2025 civics test: System of government

Questions 16 to 62 of the official 2025 list, with every accepted answer and a short note on each.

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This is the longest part of the list, with 47 questions about how the government works: Congress, the president, the courts, and the split of power between the national government and the states. Many of the answers are numbers, such as 100 senators, 435 representatives, nine seats on the Supreme Court. Learn them together as a set. Seven questions ask about people in office now, and one asks for your state capital. Those answers are not printed in the list. Find the names shortly before your interview, because they can change.

1. 16 Name the three branches of government.

   • Legislative, executive, and judicial
   • Congress, president, and the courts

   Legislative makes the laws (Congress), executive carries them out (the president), judicial explains them (the courts).

2. 17 The President of the United States is in charge of which branch of government?

   • Executive branch

   The executive branch carries out and enforces the laws. The president is its head.

3. 18 What part of the federal government writes laws?

   • (U.S.) Congress
   • (U.S. or national) legislature
   • Legislative branch

   Congress is the legislative branch. Only Congress can write federal laws.

4. 19 What are the two parts of the U.S. Congress?

   • Senate and House (of Representatives)

   Congress has two chambers. A bill must pass both before it goes to the president.

5. 20 Name one power of the U.S. Congress. 65/20

   • Writes laws
   • Declares war
   • Makes the federal budget

   The Constitution gives Congress these powers in Article I. One answer is enough.

6. 21 How many U.S. senators are there?

   • One hundred (100)

   Each of the 50 states has two senators: 50 times 2 is 100.

7. 22 How long is a term for a U.S. senator?

   • Six (6) years

   Senate terms are staggered, so about one third of the Senate is elected every two years.

8. 23 Who is one of your state’s U.S. senators now?

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

   The answer depends on where you live. Look up your two senators on senate.gov shortly before your interview and learn one name. Where to find your answer.

9. 24 How many voting members are in the House of Representatives?

   • Four hundred thirty-five (435)

   The number has been fixed by law at 435 for over a century. Seats are shared among the states by population.

10. 25 How long is a term for a member of the House of Representatives?

    • Two (2) years

    All 435 seats are up for election every two years, in even-numbered years.

11. 26 Why do U.S. representatives serve shorter terms than U.S. senators?

    • To more closely follow public opinion

    Short terms mean representatives face the voters often, so they stay close to what people in their district think.

12. 27 How many senators does each state have?

    • Two (2)

    Every state, large or small, has the same number of senators.

13. 28 Why does each state have two senators?

    • Equal representation (for small states)
    • The Great Compromise (Connecticut Compromise)

    At the Constitutional Convention, small states wanted equal votes and large states wanted votes by population. The compromise gave one chamber of each kind.

14. 29 Name your U.S. representative.

    • Answers will vary. [Residents of territories with nonvoting Delegates or Resident Commissioners may provide the name of that Delegate or Commissioner. Also acceptable is any statement that the territory has no (voting) representatives in Congress.]

    The answer depends on your address. Find your representative on house.gov by entering your ZIP code. Where to find your answer.

15. 30 What is the name of the Speaker of the House of Representatives now? 65/20

    • Visit uscis.gov/citizenship/testupdates for the name of the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

    The Speaker leads the House of Representatives and is chosen by its members. The name changes over time: check the USCIS test updates page before your interview. See what the USCIS updates page listed.

16. 31 Who does a U.S. senator represent?

    • Citizens of their state
    • People of their state

    A senator speaks for everyone in the whole state, not one district.

17. 32 Who elects U.S. senators?

    • Citizens from their state

    Since the 17th Amendment (1913), the voters of each state elect their senators directly.

18. 33 Who does a member of the House of Representatives represent?

    • Citizens in their (congressional) district
    • Citizens in their district
    • People from their (congressional) district
    • People in their district

    Each state is divided into congressional districts. A representative speaks for the people of one district.

19. 34 Who elects members of the House of Representatives?

    • Citizens from their (congressional) district

    Only the voters who live in the district choose its representative.

20. 35 Some states have more representatives than other states. Why?

    • (Because of) the state’s population
    • (Because) they have more people
    • (Because) some states have more people

    Seats in the House follow population, counted in the census every ten years. States with more people get more seats.

21. 36 The President of the United States is elected for how many years? 65/20

    • Four (4) years

    Presidential elections are held every four years, in November.

22. 37 The President of the United States can serve only two terms. Why?

    • (Because of) the 22nd Amendment
    • To keep the president from becoming too powerful

    The 22nd Amendment, ratified in 1951, limits a president to two elected terms.

23. 38 What is the name of the President of the United States now? 65/20

    • Visit uscis.gov/citizenship/testupdates for the name of the President of the United States.

    Give the name of the president serving on the day of your interview. USCIS lists the accepted answers on its test updates page. See what the USCIS updates page listed.

24. 39 What is the name of the Vice President of the United States now? 65/20

    • Visit uscis.gov/citizenship/testupdates for the name of the Vice President of the United States.

    Give the name of the vice president serving on the day of your interview. Check the USCIS test updates page. See what the USCIS updates page listed.

25. 40 If the president can no longer serve, who becomes president?

    • The Vice President (of the United States)

    The vice president is first in the line of succession.

26. 41 Name one power of the president.

    • Signs bills into law
    • Vetoes bills
    • Enforces laws
    • Commander in Chief (of the military)
    • Chief diplomat
    • Appoints federal judges

    These powers come from Article II of the Constitution. One answer is enough.

27. 42 Who is Commander in Chief of the U.S. military?

    • The President (of the United States)

    The Constitution puts the armed forces under a civilian elected by the people: the president.

