I was over at Eric Kirks blog a while back and he had a post about the fact that only 2.8% of Oklahoma high school students could pass a basic citizenship test. I got curious about what the test was like, so I looked it up. The complete test is listed below. Apparently, you get ten questions selected at random from the test, and you are require to score six questions answered correctly out of those ten.
If you want to take the test fairly, write down ten numbers between 1 and 100, look through the list and find the number that have written down and answer the questions. Again to be a good citizen you must get six of the ten correct.
You show-offs can go ahead and take the whole test if you want to, but you will probably score better that way than if you chose ten out of the 100, because some of the questions are related to each other in a way that makes the answers obvious. I listed all of the answers at the bottom of the post so you can grade yourself. Good luck! If you fail we might have to deport you!
Current USCIS Test Questions
(Answers below)
1. What are the colors of our flag?
2. How many stars are there in our flag?
3. What color are the stars on our flag?
4. What do the stars on the flag mean?
5. How many stripes are there in the flag?
6. What color are the stripes?
7. What do the stripes on the flag mean?
8. How many states are there in the Union?
9. What is the 4th of July?
10. What is the date of Independence Day?
11. Independence from whom?
12. What country did we fight during the Revolutionary War?
13. Who was the first President of the United States?
14. Who is the President of the United States today?
15. Who is the vice-president of the United States today?
16. Who elects the President of the United States?
17. Who becomes President of the United States if the President should die?
18. For how long do we elect the President?
19. What is the Constitution?
20. Can the Constitution be changed?
21. What do we call a change to the Constitution?
22. How many changes or amendments are there to the Constitution?
23. How many branches are there in our government?
24. What are the three branches of our government?
25. What is the legislative branch of our government?
26. Who makes the laws in the United States?
27. What is the Congress?
28. What are the duties of Congress?
29. Who elects the Congress?
30. How many senators are there in Congress?
31. Can you name the two senators from your state?
32. For how long do we elect each senator?
33. How many representatives are there in Congress?
34. For how long do we elect the representatives?
35. What is the executive branch of our government?
36. What is the judiciary branch of our government?
37. What are the duties of the Supreme Court?
38. What is the supreme court law of the United States?
39. What is the Bill of Rights?
40. What is the capital of your state?
41. Who is the current governor of your state?
42. Who becomes President of the United States if the President and the vice-president should die?
43. Who is the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court?
44. Can you name thirteen original states?
45. Who said, "Give me liberty or give me death."?
46. Which countries were our enemies during World War II?
47. What are the 49th and 50th states of the Union?
48. How many terms can the President serve?
49. Who was Martin Luther King, Jr.?
50. Who is the head of your local government?
51. According to the Constitution, a person must meet certain requirements in order to be eligible to become President. Name one of these requirements.
