The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is test driving a revised naturalization test that will be implemented in 2008. On the Jan. 28 Viewpoint page, The Californian asked three local college professors and a lawyer to critique the questions. Can you pass the test? Below is the  explanation and test questions/answers found on the USCIS Web page (www.uscis.gov)

Questions and Answers for New Pilot Naturalization Test

 

Not all naturalization applicants can take the pilot naturalization test. Only certain applicants interviewing at a few USCIS locations during the pilot period can take it.  USCIS will mail letters to applicants who can take the test pilot several weeks before their interview date. Applicants who do not receive such a letter should prepare to take the current naturalization test. Information on the current naturalization test can be found on pages 60-66 of A Guide to Naturalization. For additional materials you can use to prepare for the current naturalization test, please see the related links to the right.

 

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) plans to pilot 142 U.S. history and government questions in connection with the naturalization test redesign project. USCIS will administer the pilot test to about 6,000 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 test, 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 test before it is fully implemented nationwide in the spring of 2008.

During the trial period, volunteer applicants who choose to take the pilot test can immediately take the current test 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.

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Pilot Test 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 people in that Senator’s state.

 

26. Who does a U.S. Representative represent?

   A: All people in that Representative’s district.

 

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)

 

33. To become President of the United States, what must the person be at birth?

   A: A citizen

 

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 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 general presidential elections held in the United States?

   A: November

 

66. When must all males register for the Selective Service?

   A: At age 18
   A: At 18

 

67. Who is the Secretary of State now?

   A: Dr. Condoleezza Rice
   A: Condoleezza Rice
   A: Dr. Rice

 

68. Who is the Attorney General now?

   A: Alberto Gonzales

 

69. Is the current President in his first or second term?

   A: Second 

70. What is self-government?

   A: Powers come from the people.
   A: Government responds to the people.

 

71. Who governs the people in a self-governed country?

   A: The people govern themselves.
   A: The government elected by the people.

 

72. What is the “rule of law”?

   A: Everyone must obey the law.
   A: Leaders must obey the law.
   A: Government must obey the law.

 

73. What are “inalienable rights”?

   A: Individual rights that people are born with

 

74. 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.)

 

75. Name one responsibility that is only for United States citizens.

   A: Vote
   A: Serve on a jury

 

76. 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
   A:  The right to carry a US Passport

 

77. 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

 

78. What is the Pledge of Allegiance?

   A: The promise of loyalty to the flag and the nation

 

79. 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

 

80. Who can vote in the U.S. presidential elections?

   A: All citizens 18 years of age and older
   A: All registered citizens 18 years of age and older

 

81. 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

 

82. 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

 

83. Name two of the natural, or inalienable, rights in the Declaration of Independence.

   A: Life
   A: Liberty
   A: The pursuit of happiness

 

84. Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?

   A: Thomas Jefferson

 

85. When was the Declaration of Independence adopted?

   A: July 4, 1776

 

86. 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

 

87. What happened at the Constitutional Convention?

   A: The Constitution was written.
   A: The Founding Fathers wrote the Constitution.

 

88. 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.

 

89. When was the Constitution drafted?

   A: 1787

 

90. 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.

 

91. What group of people was taken to America and sold as slaves?

   A: Africans
   A: People from Africa

 

92. Who lived in America before the Europeans arrived?

   A: The Native Americans
   A: American Indians

 

93. Where did most of America’s colonists come from before the Revolution?

   A: Europe

 

94. 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

 

95. 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”

96. Who is called the “Father of Our Country”?

   A: George Washington

 

97. Who was the first President?

   A: George Washington

 

98. Name one of the writers of the Federalist Papers?

   A: James Madison
   A: Alexander Hamilton
   A: John Jay
   A: Publius
 

99. What group of essays supported passage of the U.S. Constitution?

   A: The Federalist Papers

  

100. Name one war fought by the United States in the 1800s.

   A: War of 1812, Mexican American War, Civil War, or Spanish-American War.

 

101. What territory did the United States buy from France in 1803?

   A: The Louisiana Territory
   A: Louisiana

 

102. What country sold the Louisiana Territory to the United States?

   A: France

 

103. 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

 

104. 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.

 

105. Name the U.S. war between the North and the South.

   A: The Civil War

 

106. Name one problem that led to the Civil War.

   A: Slavery
   A: Economic reasons
   A: States’ rights

 

107. 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

 

108. What did the abolitionists try to end before the Civil War?

   A: Slavery

 

109. What did Susan B. Anthony do?

   A: She fought for women’s rights.

 

110. 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

 

111. Who was President during World War I?

   A: Woodrow Wilson

 

112. The United States fought Japan, Germany, and Italy during which war?

   A: World War II

 

113. 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.]

 

114. What major event happened on September 11, 2001, in the United States?

   A: Terrorists attacked The United States.

 

115. What international organization was established after World War II (WWII) to keep the world at peace?

   A: The United Nations

 

116. What alliance of North America and European countries was created during the Cold War?

   A: NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)

 

117. Who was President during the Great Depression and World War II?

   A: Franklin Roosevelt

 

118. Which U.S. World War II general later became President?

   A: Dwight Eisenhower

 

119. 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.

 

120. Martin Luther King, Jr. had a dream for America. What was his dream?

   A: Equality for all Americans
   A: Civil rights for all

 

121. What movement tried to end racial discrimination?

   A: The civil rights movement

 

122. 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.]

 

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

   A: The Missouri River
   A: The Mississippi River

124. What ocean is on the west coast of the United States?

   A: The Pacific Ocean

 

125. What country is on the northern border of the United States?

   A: Canada

 

126. Where is the Grand Canyon?

   A: Arizona
   A: The Southwest
   A: Along/on the Colorado River

 

127. 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).]

 

128. What country is on the southern border of the United States?

   A: Mexico

 

129. Name one large mountain range in the United States.

   A: The Rocky Mountains
   A: The Appalachians
   A: The Sierra Nevada
   A: The Cascades

 

130. What is the tallest mountain in the United States?

   A: Mt. McKinley
   A: Denali

 

131. 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

 

132. Name the state that is in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

   A: Hawaii

 

133. Name one state that borders Canada.

   A: Alaska, Idaho, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Vermont, or Washington

 

134. Name one state that borders on Mexico.

   A: Arizona, California, New Mexico, or Texas

 

135. What is the capital of the U.S.?

   A: Washington, D.C.

 

136. Why does the flag have 13 stripes?

   A: Because there were 13 original colonies
   A: Because the stripes represent the original colonies

 

137. Why do we have 13 stripes on the flag?

   A: Because there were 13 original colonies
   A: Because the stripes represent the original colonies

 

138. 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.

 

139. What is the name of the National Anthem?

   A: The “Star-Spangled Banner”

 

140. On the Fourth of July we celebrate independence from what country?

   A: Great Britain

 

141. When do we celebrate Independence Day?

   A: July 4

 

142. Name two national U.S. holidays.

   A: New Year’s Day
   A: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
   A: Presidents’ Day
   A: Memorial Day
   A: Independence Day
   A: Labor Day
   A: Columbus Day
   A: Veterans Day
   A: Thanksgiving
   A: Christmas