128 Civics Questions and Answers for the 2026 Naturalization Test

Below are all 128 civics questions and answers from the current USCIS test, in order, with the answers officers accept. This is the list for anyone who filed Form N-400 on or after October 20, 2025.

A star marks the 20 questions set aside for the 65/20 exemption. Where a question lists several answers, any one of them counts, so learn one well rather than three badly.

All 128 civics questions and answers here come from the official USCIS list, published as M-1778. A USCIS system picks 20 at random and an officer asks them aloud. You pass at 12 correct. Cover the answers, say yours out loud, then check. A few answers depend on your address or on who currently holds office.

What’s New in 2026 for the 128 Civics Questions and Answers

This list replaced a shorter one, and the change is still working through the system.

USCIS is implementing the 2025 naturalization civics test to align with Executive Order 14161. Applications filed before October 20, 2025 take the 2008 test, which draws 10 questions from a list of 100 and passes at 6 correct. Applications filed on or after that date take the test below.

The bank grew from 100 questions to 128. The officer now asks up to 20 rather than up to 10, and the pass mark is 12 correct rather than 6.

Wording changed as well as quantity. Several questions that survived from the old list were rewritten, and many answers are now given as a set of options rather than a single phrase. Study sheets copied from before late 2025 teach answers in the wrong form.

How to Use These 128 Civics Questions and Answers

Reading this page end to end will feel productive and teach you almost nothing.

Cover the answers. Read a question, say your answer out loud, then uncover and check. That moment of effort is what builds a memory you can reach under pressure.

Work in blocks of about a dozen, then shuffle. A block studied in order is easier than the same questions scattered, because the topic is doing half the work for you. The officer will not do that.

Mark yourself hard. A ten second pause counts as a miss. A vague answer counts as a miss. Put every miss on a list and start the next session there.

American Government: Questions 1 to 72

The largest section by a wide margin, and where most of your 20 questions will come from. It covers the principles of American government, the system of government, and the rights and responsibilities of citizens.

