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NEWS FROM THE BUREAU — PAGE 2

Official Press Releases from the Bureau of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services

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* If you are 65 years old or older and have been a legal permanent resident of the United States for 20 or more years, you may study just the questions that have been marked with an asterisk.

Civics (History and Government) Items for the Redesigned Naturalization Test

Beginning October 1, 2008 , U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will begin implementation of a redesigned naturalization test. All applicants who file for naturalization on or after October 1, 2008 will be required to take the redesigned test. For those applicants who file prior to October 1, 2008 but are not interviewed until after October 1, 2008 (but before October 1, 2009 ), there will be an option of taking the redesigned test or the current one.

Civics (history and government) items from the redesigned naturalization test are found below. Some of the items have more than one possible answer listed. Although we hope that applicants will learn all the content, applicants will only be required to give one answer from the list unless the question asks for more than one. An example of a question that requires more than one of the listed answers is item 36. It asks, “What are two Cabinet-level positions?” In this example, applicants would be required to tell the adjudicator any two of the listed possible responses.

Applicants for naturalization taking the redesigned test should note that USCIS is aware that the 100 items sometimes have answers that are not listed here.

AMERICAN GOVERNMENT

A: Principles of American Democracy

1. What is the supreme law of the land?

• the Constitution

2. What does the Constitution do?

• sets up the government
• defines the government
• protects basic rights of Americans

3. The idea of self-government is in the first three words of the Constitution. What are these words?

• We the People

4. What is an amendment?

• a change (to the Constitution)
• an addition (to the Constitution)

5. What do we call the first ten amendments to the Constitution?

• the Bill of Rights

6. What is one right or freedom from the First Amendment?*

• speech
• religion
• assembly
• press
• petition the government — * If you are 65 years old or older and have been a legal permanent resident of the United States for 20 or more years, you may study just the questions that have been marked with an asterisk.

7. How many amendments does the Constitution have?

• twenty-seven (27)

8. What did the Declaration of Independence do?

• announced our independence (from Great Britain )
• declared our independence (from Great Britain )
• said that the United States is free (from Great Britain )

9. What are two rights in the Declaration of Independence ?

• life
• liberty
• pursuit of happiness

10. What is freedom of religion?

• You can practice any religion, or not practice a religion.

11. What is the economic system in the United States ?*

• capitalist economy
• market economy

12. What is the “rule of law”?

• Everyone must follow the law.
• Leaders must obey the law.
• Government must obey the law.
• No one is above the law.

B: System of Government

13. Name one branch or part of the government.*

• Congress
• legislative
• President
• executive
• the courts
• judicial

14. What stops one branch of government from becoming too powerful?

• checks and balances
• separation of powers

15. Who is in charge of the executive branch?

• the President

16. Who makes federal laws?

• Congress
• Senate and House (of Representatives)
• ( U.S. or national) legislature

17. What are the two parts of the U.S. Congress?*

• the Senate and House (of Representatives) — * If you are 65 years old or older and have been a legal permanent resident of the United States for 20 or more years, you may study just the questions that have been marked with an asterisk.

18. How many U.S. Senators are there?

• one hundred (100)

19. We elect a U.S. Senator for how many years?

• six (6)

20. Who is one of your state's U.S. Senators?*

• Answers will vary. [For District of Columbia residents and residents of U.S. territories, the answer is that D.C. (or the territory where the applicant lives) has no U.S. Senators.] <

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