Only 1 In 3 Americans Can Pass The Multiple Choice Citizenship Test. Are You One Of Them?

1 in 3

While over 90% of applicants pass the American Citizenship Exam—A study done in 2018 found that only 33% of American-born individuals could pass the same multiple choice test that immigrants take in order to get citizenship. See how many of these basic questions you can answer.

The Test

The actual test requires answering 10 multiple choice questions randomly selected from a the 100 Civics Flash Cards that immigrants use to study. To pass the test, one must score at least a 60%—which, as we all know, means answering 6 out of the 10 questions correctly. Sounds easy right? Well, give it try...

Here are 20 multiple choice questions taken from among the 100. Can you answer at least 12 correctly?

Statue of Abraham Lincoln at the Lincoln Memorial Pixabay, Pexels

Q: When Was The Declaration Of Independence Adopted?

1: September 11, 2001

2: June 6, 1944

3: July 4, 1787

4: July 4, 1776

Writing the Declaration of Independence, 1776 Jean Leon Gerome Ferris, Wikimedia Commons

A: July 4, 1776

The signing of the Declaration of Independence happened mostly on August 2, 1776, but it was adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776.

Declaration of Independence, being represented to the Congress John Trumbull, Wikimedia Commons

Q: United States Senators Are Elected For Terms Of How Many Years?

1: 4

2: 10

3: 6

4: 2

US Senate Chamber (Restored image from glass negative) Brady-Handy Photograph Collection (Library of Congress), Wikimedia Commons

A: 6

Elections take place every two years, and in each election cycle there are about one-third of the Senators who find themselves up for election or re-election.

111th US Senate class photo U.S. Senate, 111th Congress, Senate Photo Studio, Wikimedia Commons

Q: Why Did The Colonists Fight The British?

1: Because of the Constitution

2: Because of the voting age

3: Because of states’ rights

4: Because of high taxes

Surrender Of Lord Cornwallis during the American Revolutionary War John Trumbull, Wikimedia Commons

A: Because Of High Taxes

Upset that they did not have self-government, anger built up among the colonists. They were paying high taxes to the king—a government where they felt they had no representation.

A depiction of the Siege of Charleston (1780) Alonzo Chappel, Wikimedia Commons

Q: If The President Can No Longer Serve, Who Becomes President?

1: Secretary of the Interior

2: Attorney General

3: Vice President

4: Chairman of a Political Party

United States Capitol, Washington, D.C., United States Thuan Vo, Pexels

A: Vice President

After the Vice President, the order of succession is as follows: Speaker of the House of Representatives, President pro tempore of the Senate, Secretary of State.

United States House of Representatives chamber speaker.gov, Wikimedia Commons

Q: Why Does The Flag Have 50 Stars?

1: Because there is one star for each state

2: Because 50 people died in the Civil War

3: Because 50 is a lucky number

4: Because there is one star for each member of Congress

NFL Wild Card Game Packers At Cardinals Gonzo fan2007, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

A: Because There Is One Star For Each State

And about those red and white stripes: Well, the 13 stripes represent the 13 original colonies.

U.S. flags on the National Mall, 2007 Lipton sale, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Q: Who Was President During The Great Depression And World War II?

1: Dwight Eisenhower

2: Franklin Roosevelt

3: Thomas Jefferson

4: Woodrow Wilson

Great Depression in February 1931 National Archives at College Park, Wikimedia Commons

A: Franklin Roosevelt

FDR was the 32nd president of the United States and the only one to serve more than two terms. First elected in 1933, FDR passed away just months into his fourth term, on April 12, 1945.

Franklin D. Roosevelt in the early 1930s Vincenzo Laviosa, Wikimedia Commons

Q: What Ocean Is On The East Coast Of The United States?

1: Southern Ocean

2: Pacific Ocean

3: Atlantic Ocean

4: Indian Ocean

Boston Skyline from the Harbor Harald Johnsen, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

A: Atlantic Ocean

The United States is bordered by three oceans: There's the Pacific Ocean to the west, the Atlantic Ocean is on the East Coast, and there's the Arctic Ocean to the north (don't forget about Alaska).

Virginia Beach Oceanfront taken in 2021 DanRVA, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Q: What Are Two Cabinet-Level Positions?

1: Chief justice of the Supreme Court & Speaker of the House

2: Secretary of Labor & Secretary of State

3: Secretary of Education & Commander in Chief

4: State Governor & The President

Barack Obama and his staff in the Cabinet Room White House (Pete Souza), CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

A: Secretary Of Labor & Secretary Of State

The cabinet is made up of the Vice President, the Attorney General, and the heads of the executive departments (Secretaries of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, etc).

Empty White House Cabinet Room The White House, Wikimedia Commons

Q: When Was The Constitution Written?

1: 1787

2: 1929

3: 1800

4: 1776

Scene At The Signing Of The Constitution Of The United States Howard Chandler Christy, Wikimedia Commons

A: 1787

That document that begins, “We The People”, was written in 1787, ratified in 1788, and has been in operation since 1789.