52. Why are there 100 Senators in the Senate?
53. Who selects the Supreme Court justice?
54. How many Supreme Court justice are there?
55. Why did the Pilgrims come to America?
56. What is the head executive of a state government called?
57. What is the head executive of a city government called?
58. What holiday was celebrated for the first time by the Americans colonists?
59. Who was the main writer of the Declaration of Independence?
60. When was the Declaration of Independence adopted?
61. What is the basic belief of the Declaration of Independence?
62. What is the national anthem of the United States?
63. Who wrote the Star-Spangled Banner?
64. Where does freedom of speech come from?
65. What is a minimum voting age in the United States?
66. Who signs bills into law?
67. What is the highest court in the United States?
68. Who was the President during the Civil War?
69. What did the Emancipation Declaration do?
70. What special group advises the President?
71. Which President is called the "Father of our country"?
72. What Immigration and Naturalization Service form is used to apply to become a naturalized citizen?
73. Who helped the Pilgrims in America?
74. What is the name of the ship that brought the Pilgrims to America?
75. What are the 13 original states of the U.S. called?
76. Name 3 rights of freedom guaranteed by the Bill of Rights.
77. Who has the power to declare the war?
78. What kind of government does the United States have?
79. Which President freed the slaves?
80. In what year was the Constitution written?
81. What are the first 10 amendments to the Constitution called?
82. Name one purpose of the United Nations?
83. Where does Congress meet?
84. Whose rights are guaranteed by the Constitution and the Bill of Rights?
85. What is the introduction to the Constitution called?
86. Name one benefit of being citizen of the United States.
87. What is the most important right granted to U.S. citizens?
88. What is the United States Capitol?
89. What is the White House?
90. Where is the White House located?
91. What is the name of the President's official home?
92. Name the right guaranteed by the first amendment.
93. Who is the Commander in Chief of the U.S. military?
94. Which President was the first Commander in Chief of the U.S. military?
95. In what month do we vote for the President?
96. In what month is the new President inaugurated?
97. How many times may a Senator be re-elected?
98. How many times may a Congressman be re-elected?
99. What are the 2 major political parties in the U.S. today?
100. How many states are there in the United States today?
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1. What are the colors of our flag?
Red, White, and Blue.
2. How many stars are there in our flag?
50
3. What color are the stars on our flag?
White.
4. What do the stars on the flag mean?
One for each state in the Union.
5. How many stripes are there in the flag?
13
6. What color are the stripes?
Red and White.
7. What do the stripes on the flag mean?
They represent the original 13 states.
8. How many states are there in the Union?
50
9. What is the 4th of July?
Independence Day.
10. What is the date of Independence Day?
July 4th
11. Independence from whom?
England
12. What country did we fight during the Revolutionary War?
England
13. Who was the first President of the United States?
George Washington
14. Who is the President of the United States today?
Currently Barack Obama
15. Who is the vice-president of the United States today?
Currently Joseph Biden
16. Who elects the President of the United States?
The electoral college
17. Who becomes President of the United States if the President should die?
Vice - President
18. For how long do we elect the President?
Four years
19. What is the Constitution?
The supreme law of the land
20. Can the Constitution be changed?
Yes
21. What do we call a change to the Constitution?
An Amendment
22. How many changes or amendments are there to the Constitution?
27
23. How many branches are there in our government?
3
24. What are the three branches of our government?
Legislative, Executive, and Judiciary
25. What is the legislative branch of our government?
Congress
26. Who makes the laws in the United States?
Congress
27. What is the Congress?
The Senate and the House of Representatives
28. What are the duties of Congress?
To make laws
29. Who elects the Congress?
The people
30. How many senators are there in Congress?
100
31. Can you name the two senators from your state?
Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein
32. For how long do we elect each senator?
6 years
33. How many representatives are there in Congress?
435
34. For how long do we elect the representatives?
2 years
35. What is the executive branch of our government?
The President, vice president, cabinet, and departments under the cabinet members
36. What is the judiciary branch of our government?
The Supreme Court
37. What are the duties of the Supreme Court?
To interpret laws
38. What is the supreme court law of the United States?
The Constitution
39. What is the Bill of Rights?
The first 10 amendme of the Constitutionnts
40. What is the capital of your state?
Sacramento, California
41. Who is the current governor of your state?
Arnold Schwarzenegger
42. Who becomes President of the United States if the President and the vice-president should die?
Speaker of the House of Representative
43. Who is the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court?
William Rehnquist (or whoever is next)
44. Can you name thirteen original states?
Connecticut, New Hampshire, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Rhode Island, and Maryland.
45. Who said, "Give me liberty or give me death."?
Patrick Henry
46. Which countries were our enemies during World War II?
Germany, Italy, and Japan
47. What are the 49th and 50th states of the Union?
Alaska and Hawaii
48. How many terms can the President serve?
two
49. Who was Martin Luther King, Jr.?
A civil rights leader
50. Who is the head of your local government?
Humboldt County Board of supervisors.
51. According to the Constitution, a person must meet certain requirements in order to be eligible to become President. Name one of these requirements.
Must be a natural born citizen of the United States; must be at least 35 years old by the time he/she will serve; must have lived in the United States for at least 14 years.
