US Civics Practice Test 7

20 questions with the correct answer and an explanation for each. Topic: Civics Test. Free, no account needed.

This bank covers 120 of the 128 official questions. The other eight have no fixed answer, so a practice test cannot mark them. Four ask who currently holds an office — President, Vice President, Speaker of the House, Chief Justice — which USCIS answers with whoever is serving on the day of your interview. Four depend on where you live: your senators, your representative, your governor, your state capital. Look those up before your interview; the officeholders are at uscis.gov/citizenship/testupdates.

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1. The Senate and the House of Representatives together make up which part of the federal government?

  1. The Cabinet
  2. Congress
  3. The Electoral College
  4. The Supreme Court

Answer: B — Congress

Congress has two parts, the Senate and the House of Representatives. This comes from official question 19.

2. The Cabinet and the federal departments and agencies are parts of which branch of government?

  1. State governments
  2. Legislative branch
  3. Judicial branch
  4. Executive branch

Answer: D — Executive branch

The President, the Cabinet, and federal departments and agencies are parts of the executive branch. This comes from official questions 46 and 17.

3. The country is considering going to war. Which part of the federal government has the power to declare war?

  1. The President
  2. Congress
  3. The Supreme Court
  4. The Cabinet

Answer: B — Congress

Declaring war is one of the powers of Congress. This comes from official question 20.

4. Which two powers belong only to the federal government? (Choose two.)

  1. Approve zoning and land use
  2. Provide schooling and education
  3. Make treaties
  4. Give a driver’s license
  5. Mint coins

Answer: C,E — Make treaties / Mint coins

Minting coins and making treaties are powers only the federal government has. Driver's licenses, schooling, and zoning belong to the states. This comes from official questions 58 and 59.

5. Which level of government alone has the power to approve zoning and land use?

  1. The Cabinet
  2. The federal government
  3. The states
  4. Congress

Answer: C — The states

Approving zoning and land use is a power only for the states. This comes from official question 59.

6. A U.S. citizen who is eighteen years old is told they are too young to vote. What do the amendments about voting say?

  1. Citizens eighteen (18) and older can vote.
  2. Only citizens who have registered for the Selective Service can vote.
  3. Only citizens twenty-five (25) and older can vote.
  4. Only citizens twenty-one (21) and older can vote.

Answer: A — Citizens eighteen (18) and older can vote.

One of the four voting amendments gives citizens eighteen and older the right to vote. This comes from official question 63.

7. Which two promises do new citizens make in the Oath of Allegiance? (Choose two.)

  1. Give up loyalty to other countries
  2. Defend the (U.S.) Constitution
  3. Join a political party
  4. Vote in every election
  5. Run for public office if asked

Answer: A,B — Give up loyalty to other countries / Defend the (U.S.) Constitution

New citizens promise to defend the Constitution and to give up loyalty to other countries. Voting, joining a party, and running for office are not oath promises. This comes from official question 67.

8. A new citizen asks which amendment to the Constitution requires paying federal taxes. Which amendment is it?

  1. 10th Amendment
  2. 14th Amendment
  3. 22nd Amendment
  4. 16th Amendment

Answer: D — 16th Amendment

Paying federal taxes is required by the Constitution through the 16th Amendment. This comes from official question 71.

9. Washington Crossing the Delaware is connected to which battle of the American Revolution?

  1. Battle of Bunker Hill
  2. Battle of Trenton
  3. Battle of Yorktown
  4. Battle of Saratoga

Answer: B — Battle of Trenton

Washington Crossing the Delaware is also called the Battle of Trenton. This comes from official question 80.

10. Which two were among the 13 original states? (Choose two.)

  1. Vermont
  2. Ohio
  3. Delaware
  4. Georgia
  5. Maine

Answer: C,D — Delaware / Georgia

Georgia and Delaware were among the 13 original states. This comes from official question 81.

11. Which two things is Benjamin Franklin famous for? (Choose two.)

  1. First Secretary of State
  2. General of the Continental Army
  3. Fourth president of the United States
  4. Founded the first free public libraries
  5. Inventor

Answer: D,E — Founded the first free public libraries / Inventor

Franklin founded the first free public libraries and was an inventor. This comes from official question 85.

12. Which two things is George Washington famous for? (Choose two.)

  1. General of the Continental Army
  2. Writer of the Declaration of Independence
  3. Third president of the United States
  4. President of the Constitutional Convention
  5. Father of the Constitution

Answer: A,D — General of the Continental Army / President of the Constitutional Convention

Washington was general of the Continental Army and president of the Constitutional Convention. This comes from official question 86.

13. Which Founding Father is known as the “Father of the Constitution”?

  1. James Madison
  2. George Washington
  3. Thomas Jefferson
  4. Alexander Hamilton

Answer: A — James Madison

James Madison is called the “Father of the Constitution.” This comes from official question 88.

14. Who was the first Secretary of the Treasury?

  1. Thomas Jefferson
  2. Alexander Hamilton
  3. James Madison
  4. Benjamin Franklin

Answer: B — Alexander Hamilton

Alexander Hamilton was the first Secretary of the Treasury. This comes from official question 89.

15. Which of these Civil War events was a surrender?

  1. Emancipation Proclamation
  2. Gettysburg
  3. Antietam
  4. Appomattox

Answer: D — Appomattox

In April 1865, Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Union General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House, Virginia. Gettysburg and Antietam were battles, and the Emancipation Proclamation was Lincoln's order freeing enslaved people in the Confederate states.

16. In World War I, the United States helped oppose the Central Powers. Which two countries were Central Powers? (Choose two.)

  1. Russia
  2. Austria-Hungary
  3. France
  4. Germany
  5. Italy

Answer: B,D — Austria-Hungary / Germany

Germany and Austria-Hungary were Central Powers. Italy, France, and Russia were Allied Powers. This comes from official question 101.

17. Attacks on U.S. civilian ships by which country were a reason the United States entered World War I?

  1. Japan
  2. Russia
  3. Germany
  4. Italy

Answer: C — Germany

The United States entered World War I partly because Germany attacked U.S. civilian ships. This comes from official question 101.

18. The bombing of Pearl Harbor brought the United States into World War II. Which country’s forces attacked Pearl Harbor?

  1. Italy
  2. Japan
  3. Russia
  4. Germany

Answer: B — Japan

The Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. This comes from official question 106.

19. Which president signed the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956, creating the Interstate System?

  1. Dwight Eisenhower
  2. Thomas Jefferson
  3. Franklin Roosevelt
  4. Abraham Lincoln

Answer: A — Dwight Eisenhower

Dwight Eisenhower signed the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956. This comes from official question 107.

20. The Statue of Liberty stands near New York City on which river?

  1. Delaware River
  2. Potomac River
  3. Mississippi River
  4. Hudson River

Answer: D — Hudson River

The Statue of Liberty is on the Hudson (River) near New York City. This comes from official question 120.

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