Challenging ALL MeFites

October 30, 2011 10:17 PM

Could you pass a US citizenship test? 96 Questions

Excuse the miserable format.

posted by TangerineGurl (163 comments total)

Yes to the first. No to the second.
posted by quadog at 10:22 PM on October 30, 2011 [20 favorites]

#18 is a trick question.
posted by ryoshu at 10:24 PM on October 30, 2011 [3 favorites]

Answered the first couple, then realized I didn't want to know bad enough to click 184 times. I say we use this as the official test, if they get through the entire thing we make 'em citizens no matter how many answers they got wrong because they probably have more patience and determination than most citizens.
posted by Ad hominem at 10:24 PM on October 30, 2011 [39 favorites]

Should be noted, from US Citizenship and Immigration Services,

Civics Test

There are 100 civics questions on the naturalization test. During your naturalization interview, you will be asked up to 10 questions from the list of 100 questions. You must answer correctly at least six (6) of the 10 questions to pass the civics test.

You have two opportunities to take the English and civics tests per application. If you fail any portion of the test during your first interview, you will be retested on the portion of the test that you failed within 90 days.

So knowing them all is required, but you won't have to answer them all.
posted by ZeusHumms at 10:26 PM on October 30, 2011 [1 favorite]

The person(s) who designed this for the CSM misspelled 'Cheif' in the feature URL.
posted by ZeusHumms at 10:28 PM on October 30, 2011

During your naturalization interview, you will be asked up to 10 questions from the list of 100 questions. You must answer correctly at least six (6) of the 10 questions to pass the civics test.

How many chances do you get, I would just learn 6 and take the test over and over till I got 6 I knew.
posted by Ad hominem at 10:29 PM on October 30, 2011

How many chances do you get, I would just learn 6 and take the test over and over till I got 6 I knew.

Takes a lot of work to be that lazy.
posted by villanelles at dawn at 10:30 PM on October 30, 2011 [18 favorites]

Well, someone's worked out how many you need to know to guarantee passing, and what the odds looks like for lower rates of studying, here.

Found this when trying to find a copy of these questions with a useable interface. I've got a poor internet connection here, and so the format in the post is just absolutely untenable. I'm pretty sure the questions are released, so if someone finds a list of them, I'd be interested to see it.
posted by nat at 10:31 PM on October 30, 2011

The person(s) who designed this for the CSM misspelled 'Cheif' in the feature URL.

That is, in one question. I suppose with 96 urls, things get hard to track. On the other hand, we can cherry pick questions to link to, like this:

Why does the flag have 13 stripes?
posted by ZeusHumms at 10:32 PM on October 30, 2011

Generating 920 ad views is a pretty good introduction to being a U.S. Citizen.

Disappointed at how easy the questions were, though.
posted by qxntpqbbbqxl at 10:33 PM on October 30, 2011 [34 favorites]

How many chances do you get, I would just learn 6 and take the test over and over till I got 6 I knew.

I imagine one chance per interview. From an official sample self test:

The actual civics test is NOT a multiple choice test. The civics test is an oral test. During your naturalization interview, you will be asked up to 10 questions from the list of 100 questions. You must answer 6 out of 10 questions correctly to pass the civics portion of the naturalization test.

So the multiple choice thing just facilitates self-study.
posted by ZeusHumms at 10:34 PM on October 30, 2011 [4 favorites]

"Slavery it is, sir!" -Apu
posted by drjimmy11 at 10:35 PM on October 30, 2011 [16 favorites]

Disappointed at how easy the questions were, though.

The questions aren't supposed to be the hard part of becoming a citizen.
posted by ZeusHumms at 10:35 PM on October 30, 2011 [2 favorites]

The study tools that USCIS provides are actually somewhat interesting.

That page also says that if you fail a portion, you get retested on that part within 90 days. Sounds like only knowing 6 questions could take you a very long time.
posted by nat at 10:37 PM on October 30, 2011

Apparently not.

What a terrible shame.
posted by tumid dahlia at 10:38 PM on October 30, 2011

I guess I don't know who the Speaker of the House is.

