2008 civics test: all 100 questions

1. What is the supreme law of the land?

Answer

• the Constitution

The Constitution is the highest law in the United States. Every other law, whether it is made by a state or by the federal government, must agree with it, and a court can cancel a law that does not. It was written in 1787 and is still in force today.

2. What does the Constitution do?

Accepted answers

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

The Constitution created the American system of government and explains how each part of it works. It also limits what the government may do, and that is how it protects the basic rights of people in the country. It does not set tax rates or write the laws of the individual states.

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

Answer

• We the People

The Constitution begins with the words We the People. Those three words show that the power of the government comes from the people themselves and not from a king, which is what self-government means. The other phrases are real American sayings, but none of them opens the Constitution.

4. What is an amendment?

Accepted answers

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

An amendment is a change or an addition made to the Constitution after it was first written. Changing it is possible but deliberately hard: two thirds of both houses of Congress and then three quarters of the states must agree. That is why only twenty-seven amendments have been added in more than two hundred years.

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

Answer

• the Bill of Rights

The first ten amendments were added together in 1791 and are known as the Bill of Rights. They list basic freedoms, such as speech and religion, that the government is not allowed to take away. The Preamble is the short opening paragraph of the Constitution, not an amendment.

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

Accepted answers

• speech
• religion
• assembly
• press
• petition the government

The First Amendment protects several freedoms at once, and freedom of speech is one of them. At the interview you may name any one of them: speech, religion, assembly, press, or petitioning the government. The right to vote comes from later amendments, and housing and education are not in the First Amendment at all.

7. How many amendments does the Constitution have?

Answer

• twenty-seven (27)

The Constitution has been changed twenty-seven times since it took effect. Ten of those changes came at once as the Bill of Rights, so only seventeen more have been added in more than two hundred years. Numbers like this are easy to mix up, so learn twenty-seven as a fixed fact.

8. What did the Declaration of Independence do?

Accepted answers

• announced our independence (from Great Britain)
• declared our independence (from Great Britain)
• said that the United States is free (from Great Britain)

The Declaration of Independence, adopted on 4 July 1776, told the world that the thirteen colonies were no longer ruled by Great Britain. It announced independence; the war that was already under way is what actually won it. The government itself was set up later, by the Constitution.

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

Accepted answers

• life
• liberty
• pursuit of happiness

The Declaration of Independence says that every person is born with rights that no government can take away: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. At the interview, naming any two of those three counts as a correct answer. Property and faith sound like rights, but the Declaration does not name them.

10. What is freedom of religion?

Answer

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

Freedom of religion means you may follow any faith you choose, change your faith, or follow none at all. The government cannot force you into a religion and cannot punish you for what you believe. There is no official state religion in the United States.

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

Accepted answers

• capitalist economy
• market economy

The United States has a capitalist economy, which is also called a market economy. Prices, wages, and what gets produced are decided mostly by private businesses and buyers, not planned by the government. Either wording is accepted at the interview.

12. What is the "rule of law"?

Accepted answers

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

Rule of law means that the law applies equally to every person, including presidents, judges, and police officers. Everyone in the country must follow it, not only citizens. No one stands above the law, and the government must obey the same laws it makes for other people.

13. Name one branch or part of the government.

Accepted answers

• Congress
• legislative
• President
• executive
• the courts
• judicial

The federal government has three branches: legislative, executive, and judicial. You may name a branch or the institution that is that branch - legislative or Congress, executive or the President, judicial or the courts. Political parties, charities, and international organizations are not part of the government, however well known they are.

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

Accepted answers

• checks and balances
• separation of powers

Each branch has power to limit the other two, a design called checks and balances. For example, the President can veto a bill, Congress can override that veto with a two-thirds vote in both houses, and the courts can rule that a law breaks the Constitution. Separation of powers is also accepted at the interview.

15. Who is in charge of the executive branch?

Answer

• the President

The President is the head of the executive branch, the part of government that carries out and enforces the laws. The Vice President and the Cabinet work under the President. The Chief Justice leads the judicial branch, and the Speaker leads the House of Representatives, which is part of the legislative branch.

