United States Citizenship civic test copy from USCIS website

 1. Who signs bills to become laws?

Dthe President

Correct

President Lyndon B. Johnson signing the Immigration Act of 1965 on October 3rd of that same year, Liberty Island, NY. Courtesy of the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum.

The president signs bills to become laws. A bill is a proposed law. Members of Congress write bills to address issues that are important to the American people. They vote on bills. If Congress accepts a bill, they send it to the president to be signed. If the president agrees with 

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

• BWashington, D.C.
  Correct

  

  A view of Washington, D.C., from Virginia, across the Potomac River. The view shows the Lincoln Memorial, the Washington Monument, and the U.S. Capitol.

  Washington, D.C., is the capital of the United States. In 1800, the federal government moved to Washington, D.C. D.C. stands for District of Columbia. Senators and representatives meet at the Capitol building in Washington, D.C., to make laws. The president lives and works at the White House in Washington, D.C. Supreme Court judges make decisions at the Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C.

3. Who vetoes bills?

Cthe President

Correct

The president vetoes bills. The president has the power to stop a bill from becoming a law. The president can refuse to sign a bill that Congress approved. This is called a veto. The bill is sent back to Congress without the president's signature. Congress can change the bill or vote again. If two-thirds of the House of Representatives and two-thirds of the Senate vote to override the veto, it becomes a law without the president's signature.

Question 4 of 20

Total answered correctly4

Total answered incorrectly0

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

Bfreedom of speech and freedom of religion

Correct

Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy speaking at a racial equality demonstration outside the Justice Department on June 14, 1963. Courtesy of the Library of Congress, LC-DIG-ppmsca-04295.

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

Bsix (6)

Correct

Senate hearing on the confirmation of John G. Roberts, Jr. in 2005. Courtesy of the U.S. Senate Historical Office.

We elect U.S. senators for six years. Senators can run for as many terms as they want. Their job is to represent all the people of their state in the Senate.

6. What did Susan B. Anthony do?

Dfought for women's rights

Correct

Susan B. Anthony. Courtesy of the Library of Congress, LC-DIG-ggbain-30125.

Susan B. Anthony was an important leader in the women's rights movement. She fought for women's rights and for civil rights. She gave speeches to support women's rights, especially the right to vote. In 1872, Susan B. Anthony tried to vote and had to go to jail. Susan B. Anthony died in 1906. Women still did not have the right to vote all over the United States. Other people fought for women's rights. In 1920, the Nineteenth Amendment was added to the Constitution. It gave women the right to vote. Susan B. Anthony is an important leader in American history.

Question 7 of 20

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7. When was the Constitution written?

• 8. Who was the first President?*
  
  

  • 
    
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Individual freedoms, or rights, are protected in the United States. Many of these rights are for everyone. We all have the right to free expression and free speech. We are allowed to say what we think without fear of what the government will do. We have the right to freedom of assembly. We can meet peacefully with other people. We have the right to petition the government. We can ask the government to change or correct a problem. We have the right to practice religion as we choose. We have the right to practice no religion at all. This is freedom of religion. We also have the right to bear arms. With limits, we have the right to have weapons. These rights are for everyone living in the U

nited States.

9. What does the Constitution do?

Question 9 of 20

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9. What does the Constitution do?

Dall of these answers

Correct

The Constitution of the United States. Courtesy of the National Archives.

The Constitution creates the federal government. It says how the federal government works. It creates a government where citizens choose senators and representatives to make laws for the country. The Constitution also protects the basic rights of all Americans. People at the Constitutional Convention wrote the Constitution in 1787. It is the oldest constitution in the world still used today.

10. Name one U.S. territory

Correct

Old Spanish Bridge in Umatac, Guam. Courtesy of the Office of U.S. Representative Madeleine Z. Bordallo.

There are five major U.S. territories: Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Northern Mariana Islands, and Guam. Territories have their own local governments. They also must follow the laws of the U.S. federal government.

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

Dchecks and balances

Correct

The system of checks and balances stops one branch of the federal government from becoming too powerful. The United States government is divided into three separate branches. They are the president, Congress, and the courts. Here is an example of how this works. Congress makes laws. 

But the president can veto a law. That means the president can refuse to sign it. The law is then sent back to Congress. This is one way the president limits, or checks, the power of Congress.

12. When do we celebrate Independence Day?*

DJuly 4

Correct

Patriotic celebration at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C

We celebrate Independence Day on July 4. Representatives from the colonies signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. This is the day the United States declared independence from Great Britain. On July 4, Americans celebrate in many different ways. We have parades, picnics, and watch fireworks. We celebrate Independence Day every year on July 4.

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

• DKamala Harris
  Correct

  

  Courtesy of the White House.

