2008 civics test
US citizenship test questions: 100 civics questions and answers
These US citizenship test questions and answers apply to Form N-400 filings before October 20, 2025. Browse the accepted answers from the official USCIS 2008 question list, then try 2008 civics test practice.
At the interview: An officer asks up to 10 questions. You pass with 6 correct. The interview ends after 6 correct or 5 incorrect answers. Questions marked 65/20 are part of the special consideration set.
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- 1. What is the supreme law of the land?
the Constitution
- 2. What does the Constitution do?
sets up the government
- 3. The idea of self-government is in the first three words of the Constitution. What are these words?
We the People
- 4. What is an amendment?
a change (to the Constitution)
- 5. What do we call the first ten amendments to the Constitution?
the Bill of Rights
- 6. What is one right or freedom from the First Amendment?65/20
speech
- 7. How many amendments does the Constitution have?
twenty-seven (27)
- 8. What did the Declaration of Independence do?
announced our independence (from Great Britain)
- 9. What are two rights in the Declaration of Independence?
life
- 10. What is freedom of religion?
You can practice any religion, or not practice a religion.
- 11. What is the economic system in the United States?65/20
capitalist economy
- 12. What is the “rule of law”?
Everyone must follow the law.
- 13. Name one branch or part of the government.65/20
Congress
- 14. What stops one branch of government from becoming too powerful?
checks and balances
- 15. Who is in charge of the executive branch?
the President
- 16. Who makes federal laws?
Congress
- 17. What are the two parts of the U.S. Congress?65/20
the Senate and House (of Representatives)
- 18. How many U.S. Senators are there?
one hundred (100)
- 19. We elect a U.S. Senator for how many years?
six (6)
- 20. Who is one of your state's U.S. Senators now?65/20
Answer depends on your location or interview date. Open for details.
- 21. The House of Representatives has how many voting members?
four hundred thirty-five (435)
- 22. We elect a U.S. Representative for how many years?
two (2)
- 23. Name your U.S. Representative.
Answer depends on your location or interview date. Open for details.
- 24. Who does a U.S. Senator represent?
all people of the state
- 25. Why do some states have more Representatives than other states?
(because of) the state's population
- 26. We elect a President for how many years?
four (4)
- 27. In what month do we vote for President?65/20
November
- 28. What is the name of the President of the United States now?65/20
Answer depends on your location or interview date. Open for details.
- 29. What is the name of the Vice President of the United States now?
Answer depends on your location or interview date. Open for details.
- 30. If the President can no longer serve, who becomes President?
the Vice President
- 31. If both the President and the Vice President can no longer serve, who becomes President?
the Speaker of the House
- 32. Who is the Commander in Chief of the military?
the President
- 33. Who signs bills to become laws?
the President
- 34. Who vetoes bills?
the President
- 35. What does the President's Cabinet do?
advises the President
- 36. What are two Cabinet-level positions?
Secretary of Agriculture
- 37. What does the judicial branch do?
reviews laws
- 38. What is the highest court in the United States?
the Supreme Court
- 39. How many justices are on the Supreme Court?
Answer depends on your location or interview date. Open for details.
- 40. Who is the Chief Justice of the United States now?
Answer depends on your location or interview date. Open for details.
- 41. Under our Constitution, some powers belong to the federal government. What is one power of the federal government?
to print money
- 42. Under our Constitution, some powers belong to the states. What is one power of the states?
provide schooling and education
- 43. Who is the Governor of your state now?
Answer depends on your location or interview date. Open for details.
- 44. What is the capital of your state?65/20
Answer depends on your location or interview date. Open for details.
- 45. What are the two major political parties in the United States?65/20
Democratic and Republican
- 46. What is the political party of the President now?
Answer depends on your location or interview date. Open for details.
- 47. What is the name of the Speaker of the House of Representatives now?
Answer depends on your location or interview date. Open for details.
- 48. There are four amendments to the Constitution about who can vote. Describe one of them.
Citizens eighteen (18) and older (can vote).
- 49. What is one responsibility that is only for United States citizens?65/20
serve on a jury
- 50. Name one right only for United States citizens.
vote in a federal election
- 51. What are two rights of everyone living in the United States?
freedom of expression
- 52. What do we show loyalty to when we say the Pledge of Allegiance?
the United States
- 53. What is one promise you make when you become a United States citizen?
give up loyalty to other countries
- 54. How old do citizens have to be to vote for President?65/20
eighteen (18) and older
- 55. What are two ways that Americans can participate in their democracy?
vote
- 56. When is the last day you can send in federal income tax forms?65/20
April 15
- 57. When must all men register for the Selective Service?
at age eighteen (18)
- 58. What is one reason colonists came to America?
freedom
- 59. Who lived in America before the Europeans arrived?
American Indians
- 60. What group of people was taken to America and sold as slaves?
Africans
- 61. Why did the colonists fight the British?
because of high taxes (taxation without representation)
- 62. Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?
(Thomas) Jefferson
- 63. When was the Declaration of Independence adopted?
July 4, 1776
- 64. There were 13 original states. Name three.
New Hampshire
- 65. What happened at the Constitutional Convention?
The Constitution was written.
- 66. When was the Constitution written?
1787
- 67. The Federalist Papers supported the passage of the U.S. Constitution. Name one of the writers.
(James) Madison
- 68. What is one thing Benjamin Franklin is famous for?
U.S. diplomat
- 69. Who is the “Father of Our Country”?
(George) Washington
- 70. Who was the first President?65/20
(George) Washington
- 71. What territory did the United States buy from France in 1803?
the Louisiana Territory
- 72. Name one war fought by the United States in the 1800s.
War of 1812
- 73. Name the U.S. war between the North and the South.
the Civil War
- 74. Name one problem that led to the Civil War.
slavery
- 75. What was one important thing that Abraham Lincoln did?65/20
freed the slaves (Emancipation Proclamation)
- 76. What did the Emancipation Proclamation do?
freed the slaves
- 77. What did Susan B. Anthony do?
fought for women's rights
- 78. Name one war fought by the United States in the 1900s.65/20
World War I
- 79. Who was President during World War I?
(Woodrow) Wilson
- 80. Who was President during the Great Depression and World War II?
(Franklin) Roosevelt
- 81. Who did the United States fight in World War II?
Japan, Germany, and Italy
- 82. Before he was President, Eisenhower was a general. What war was he in?
World War II
- 83. During the Cold War, what was the main concern of the United States?
Communism
- 84. What movement tried to end racial discrimination?
civil rights (movement)
- 85. What did Martin Luther King, Jr. do?65/20
fought for civil rights
- 86. What major event happened on September 11, 2001, in the United States?
Terrorists attacked the United States.
- 87. Name one American Indian tribe in the United States.
Cherokee
- 88. Name one of the two longest rivers in the United States.
Missouri (River)
- 89. What ocean is on the West Coast of the United States?
Pacific (Ocean)
- 90. What ocean is on the East Coast of the United States?
Atlantic (Ocean)
- 91. Name one U.S. territory.
Puerto Rico
- 92. Name one state that borders Canada.
Maine
- 93. Name one state that borders Mexico.
California
- 94. What is the capital of the United States?65/20
Washington, D.C.
- 95. Where is the Statue of Liberty?65/20
New York (Harbor)
- 96. Why does the flag have 13 stripes?
because there were 13 original colonies
- 97. Why does the flag have 50 stars?65/20
because there is one star for each state
- 98. What is the name of the national anthem?
The Star-Spangled Banner
- 99. When do we celebrate Independence Day?65/20
July 4
- 100. Name two national U.S. holidays.
New Year's Day
About this question list
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