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USCIS Citizenship exam 2012
Civics (History and Government) Questions for the Naturalization Test
100
Civics
Not Applicable
04/25/2012

Additional Civics Flashcards

 


 

Cards

Term
What is the supreme law of the land?
Definition
the Constitution
Term
What does the Constitution do?
Definition
▪ sets up the government
▪ defines the government
▪ protects basic rights of Americans
Term
The idea of self-government is in the first three words of the Constitution. What are these words?
Definition
We the People
Term
What is an amendment?
Definition
▪ a change (to the Constitution)
▪ an addition (to the Constitution)
Term
What do we call the first ten amendments to the Constitution?
Definition
▪ the Bill of Rights
Term
What is one right or freedom from the First Amendment?*
Definition
▪ speech
▪ religion
▪ assembly
▪ press
▪ petition the government
Term
How many amendments does the Constitution have?
Definition
▪ twenty-seven (27)
Term
What did the Declaration of Independence do?
Definition
▪ announced our independence (from Great Britain)
▪ declared our independence (from Great Britain)
▪ said that the United States is free (from Great Britain)
Term
What are two rights in the Declaration of Independence?
Definition
▪ life
▪ liberty
▪ pursuit of happiness
Term
What is freedom of religion?
Definition
▪ You can practice any religion, or not practice a religion.
Term
What is the economic system in the United States?*
Definition
▪ capitalist economy
▪ market economy
Term
What is the “rule of law”?
Definition
▪ Everyone must follow the law.
▪ Leaders must obey the law.
▪ Government must obey the law.
▪ No one is above the law.
Term
Name one branch or part of the government.*
Definition
▪ Congress
▪ legislative
▪ President
▪ executive
▪ the courts
▪ judicial
Term
What stops one branch of government from becoming too powerful?
Definition
▪ checks and balances
▪ separation of powers
Term
Who is in charge of the executive branch?
Definition
▪ the President
Term
Who makes federal laws?
Definition
▪ Congress
▪ Senate and House (of Representatives)
▪ (U.S. or national) legislature
Term
What are the two parts of the U.S. Congress?*
Definition
▪ the Senate and House (of Representatives)
Term
How many U.S. Senators are there?
Definition
▪ one hundred (100)
Term
We elect a U.S. Senator for how many years?
Definition
▪ six (6)
Term
Who is one of your state’s U.S. Senators now?*
Definition
▪ Kirsten E Gillibrand
▪ Charles E. Schumer
Term
The House of Representatives has how many voting members?
Definition
▪ four hundred thirty-five (435)
Term
We elect a U.S. Representative for how many years?
Definition
▪ two (2)
Term
Name your U.S. Representative.
Definition
▪ Yvette Clark (Brooklyn)
▪ Charles Rangel (Bronx)
▪ Carolyn Maloney (Manhattan)
Term
Who does a U.S. Senator represent?
Definition
▪ all people of the state
Term
Why do some states have more Representatives than other states?
Definition
▪ (because of) the state’s population
▪ (because) they have more people
▪ (because) some states have more people
Term
We elect a President for how many years?
Definition
▪ four (4)
Term
In what month do we vote for President?*
Definition
▪ November
Term
What is the name of the President of the United States now?*
Definition
▪ Barack Obama
▪ Obama
Term
What is the name of the Vice President of the United States now?
Definition
▪ Joseph R. Biden, Jr.
▪ Joe Biden
▪ Biden
Term
If the President can no longer serve, who becomes President?
Definition
▪ the Vice President
Term
If both the President and the Vice President can no longer serve, who becomes President?
Definition
▪ the Speaker of the House
Term
Who is the Commander in Chief of the military?
Definition
▪ the President
Term
Who signs bills to become laws?
Definition
▪ the President
Term
Who vetoes bills?
Definition
▪ the President
Term
What does the President’s Cabinet do?
Definition
▪ advises the President
Term
What are two Cabinet-level positions?
Definition
▪ Secretary of Agriculture
▪ Secretary of Commerce
▪ Secretary of Defense
▪ Secretary of Education
▪ Secretary of Energy
▪ Secretary of Health and Human Services
▪ Secretary of Homeland Security
▪ Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
▪ Secretary of the Interior
▪ Secretary of Labor
▪ Secretary of State
▪ Secretary of Transportation
▪ Secretary of the Treasury
▪ Secretary of Veterans Affairs
