Test Your Knowledge
As we continue our exhibition, “Stars, Stripes, and Reckoning: Threads of a Nation,” and our country continues to endure ongoing ICE raids and divisiveness over who belongs, I would like to challenge you (and myself!) to test your knowledge on history, civics, and American government. The following questions are included on the civics test that individuals must pass to become a U.S. citizen.
Personally, I am uncertain whether I could easily pass this test without a fair amount of studying beforehand. Yet in 2024 alone, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) welcomed 818,500 new citizens. All of whom had to pass a naturalization test, which includes a civics component.
Give it a try and let me know how you do (answers below… don’t peek!). I am of the opinion that if others entering our country must know these answers, then perhaps American citizens should too.
1. What stops one branch of government from becoming too powerful?
- The people
- Freedom of speech
- The President
- Checks and balances
2. We elect a U.S. Senator for how many years?
- 6
- 4
- 2
- 10
3. Name one U.S. territory
- Cayman Islands
- Bermuda
- Guam
- Haiti
4. The House of Representatives has how many voting members?
- 100
- 200
- 435
- 441
5. Who is the Commander in Chief of the military?
- The Vice President
- The Secretary of Defense
- The President
- The Attorney General
6. Who is in charge of the executive branch?
- The Speaker of the House
- The Prime Minister
- The Chief Justice
- The President
7. What is one thing Benjamin Franklin is famous for?
- U.S. Diplomat
- Inventor of the airplane
- Youngest member of Constitutional Convention
- Third President of the Unite States
8. What does the constitution do?
- Protects basic rights of Americans
- Defines the government
- Sets up the government
- All of these answers
9. Who was President during the Great Depression and World War II?
- Harry Truman
- Calvin Coolidge
- Franklin Roosevelt
- Herbert Hoover
10. What did the Declaration of Independence do?
- Declared our independence from France
- Freed the slaves
- Gave women the right to vote
- Declared our independence from Great Britian
If you are curious and want to explore the full practice test, you can download the USCIS: Civics Test Study Tools app or go to their website. It’s interesting to find that what you think you know is not always correct. And it’s essential to remember the control our elected officials have and how crucial our votes are in determining who holds that power.
Answers:
1. Checks and balances
2. 6
3. Guam
4. 435
5. The President
6. The President
7. U.S. Diplomat
8. All of the answers
9. Franklin Roosevelt
10. Declared our independence from Great Britian
Let us honor those who make our country what it is and remember, “United we stand. Divided we fall.” -Aesop
-trw