52. Why are there 100 Senators in the Senate?
Two (2) from each state
53. Who selects the Supreme Court justice?
Appointed by the President
54. How many Supreme Court justice are there?
Nine (9)
55. Why did the Pilgrims come to America?
For religious freedom
56. What is the head executive of a state government called?
Governor
57. What is the head executive of a city government called?
Mayor
58. What holiday was celebrated for the first time by the Americans colonists?
Thanksgiving
59. Who was the main writer of the Declaration of Independence?
Thomas Jefferson
60. When was the Declaration of Independence adopted?
July 4, 1776
61. What is the basic belief of the Declaration of Independence?
That all men are created equal
62. What is the national anthem of the United States?
The Star-Spangled Banner
63. Who wrote the Star-Spangled Banner?
Francis Scott Key
64. Where does freedom of speech come from?
The Bill of Rights
65. What is a minimum voting age in the United States?
Eighteen (18)
66. Who signs bills into law?
The President
67. What is the highest court in the United States?
The Supreme Court
68. Who was the President during the Civil War?
Abraham Lincoln
69. What did the Emancipation Declaration do?
Freed many slaves
70. What special group advises the President?
The Cabinet
71. Which President is called the "Father of our country"?
George Washington
72. What Immigration and Naturalization Service form is used to apply to become a naturalized citizen?
Form N-400, Application to File Petition for Naturalization
73. Who helped the Pilgrims in America?
The American-Indians (Native Americans)
74. What is the name of the ship that brought the Pilgrims to America?
The Mayflower
75. What are the 13 original states of the U.S. called?
Colonies
76. Name 3 rights of freedom guaranteed by the Bill of Rights.
The right of freedom of speech, press, religion, peaceable assembly, and requesting change of government.
The right to bear arms (the right to have weapons or own a gun, though subject to certain regulations).
The government may not quarter, or house, soldiers in the people's homes during peacetime without the people's consent.
The government may not search or take a person's property without a warrant.
A person may not be tried twice for the same crime and does not have to testify against him/herself.
A person charged with a crime still has some rights, such as the right to a trial and to have a lawyer.
The right to trial by jury in most cases.
Protects people against excessive or unreasonable fines or cruel and unusual punishment.
The people have rights other than those mentioned in the Constitution.
Any power not given to the federal government by the Constitution is a power of either the state or the people.
77. Who has the power to declare the war?
The Congress
78. What kind of government does the United States have?
Democracy
79. Which President freed the slaves?
Abraham Lincoln
80. In what year was the Constitution written?
1787
81. What are the first 10 amendments to the Constitution called?
The Bill of Rights
82. Name one purpose of the United Nations?
For countries to discuss and try to resolve world problems, to provide economic aid to many countries.
83. Where does Congress meet?
In the Capitol in Washington, D.C.
84. Whose rights are guaranteed by the Constitution and the Bill of Rights?
Everyone (citizens and non-citizens) living in U.S.
85. What is the introduction to the Constitution called?
The Preamble
86. Name one benefit of being citizen of the United States.
Obtain federal government jobs, travel with U.S. passport, petition for close relatives to come to the U.S. to live.
87. What is the most important right granted to U.S. citizens?
The right to vote
88. What is the United States Capitol?
The place where Congress meets
89. What is the White House?
The President's official home
90. Where is the White House located?
Washington, D.C. (1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.)
91. What is the name of the President's official home?
The White House
92. Name the right guaranteed by the first amendment.
Freedom of: speech, press, religion, peaceable assembly, and requesting change of the government.
93. Who is the Commander in Chief of the U.S. military?
The President
94. Which President was the first Commander in Chief of the U.S. military?
George Washington
95. In what month do we vote for the President?
November
96. In what month is the new President inaugurated?
January
97. How many times may a Senator be re-elected?
There is no limit
98. How many times may a Congressman be re-elected?
There is no limit
99. What are the 2 major political parties in the U.S. today?
Democratic and Republican
100. How many states are there in the United States today?
Fifty (50)
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16 comments:
It's only fair to warn you that I passed 9 of 10 of my questions. They asked one "trick" question and I stumbled on it.