16. Who makes federal laws?

Accepted answers

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

Federal laws are written and passed by Congress, the national legislature. State legislatures make laws only for their own state, and the courts decide what a law means rather than writing it. Saying the Senate and House, or the national legislature, is also accepted at the interview.

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

Answer

• the Senate and House (of Representatives)

Congress is divided into two chambers: the Senate and the House of Representatives. Every state sends exactly two senators, while the number of House seats depends on how many people live in the state. A bill must pass both chambers before it can become law.

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

Answer

• one hundred (100)

Every state, large or small, sends two senators to Washington, and fifty states times two gives one hundred. This equal share is what makes the Senate different from the House, where a state's number of seats depends on how many people live there.

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

Answer

• six (6)

A senator's term lasts six years, longer than any other elected federal office. The terms are staggered on purpose, so only about a third of the Senate faces voters every two years and the chamber never changes completely at once.

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

Answer

• 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.]

This answer depends on the state you live in.

Your answer depends on the state where you actually live, and it changes after elections, resignations or deaths, so check it shortly before your interview instead of trusting older notes. Each state has exactly two senators, and you can confirm yours on senate.gov or on the USCIS test updates page. 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?

Answer

• four hundred thirty-five (435)

The House has 435 members who can vote, a total set by the Permanent Apportionment Act of 1929 and unchanged since 1963. Those seats are shared among the states according to population, so a crowded state gets many and a small one may get just a single seat. Delegates from the territories may speak but cannot vote, so they are not counted in this number.

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

Answer

• two (2)

Members of the House serve two years, so the entire House is elected again every even-numbered year. The short term was designed to keep representatives closely tied to the wishes of the people back home.

23. Name your U.S. Representative.

Answer

• 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.]

This answer depends on the state you live in.

This depends on your congressional district, not only your state, so two neighbours in the same city can have different representatives. Enter your ZIP code at house.gov to find yours, and check again close to your interview in case an election changed it. People living in a territory may give the name of their delegate or resident commissioner, or say the territory has no voting representative.

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

Answer

• all people of the state

Voters in the whole state choose a senator, so that senator speaks for everyone living there, including people who voted against them and children who cannot vote yet. A representative is different, because he or she speaks only for one congressional district, which in most states is a part of the state rather than the whole of it.

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

Accepted answers

• (because of) the state' s population
• (because) they have more people
• (because) some states have more people

Seats in the House are divided according to how many people live in each state, so a bigger population brings more representatives. The count is redone after the census every ten years, which is why California has dozens of representatives while Wyoming has only one.

26. We elect a President for how many years?

Answer

• four (4)

A presidential term runs for four years, and Election Day falls on the same date nationwide, even though many people vote early or by mail before it. Since the 22nd Amendment, one person may be elected president only twice, so eight years is the most anyone can serve by election.

27. In what month do we vote for President?

Answer

• November

Election Day for president falls in November, on the Tuesday after the first Monday. The date was fixed in the 1800s to suit farmers: the harvest was over, but winter had not yet made the roads hard to travel. The winner does not take office until January.

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

Answer

• Visit uscis.gov/citizenship/testupdates for the name of the President of the United States.

This answer changes when the officeholder changes — check the current one before your interview.

The name changes with every election, so you must learn the person holding the office on the day of your interview, not the one you first studied. USCIS keeps the current name at uscis.gov/citizenship/testupdates, and that is the version the officer will accept. Study material printed a few years ago is often out of date here.

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

Answer

• Visit uscis.gov/citizenship/testupdates for the name of the Vice President of the United States.

This answer changes when the officeholder changes — check the current one before your interview.

Like the president, the vice president changes after elections and can also change in between if the office becomes empty. Confirm the current name at uscis.gov/citizenship/testupdates shortly before your interview rather than relying on an older book or video.

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

Answer

• the Vice President

The vice president is first in line and takes over at once if the president dies, resigns or is removed from office. This has already happened nine times in American history, and the 25th Amendment now sets out exactly how the handover works.

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

Answer

• the Speaker of the House

After the vice president, the next in line is the Speaker of the House, the leader chosen by the House of Representatives. The order then continues with the president pro tempore of the Senate and after that the members of the Cabinet, beginning with the secretary of state.

