Taken
directly from the
USCIS Web site,
here are the 144
proposed questions,
along with suggested
answers, that are on
the proposed new
naturalization test.
On
November 30, 2006,
U.S. Citizenship and
Immigration Services
(USCIS) Director
Emilio Gonzalez
announced the
release of 144
questions and
answers for the
pilot test of a new
naturalization exam.
USCIS will
administer the pilot
exam to about 5,000
volunteer
citizenship
applicants in 10
cities beginning in
early 2007.
USCIS included new
questions that focus
on the concepts of
democracy and the
rights and
responsibilities of
citizenship. In
designing the new
exam, USCIS received
assistance and
worked with test
development
contractors, U.S.
history and
government scholars,
and English as a
Second Language
experts. USCIS also
sought input from a
variety of
stakeholders,
including immigrant
advocacy groups,
citizenship
instructors and
District
Adjudications
Officers.
The pilot will allow
USCIS to work out
any problems and
refine the exam
before it is fully
implemented
nationwide in the
spring of 2008.
During the trial
period, volunteer
applicants who
choose to take the
pilot exam can
immediately take the
current exam if they
incorrectly answer a
pilot question. To
pass, applicants
will have to
correctly answer six
of 10 selected
questions. The 10
pilot test sites
are: Albany, NY;
Boston, MA;
Charleston, SC;
Denver, CO; El Paso,
TX; Kansas City, MO;
Miami, FL; San
Antonio, TX; Tucson,
AZ; and Yakima, WA.
Pilot
Exam Questions and
Answers
1.
Name one important
idea found in the
Declaration of
Independence.
A:
People are born with
natural rights.
A: The power of
government comes
from the people.
A: The people can
change their
government if it
hurts their natural
rights.
A: All people are
created equal.
2.
What is the supreme
law of the land?
A:
The Constitution
3.
What does the
Constitution do?
A:
It sets up the
government.
A: It protects
basic rights of
Americans.
4.
What does “We the
People” mean in the
Constitution?
A:
The power of
government comes
from the people.
5.
What do we call
changes to the
Constitution?
A:
Amendments
6.
What is an
amendment?
A:
It is a change to
the Constitution.
7.
What do we call the
first ten amendments
to the Constitution?
A:
The Bill of Rights
8.
Name one right or
freedom from the
First Amendment.
A:
Speech
A: Religion
A: Assembly
A: Press
A: Petition the
government
9.
How many amendments
does the
Constitution have?
A:
Twenty-seven (27)
10.
What did the
Declaration of
Independence do?
A:
Announce the
independence of the United States from Great Britain
A: Say that the
U.S. is free from
Great Britain
11.
What does freedom of
religion mean?
A:
You can practice
any religion you
want, or not
practice at all.
12.
What type of
economic system does
the U.S. have?
A: Capitalist
economy
A: Free market
A: Market economy
13.
What are the three
branches or parts of
the government?
A:
Executive,
legislative, and
judicial
A: Congress, the
President, the
courts
14.
Name one branch or
part of the
government.
A:
Congress
A: Legislative
A: President
A: Executive
A: The courts
A: Judicial
15.
Who is in charge of
the executive
branch?
A:
The President
16.
Who makes federal
laws?
A:
Congress
A: The Senate and
House (of
Representatives)
A: The (U.S. or national) legislature
17.
What are the two
parts of the United
States Congress?
A:
The Senate and House
(of Representatives)
18.
How many United States Senators are there?
A:
100
19.
We elect a U.S.
Senator for how many
years?
A:
Six (6)
20.
Name your state’s
two U.S. Senators.
A:
Answers will vary.
[For
District of Columbia
residents and
residents of U.S. territories, the answer is that DC (or the
territory where the
applicant lives) has
no U.S.
Senators.]
21.
How many U.S. Senators does each state have?
A:
Two (2)
22.
The House of
Representatives has
how many voting
members?
A:
435
23.
We elect a U.S.
Representative for
how many years?
A:
Two (2)
24.
Name your U.S.
Representative.
A:
Answers will vary.