I want to know how they determine in number 87 what the most important right is. Some might say it was Free Speech because without that there is only uninformed voting which is useless.
Or someone (who shall be nameless but whose face is as red as her hair) might think it was life, or liberty, or pursuit of happiness though that would come not from our constitution but from the Declaration of Independence.
Great post Ernie!
Oregon
I actually think the first amendment is the most important.
The first amendment.
Freedom of: speech, press, religion, peaceable assembly, and requesting change of the government.
If that fails
The second amendment.
The right to bear arms.
The original intent of the right to bear arms was to protect the citizenry against an unreasonable, or out of control government.
I chose 2,3,9,12,27,42,54,64,81, and 87. My answers were all in agreement with theirs except nos. 27 and 64. For no. 27, I wrote, " The legislative branch. They make the laws." For no. 64, I wrote, "The 1st amendment to the Constitution."
I am hoping that that whoever administers the test would be kind enough to grant at least some partial credit to me. I don't know, though, with the present make-up of the SCOTUS...but wait, maybe I can convince them I'm a corporation.
Also, I am more than a little befuddled by the first few questions. I mean, how important is it to know the colors of the flag or the stars. I guess the meaning of the stripes and the stars is more significant, but even that is a bit of a stretch. I would rather that people be a bit more informed of the structure and workings of the system. It would be sad to think that someone might not be granted citizenship because they forgot that the color of the stars is white.
I picked 7, 13,16, 22, 35, 41, 57, 68, 74, 90 and got them all correct. Some are more difficult than others so I think I got lucky.
I looked over the entire test. While you might quibble a little over the answers to half a dozen questions, like for example I think the head of MY local government is Mayor Virginia Bass, not the Board of Supervisors, the real scary part is that only 2.8% of the Oklahoma students could pass this.
Unk John
I'm the proctor on this blog and I give you 100%. Congratulations!
Heyduke
I'm also curious. I was not a very good student in school. (Ernie just doesn't apply himself) But, I think that I could have easily passed that test in the ninth grade.
Are there any out there that failed. You can be anonymous if you like, this is one time when it would be cool to do so....
Also Heyduke, I filled in the board of supes for Garberville. Each jurisdiction would be different. For instance, if you lived in Oregon, or Sacramento.
I got 98 out of 100... But then my great-great-relatives came over in 1642. Hell I could even get into the 'Sons of the American Revolution' if I wanted.
If you passed or not, let’s continue: Here are 3 questions that should separate the wheat from the chaff a bit more, or at least provoke a little educating:
1. Aside from the 50 states, which 4 offshore areas (known as “unincorporated territories”) are under U.S. jurisdiction?
2. Which 2 are defined as “Commonwealths”?
3. With respect to the jurisdiction of the U.S. Government, what is the main difference between a State and a Commonwealth? For your research, you’ll need your aspirin bottle.
Here are the answers to question 1 only:
Puerto Rico, Guam, Virgin Islands, Mariana Islands.
For extra credit - and here’s where the fun begins - here are 2 more questions for those who care:
4. Was U.S. control of these 4 gained through acts of imperialism?
5. Whether yes or no, has U.S. jurisdiction been beneficial to the inhabitants of these territories?
If someone asks about Samoa, don’t say it’s by the pulp mill in Eureka.
Well I thought Samoa was next to Eureka.
Oregon
Damn, 8 out of 10. I missed the date of the writing of the constitution. I said 1781 and it was 1787. And I said the type of government we had was a republic and I was not right.
So, 8 out of 10...Does that mean I'm still eligible for government cheese?
Wait a gall dang minute....I WAS right....our form of government is a Republic. Our type of government is a democracy. So, that's 9 out of 10. Eat that Oklahoma! er....wait a minute, I'm a descendant of Okies. Yeah Humboldt County Schools for giving me my learnin'!!!!
Eko
I put down 1776 as the answer to when the Constitution was written. That's the one that I missed. That's one that you almost had to know, and couldn't fake, so that left me out!
I got 9 out of 10. Thank God! I missed #72 which is a form used in immigration. Thanks Ern (and Eric) that was fun.
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