About 11,000 people are becoming new U.S. citizens in the days surrounding the Fourth of July holiday, celebrating the 248th anniversary of the United States declaring its independence from Britain.
New citizens must be able to read, write and speak basic English and answer at least six questions correctly on a 10-question quiz about American civics, history and geography chosen randomly from 100 citizenship topics.
Here are 25 of the possible questions, along with several possible correct answers.
How many can you get right about your understanding of the United States?
Answer: The U.S. Constitution
Answer: “We the People”
Answer: A change or amendment to the Constitution
Answer: The Bill of Rights
Possible answers: Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness
Possible answers: Congress (legislative), the president (executive), the courts (judicial)
Possible answers: checks and balances, separation of powers
Answer: The president
Answer: 100
Answer: 435
Answer: The president
Possible answers: Print money, declare war, create an army, make treaties
Possible answers: Provide education, provide protection (police), provide safety (fire departments), give a driver’s license, approve zoning and land use
Possible answers: Serve on a jury, vote in a federal election
Possible answers: Vote in a federal election, run for federal office
Possible answers: Freedom of expression, freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, freedom to petition the government, freedom of religion, the right to bear arms
Possible answers: Give up loyalty to other countries, defend the Constitution and laws of the United States, obey the laws of the United States, serve in the U.S. military (if needed), do important work for the nation if needed, be loyal to the United States.
Possible answers: Freedom, political liberty, religious freedom, economic opportunity, to practice their religion, to escape persecution
Possible answers: American Indians or Native Americans
Answer: Thomas Jefferson
Answer: The Louisiana Territory
Possible answers: Freed slaves (Emancipation Proclamation), saved or preserved the Union, led the United States during the Civil War
Possible answers: Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Washington, Alaska
Possible answers: California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas
Answers: because there is one star for each state, or because there are 50 states.
The Voice of America provides news and information in more than 40 languages to an estimated weekly audience of over 326 million people. Stories with the VOA News byline are the work of multiple VOA journalists and may contain information from wire service reports.