28. 43 Who signs bills to become laws?

    • The President (of the United States)

    After both chambers of Congress pass a bill, the president signs it to make it law.

29. 44 Who vetoes bills? 65/20

    • The President (of the United States)

    To veto is to refuse to sign a bill. Congress can override a veto with a two-thirds vote in both chambers.

30. 45 Who appoints federal judges?

    • The President (of the United States)

    The president chooses federal judges, and the Senate must confirm them.

31. 46 The executive branch has many parts. Name one.

    • President (of the United States)
    • Cabinet
    • Federal departments and agencies

    The executive branch is the largest branch. It includes the president, the Cabinet and the departments and agencies.

32. 47 What does the President’s Cabinet do?

    • Advises the President (of the United States)

    The Cabinet is the group of heads of the main departments. They advise the president on their subjects.

33. 48 What are two Cabinet-level positions?

    • Attorney General
    • Secretary of Agriculture
    • Secretary of Commerce
    • Secretary of Education
    • Secretary of Energy
    • Secretary of Health and Human Services
    • Secretary of Homeland Security
    • Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
    • Secretary of the Interior
    • Secretary of Labor
    • Secretary of State
    • Secretary of Transportation
    • Secretary of the Treasury
    • Secretary of Veterans Affairs
    • Secretary of War (Defense)
    • Vice-President
    • Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency
    • Administrator of the Small Business Administration
    • Director of the Central Intelligence Agency
    • Director of the Office of Management and Budget
    • Director of National Intelligence
    • United States Trade Representative

    This question asks for two. The vice president and the heads of departments such as State and the Treasury are in the Cabinet. Use the titles exactly as your list prints them.

34. 49 Why is the Electoral College important?

    • It decides who is elected president.
    • It provides a compromise between the popular election of the president and congressional selection.

    Americans vote in each state for electors, and the electors choose the president. It was a compromise made when the Constitution was written.

35. 50 What is one part of the judicial branch?

    • Supreme Court
    • Federal Courts

    The judicial branch is the system of federal courts, with the Supreme Court at the top.

36. 51 What does the judicial branch do?

    • Reviews laws
    • Explains laws
    • Resolves disputes (disagreements) about the law
    • Decides if a law goes against the (U.S.) Constitution

    Courts decide what laws mean and whether a law agrees with the Constitution.

37. 52 What is the highest court in the United States? 65/20

    • Supreme Court

    Its decisions are final, and all other courts must follow them.

38. 53 How many seats are on the Supreme Court?

    • Nine (9)

    There is one Chief Justice and eight Associate Justices. Congress set the number at nine in 1869.

39. 54 How many Supreme Court justices are usually needed to decide a case?

    • Five (5)

    Five is a majority of nine.

40. 55 How long do Supreme Court justices serve?

    • (For) life
    • Lifetime appointment
    • (Until) retirement

    Justices are appointed, not elected, and may stay until they retire or die.

41. 56 Supreme Court justices serve for life. Why?

    • To be independent (of politics)
    • To limit outside (political) influence

    Because they cannot be removed for unpopular decisions, justices can decide cases by the law and not by politics.

42. 57 Who is the Chief Justice of the United States now?

    • Visit uscis.gov/citizenship/testupdates for the name of the Chief Justice of the United States.

    The Chief Justice leads the Supreme Court. The answer can change with a new appointment: check the USCIS test updates page. See what the USCIS updates page listed.

43. 58 Name one power that is only for the federal government.

    • Print paper money
    • Mint coins
    • Declare war
    • Create an army
    • Make treaties
    • Set foreign policy

    Things that affect the whole country, such as money, war and treaties, belong to the federal government alone.

44. 59 Name one power that is only for the states.

    • Provide schooling and education
    • Provide protection (police)
    • Provide safety (fire departments)
    • Give a driver’s license
    • Approve zoning and land use

    Day-to-day matters such as schools, police, driver's licences and land use are left to the states.

45. 60 What is the purpose of the 10th Amendment?

    • (It states that the) powers not given to the federal government belong to the states or to the people.

    The 10th Amendment says that powers not given to the federal government belong to the states or to the people.

46. 61 Who is the governor of your state now? 65/20

    • Answers will vary. [District of Columbia residents should answer that D.C. does not have a governor.]

    The governor is the head of your state's government. Find the name on your state's official website. Washington, D.C. has no governor. Where to find your answer.

47. 62 What is the capital of your state?

    • Answers will vary. [District of Columbia residents should answer that D.C. is not a state and does not have a capital. Residents of U.S. territories should name the capital of the territory.]

    The state capital is the city where your state government sits. It is often not the largest city. See our list of state capitals. Where to find your answer.

Studying this part

• This part has 47 of the 128 questions, numbers 16 to 62 in the official list.
• This question needs more than one answer: no. 48. Give the number asked for.
• The answer to 8 questions is not printed in the list because it depends on who is in office or where you live: no. 23, no. 29, no. 30, no. 38, no. 39, no. 57, no. 61, no. 62. See answers that change.
• 8 questions here are marked 65/20: no. 20, no. 30, no. 36, no. 38, no. 39, no. 44, no. 52, no. 61. Applicants who qualify for the 65/20 special consideration study only the marked questions.
• Where several answers are listed, one is enough unless the question asks for more. Choose the one you find easiest to say.
• Cover the answers with your hand or use the button below, say your answer aloud, then check.

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Independent study site. Citizenship Test is not a government website and is not connected with USCIS or any agency. Questions and accepted answers are quoted from the official USCIS lists; the notes are ours. Rules were read on uscis.gov on 12 November 2026. Always confirm with uscis.gov/citizenship before your interview.