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

Answer

• the President

The Constitution places the armed forces under an elected civilian rather than a general, and that civilian is the president. Keep the balance in mind: the president commands the military, but only Congress can formally declare war.

33. Who signs bills to become laws?

Answer

• the President

A bill passed by both houses of Congress normally becomes law when the president signs it. If the president does nothing for ten days, Sundays not counted, while Congress is sitting, the bill still becomes law without a signature. A bill the president rejects can also become law if two-thirds of both houses vote to override the veto.

34. Who vetoes bills?

Answer

• the President

To veto means to refuse to sign a bill and send it back to Congress, and in the federal government only the president can do this. Congress is not powerless, though: a two-thirds vote in both the House and the Senate can override the veto and turn the bill into law anyway.

35. What does the President's Cabinet do?

Answer

• advises the President

The Cabinet is the group of senior officials who lead the main government departments, such as defense, health or transportation. Their job is to give the President information and advice about those areas. The President picks the department heads and the Senate must approve them.

36. What are two Cabinet-level positions?

Accepted answers

• 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

The Cabinet is made up of the heads of the executive departments plus the Vice President, so not every accepted answer begins with the word Secretary: Attorney General and Vice President count too. Labor and Homeland Security are real departments, so their leaders sit in the Cabinet. The United States has no Secretary of Tourism, Culture, Sport or Information.

37. What does the judicial branch do?

Accepted answers

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

The judicial branch is the court system, with the Supreme Court at the top. Judges do not make laws; they settle arguments between people, companies or states and explain what a law means. Congress writes the laws, while the President leads the military and picks the Cabinet.

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

Answer

• the Supreme Court

The Supreme Court stands above every other court in the country and its decisions are final. A case can move up from a district court to a court of appeals, but the Supreme Court has the last word. It sits in Washington, D.C.

39. How many justices are on the Supreme Court?

Answer

• Visit uscis.gov/citizenship/testupdates for the number of justices on the Supreme Court.

This answer changes when the officeholder changes — check the current one before your interview.

The size of the Supreme Court is decided by Congress, not by the Constitution, so this number is not fixed forever. Check the figure that is current on the day of your interview at uscis.gov/citizenship/testupdates. Give the officer that number.

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

Answer

• Visit uscis.gov/citizenship/testupdates for the name of the Chief Justice of the United States.

This answer changes when the officeholder changes — check the current one before your interview.

The Chief Justice leads the Supreme Court and serves for life unless he or she resigns, retires, or is removed by impeachment, so the name changes rarely. Look up who holds the post now at uscis.gov/citizenship/testupdates shortly before your interview. Practice saying and spelling the name out loud.

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

Accepted answers

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

Powers that affect the whole nation belong to the federal government, and raising the armed forces is one of them. Only the federal government can create an army, declare war, print money or make treaties with other countries. Licensing drivers, hiring local police and zoning private land are jobs the states handle.

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

Accepted answers

• provide schooling and education
• provide protection (police)
• provide safety (fire departments)
• give a driver's license
• approve zoning and land use

States run the everyday services that residents use, and issuing driver's licenses is one of them. That is why the rules, the test and even the look of the card change when you move to another state. Money, passports and treaties are national matters that only the federal government handles.

43. Who is the Governor of your state now?

Answer

• Answers will vary. [District of Columbia residents should answer that D.C. does not have a Governor.]

This answer depends on the state you live in.

Your answer depends on the state where you live, and governors change after elections. Confirm the current name on your state government's official website close to your interview date. Residents of Washington, D.C. should say that D.C. does not have a governor.

44. What is the capital of your state?

Answer

• 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.]

This answer depends on the state you live in.

Every state has one city where its own government sits, and it is often not the largest city in that state. Learn the capital of the state you wrote on your Form N-400. Residents of D.C. should say that D.C. is not a state, and residents of a U.S. territory should name their territory's capital.

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

Answer

• Democratic and Republican

Two large parties dominate American politics, and almost every member of Congress belongs to one of them. Smaller parties such as the Greens and the Libertarians exist but rarely win national office. The Federalists (1790s-1820s) and the Whigs (1830s-1850s) disappeared long ago.