• 1. What is the form of government of the United States? Republic / Constitution-based federal republic / Representative democracy
• 2. What is the supreme law of the land? ★ (U.S.) Constitution
• 3. Name one thing the U.S. Constitution does. Forms the government / Defines powers of government / Defines the parts of government
• 4. The U.S. Constitution starts with the words “We the People.” What does “We the People” mean? Self-government / Popular sovereignty / Consent of the governed
• 5. How are changes made to the U.S. Constitution? Amendments / The amendment process
• 6. What does the Bill of Rights protect? (The basic) rights of Americans / (The basic) rights of people living in the United States
• 7. How many amendments does the U.S. Constitution have? ★ Twenty-seven (27)
• 8. Why is the Declaration of Independence important? It says America is free from British control / It says all people are created equal / It identifies inherent rights
• 9. What founding document said the American colonies were free from Britain? Declaration of Independence
• 10. Name two important ideas from the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution. Equality / Liberty / Social contract
• 11. The words “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness” are in what founding document? Declaration of Independence
• 12. What is the economic system of the United States? ★ Capitalism / Free market economy
• 13. What is the rule of law? Everyone must follow the law / Leaders must obey the law / Government must obey the law
• 14. Many documents influenced the U.S. Constitution. Name one. Declaration of Independence / Articles of Confederation / Federalist Papers
• 15. There are three branches of government. Why? So one part does not become too powerful / Checks and balances / Separation of powers
• 16. Name the three branches of government. Legislative, executive, and judicial / Congress, president, and the courts
• 17. The President of the United States is in charge of which branch of government? Executive branch
• 18. What part of the federal government writes laws? (U.S.) Congress / (U.S. or national) legislature / Legislative branch
• 19. What are the two parts of the U.S. Congress? Senate and House (of Representatives)
• 20. Name one power of the U.S. Congress. ★ Writes laws / Declares war / Makes the federal budget
• 21. How many U.S. senators are there? One hundred (100)
• 22. How long is a term for a U.S. senator? Six (6) years
• 23. Who is one of your state’s U.S. senators now? Answers will vary. [District of Columbia residents and residents of U.S. territories should answer that D.C. (or the territory where the applicant lives) has no U.S. senators.]
• 24. How many voting members are in the House of Representatives? Four hundred thirty-five (435)
• 25. How long is a term for a member of the House of Representatives? Two (2) years
• 26. Why do U.S. representatives serve shorter terms than U.S. senators? To more closely follow public opinion
• 27. How many senators does each state have? Two (2)
• 28. Why does each state have two senators? Equal representation (for small states) / The Great Compromise (Connecticut Compromise)
• 29. Name your U.S. representative. Answers will vary. [Residents of territories with nonvoting Delegates or Resident Commissioners may provide the name of that Delegate or Commissioner. Also acceptable is any statement that the territory has no (voting) representatives in Congress.]
• 30. What is the name of the Speaker of the House of Representatives now? ★ Visit uscis.gov/citizenship/testupdates for the name of the Speaker of the House of Representatives
• 31. Who does a U.S. senator represent? Citizens of their state / People of their state
• 32. Who elects U.S. senators? Citizens from their state
• 33. Who does a member of the House of Representatives represent? Citizens in their (congressional) district / Citizens in their district / People from their (congressional) district
• 34. Who elects members of the House of Representatives? Citizens from their (congressional) district
• 35. Some states have more representatives than other states. Why? (Because of) the state’s population / (Because) they have more people / (Because) some states have more people
• 36. The President of the United States is elected for how many years? ★ Four (4) years
• 37. The President of the United States can serve only two terms. Why? (Because of) the 22nd Amendment / To keep the president from becoming too powerful
• 38. What is the name of the President of the United States now? ★ Visit uscis.gov/citizenship/testupdates for the name of the President of the United States
• 39. What is the name of the Vice President of the United States now? ★ Visit uscis.gov/citizenship/testupdates for the name of the Vice President of the United States
• 40. If the president can no longer serve, who becomes president? The Vice President (of the United States)
• 41. Name one power of the president. Signs bills into law / Vetoes bills / Enforces laws
• 42. Who is Commander in Chief of the U.S. military? The President (of the United States)
• 43. Who signs bills to become laws? The President (of the United States)
• 44. Who vetoes bills? ★ The President (of the United States)
• 45. Who appoints federal judges? The President (of the United States)
• 46. The executive branch has many parts. Name one. President (of the United States) / Cabinet / Federal departments and agencies
• 47. What does the President’s Cabinet do? Advises the President (of the United States)
• 48. What are two Cabinet-level positions? Attorney General / Secretary of Agriculture / Secretary of Commerce
• 49. Why is the Electoral College important? It decides who is elected president / It provides a compromise between the popular election of the president and congressional selection
• 50. What is one part of the judicial branch? Supreme Court / Federal Courts
• 51. What does the judicial branch do? Reviews laws / Explains laws / Resolves disputes (disagreements) about the law
• 52. What is the highest court in the United States? ★ Supreme Court
• 53. How many seats are on the Supreme Court? Nine (9)
• 54. How many Supreme Court justices are usually needed to decide a case? Five (5)
• 55. How long do Supreme Court justices serve? (For) life / Lifetime appointment / (Until) retirement
• 56. Supreme Court justices serve for life. Why? To be independent (of politics) / To limit outside (political) influence
• 57. Who is the Chief Justice of the United States now? Visit uscis.gov/citizenship/testupdates for the name of the Chief Justice of the United States
• 58. Name one power that is only for the federal government. Print paper money / Mint coins / Declare war
• 59. Name one power that is only for the states. Provide schooling and education / Provide protection (police) / Provide safety (fire departments)
• 60. What is the purpose of the 10th Amendment? (It states that the) powers not given to the federal government belong to the states or to the people
• 61. Who is the governor of your state now? ★ Answers will vary. [District of Columbia residents should answer that D.C. does not have a governor.]
• 62. What is the capital of your state? Answers will vary. [District of Columbia residents should answer that D.C. is not a state and does not have a capital. Residents of U.S. territories should name the capital of the territory.]
• 63. There are four amendments to the U.S. Constitution about who can vote. Describe one of them. 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.)
• 64. Who can vote in federal elections, run for federal office, and serve on a jury in the United States? Citizens / Citizens of the United States / U.S. citizens
• 65. What are three rights of everyone living in the United States? Freedom of expression / Freedom of speech / Freedom of assembly
• 66. What do we show loyalty to when we say the Pledge of Allegiance? ★ The United States / The flag
• 67. Name two promises that new citizens make in the Oath of Allegiance. Give up loyalty to other countries / Defend the (U.S.) Constitution / Obey the laws of the United States
• 68. How can people become United States citizens? Be born in the United States, under the conditions set by the 14th Amendment / Naturalize / Derive citizenship (under conditions set by Congress)
• 69. What are two examples of civic participation in the United States? Vote / Run for office / Join a political party
• 70. What is one way Americans can serve their country? Vote / Pay taxes / Obey the law
• 71. Why is it important to pay federal taxes? Required by law / All people pay to fund the federal government / Required by the (U.S.) Constitution (16th Amendment)
• 72. It is important for all men age 18 through 25 to register for the Selective Service. Name one reason why. Required by law / Civic duty / Makes the draft fair, if needed

American History: Questions 73 to 115

Forty-three questions covering the colonial period and independence, the 1800s, then recent American history through the World Wars, the Cold War, and the civil rights movement.