[Residents of
territories with
nonvoting delegates
or resident
commissioners may
provide the name of
that representative
or commissioner.
Also acceptable is
any statement that
the territory has no
(voting)
representatives in
Congress.]
25.
Who does a U.S.
Senator represent?
A:
All citizens in that
Senator’s state
26.
Who does a U.S.
Representative
represent?
A:
All citizens in that
Representative’s
district (each state
is divided into
districts)
27.
What decides each
state’s number of U.S. Representatives?
A:
The state’s
population
28.
How is each state’s
number of
Representatives
decided?
A:
The state’s
population
29.
Why do we have three
branches of
government?
A:
So no branch is too
powerful
30.
Name one example of
checks and balances.
A:
The President vetoes
a bill.
A: Congress can
confirm or not
confirm a
President’s
nomination.
A: Congress
approves the
President’s budget.
A: The Supreme
Court strikes down a
law.
31.
We elect a President
for how many years?
A:
Four (4) years
32.
How old must a
President be?
A:
Thirty-five (35) or
older
A: At least
thirty-five (35)
A: More than
thirty-five (35)
33.
The President must
be born in what
country?
A:
The United States
A:
America
34.
Who is the President
now?
A:
[Current president]
(as of November 20,
2006, George W.
Bush)
35.
What is the name of
the President of the United States?
A:
[Current president]
(as of November 20,
2006, George W.
Bush)
A: (President)
George W. Bush
A: George Bush
A: Bush
36.
Who is the Vice
President now?
A:
[Current vice
president] (as of
November 20, 2006-
Richard (Dick)
Cheney)
A: Dick Cheney
A: Cheney
37.
What is the name of
the Vice President
of the
United States?
A:
[Current vice
president] (as of
November 20, 2006-
Richard (Dick)
Cheney)
A: Dick Cheney
A: Cheney
38.
If the President can
no longer serve, who
becomes President?
A:
The Vice President
39.
Who becomes
President if both
the President and
the Vice President
can no longer serve?
A:
The Speaker of the
House
40.
Who is the
Commander-in-Chief
of the military?
A:
The President
41.
How many full terms
can a President
serve?
A:
Two (2)
42.
Who signs bills to
become laws?
A:
The President
43.
Who vetoes bills?
A:
The President
44.
What is a veto?
A:
The President
refuses to sign a
bill passed by
Congress.
A: The President
says no to a bill.
A: The President
rejects a bill.
45.
What does the
President’s Cabinet
do?
A:
Advises the
President
46.
Name two
Cabinet-level
positions.
A:
Secretary of
Agriculture
A: Secretary of
Commerce
A: Secretary of
Defense
A: Secretary of
Education
A: Secretary of
Energy
A: Secretary of
Health and Human
Services
A: Secretary of
Homeland Security
A: Secretary of
Housing and Urban
Development
A: Secretary of
Interior
A: Secretary of
State
A: Secretary of
Transportation
A: Secretary of
Treasury
A: Secretary of
Veterans’ Affairs
A: Attorney
General
A: Secretary of
Labor
47.
What Cabinet-level
agency advises the
President on foreign
policy?
A:
The State Department
48.
What does the
judicial branch do?
A:
Reviews and explains
laws
A: Resolves
disputes between
parties
A: Decides if a
law goes against the
Constitution
49.
Who confirms Supreme
Court justices?
A:
The Senate
50.
Who is the Chief
Justice of the United States?
A:
John Roberts (John
G. Roberts, Jr.)
51.
How many justices
are on the Supreme
Court?
A:
Nine (9)
52.
Who nominates
justices to the
Supreme Court?
A:
The President
53.
Name one thing only
the federal
government can do.
A:
Print money
A: Declare war
A: Create an army
A: Make treaties
54.
What is one thing
only a state
government can do?
A:
Provide schooling
and education
A: Provide
protection (police)
A: Provide safety
(fire departments)
A: Give a
driver’s license
A: Approve zoning
and land use
55.
What does it mean
that the U.S.
Constitution is a
constitution of
limited powers?
A:
The federal
government has only
the powers that the
Constitution states
that it has.