▪ Attorney General
▪ Vice President
Term
What does the judicial branch do?
Definition
▪ reviews laws
▪ explains laws
▪ resolves disputes (disagreements)
▪ decides if a law goes against the Constitution
Term
What is the highest court in the United States?
Definition
▪ the Supreme Court
Term
How many justices are on the Supreme Court?
Definition
▪ nine (9)
Term
Who is the Chief Justice of the United States now?
Definition
▪ John Roberts (John G. Roberts, Jr.)
Term
Under our Constitution, some powers belong to the federal government. What is one power of the federal
government?
Definition
▪ to print money
▪ to declare war
▪ to create an army
▪ to make treaties
Term
Under our Constitution, some powers belong to the states. What is one power of the states?
Definition
▪ provide schooling and education
▪ provide protection (police)
▪ provide safety (fire departments)
▪ give a driver’s license
▪ approve zoning and land use
Term
Who is the Governor of your state now?
Definition
▪ Andrew M. Cuomo
Term
What is the capital of your state?*
Definition
▪ Albany
Term
What are the two major political parties in the United States?*
Definition
▪ Democratic and Republican
Term
What is the political party of the President now?
Definition
▪ Democratic (Party)
Term
What is the name of the Speaker of the House of Representatives now?
Definition
▪ (John) Boehner
Term
There are four amendments to the Constitution about who can vote. Describe one of them.
Definition
▪ Citizens eighteen (18) and older (can vote).
▪ You don’t have to pay (a poll tax) to vote.
▪ Any citizen can vote. (Women and men can vote.)
▪ A male citizen of any race (can vote).
Term
What is one responsibility that is only for United States citizens?*
Definition
▪ serve on a jury
▪ vote in a federal election
Term
Name one right only for United States citizens.
Definition
▪ vote in a federal election
▪ run for federal office
Term
What are two rights of everyone living in the United States?
Definition
▪ freedom of expression
▪ freedom of speech
▪ freedom of assembly
▪ freedom to petition the government
▪ freedom of worship
▪ the right to bear arms
Term
What do we show loyalty to when we say the Pledge of Allegiance?
Definition
▪ the United States
▪ the flag
Term
What is one promise you make when you become a United States citizen?
Definition
▪ 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)
▪ serve (do important work for) the nation (if needed)
▪ be loyal to the United States
Term
How old do citizens have to be to vote for President?*
Definition
▪ eighteen (18) and older
Term
What are two ways that Americans can participate in their democracy?
Definition
▪ vote
▪ join a political party
▪ help with a campaign
▪ join a civic group
▪ join a community group
▪ give an elected official your opinion on an issue
▪ call Senators and Representatives
▪ publicly support or oppose an issue or policy
▪ run for office
▪ write to a newspaper
Term
When is the last day you can send in federal income tax forms?*
Definition
▪ April 15
Term
When must all men register for the Selective Service?
Definition
▪ at age eighteen (18)
▪ between eighteen (18) and twenty-six (26)
Term
What is one reason colonists came to America?
Definition
▪ freedom
▪ political liberty
▪ religious freedom
▪ economic opportunity
▪ practice their religion
▪ escape persecution
Term
Who lived in America before the Europeans arrived?
Definition
▪ American Indians
▪ Native Americans
Term
What group of people was taken to America and sold as slaves?
Definition
▪ Africans
▪ people from Africa
Term
Why did the colonists fight the British?
Definition
▪ because of high taxes (taxation without representation)
▪ because the British army stayed in their houses (boarding, quartering)
▪ because they didn’t have self-government
Term
Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?
Definition
▪ (Thomas) Jefferson
Term
When was the Declaration of Independence adopted?
Definition
▪ July 4, 1776
Term
There were 13 original states. Name three.
Definition
▪ New Hampshire
▪ Massachusetts
▪ Rhode Island
▪ Connecticut
▪ New York
▪ New Jersey
▪ Pennsylvania
▪ Delaware
▪ Maryland
▪ Virginia
▪ North Carolina
▪ South Carolina
▪ Georgia
Term
What happened at the Constitutional Convention?
Definition
▪ The Constitution was written.
▪ The Founding Fathers wrote the Constitution.
Term
When was the Constitution written?
Definition