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

Answer

• Visit uscis.gov/citizenship/testupdates for the political party of the President.

This answer changes when the officeholder changes — check the current one before your interview.

This answer changes whenever a President from the other party takes office. Check which party the current President belongs to at uscis.gov/citizenship/testupdates near your interview date. Answer with the party that is correct on that day.

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

Answer

• Visit uscis.gov/citizenship/testupdates for the name of the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

This answer changes when the officeholder changes — check the current one before your interview.

The Speaker leads the House of Representatives and can change after an election or whenever the House votes for a new one. Look up the current Speaker at uscis.gov/citizenship/testupdates just before your interview. Practice the full name so you can say it clearly.

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

Accepted answers

• 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).

The 26th Amendment lowered the voting age to eighteen, so any citizen who has reached that age may vote. Before 1971 most states set the age at twenty-one. The other three voting amendments removed barriers of race, of sex and of the poll tax.

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

Accepted answers

• serve on a jury
• vote in a federal election

Only citizens may vote in federal elections, and serving on a jury is the other responsibility USCIS lists as citizen-only. Paying tax and obeying the law apply to everyone living in the country. Reporting a change of address to USCIS is in fact a duty of non-citizens, not of citizens.

50. Name one right only for United States citizens.

Accepted answers

• vote in a federal election
• run for federal office

Only a citizen may stand as a candidate for the House, the Senate or the presidency. A permanent resident can live, work, own a home and move freely around the country, but those offices stay closed until naturalization. Voting in federal elections is the other right kept for citizens.

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

Accepted answers

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

The Constitution protects certain freedoms for every person in the country, not only for citizens. USCIS accepts speech, expression, assembly, petition, religion and the right to bear arms here, because these are not listed as citizen-only rights. Voting, running for office and holding a U.S. passport are different, because those belong to citizens alone.

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

Accepted answers

• the United States
• the flag

When Americans say the Pledge of Allegiance, they promise loyalty to the flag, which stands for the whole country. The words of the pledge begin with allegiance to the flag, and then to the Republic for which it stands. Answering that we show loyalty to the United States is also accepted.

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

Accepted answers

• 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

At the naturalization ceremony you take the Oath of Allegiance, and in it you promise to give up loyalty to any other country. From that moment your first loyalty is to the United States. The same oath also asks you to obey American law, defend the Constitution, and serve the nation if it is ever needed.

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

Answer

• eighteen (18) and older

United States citizens who are eighteen or older can vote for President. This age comes from the 26th Amendment, added in 1971, which lowered the voting age from twenty-one to eighteen. In almost every state you must also register as a voter before you are allowed to vote.

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

Accepted 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

Voting is the most common way to take part in American democracy, and joining a political party is another answer that USCIS accepts. Helping with a campaign, calling your Senators, writing to a newspaper and running for office also count, although a naturalized citizen may never run for President or Vice President. Paying tax, buying savings bonds or getting a passport are duties or services, not ways of taking part in government.

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

Answer

• April 15

Federal income tax forms must reach the government by April 15 each year, and they cover the money you earned the year before. If April 15 falls on a weekend or a holiday, the deadline moves to the next working day. People whose income is above a set level have to file, so April 15 is the date to remember.

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

Accepted answers

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

Almost every man living in the United States, including immigrants, must sign up with the Selective Service at age eighteen. Registering only puts your name on a list in case the country ever needs a military draft; it does not mean joining the army. The duty lasts until a man's twenty-sixth birthday, so the answer between eighteen (18) and twenty-six (26) is also accepted.

58. What is one reason colonists came to America?

Accepted answers

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

Many colonists crossed the ocean so they could follow their own religion freely, because at home the government or the official church punished people who believed something different. Answers about religious freedom, political liberty, escaping persecution, or economic opportunity are all accepted too. They all describe people looking for a freer life than the one they had in Europe.

59. Who lived in America before the Europeans arrived?

Accepted answers

• American Indians
• Native Americans

American Indians, also called Native Americans, lived across the continent for thousands of years before European ships arrived. Hundreds of separate nations, cultures and languages already existed here. The Pilgrims and the Dutch settlers reached this land only in the 1600s, long after 1492.