A: The states
have all powers that
the federal
government does not.
56.
Who is the Governor
of your state?
A:
Answers will vary.
[District
of Columbia
and
U.S. Territory residents would answer
that they do not
have a state
governor or that
they do not live in
a state. Mentioning
the governor of the
territory for Guam is acceptable. Any answer that mentions one of these
facts is
acceptable.]
57.
What is the capital
(or capital city) of
your state?
A:
Answers will vary.
[District of
Columbia residents
would answer that DC
is not a state, and
that therefore it
does not have a
capital. Any answer
that mentions one of
these facts is
acceptable.]
58.
What are the two
major political
parties in the
U.S. today?
A:
Democrats and
Republicans
59.
What is the highest
court in the U.S.?
A:
The Supreme Court
60.
What is the majority
political party in
the House of
Representatives now?
A:
Democrats
A: Democratic
Party
61.
What is the
political party of
the majority in the
Senate now?
A:
Democrats
A: Democratic
Party
62.
What is the
political party of
the President now?
A:
Republicans
A: Republican
Party
63.
Who is the Speaker
of the House of
Representatives now?
A:
Nancy Pelosi
64.
Who is the Senate
Majority Leader now?
A:
Harry Reid
65.
In what month are
elections held in
the United States?
A:
November
66.
What is the current
minimum wage in the U.S.?
A:
$5.15
67.
When must all males
register for the
Selective Service?
A: At
age 18
A: At 18
68.
Who is the Secretary
of State now?
A:
Dr. Condoleezza Rice
A: Condoleezza Rice
A: Dr. Rice
69.
Who is the Attorney
General now?
A:
Alberto Gonzales
70.
Is the current
President in his
first or second
term?
A:
Second
71.
What is
self-government?
A:
Powers come from the
people.
A: Government
responds to the
people.
72.
Who governs the
people in a
self-governed
country?
A:
The people govern
themselves.
A: The government
elected by the
people.
73.
What is the “rule of
law”?
A:
Everyone must obey
the law.
A: Leaders must
obey the law.
A: Government must
obey the law.
74.
What are
“inalienable
rights”?
A:
Individual rights
that people are born
with
75.
There are four
amendments to the
Constitution about
who can vote.
Describe one of
them.
A:
Any citizen over 18
can vote.
A: A citizen of
any race can vote.
A: Any male or
female citizen can
vote. (Women and men
can vote.)
A: You don’t have
to pay to vote. (You
don’t have to pay a
poll tax to vote.)
76.
Name one
responsibility that
is only for United States
citizens.
A:
Vote
A: Serve on a jury
77.
Name two rights that
are only for United States
citizens.
A:
The right to apply
for a federal job
A: The right to
vote
A: The right to
run for office
78.
Name two rights of
everyone living in
the U.S.
A:
Freedom of
expression
A: Freedom of
speech
A: Freedom of
assembly
A: Freedom to
petition the
government
A: Freedom of
worship
A: The right to
bear arms
79.
What is the Pledge
of Allegiance?
A:
The promise of
loyalty to the flag
and the nation
80.
Name one promise you
make when you say
the Oath of
Allegiance.
A:
To give up loyalty
to other countries
(I give up loyalty
to my [old][first][other]
country.)
A: To defend the
Constitution and
laws of the United
States
A: To obey the
laws of the United
States
A: To serve in the
United States
military if needed
(To fight for the
United States
[if needed].)
A: To serve the
nation if needed (To
do important work
for the United States
[if needed].)
A: To be loyal to
the United States
81.
Who can vote in the U.S.?
A:
All citizens over 18
A: All registered
citizens over 18
82.
Name two ways that
Americans can
participate in their
democracy.
A:
Vote
A: Join a political
party
A: Help out with a
campaign
A: Join a civic
group
A:
Join
a community group
A: Tell an elected
official your
opinion on an issue.
A: Call your
Senators and
Representatives
A: Publicly support
or oppose an issue
or policy
A: Run for office
A: Write to a
newspaper
83.
When is the last day
you can send in
federal income tax
forms?