• 73. The colonists came to America for many reasons. Name one. Freedom / Political liberty / Religious freedom
• 74. Who lived in America before the Europeans arrived? ★ American Indians / Native Americans
• 75. What group of people was taken and sold as slaves? Africans / People from Africa
• 76. What war did the Americans fight to win independence from Britain? American Revolution / The (American) Revolutionary War / War for (American) Independence
• 77. Name one reason why the Americans declared independence from Britain. High taxes / Taxation without representation / British soldiers stayed in Americans’ houses (boarding, quartering)
• 78. Who wrote the Declaration of Independence? ★ (Thomas) Jefferson
• 79. When was the Declaration of Independence adopted? July 4, 1776
• 80. The American Revolution had many important events. Name one. (Battle of) Bunker Hill / Declaration of Independence / Washington Crossing the Delaware (Battle of Trenton)
• 81. There were 13 original states. Name five. New Hampshire / Massachusetts / Rhode Island
• 82. What founding document was written in 1787? (U.S.) Constitution
• 83. The Federalist Papers supported the passage of the U.S. Constitution. Name one of the writers. (James) Madison / (Alexander) Hamilton / (John) Jay
• 84. Why were the Federalist Papers important? They helped people understand the (U.S.) Constitution / They supported passing the (U.S.) Constitution
• 85. Benjamin Franklin is famous for many things. Name one. Founded the first free public libraries / First Postmaster General of the United States / Helped write the Declaration of Independence
• 86. George Washington is famous for many things. Name one. ★ “Father of Our Country” / First president of the United States / General of the Continental Army
• 87. Thomas Jefferson is famous for many things. Name one. Writer of the Declaration of Independence / Third president of the United States / Doubled the size of the United States (Louisiana Purchase)
• 88. James Madison is famous for many things. Name one. “Father of the Constitution” / Fourth president of the United States / President during the War of 1812
• 89. Alexander Hamilton is famous for many things. Name one. First Secretary of the Treasury / One of the writers of the Federalist Papers / Helped establish the First Bank of the United States
• 90. What territory did the United States buy from France in 1803? Louisiana Territory / Louisiana
• 91. Name one war fought by the United States in the 1800s. War of 1812 / Mexican-American War / Civil War
• 92. Name the U.S. war between the North and the South. The Civil War
• 93. The Civil War had many important events. Name one. (Battle of) Fort Sumter / Emancipation Proclamation / (Battle of) Vicksburg
• 94. Abraham Lincoln is famous for many things. Name one. ★ Freed the slaves (Emancipation Proclamation) / Saved (or preserved) the Union / Led the United States during the Civil War
• 95. What did the Emancipation Proclamation do? Freed the slaves / Freed slaves in the Confederacy / Freed slaves in the Confederate states
• 96. What U.S. war ended slavery? The Civil War
• 97. What amendment says all persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are U.S. citizens? 14th Amendment
• 98. When did all men get the right to vote? After the Civil War / During Reconstruction / (With the) 15th Amendment
• 99. Name one leader of the women’s rights movement in the 1800s. Susan B. Anthony / Elizabeth Cady Stanton / Sojourner Truth
• 100. Name one war fought by the United States in the 1900s. World War I / World War II / Korean War
• 101. Why did the United States enter World War I? Because Germany attacked U.S. (civilian) ships / To support the Allied Powers (England, France, Italy, and Russia) / To oppose the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, and Bulgaria)
• 102. When did all women get the right to vote? 1920 / After World War I / (With the) 19th Amendment
• 103. What was the Great Depression? Longest economic recession in modern history
• 104. When did the Great Depression start? The Great Crash (1929) / Stock market crash of 1929
• 105. Who was president during the Great Depression and World War II? (Franklin) Roosevelt
• 106. Why did the United States enter World War II? (Bombing of) Pearl Harbor / Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor / To support the Allied Powers (England, France, and Russia)
• 107. Dwight Eisenhower is famous for many things. Name one. General during World War II / President at the end of (during) the Korean War / 34th president of the United States
• 108. Who was the United States’ main rival during the Cold War? Soviet Union / USSR / Russia
• 109. During the Cold War, what was one main concern of the United States? Communism / Nuclear war
• 110. Why did the United States enter the Korean War? To stop the spread of communism
• 111. Why did the United States enter the Vietnam War? To stop the spread of communism
• 112. What did the civil rights movement do? Fought to end racial discrimination
• 113. Martin Luther King, Jr. is famous for many things. Name one. ★ Fought for civil rights / Worked for equality for all Americans / Worked to ensure that people would “not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character”
• 114. Why did the United States enter the Persian Gulf War? To force the Iraqi military from Kuwait
• 115. What major event happened on September 11, 2001 in the United States? ★ Terrorists attacked the United States / Terrorists took over two planes and crashed them into the World Trade Center in New York City / Terrorists took over a plane and crashed into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia

Symbols and Holidays: Questions 116 to 128

The shortest section and the easiest marks on the list. Geography, the flag, national symbols, and the national holidays.