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

Accepted answers

• Africans
• people from Africa

Millions of Africans were taken by force across the Atlantic Ocean and sold as slaves in America. Ships carried people from West Africa for about two hundred years, and slavery in the United States ended only with the 13th Amendment in 1865. You may answer Africans or people from Africa; both are accepted.

61. Why did the colonists fight the British?

Accepted answers

• because of high taxes (taxation without representation)
• because the British army stayed in their houses (boarding, quartering)
• because they didn't have self-government

The colonists had to pay taxes to Britain but had nobody speaking for them in the British Parliament, which is where the famous phrase about taxation without representation comes from. That anger helped start the Revolutionary War in 1775. Two other accepted reasons are that British soldiers stayed in colonists' houses and that the colonists had no self-government.

62. Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?

Answer

• (Thomas) Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson wrote the main text of the Declaration of Independence in 1776 and later became the third President. Other members of the committee read and changed his draft, but he is the writer the officer expects to hear. Washington led the army instead of writing the document.

63. When was the Declaration of Independence adopted?

Answer

• July 4, 1776

The Continental Congress approved the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, which is why Americans celebrate Independence Day on that date every year. Learn the day, month and year together, because the officer may ask for the full date. The Constitution came much later, in 1787.

64. There were 13 original states. Name three.

Accepted answers

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

The thirteen original states were the British colonies along the Atlantic coast, running from New Hampshire in the north down to Georgia in the south. Virginia, New York and Georgia are three of them, and any three names from the official list are accepted. Vermont, Ohio and Florida joined the United States only later.

65. What happened at the Constitutional Convention?

Accepted answers

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

In 1787 delegates met in Philadelphia, and these Founding Fathers wrote a completely new plan of government, which became the Constitution. That is exactly why the meeting is called the Constitutional Convention. Saying simply that the Constitution was written is also accepted.

66. When was the Constitution written?

Answer

• 1787

The Constitution was written in 1787 at the convention in Philadelphia, and it came into force in 1789 once enough states had agreed to it. Be careful not to mix this year with 1776, the year of the Declaration of Independence. Remember the order: independence first in 1776, then the new plan of government in 1787.

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

Accepted answers

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

The Federalist Papers were a series of essays written by James Madison, Alexander Hamilton and John Jay to persuade people to accept the new Constitution. All three published them under a single pen name, Publius, so that name is accepted too. Jefferson, Washington and Adams had no part in writing them.

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

Accepted answers

• 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

Benjamin Franklin started the first lending library in America, the Library Company of Philadelphia, and USCIS accepts "started the first free libraries" as the answer. He was also a U.S. diplomat, the first Postmaster General, the writer of Poor Richard's Almanac, and the oldest member of the Constitutional Convention. He was never President, and the flag and the national anthem were the work of other people.

69. Who is the "Father of Our Country"?

Answer

• (George) Washington

Americans call George Washington the father of the country because he led the army that won independence and then served as the first president. The other three men were also founders of the United States, but only Washington carries this title. His face is on the one-dollar bill and on the quarter, which makes him easy to remember.

70. Who was the first President?

Answer

• (George) Washington

George Washington took office in 1789 as the very first president under the new Constitution. John Adams came second and Thomas Jefferson third, while Alexander Hamilton was never president at all. Washington served two terms and then stepped down, setting the example that a president does not stay in power for life.

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

Accepted answers

• the Louisiana Territory
• Louisiana

In 1803 the United States paid France for a huge area of land in the middle of the continent, usually called the Louisiana Purchase or the Louisiana Territory. It roughly doubled the size of the country and opened the way west. Saying simply Louisiana is also accepted at the interview.

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

Accepted answers

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

The Mexican-American War was fought in the 1840s, so it falls inside the 1800s. Three other wars also count for this question: the War of 1812, the Civil War and the Spanish-American War. The Revolutionary War ended in 1783, while World War I and the Vietnam War belong to the 1900s, so none of the other choices fits.

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

Accepted answers

• the Civil War
• the War between the States

The fighting between the Northern states and the Southern states from 1861 to 1865 is called the Civil War. Some Americans also call it the War between the States, and the officer accepts that name too.

