US Citizenship — USCIS practice for the US Citizenship credential

Which two rights does the Declaration of Independence specifically name alongside 'life'?

1. Liberty and pursuit of happiness
2. Liberty and property
3. Equality and justice
4. Freedom and security

Answer: A — Liberty and pursuit of happiness

A) Correct — 'life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.' B) John Locke's original triad, NOT Jefferson's wording in the Declaration. C) Different concepts. D) Different phrasing.

What is the rule of law?

1. Judges may set aside laws they find unwise
2. Laws apply only after a person has been warned
3. Everyone must follow the law, including the leaders
4. The oldest law always controls when two conflict

Answer: C — Everyone must follow the law, including the leaders

A) Courts may strike laws that violate the Constitution, not laws they dislike. B) Publication of law suffices; individual warnings are not required. C) Correct — Accepted variants include that leaders must obey the law, government must obey the law, and no one is above the law. D) Conflicts are resolved by rank and by later enactment, not by age.

The supreme law of the land is the:

1. Declaration of Independence
2. Bill of Rights
3. Constitution
4. Federal Statutes

Answer: C — Constitution

A) Important founding document but not the supreme law. B) Part of the Constitution (first 10 amendments). C) Correct — the Constitution is the supreme law of the land. D) Statutes are subordinate to the Constitution.

Brown v. Board of Education is BEST described as the decision that:

1. Held racial segregation in public schools unlawful
2. Established the power of judicial review
3. Guaranteed counsel to poor criminal defendants
4. Upheld segregated railway cars as constitutional

Answer: A — Held racial segregation in public schools unlawful

A) Correct — Brown rejected separate but equal in public education and overruled Plessy on that ground. B) Judicial review traces to Marbury v. Madison instead. C) That protection came from a separate right-to-counsel case. D) That was Plessy, the decision Brown repudiated.

If BOTH the President and Vice President cannot serve, who becomes President?

1. The Speaker of the House
2. The Senate Majority Leader
3. The Chief Justice
4. The Secretary of Defense

Answer: A — The Speaker of the House

A) Correct — Speaker is next in line per the Presidential Succession Act. B) Not in the succession order. C) Judicial branch, not in succession. D) Fifth in line in Cabinet order.

Who is the commander in chief of the military?

1. The Secretary of Defense
2. A senior military general
3. The President
4. A five-star general officer

Answer: C — The President

A) That official directs the department but serves under the President. B) Uniformed leaders advise and execute under civilian command. C) Correct — The Constitution makes the President commander in chief of the armed forces. D) Congress funds and regulates forces but does not command them.

Which is a responsibility of all U.S. residents?

1. Paying federal income tax on applicable income
2. Voting in primary elections
3. Joining a political party
4. Serving in the National Guard

Answer: A — Paying federal income tax on applicable income

A) Correct — anyone with U.S.-source income owes applicable taxes. B) Voting is a right for citizens, not a duty for residents. C) Optional. D) Voluntary military service.

Federal voting is allowed starting at what age?

1. 16
2. 18
3. 21
4. 25

Answer: B — 18

A) Too young. B) Correct — the 26th Amendment (1971) lowered the voting age to 18. C) Was the age before 26th Amendment. D) Wrong.

Which of the following is a duty of everyone living in the United States, not only of citizens?

1. Voting in a federal general election
2. Serving as a juror when summoned
3. Obeying the laws of the United States
4. Running for a seat in the Congress

Answer: C — Obeying the laws of the United States

A) Federal voting is limited to citizens. B) Jury service is restricted to citizens. C) Correct — Obeying the law and paying lawful taxes bind residents generally, regardless of status. D) Congressional candidacy requires citizenship.

How many original states were there?

1. 11
2. 12
3. 13
4. 50

Answer: C — 13

A) Too few. B) Too few. C) Correct — 13 original colonies became the 13 original states. D) Current count.

What happened at the Constitutional Convention?

1. The Declaration of Independence was signed
2. The Bill of Rights was ratified by the states
3. The Constitution was written
4. The Louisiana Territory was purchased

Answer: C — The Constitution was written

C) Correct — the accepted answers are that the Constitution was written and that the Founding Fathers wrote it. A) the Declaration was signed eleven years earlier at a different gathering. B) the Bill of Rights was ratified afterward by the states, not drafted at that convention as its purpose. D) the Louisiana Purchase was an 1803 event under President Jefferson.

The Federalist Papers were written to:

1. Oppose the Constitution
2. Establish political parties
3. Repeal the Bill of Rights
4. Support ratification of the Constitution

Answer: D — Support ratification of the Constitution

A) That was the Anti-Federalist position. D) Correct — they argued for ratification in newspapers (1787-88). C) Bill of Rights came after the essays. B) Parties were not their topic.

Reconstruction (post-Civil War) included passage of which amendments?

1. 1st, 2nd, 3rd
2. 24th, 25th, 26th
3. 18th, 19th, 20th
4. 13th, 14th, 15th

Answer: D — 13th, 14th, 15th

A) Bill of Rights, 1791. D) Correct — abolished slavery, defined citizenship/due process, protected voting regardless of race. C) Prohibition, women's suffrage, terms. B) Mid-20th century amendments.