A: By
April 15th of every
year
A: By April 15th
A: April 15
84.
Name two of the
natural, or
inalienable, rights
in the Declaration
of Independence.
A:
Life
A: Liberty
A: The pursuit of
happiness
85.
Who wrote the
Declaration of
Independence?
A:
Thomas Jefferson
86.
When was the
Declaration of
Independence
adopted?
A:
July 4, 1776
87.
Name one reason why
the colonists came
to America?
A:
Freedom
A: Political liberty
A: Religious freedom
A: Economic
opportunity
A: To practice their
religion
A: To escape
persecution
88.
What happened at the
Constitutional
Convention?
A:
The Constitution was
written.
A:
The Founding Fathers
wrote the
Constitution.
89.
Why did the
colonists fight the
British?
A:
They had to pay high
taxes but did not
have any say about
it. (Taxation
without
representation.)
A: The British
army stayed in their
houses. (boarding,
quartering)
A: The British
denied the colonists
self-government.
90.
When was the
Constitution
drafted?
A:
1787
91.
There are 13
original states.
Name three.
A:
Connecticut,
Delaware, Georgia,
Maryland,
Massachusetts, New
Hampshire, New
Jersey, New York,
North Carolina,
Pennsylvania, Rhode
Island, South
Carolina, and
Virginia.
92.
What group of people
was taken to America and sold
as slaves?
A:
Africans
A: People from
Africa
93.
Who lived in America before the Europeans arrived?
A:
The Native Americans
A: American Indians
94.
Where did most of America’s colonists come from before
the Revolution?
A:
Europe
95.
Why were the
colonists upset with
the British
government?
A:
Stamp Act
A: They had to pay
high taxes but did
not have any say
about it. (Taxation
without
representation.)
A: The British army
stayed in their
houses. (boarding,
quartering)
A: Intolerable Acts
96.
Name one thing
Benjamin Franklin is
famous for.
A: U.S. diplomat
A: Oldest member of
the Constitutional
Convention
A: First Postmaster
General of the
United States
A: Writer of “Poor
Richard’s Almanac”
97.
Name one famous
battle from the
Revolutionary War.
A:
Lexington
and Concord
A:
Trenton
A: Princeton
A: Saratoga
A: Cowpens
A:
Yorktown
A: Bunker Hill
98.
Who is called the
“Father of Our
Country”?
A:
George Washington
99.
Who was the first
President?
A:
George Washington
100.
Name one of the
writers of the
Federalist Papers?
A:
James Madison
A: Alexander
Hamilton
A: John Jay
101.
What group of essays
supported passage of
the U.S.
Constitution?
A:
The Federalist
Papers
102.
Name one of the
major American
Indian tribes in the
United States.
A:
Cherokee, Seminoles,
Creek, Choctaw,
Arawak, Iroquois,
Shawnee, Mohegan, Chippewa, Huron, Oneida, Sioux, Cheyenne,
Lakotas, Crows,
Blackfeet, Teton,
Navajo, Apaches, Pueblo, Hopi, Inuit
[Adjudicators will
be supplied with a
complete list.]
103.
Name one war fought
by the United States in
the 1800s.
A:
War of 1812, Mexican
American War, Civil
War, or
Spanish-American
War.
104.
What territory did
the
United States
buy from France in 1803?
A:
The Louisiana Territory
A: Louisiana
105.
What country sold
the Louisiana Territory to the United States?
A:
France
106.
In 1803, the
United States
bought a large
amount of land from
France. Where was that land?
A:
West of the Mississippi
A: The Western U.S.
A: The Louisiana
Territory
107.
Name one of the
things that Abraham
Lincoln did.
A:
Saved (or preserved)
the Union.
A: Freed the
slaves
A: Led the U.S. during the Civil War.
108.
Name the U.S. war between the North and the
South.
A:
The Civil War
109.
Name one problem
that led to the
Civil War.
A:
Slavery
A: Economic
reasons
A: States’ rights
110.
What did the
Emancipation
Proclamation do?
A:
Freed slaves in the
Confederacy
A: Freed slaves in
the Confederate
states
A: Freed slaves in
most Southern states
111.
