Many people dream of becoming a U.S. citizen. The process is notoriously arduous and taxing, but the most nerve-wracking part for many is taking the U.S. citizenship test. It’s so difficult, in fact, that according to NBCNews, only 36% of American citizens could pass the test. That’s like around the same percentage of students at Arizona State that could pass an STD test. Yikes.
Some of the foundational, basic, questions are reportedly missed by as much as 60% of the population. For instance, only 39% of American test takers know how many justices serve on the supreme court. If you’re thinking, “Uhhh… I dunno, like 50…Or 12?” You’re probably in good company. You’re also wrong. It’s nine. That’s a freebie—follow along, and then plug your answers into the key at the bottom to see how well you fare.
If you get at least six correct you pass. No peeking!
How many members are in the House of Representatives?
A.) 435
B.) 350
C.) 503
D.) 69
Who is in charge of the executive branch?
A.) The President
B.) Secretary of Defense
C.) Speaker of the House
D.) Majority Whip
What piece of land did the United States purchase from France in 1803?
A.) Alaska Purchase
B.) Gadsden Purchase
C.) Louisiana Purchase
D.) Hawaii
How many U.S. senators are there?
A.) 50
B.) 100
C.) 200
D.) 400
When was the constitution written?
A.) 1692
B.) 1802
C.) 1776
D.) 1787
How many amendments does the constitution have?
A.) 27
B.) 25
C.) 20
D.) 14
Who was the President during World War I?
A.) Calvin Cooldige
B.) Woodrow Wilson
C.) Franklin D. Roosevelt
D.) Harry Truman
Under the constitution, which of these powers does not belong to the federal government?
A.) Print money
B.) Declare war
C.) Ratify amendments to the Constitution
D.) Make treaties with foreign powers
We elect a U.S. senator for how many years?
A.) Six years
B.) Four years
C.) Eight years
D.) Two years
The Federalist Papers supported the passage of the U.S. constitution. Which of these men was not one of the authors?
A.) Alexander Hamilton
B.) John Adams
C.) James Madison
D.) John Jay
ANSWER KEY
- a
- a
- c
- b
- d
- a
- b
- c
- a
- b