spangled Banner

Holidays

  1. 99. When do we celebrate Independence Day?65/20

    July 4

  2. 100. 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

    Give 2 of these answers.

Answers about officeholders change after elections and appointments. Always confirm the current answers on the USCIS test updates page.