  The vice president advises the president. If the president can no longer serve, the vice president becomes the president. The vice president is also the president of the U.S. Senate. He or she votes in the Senate when there is a tie.

14. What did the Declaration of Independence do?

• Ddeclared our independence from Great Britain
  Correct

  

  Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson in “Writing the Declaration of Independence, 1776,” by Jean Leon Gerome Ferris. Courtesy of the Library of Congress, LC-USZC4-9904.

Question 15 of 20

Total answered correctly13

Total answered incorrectly1

15. Where is the Statue of Liberty?*

• BNew York Harbor
  Correct
  

  The Statue of Liberty is on an island in New York Harbor. In 1886, France gave the statue to the United States. Many immigrants came by boat to New York. The Statue of Liberty was the first symbol of the United States they saw. The statue represents liberty. The statue is a famous symbol of hope. It is a symbol of starting a new life in the United States.

Question 16 of 20

Total answered correctly14

Total answered incorrectly1

16. What are two Cabinet-level positions?

• 17. In what month do we vote for President?*
  • BNovember
    Correct
    

    We vote for the president in November. In 1845, Congress decided that November was the perfect month to have elections. At that time, most American citizens lived on farms. By November, farmers had finished harvesting their crops. They could leave the farm to vote. Also, November was not as cold as the winter months. Bad weather would not stop people from voting.

  • 18. When must all men register for the Selective Service?
    Cbetween eighteen (18) and twenty-six (26)

    Correct

    

    World War I draft registration card of Irving Berlin, an American composer who became a naturalized citizen in 1918. Courtesy of the National Archives.

    All men must register for the Selective Service between the ages of 18 and 26. When you register, you tell the government you can serve in the military if necessary. Selective Service was used in World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. The government calls this the draft. The United States does not have a draft now. You do not have to serve in the military unless you want to.

  
  

  
  

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19. What is an amendment?

• Ca change (to the Constitution)
  Correct

  

  The 20th Amendment to the Constitution

  An amendment is a change to the Constitution. The country grows and changes. Amendments to the Constitution allow the government to grow and change, too. For example, the Nineteenth Amendment gave women the right to vote. Many people, like Susan B. Anthony, fought for this right for many years. Today, women can vote because of this amendment.

Question 20 of 20

Total answered correctly18

Total answered incorrectly1

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

• CCitizens eighteen (18) and older can vote
  Correct

  

  A young woman casting her ballot in the 1964 presidential election. Courtesy of the Library of Congress, LC-DIG-ppmsca-04300.

  The United States added four amendments to the Constitution on who can vote. Congress added the Fifteenth Amendment in 1870. That amendment says that a male citizen of any race can vote. The Nineteenth Amendment says that any citizen, even women, can vote. Congress added the Twenty-fourth Amendment to the Constitution in 1964. It makes suffrage taxes illegal. Suffrage taxes were taxes that citizens had to pay in order to vote. These suffrage taxes were used to stop some people from voting, especially African Americans. The Twenty-sixth Amendment was added in 1971. This amendment states that all citizens 18 years of age or older can vote.

• 1. Who signs bills to become laws?

  the President
  2. What is the capital of the United States?*

  Washington, D.C.
  3. Who vetoes bills?

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

  freedom of speech and freedom of religion
  5. We elect a U.S. Senator for how many years?

  six (6)
  6. What did Susan B. Anthony do?

  fought for women's rights
  7. When was the Constitution written?

  1789

  1787

  

  Independence Hall in Philadelphia, PA, where the Constitution was signed in 1787.

  The Constitution was written in 1787. The American army won the War of Independence in 1783. For several years, the United States was governed by a congress of representatives from the states. But in 1787, delegates for the states met in Philadelphia to create a stronger federal government. They wrote the Constitution that gave the framework for the government we have today. The Constitution was written in 1787. 

  8. Who was the first President?*

  George Washington
  9. What does the Constitution do?

  all of these answers
  10. Name one U.S. territory

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

  checks and balances
  12. When do we celebrate Independence Day?*

  July 4
  13. What is the name of the Vice President of the United States now?

  Kamala Harris
  14. What did the Declaration of Independence do?

  declared our independence from Great Britain
  15. Where is the Statue of Liberty?*

  New York Harbor
  16. What are two Cabinet-level positions?

  Secretary of State and Secretary of Labor
  17. In what month do we vote for President?*

  November
  18. When must all men register for the Selective Service?

  between eighteen (18) and twenty-six (26)
  19. What is an amendment?

  a change (to the Constitution)
  20. There are four amendments to the Constitution about who can vote. Describe one of them.

  Citizens eighteen (18) and older can vote