If you were born in the United States, American citizenship is something you probably take for granted. You have what’s called birthright citizenship, meaning your citizenship is automatic.
Americans have been debating immigration reform for years. Arguments over the best way to do it have become heated in recent months in response to a series of executive orders issued by President Donald Trump in January. These include orders to start building a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border and to temporarily block people from seven majority-Muslim countries from entering the U.S.
Despite the current controversy, the U.S. has a long history of welcoming immigrants from all parts of the world, and many of them choose to become citizens. About 700,000 a year go through the lengthy process of becoming naturalized.
Applicants for U.S. citizenship must have immigrated legally and been permanent residents of the U.S. for the past five years, must not have committed any serious crimes, and must undergo identity and security checks. They also have to prove that they can read, write, and speak basic English.
Finally, they must pass a civics test covering American government, history, geography, and holidays. Applicants are asked 10 questions from a list of 100 and must answer at least 6 correctly to pass. The average pass rate is 91 percent.
How well would you do? Find out by answering these questions from the actual exam. (That test is oral and has open-ended questions, but we’ve made ours a bit easier by making most questions multiple-choice.)