U.S. Citizenship Civics Test Past Questions and Explanations

Native Americans lived in America before the Europeans arrived.
Other answer USCIS accepts: American Indians.

Wrong choices

• The British: The British were Europeans who came later.
• The Spanish: The Spanish were Europeans who came later.
• The Dutch: The Dutch were Europeans who came later.

Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence.

Wrong choices

• George Washington: Washington led the army. He did not write the Declaration.
• Abraham Lincoln: Lincoln lived much later and led the country in the Civil War.
• James Monroe: Monroe was the fifth President. He did not write the Declaration.

Congress declares war.
Other answers USCIS accepts: Writes laws, Makes the federal budget.

Wrong choices

• Vetoes bills: Vetoing bills is a power of the President.
• Serves as Commander in Chief: The President is Commander in Chief of the military.
• Issues driver’s licenses: States give driver's licenses, not Congress.

The President is elected for four years.

Wrong choices

• Six (6) years: Six years is a senator's term.
• Two (2) years: Two years is a House member's term.
• Eight (8) years: A President may serve two terms (eight years), but each election is for four years.

The President vetoes bills. A veto means the President says no to a bill from Congress.

Wrong choices

• The Speaker of the House: The Speaker leads the House but cannot veto bills.
• The Supreme Court: The Supreme Court decides cases. It does not veto bills.
• The Vice President: The Vice President does not veto bills.

The supreme law of the land is the U.S. Constitution. No other law, federal or state, can go against it.

Wrong choices

• Declaration of Independence: It announced freedom from Britain in 1776, but it is not the law that runs the government.
• Articles of Confederation: This was the first plan of government. The Constitution replaced it.
• Federalist Papers: These essays explained the Constitution. They are not law.

The U.S. Constitution has 27 amendments. The first ten are called the Bill of Rights.

Wrong choices

• Ten (10): Ten is the number in the Bill of Rights, the first ten amendments only.
• Twenty-five (25): There are more than 25. The total is 27.
• Thirty-three (33): The total is 27, not 33.

The three branches are legislative, executive, and judicial. The legislative branch makes laws, the executive enforces them, and the judicial explains them.
Other answer USCIS accepts: Congress, president, and the courts.

Wrong choices

• Federal, state, and local: These are levels of government, not the three branches.
• Senate, House, and Cabinet: The Senate and House are both in Congress. The Cabinet is in the executive branch.
• Army, Navy, and Air Force: These are parts of the military.

The Supreme Court is the highest court in the United States.

Wrong choices

• Court of Appeals: Courts of Appeals are lower than the Supreme Court.
• District Court: District Courts are the lowest federal trial courts.
• Senate: The Senate is part of Congress, not a court.

Martin Luther King, Jr. fought for civil rights.
Other answers USCIS accepts: Worked for equality for all Americans, Worked to ensure that people would "not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character."

Wrong choices

• Freed the slaves with the Emancipation Proclamation: That was Abraham Lincoln.
• Wrote the Declaration of Independence: That was Thomas Jefferson.
• Was the first president of the United States: That was George Washington.