• 116. Name one U.S. military conflict after the September 11, 2001 attacks. (Global) War on Terror / War in Afghanistan / War in Iraq
• 117. Name one American Indian tribe in the United States. Apache / Blackfeet / Cayuga
• 118. Name one example of an American innovation. Light bulb / Automobile (cars, internal combustion engine) / Skyscrapers
• 119. What is the capital of the United States? Washington, D.C
• 120. Where is the Statue of Liberty? New York (Harbor) / Liberty Island [Also acceptable are New Jersey, near New York City, and on the Hudson (River).]
• 121. Why does the flag have 13 stripes? ★ (Because there were) 13 original colonies / (Because the stripes) represent the original colonies
• 122. Why does the flag have 50 stars? (Because there is) one star for each state / (Because) each star represents a state / (Because there are) 50 states
• 123. What is the name of the national anthem? The Star-Spangled Banner
• 124. The Nation’s first motto was “E Pluribus Unum.” What does that mean? Out of many, one / We all become one
• 125. What is Independence Day? A holiday to celebrate U.S. independence (from Britain) / The country’s birthday
• 126. Name three national U.S. holidays. ★ New Year’s Day / Martin Luther King, Jr. Day / Presidents Day (Washington’s Birthday)
• 127. What is Memorial Day? A holiday to honor soldiers who died in military service
• 128. What is Veterans Day? A holiday to honor people in the (U.S.) military / A holiday to honor people who have served (in the U.S. military)

The Answers That Depend on You

A handful of questions above have no fixed answer printed on the official sheet.

Your senators, your representative and your state capital depend on where you live, and the published answer is “answers will vary”. Residents of the District of Columbia and of U.S. territories have their own answers, and the official notes spell those out.

Questions about the President, the Vice President, the Speaker of the House and the Chief Justice depend on when you sit the test. USCIS publishes the current answers on its civics test updates page, and expects the name of the official serving at the time of your naturalization interview.

Write your own answers on a card in the first week of study and test them in every session. They are among the cheapest marks on the test.

Working Through All 128 in Four Weeks

Six new questions a day for three weeks covers the bank, with a week left for drilling.

Week 1: Questions 1 to 72, in blocks. A dozen a day, answers covered, spoken aloud. Do not chase retention yet.

Week 2: Questions 73 to 128. Same method, plus five questions from last week at the start of each session.

Week 3: Shuffle the whole bank. Random draws only. Start a written list of every question you drop.

Week 4: Mock tests. Twenty random questions most days, spoken, scored honestly. Treat 17 out of 20 as ready rather than 12.

Fold in the English portion two or three times a week. You read one sentence out of three aloud and write one out of three by hand, both drawn from official USCIS vocabulary lists.

FAQ

Are these the official 128 civics questions and answers?

Yes. They come from the USCIS document M-1778, 128 Civics Questions and Answers (2025 version). USCIS notes there may be other correct answers but encourages applicants to use the published ones, since officers work from that sheet.

How many do I need to answer correctly?

Twelve out of 20. A USCIS system selects your 20 questions at random from all 128, and the officer stops asking as soon as you reach 12 correct answers.

Do I have to learn every answer listed for a question?

No. Where a question says “name one”, a single correct answer is enough. Pick one answer per question and learn it properly rather than holding several half-formed versions.

What if my N-400 was filed before October 20, 2025?

Then you take the 2008 test instead, which draws 10 questions from a list of 100 and passes at 6 correct. Check your receipt notice for the filing date before you start studying.

Which questions can I skip?

None, unless you qualify for the 65/20 exemption. The 20 questions asked are drawn at random from all 128, so anything you skip can appear on the day.

Verdict: Learning All 128 Civics Questions and Answers

The 128 civics questions and answers above are the complete civics test. There is no hidden set and no leaked list, because USCIS publishes every question and every accepted answer.

That makes the work simple to describe and slow to do. Cover the answers, say yours out loud, shuffle the order once you have been through the bank, and keep a running list of the questions that keep beating you.

Twenty of these get chosen for you at random. Learn all of them and the draw stops mattering.