What did the
abolitionists try to
end before the Civil
War?
A:
Slavery
112.
What did Susan B.
Anthony do?
A:
She fought for
women’s rights.
113.
Name one war
fought by the United States in
the 1900s.
A:
World War I, World
War II,
Korean War,
Vietnam
War, or Gulf (or
Persian Gulf)
War
114.
Who was President
during World War I?
A:
Woodrow Wilson
115.
The
United States
fought Japan, Germany, and Italy during
which war?
A:
World War II
116.
What was the main
concern of the United States
during the Cold War?
A:
The spread of
communism
A:
The Soviet Union [USSR and Russia are also acceptable.]
117.
What major event
happened on
September 11, 2001,
in the
United States?
A:
Terrorists attacked
The United States.
118.
What international
organization was
established after
World War II (WWII)
to keep the world at
peace?
A:
The United Nations
119.
What alliance of
North America
and European
countries was
created during the
Cold War?
A:
NATO (North
Atlantic
Treaty Organization)
120.
Who was President
during the Great
Depression and World
War II?
A:
Franklin Roosevelt
121.
Which U.S. World War
II general later
became President?
A:
Dwight Eisenhower
122.
What did Martin
Luther King, Jr. do?
A:
He fought for civil
rights.
A: He strove for
(worked for, fought
for) equality for
all Americans.
123.
Martin Luther King,
Jr. had a dream for America. What
was his dream?
A:
Equality for all
Americans
A: Civil rights
for all
124.
What movement tried
to end racial
discrimination?
A:
The civil rights
movement
125.
What is the longest
river in the United States?
A:
The Missouri River
126. What ocean is
on the west coast of
the
United States?
A:
The
Pacific Ocean
127.
What country is on
the northern border
of the
United States?
A:
Canada
128.
Where is the
Grand Canyon?
A: Arizona
A: The Southwest
A: Along/on the
Colorado River
129.
Where is the Statue
of Liberty?
A:
New York Harbor
A: Liberty Island
[Also acceptable
are New Jersey, near New York City,
and on the Hudson (River).]
130.
What country is on
the southern border
of the
United States?
A:
Mexico
131.
Name one large
mountain range in
the United States.
A:
The
Rocky Mountains
A: The Appalachians
A: The Sierra Nevada
A: The Cascades
132.
What is the tallest
mountain in the United States?
A: Mt. McKinley
A: Denali
133.
Name one U.S. territory.
A:
American Samoa
A: The Commonwealth of
Northern Mariana Islands
A: Guam
A:
Puerto Rico
A: U.S.
Virgin Islands
134.
Name the state that
is in the middle of
the Pacific Ocean.
A:
Hawaii
135.
Name one state that
borders Canada.
A: Alaska, Idaho,
Maine, Michigan,
Minnesota, Montana,
New Hampshire, New
York, North Dakota,
Ohio, Pennsylvania,
Vermont, or
Washington
136.
Name one state that
borders on Mexico.
A:
Arizona, California, New Mexico,
or Texas
137.
What is the capital
of the U.S.?
A:
Washington, D.C.
138.
Why does the flag
have 13 stripes?
A:
Because there were
13 original colonies
A: Because the
stripes represent
the original
colonies
139.
Why do we have 13
stripes on the flag?
A:
Because there were
13 original colonies
A: Because the
stripes represent
the original
colonies
140.
Why does the flag
have 50 stars?
A:
There is one star
for each state.
A: Each star
represents a state.
A: There are 50
states.
141.
What is the name of
the National Anthem?
A:
The “Star-Spangled
Banner”
142.
On the Fourth of
July we celebrate
independence from
what country?
A:
Great
Britain
143.
When do we celebrate
Independence Day?
A:
July 4
144.
Name two national U.S. holidays.
A:
New Year’s Day
A: Martin Luther
King Day
A: Presidents’ Day
A: Memorial Day
A: Independence
Day
A: Labor Day
A: Columbus Day
A: Veterans Day
A: Thanksgiving
A: Christmas