The Constitution of the United States of America Mike Flippo, Shutterstock

Q: Name One State That Borders Canada?

1: Texas

2: Louisiana

3: Arizona

4: Idaho

The Peace Arch on the U.S.-Canada Border Waqcku, Wikimedia Commons

A: Idaho

A total of 13 states border Canada: Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Washington, and Alaska

Vibrant urban scene of Boise, Idaho captured from a high vantage point Christopher Boswell, Adobe Stock

Q: Under Our Constitution, Some Powers Belong To The Federal Government. What Is One Power Of The Federal Government?

1: To provide police protection

2: To approve zoning and land use

3: To make treaties

4: To give a driver’s license

A view of the north fountain of the White House Ingfbruno, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

A: To Make Treaties

The federal government also has the power to print money, create an army, and declare war.

Secretary Kerry Holds Granddaughter Dobbs-Higginson U.S. Department of State, Wikimedia Commons

Q: What Is One Thing Benjamin Franklin Is Famous For?

1: He fought for civil rights

2: He was president during the Civil War

3: He purchased the Louisiana Territory from France

4: He wrote Poor Richard’s Almanac

Portrait of Benjamin Franklin Joseph-Siffred Duplessis, Wikimedia Commons

A: He Wrote “Poor Richard’s Almanac”

Under the pseudonym "Poor Richard" or "Richard Saunders", Franklin published the Poor Richard’s Almanac yearly from 1732 to 1758.

Portrait of Benjamin Franklin David Martin, Wikimedia Commons

Q: The House Of Representatives Has How Many Voting Members?

1: 45

2: 2

3: 435

4: 100

The House of Representatives chamber Dennis MacDonald, Shutterstock

A: 435

There are also currently six non-voting members:

There is a delegate representing the District of Columbia, a resident commissioner representing Puerto Rico, and one delegate for each of the other four permanently inhabited US territories: American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the US Virgin Islands.

The House of Representatives chamber at the State Capitol Dennis MacDonald, Shutterstock

Q: What Did The Emancipation Proclamation Do?

1: Announced our independence

2: Allowed women to vote

3: Freed the slaves

4: Declared war

Am Arch Sculpt Nebraska State Capitol — Stone relief architectural sculpture Carptrash, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

A: Freed The Slaves

Issued by President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, the Emancipation Proclamation declared "that all persons held as slaves" within the rebellious states "are, and henceforward shall be free".

Painting titled A Visit From The Old Mistress Winslow Homer, Wikimedia Commons

Q: What Territory Did The United States Buy From France In 1803?

1: Alaskan Territory

2: Louisiana Territory

3: Texas Territory

4: Lincoln Territory

A painting of Louisiana Purchase in 1803 GPA Photo Archive, Flickr

A: Louisiana Territory

On October 20, 1803, by a vote of 24 to 7, the Senate approved for ratification a treaty with France via which the United States purchased the Louisiana Territory. You might know it better as the Louisiana Purchase.

The signing of the Louisiana Purchase Treaty New York Public Library, Picryl

Q: Who Was President During World War I?

1: Woodrow Wilson

2: George Washington

3: Franklin Roosevelt

4: Abraham Lincoln

President Wilson speaking before Congress Harris & Ewing, Wikimedia Commons

A: Woodrow Wilson

Wilson was the 28th president of the United States, and served two terms from 1913 to 1921. His Vice President for both terms was Thomas Riley Marshall.

28th president of the United States Woodrow Wilson Harris & Ewing, Wikimedia Commons

Q: Name One Of The Two Longest Rivers In The United States.

1: Mississippi River

2: Colorado River

3: Columbia River

4: Rio Grande

View of Mississippi River and U.S. Highway 61 McGhiever, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

A: Mississippi River

The two longest rivers in the country are the Mississippi River and the Missouri River.

1: Missouri River: 2,341 mi (3,768 km)

2: Mississippi River: 2,340 mi (3,766 km)

Mississippi River from Fire Point in Effigy Mounds NPS photo, Wikimedia Commons

Q: What Is The Supreme Law Of The Land?

1: Declaration of Independence

2: The Bill of Rights

3: Articles of Confederation

4: The Constitution

Exterior of the Supreme Court of the United States David Dibert, Pexels

A: The Constitution

All laws in the United States need to follow the Constitution.

Rotunda for the charters of Freedom at National Archives building Kelvin Kay, Wikimedia Commons

Q: Name One War Fought By The United States In The 1800s.

1: War of Independence

2: World War I

3: Mexican-American War

4: Korean War

Volunteers leaving for the Mexican War E. Punderson, Wikimedia Commons

A: Mexican-American War

1: War of Independence (1775-1783)

2: World War I (1914-1918)

3: Mexican-American War (1846-1848)

4: Korean War (1950-1953)

Lithograph of the Battle of Buena Vista in 1847 Henry R. Robinson, Wikimedia Commons

Q: How Many Amendments Does The Constitution Have?

1: 27