Citizenship Test

Do You Have What it Takes To Become a U.S. Citizen? 

When immigrants want to become Americans, they must take a civics test as part of their naturalization interview before a Citizenship and Immigration Services (INS) officer. The questions are usually selected from a list of 100 sample questions that prospective citizens can look at ahead of the interview. Here are some of those questions:

1. How many stripes are there on the U.S. flag?

a. 10

b. 13

c. 50

d. 51

2. Who is the chief justice of the Supreme Court today?

a. George W. Bush

b. Alberto Gonzales

c. Thomas Jefferson

d. John G. Roberts Jr.

3. In what year was the Constitution written?

a. 1776

b. 1787

c. 1876

d. 1812

4. Which of these is guaranteed by the First Amendment?

a. Freedom of the press

b. Right to bear arms

c. Right to happiness

d. Right to trial by jury

5. How many Supreme Court justices are there?

a. 3

b. 9

c. 10

d. 13

6. What are the first 10 amendments to the Constitution called?

a. The Preamble

b. The Bill of Rights

c. First Ten Amendments 

d. Lewis “Scooter” Libby

7. When was the Declaration of Independence adopted?

a. July 4, 1776

b. July 4, 1787

c. July 4, 1812

d. July 4, 1876

8. Which of the following amendments to the Constitution does NOT address or guarantee voting rights?

a. 19th Amendment

b. 24th Amendment

c. 15th Amendment

d. 7th Amendment

9. What are the 13 original states?

a. Connecticut, New Hampshire, New York, New Zealand, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Delaware, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Rhode Island, Maryland

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

c. Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Rhode Island, Maryland

d. Connecticut, New Hampshire, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Rhode Island, Maryland, Washington, D.C.

10. What do the stripes on the U.S. flag mean?

a. The Cabinet

b. One for each state in the Union

c. They represent the 13 original states

d. One for each article of the Constitution

11. What is the introduction to the Constitution called?

a. The Preamble

b. The Bill of Rights

c. The Declaration of Independence

d. The Articles of Confederation

12. How many changes or amendments are there to the Constitution?

a. 9

b. 10

c. 13

d. 27

13. Which of the following is NOT one of the constitutional requirements to be eligible to become president?

a. Must be at least 35 years old by the time he/she will serve

b. Must have lived in the United States for at least 14 years

c. Must be a natural-born citizen of the United States

d. Must have served as a governor

14. Who selects the Supreme Court justices?

a. The Electoral College

b. The people

c. They are appointed by the president

d. The Senate

15. How many representatives are there in Congress?

a. 50

b. 100

c. 102

d. 435

16. Who said, "Give me liberty or give me death"?

a. George Washington

b. Benjamin Franklin

c. Thomas Jefferson

d. Patrick Henry

17. Why did the Pilgrims come to America?

a. In search of gold

b. To meet the Indians

c. For religious freedom

d. To escape the Revolutionary War

18. Who has the power to declare war?

a. Congress

b. The president

c. Chief justice of the Supreme Court

d. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

19. Which of these contains three rights or freedoms guaranteed by the Bill of Rights?

a. Right to life, right to liberty, right to the pursuit of happiness

b. Freedom of speech, freedom of press, freedom of religion

c. Right to protest, right to protection under the law, freedom of religion

d. Freedom of religion, right to elect representatives, human rights’

20. How many states are there in the Union?

a. 49

b. 50

c. 51

d. 52

Results:

# Correct: _________ x 100 = _________ %

Total 20

0-20%: Maybe you're still thinking too much about the Old Country.

25-40%: Mmmm. Do you really want to be a citizen? This kind of performance isn't going to impress those nice immigration folks.

45-60%: Not too bad, but you really need to break out the civics books again -- word is, the INS is looking for an 80 percent score.

65-80%: Hey, you may make a good citizen yet! Look at your wrong answers and a little revision should do the trick.

85-100%: Welcome to the United States! (And, truth be told, you know more about this great land than most Americans.)