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

Accepted answers

• slavery
• economic reasons
• states' rights

Slavery was the deepest cause of the split between the North and the South, because the two regions could not agree on whether it should continue or spread. Economic differences and arguments over states' rights are also accepted, so naming any one of the three is enough. None of the other three had anything to do with the North-South split: national Prohibition and votes for women only arrived in 1920, and the Great Depression began in 1929.

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

Accepted answers

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

Abraham Lincoln was president from 1861 to 1865 and led the country through the Civil War. Two other answers are accepted as well: that he freed the slaves with the Emancipation Proclamation, and that he saved or preserved the Union. The other choices describe Thomas Jefferson, Franklin Roosevelt and George Washington, not Lincoln.

76. What did the Emancipation Proclamation do?

Accepted answers

• freed the slaves
• freed slaves in the Confederacy
• freed slaves in the Confederate states
• freed slaves in most Southern states

Lincoln signed this order in 1863, in the middle of the Civil War, and it declared enslaved people in the Confederate states to be free. The shorter answer that it freed the slaves is accepted too, but the order did not reach the slave states that had stayed loyal to the Union. Slavery ended everywhere only with the 13th Amendment in 1865.

77. What did Susan B. Anthony do?

Accepted answers

• fought for women's rights
• fought for civil rights

Susan B. Anthony spent her life campaigning for women, above all for their right to vote. She was arrested in 1872 for voting illegally, and the amendment that gave women the vote in 1920 is often named after her. The answer that she fought for civil rights is accepted at the interview as well.

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

Accepted answers

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

World War II ran from 1939 to 1945, well inside the 1900s. Other accepted answers are World War I, the Korean War, the Vietnam War and the Persian Gulf War. The Revolutionary War, the War of 1812 and the Civil War were all fought earlier, in the 1700s and the 1800s.

79. Who was President during World War I?

Answer

• (Woodrow) Wilson

Woodrow Wilson was president from 1913 to 1921 and led the country when it entered World War I in 1917. A simple way to keep the two world wars apart is Wilson for the first one and Franklin Roosevelt for the second.

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

Answer

• (Franklin) Roosevelt

Franklin Roosevelt became president in 1933, during the worst years of the Great Depression, and stayed in office through almost all of World War II. He is the only president elected four times, which is why one man covers both events. Do not confuse him with Theodore Roosevelt, an earlier president from the same family.

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

Answer

• Japan, Germany, and Italy

In World War II the United States fought the three Axis powers: Japan, Germany and Italy. It is worth remembering that Britain, France, the Soviet Union, China and Mexico were on the American side, not against it. America entered the war after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941.

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

Answer

• World War II

Dwight Eisenhower was the general who commanded the Allied forces in Europe during World War II, including the D-Day landings in 1944. He later became president in 1953, so his military career came before the White House. He was president when the Korean War ended, but he never served in it as a commander.

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

Answer

• Communism

After World War II the United States was mainly worried about the spread of communism, above all from the Soviet Union. The two countries never fought each other directly, and that is why this long period of tension is called a cold war.

84. What movement tried to end racial discrimination?

Answer

• civil rights (movement)

The civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s worked to end unfair treatment of people because of their race, especially of African Americans. It led to laws that banned segregation in public places and protected the right to vote. The other three movements listed worked for different goals: better pay at work, a ban on alcohol, and votes for women.

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

Accepted answers

• fought for civil rights
• worked for equality for all Americans

Martin Luther King, Jr. led peaceful protests against segregation and unequal treatment of African Americans. Saying that he worked for equality for all Americans is accepted as well. His birthday in January is now a national holiday.

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

Answer

• Terrorists attacked the United States.

On that morning hijacked planes were flown into the World Trade Center in New York and into the Pentagon near Washington, D.C., and nearly three thousand people died. USCIS only wants the simple statement that terrorists attacked the country. Americans usually call the day 9/11 in everyday speech.

87. Name one American Indian tribe in the United States. [USCIS Officers will be supplied with a list of federally recognized American Indian tribes.]

Accepted answers

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

Cherokee is one of the many Native American nations on the officer's list, together with Navajo, Sioux, Apache, Choctaw and others. The Mapuche, Quechua and Yanomami are indigenous peoples of South America, so they are not tribes of the United States. Choose one tribe name, learn it well, and give the same one every time.