▪ 1787
Term
The Federalist Papers supported the passage of the U.S. Constitution. Name one of the writers.
Definition
▪ (James) Madison
▪ (Alexander) Hamilton
▪ (John) Jay
▪ Publius
Term
What is one thing Benjamin Franklin is famous for?
Definition
▪ U.S. diplomat
▪ oldest member of the Constitutional Convention
▪ first Postmaster General of the United States
▪ writer of “Poor Richard’s Almanac”
▪ started the first free libraries
Term
Who is the “Father of Our Country”?
Definition
▪ (George) Washington
Term
Who was the first President?*
Definition
▪ (George) Washington
Term
What territory did the United States buy from France in 1803?
Definition
▪ the Louisiana Territory
▪ Louisiana
Term
Name one war fought by the United States in the 1800s.
Definition
▪ War of 1812
▪ Mexican-American War
▪ Civil War
▪ Spanish-American War
Term
Name the U.S. war between the North and the South.
Definition
▪ the Civil War
▪ the War between the States
Term
Name one problem that led to the Civil War.
Definition
▪ slavery
▪ economic reasons
▪ states’ rights
Term
What was one important thing that Abraham Lincoln did?*
Definition
▪ freed the slaves (Emancipation Proclamation)
▪ saved (or preserved) the Union
▪ led the United States during the Civil War
Term
What did the Emancipation Proclamation do?
Definition
▪ freed the slaves
▪ freed slaves in the Confederacy
▪ freed slaves in the Confederate states
▪ freed slaves in most Southern states
Term
What did Susan B. Anthony do?
Definition
▪ fought for women’s rights
▪ fought for civil rights
Term
Name one war fought by the United States in the 1900s.*
Definition
▪ World War I
▪ World War II
▪ Korean War
▪ Vietnam War
▪ (Persian) Gulf War
Term
Who was President during World War I?
Definition
▪ (Woodrow) Wilson
Term
Who was President during the Great Depression and World War II?
Definition
▪ (Franklin) Roosevelt
Term
Who did the United States fight in World War II?
Definition
▪ Japan, Germany, and Italy
Term
Before he was President, Eisenhower was a general. What war was he in?
Definition
▪ World War II
Term
During the Cold War, what was the main concern of the United States?
Definition
▪ Communism
Term
What movement tried to end racial discrimination?
Definition
▪ civil rights (movement)
Term
What did Martin Luther King, Jr. do?*
Definition
▪ fought for civil rights
▪ worked for equality for all Americans
Term
What major event happened on September 11, 2001, in the United States?
Definition
▪ Terrorists attacked the United States.
Term
Name one American Indian tribe in the United States.
Definition
▪ Cherokee
▪ Navajo
▪ Sioux
▪ Chippewa
▪ Choctaw
▪ Pueblo
▪ Apache
▪ Iroquois
▪ Creek
▪ Blackfeet
▪ Seminole
▪ Cheyenne
▪ Arawak
▪ Shawnee
▪ Mohegan
▪ Huron
▪ Oneida
▪ Lakota
▪ Crow
▪ Teton
▪ Hopi
▪ Inuit
Term
Name one of the two longest rivers in the United States.
Definition
▪ Missouri (River)
▪ Mississippi (River)
Term
What ocean is on the West Coast of the United States?
Definition
▪ Pacific (Ocean)
Term
What ocean is on the East Coast of the United States?
Definition
▪ Atlantic (Ocean)
Term
Name one U.S. territory.
Definition
▪ Puerto Rico
▪ U.S. Virgin Islands
▪ American Samoa
▪ Northern Mariana Islands
▪ Guam
Term
Name one state that borders Canada.
Definition
▪ Maine
▪ New Hampshire
▪ Vermont
▪ New York
▪ Pennsylvania
▪ Ohio
▪ Michigan
▪ Minnesota
▪ North Dakota
▪ Montana
▪ Idaho
▪ Washington
▪ Alaska
Term
Name one state that borders Mexico.
Definition
▪ California
▪ Arizona
▪ New Mexico
▪ Texas
Term
What is the capital of the United States?*
Definition
▪ Washington, D.C.
Term
Where is the Statue of Liberty?*
Definition
▪ New York (Harbor)
▪ Liberty Island
Term
Why does the flag have 13 stripes?
Definition
▪ because there were 13 original colonies
▪ because the stripes represent the original colonies
Term
Why does the flag have 50 stars?*
Definition
▪ because there is one star for each state
▪ because each star represents a state
▪ because there are 50 states
Term
What is the name of the national anthem?
Definition
▪ The Star-Spangled Banner
Term
When do we celebrate Independence Day?*
Definition
▪ July 4
Term
Name two national U.S. holidays.
Definition
▪ New Year’s Day
▪ Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
▪ Presidents’ Day
▪ Memorial Day
▪ Independence Day
▪ Labor Day
▪ Columbus Day
▪ Veterans Day
▪ Thanksgiving
▪ Christmas
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