Which statement BEST describes the sides in the Civil War?

1. Northern states fought against Great Britain
2. Western territories fought the government
3. Southern states that seceded fought the northern states
4. Coastal states fought against inland states over trade

Answer: C — Southern states that seceded fought the northern states

C) Correct — southern states that left the Union formed the Confederacy and fought the North. A) Britain was the enemy in two earlier wars. B) territorial revolt was not the shape of the conflict. D) trade tensions existed, but the split was regional between North and South, not coast and interior.

The War of 1812 was fought primarily between the U.S. and:

1. France
2. Mexico
3. Spain
4. Britain

Answer: D — Britain

A) U.S. ally during this period. D) Correct — U.S. fought Britain over impressment, trade, and frontier issues. C) Not the principal opponent. B) Border tensions came later (Mexican-American War, 1846-48).

Who was President during World War I?

1. Woodrow Wilson
2. Theodore Roosevelt
3. Franklin D. Roosevelt
4. Warren G. Harding

Answer: A — Woodrow Wilson

A) Correct — President during WWI (1913-1921). B) Left office in 1909. C) President during WWII. D) Took office after WWI ended.

Which of the following is NOT a war fought by the United States in the 1900s?

1. The Korean War of the 1950s
2. The Persian Gulf War
3. The Mexican‑American War
4. World War II

Answer: C — The Mexican‑American War

C) Correct — the Mexican‑American War was fought in the 1840s. A) the Korean War is an accepted 1900s answer. B) the Persian Gulf War is an accepted 1900s answer. D) World War II is an accepted 1900s answer.

What happened on September 11, 2001?

1. Pearl Harbor was attacked
2. Terrorists attacked the United States
3. The Berlin Wall fell
4. The Korean War began

Answer: B — Terrorists attacked the United States

A) Pearl Harbor was December 7, 1941. B) Correct — September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. C) Berlin Wall fell in 1989. D) Korean War began in 1950.

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

1. Hudson
2. Mississippi
3. Colorado
4. Rio Grande

Answer: B — Mississippi

A) Significant but not among the longest. B) Correct — Mississippi (and Missouri) are the two longest. C) Important but shorter. D) Forms part of U.S.-Mexico border, not a longest river.

Where is the Statue of Liberty located?

1. New York Harbor (Liberty Island)
2. Boston Harbor
3. Chesapeake Bay
4. Lake Michigan

Answer: A — New York Harbor (Liberty Island)

A) Correct — Statue of Liberty stands on Liberty Island in New York Harbor. B) Famous harbor but not the location. C) Different region. D) Inland Great Lake.

When do we celebrate Independence Day?

1. July 4
2. July 14
3. June 14
4. September 17

Answer: A — July 4

A) Correct — July 4 commemorates the Declaration of Independence (1776). B) Bastille Day (France), not U.S. C) Flag Day. D) Constitution Day (signed September 17, 1787).

Which holiday honors Americans who DIED in military service?

1. Veterans Day
2. Memorial Day
3. Labor Day
4. Presidents Day

Answer: B — Memorial Day

A) Honors all who served (living and deceased). B) Correct — Memorial Day specifically honors the war dead. C) Honors workers. D) Honors former Presidents.

An applicant is sixty-seven and has been a permanent resident for twenty-two years. What relief applies?

1. Exemption from both the English and civics tests entirely
2. Exemption from English with a shorter civics list
3. Exemption from civics with the English test still required
4. No exemption until seventy years of age is reached

Answer: B — Exemption from English with a shorter civics list

A) Civics is still tested, only from a reduced list. B) Correct — The 65/20 provision excuses English and lets the applicant study a designated shorter set of questions. C) The relief runs the other way around. D) The age threshold for this provision is sixty-five.

When does a naturalization applicant actually become a United States citizen?

1. When the officer approves the application at interview
2. When Form N-400 is accepted for filing by USCIS
3. When the permanent resident card is surrendered
4. When the Oath of Allegiance is taken at the ceremony

Answer: D — When the Oath of Allegiance is taken at the ceremony

A) Approval is a necessary step but not the moment of citizenship. B) Filing merely begins the process. C) Surrendering the card is a ceremony formality. D) Correct — Citizenship attaches upon taking the oath, not upon approval of the application.

What is the general continuous-residence requirement for filing Form N-400?

Generally five years as a lawful permanent resident, or three years if married to and living with a U.S. citizen, plus physical presence for at least half that period and three months in the state or district.

We elect a US Senator for how many years?

6.

How many amendments does the Constitution have?

27.

What are the two parts of the US Congress?

Senate and House of Representatives.

When was the Declaration of Independence adopted?

July 4, 1776.

What is the economic system of the United States called, and what does "rule of law" require of leaders?

A capitalist or market economy. Rule of law means everyone — including leaders and the government itself — must obey the law; no one is above it.