US Civics Practice Test 2

19 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. How long is a term for a U.S. senator?

  1. Two years
  2. Six years
  3. Four years
  4. Eight years

Answer: B — Six years

The key answers "Six (6) years." Two years is the key's term for a member of the House (question 25) and four years is its term for the president (question 36); eight years appears nowhere in the key.

2. How many voting members are in the House of Representatives?

  1. Four hundred thirty-five
  2. One hundred
  3. Five hundred thirty-five
  4. Fifty

Answer: A — Four hundred thirty-five

The key answers "Four hundred thirty-five (435)" voting members. None of the other counts is what the key gives for the House.

3. How long is a term for a member of the House of Representatives?

  1. Six years
  2. Four years
  3. Two years
  4. Eight years

Answer: C — Two years

The key answers "Two (2) years." Six years is the key's Senate term (question 22) and four years is its presidential term (question 36); eight years appears nowhere in the key.

4. Why do U.S. representatives serve shorter terms than U.S. senators?

  1. So one part of government does not become too powerful
  2. To more closely follow public opinion
  3. Because of the Great Compromise
  4. To align with the length of a presidential term

Answer: B — To more closely follow public opinion

The key answers "To more closely follow public opinion." The key gives the Great Compromise as the reason each state has two senators (question 28), not as a reason for term length, and it offers no reason tied to the presidential term or to limiting a part of government.

5. How many senators does each state have?

  1. One
  2. Based on the state's population
  3. Four
  4. Two

Answer: D — Two

The key answers "Two (2)" for each state, and explains that number as equal representation (question 28). The key ties population to how many representatives a state has (question 35), not to its senators.

6. Why does each state have two senators?

  1. Equal representation
  2. Based on the state's population
  3. As set by the Articles of Confederation
  4. So every state also has the same number of representatives in the House

Answer: A — Equal representation

The key answers "Equal representation (for small states)," alongside the Great Compromise (Connecticut Compromise). The key ties population to a state's number of representatives (question 35), so House seats are not equal across states, and the Articles of Confederation appear nowhere in the key.

7. Who does a U.S. senator represent?

  1. Citizens of their congressional district
  2. Citizens of their state
  3. Citizens of the entire United States
  4. Members of their political party only

Answer: B — Citizens of their state

The key answers "Citizens of their state," or the people of their state. The key assigns the congressional district to a member of the House (question 33); it gives a senator no nationwide or party-only constituency.

8. Who elects U.S. senators?

  1. The state legislature
  2. The governor of their state
  3. The Electoral College
  4. Citizens from their state

Answer: D — Citizens from their state

The key answers "Citizens from their state." The key names no legislature, governor or Electoral College as electing senators.

9. Who does a member of the House of Representatives represent?

  1. Citizens in their district
  2. Citizens of the entire state
  3. Only the voters who elected them
  4. Registered members of their political party

Answer: A — Citizens in their district

The key answers "Citizens in their (congressional) district" and lists "Citizens in their district" among the accepted wordings. Statewide representation is what the key assigns to a senator (question 31), and the key does not narrow a representative's constituency to their own voters or their party.

10. Who elects members of the House of Representatives?

  1. Citizens from their state
  2. The state legislature
  3. Citizens from their district
  4. The Electoral College

Answer: C — Citizens from their district

The key answers "Citizens from their (congressional) district." "Citizens from their state" is the key's answer for who elects senators (question 32), and no legislature or Electoral College appears in the key.

11. Some states have more representatives than other states. Why?

  1. The state’s land area
  2. The state’s population
  3. The number of senators the state has
  4. How long the state has been part of the Union

Answer: B — The state’s population

The key answers "(Because of) the state’s population" — because some states have more people. Land area and length of statehood appear nowhere in the key, and the key gives every state two senators (question 27), so that number cannot explain the difference.

12. The President of the United States is elected for how many years?

  1. Six years
  2. Two years
  3. Eight years
  4. Four years

Answer: D — Four years

The key answers "Four (4) years." Six years is the key's Senate term (question 22) and two years its House term (question 25); eight years appears nowhere in the key.

13. The President of the United States can serve only two terms. Why?

  1. The 22nd Amendment
  2. The 19th Amendment
  3. The Bill of Rights
  4. The original text of the U.S. Constitution

Answer: A — The 22nd Amendment

The key answers "(Because of) the 22nd Amendment," and adds that the limit keeps the president from becoming too powerful. The key names no other amendment or document as the source of the two-term limit.

14. If the president can no longer serve, who becomes president?

  1. The Speaker of the House
  2. The Secretary of State
  3. The Vice President
  4. The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court

Answer: C — The Vice President

The key answers "The Vice President (of the United States)." No other officeholder appears in the key as the one who becomes president.

15. Name one power of the president.

  1. Declares war
  2. Signs bills into law
  3. Writes laws
  4. Interprets the meaning of laws

Answer: B — Signs bills into law

The key lists "Signs bills into law" as a power of the president, along with vetoing bills, enforcing laws, Commander in Chief (of the military), chief diplomat, and appointing federal judges. Declaring war, writing laws and interpreting laws are not on the key's list.

16. Who is Commander in Chief of the U.S. military?

  1. The Secretary of Defense
  2. The Vice President
  3. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
  4. The President

Answer: D — The President

The key answers "The President (of the United States)," and lists Commander in Chief (of the military) among the president's powers (question 41). No other official is given that title by the key.

17. Who signs bills to become laws?

  1. The President
  2. The Speaker of the House
  3. The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court
  4. The Senate Majority Leader

Answer: A — The President

The key answers "The President (of the United States)," and lists signing bills into law among the president's powers (question 41). The key gives no congressional leader or judge a part in signing bills.

18. Who vetoes bills?

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

Answer: C — The President

The key answers "The President (of the United States)," and lists vetoing bills among the president's powers (question 41). The key gives the veto to no one else.

19. Who appoints federal judges?

  1. The Senate
  2. The President
  3. State governors
  4. The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court

Answer: B — The President

The key answers "The President (of the United States)," and lists appointing federal judges among the president's powers (question 41). The key gives no appointing role to the Senate, state governors or the Chief Justice.

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