Naturalized Citizens Know More About Civics than Many of Us
He misidentified the three branches of government as the House, Senate, and executive. He said that World War II was fought was to liberate Europe from socialism. He said that in 2000, Al Gore was president-elect for 30 days before the Supreme Court stepped in and declared George W. Bush president. He also claimed he will use his Senate office to raise money for the two Georgia Republican candidates in their January run-off election.
(Real answers: legislative, executive, and judiciary; fascism; neither was president-elect until SCOTUS decision; Senate ethics rules bar the use of official resources for campaign purposes.)
Unfortunately, he’s not the only American with huge gaps in learning. In the 2020 Annenberg Constitution Day Civics Survey, only 51 percent of respondents could name the three branches of government, which is an improvement over the 39 percent last year, however.
On a related subject, there is a new version of the U.S. Civics Test for Naturalization that will be used starting December 1, 2020. This test encompasses the knowledge of U.S. government and history that the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service has decided is essential for people to know before they can become citizens.
Passing the test is one of the steps in applying for U.S. citizenship, along with paying a fee, clearing background checks, and demonstrating basic English-speaking ability. The test is oral and is administered by a USCIS officer. It is not multiple choice. Passing is 60 percent. Questions are chosen by the tester from a long list of possibilities that the applicant can and should study in advance. The instruction webpage states: “Although USCIS is aware that there may be additional correct answers to the civics questions, applicants are encouraged to respond to the questions using the answers provided below.” So, better to memorize answers and don’t be creative.
There are some notable differences between the previous (2008) version of the test and the new 2020 version. Immigration advocates claim that the new version is not only longer and more difficult, but more politicized, and is just one more obstacle to citizenship. Many are calling for President-elect Biden to reinstate the 2008 version when he takes office.
Applicants must now answer 12 of 20 questions correctly, rather than six of 10. The number of questions to study has increased from 100 to 128. In the past, testers would often halt the test once the 60 percent threshold was passed; now all 20 questions must be answered.
One of the questions asks, “Who does a U.S. senator represent?” The answer in the 2008 version was “all people of the state.” The answer in the 2020 version is “citizens of their state,” reflecting the Trump administration preference for excluding undocumented immigrants.
The newer questions include technical questions about government, for example, “What is the form of government of the United States?” (Possible answers include Republic, Constitution-based federal republic, and Representative democracy.)
Another example of the changes is that applicants no longer need to know that the Pacific Ocean is off the west coast, but they must name five of the original 13 colonies instead of three.
At least 10,500 residents of the Eastern Shore have passed the test to become naturalized citizens of the U.S. Numbers of naturalized citizens range from 216 in Kent County to 3,286 in Wicomico. The percent of foreign-born residents who are naturalized citizens ranges from 29.5 percent in Kent County to 56.5 percent in Cecil.
These naturalized citizens have shown a greater willingness to learn about their adopted country than some lawmakers. Why shouldn’t our elected officials be expected to possess the same knowledge that our naturalized citizens have?
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Test your knowledge! Take the citizenship civics test.
If an applicant for citizenship is 65 years or older and has been a lawful resident of the U.S. for 20 years or more, this shorter civics test can be taken.
Click on the button below the questions to see the answers.
1. What is the supreme law of the land?
2. How many amendments does the U.S. Constitution have?
3. What is the economic system of the United States?
4. Name one power of the U.S. Congress.
5. What is the name of the Speaker of the House of Representatives now?
6. The President of the United States is elected for how many years?
7. What is the name of the President of the United States now?
8. What is the name of the Vice President of the United States now?
9. Who vetoes bills?
10. What is the highest court in the United States?
11. Who is the governor of your state now?
12. What do we show loyalty to when we say the Pledge of Allegiance?
13. Who lived in America before the Europeans arrived?
14. Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?
15. George Washington is famous for many things. Name one.
16. Abraham Lincoln is famous for many things. Name one.
17. Martin Luther King, Jr. is famous for many things. Name one.
18. What major event happened on September 11, 2001 in the United States?
19. Why does the flag have 13 stripes?
20. Name three national U.S. holidays.
Click on the button below to see all 128 possible questions with answers.
We’d be interested in hearing your thoughts on:
- The 128 questions (do these represent what you think is the most important knowledge for naturalized citizens?)
- The short 20-question version (are these the questions you would have chosen?)
To comment, click the button below.
Jan Plotczyk spent 25 years as a survey statistician with the federal government, at the Census Bureau and the National Center for Education Statistics. She retired to Rock Hall.
Common Sense for the Eastern Shore