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

Accepted answers

• Missouri (River)
• Mississippi (River)

The Missouri and the Mississippi are the two longest rivers, and naming either one is enough. The Missouri flows into the Mississippi, and together they drain most of the middle of the country. The Colorado, the Rio Grande and the Hudson are all shorter than these two.

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

Answer

• Pacific (Ocean)

Travelling west you reach the Pacific, the ocean that touches California, Oregon, Washington and Alaska. It is the largest ocean in the world. Keep the pair in mind: Pacific in the west, Atlantic in the east.

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

Answer

• Atlantic (Ocean)

The Atlantic touches the eastern states from Maine down to Florida. Ships from Europe crossed this ocean to reach the first colonies, and later most immigrants arrived the same way. Picture New York on the Atlantic side and California on the Pacific side.

91. Name one U.S. territory.

Accepted answers

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

Guam is a Pacific island that belongs to the United States; Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa and the Northern Mariana Islands are also accepted. Territories are governed by the United States but are not states, so they have no voting member of Congress. Bermuda, Aruba and Tahiti belong to other countries.

92. Name one state that borders Canada.

Accepted answers

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

Minnesota sits on the northern border with Canada, and so do Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, North Dakota, Montana, Idaho and Washington. Alaska also borders Canada, along its eastern edge. Naming any single one of these states is enough; South Dakota, Oregon and Massachusetts all stop short of the border.

93. Name one state that borders Mexico.

Accepted answers

• California
• Arizona
• New Mexico
• Texas

Only four states touch Mexico: California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. Arizona is one of them, and naming a single state is enough for the officer. Colorado and Oklahoma lie further north, and Louisiana sits on the Gulf coast, far from the Mexican border.

94. What is the capital of the United States?

Answer

• Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C. is the seat of the federal government, where the President, Congress and the Supreme Court all work. D.C. means District of Columbia, and it is not part of any state. New York, Philadelphia and Annapolis each hosted the young national government, but the capital moved to Washington in 1800.

95. Where is the Statue of Liberty?

Accepted answers

• New York (Harbor)
• Liberty Island [Also acceptable are New Jersey, near New York City, and on the Hudson (River).]

The statue stands on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, and the officer also accepts Liberty Island, New Jersey, near New York City, or on the Hudson. France gave the statue to the United States, and it was dedicated in the harbor in 1886. For millions of immigrants arriving by ship it was the first sight of the country.

96. Why does the flag have 13 stripes?

Accepted answers

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

The thirteen stripes stand for the thirteen colonies that broke away from Britain and became the first states. The flag carried fifteen stripes from 1795 until 1818, when Congress set the number back to thirteen for good. An easy way to remember: the stripes look back to the first colonies, while the stars count the states of today.

97. Why does the flag have 50 stars?

Accepted answers

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

Each state has its own star, so today the flag carries fifty. Since the Flag Act of 1818 a star has been added for every new state, the last two after Alaska and Hawaii joined in 1959. The stripes stayed at thirteen because they count the original colonies instead.

98. What is the name of the national anthem?

Answer

• The Star-Spangled Banner

The Star-Spangled Banner is the national anthem. Francis Scott Key wrote the words in 1814 after watching the American flag survive a night of British bombardment, and Congress made the song official in 1931. America the Beautiful, God Bless America and My Country, 'Tis of Thee are loved patriotic songs, but none of them is the anthem.

99. When do we celebrate Independence Day?

Answer

• July 4

Independence Day is July 4, the day in 1776 when the Declaration of Independence was adopted. Families mark it with fireworks, parades and barbecues, and saying July 4 or the Fourth of July is enough for the officer. The other dates belong elsewhere: June 14 is Flag Day, May 30 was the old date of Memorial Day, and July 14 is the national day of France.

100. Name two national U.S. holidays.

Accepted answers

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

Thanksgiving and Labor Day are two of the eleven national holidays set by federal law, along with New Year's Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents' Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day and Christmas. On these days federal offices, courts and banks close and federal workers have the day off; private employers choose which ones they observe. Halloween, Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day and Cinco de Mayo are widely celebrated, but they are not on the official list.