Do I have to resign my citizenship now?
posted by the man of twists and turns at 10:40 PM on October 30, 2011 [1 favorite]

I made it through the first 40 before getting tired of it. 100 percent right though, yeah; go political science degree. Now if only I could find a job.
posted by Felex at 10:41 PM on October 30, 2011 [5 favorites]

I'm up to #36 which has confused me: Who does a US Senator represent?

Ideally and actually it's all the people of the state, but constitutionally I thought they represented the state through appointment by state legislatures.
posted by Jehan at 10:41 PM on October 30, 2011

Could I? Yeah, I did in August and became a citizen on Sept 27th. They give you a study book and a CD. It's the least difficult part if the process. I found it more challenging to account for all my travel in the last 5 years. And not becoming a habitual drunkard during the much more painful green card process.

They only make you answer 6 btw. If you get them all correct they stop. So you can't get an A.
posted by marylynn at 10:43 PM on October 30, 2011 [18 favorites]

26. What is one promise you make when you become a United States citizen?

never travel outside the United States

give up loyalty to other countries

disobey the laws of the United States

not defend the Constitution and laws of the United States

I only got that one right by process of elimination.
posted by twoleftfeet at 10:44 PM on October 30, 2011 [3 favorites]

Could I? Yeah, I did in August and became a citizen on Sept 27th.

Congratulations!
posted by TangerineGurl at 10:44 PM on October 30, 2011 [1 favorite]

I'm a trivia hound so I sat through that terrible interface. (How many Sporcle quizzes have I done? A metric ton.) Lots of iffy questions but the answer they want is always obvious. 96/96
posted by kmz at 10:45 PM on October 30, 2011

From my friend's experience, the most difficult part of the process was accounting for lost or stolen paperwork and the resulting delays and complications that causes.
posted by ZeusHumms at 10:45 PM on October 30, 2011

26. What is one promise you make when you become a United States citizen?
never travel outside the United States
give up loyalty to other countries
disobey the laws of the United States
not defend the Constitution and laws of the United States

I only got that one right by process of elimination.

I got it right confidently due to my 7th grade Civics class! TY Mr. Fox !!
posted by TangerineGurl at 10:46 PM on October 30, 2011

Jehan - that hasn't been true since that amendment went through (the one to elect Senators directly)
posted by the man of twists and turns at 10:46 PM on October 30, 2011 [1 favorite]

All correct so far up to #20; quite certain I'll get cent-per-cent all the way through. I suppose I can give this citizenship thing a shot; too bad I have absolutely no inclination to go through a 12 year process to switch loyalties.
posted by the cydonian at 10:47 PM on October 30, 2011

95 of 96, boo. (Silly me, not getting the Susan B. Anthony question right!)
posted by wierdo at 10:48 PM on October 30, 2011 [3 favorites]

Jehan - the Seventeenth Amendment provides for direct election, which I assumed covered representation as well, though indirectly.
posted by ZeusHumms at 10:48 PM on October 30, 2011 [1 favorite]

Jesus, I hope we're not making prospective Americans click a mouse button that goddamned much.
posted by xmutex at 10:48 PM on October 30, 2011

I got the first ten right. But now I want to watch a movie. Should I be expecting something in the mail, or do I really have to do them all for that?
posted by philip-random at 10:48 PM on October 30, 2011

Whoa, Representatives only sit for 2 years before reelection? Why aren't people more angry about that? It's a recipe for short–termism and disaster!


Jehan - that hasn't been true since that amendment went through (the one to elect Senators directly)

Jehan - the Seventeenth Amendment provides for direct election, which I assumed covered representation as well, though indirectly.

Thanks.
posted by Jehan at 10:50 PM on October 30, 2011

Welcome to America marylynn!

Be sure to try our newest taste sensation. The deep fried dollar bill. You've had deep fried butter, you've tried deep fried kool-aid, now get a taste of what made America great!
posted by Ad hominem at 10:52 PM on October 30, 2011 [4 favorites]

92 out of 96.

And one of those was the writing of the constitution being in 1787 instead of 1789. That was an annoying one.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 10:54 PM on October 30, 2011 [1 favorite]

I got 10 out of the first 12 before I got fed up with all that clicking. If the real citizenship test was 96 questions long and formatted like this, I would never be able to complete it.
posted by daniel_charms at 10:55 PM on October 30, 2011

Some of those were difficult. I only got 91. The ones I missed were dates or numbers (430+ Reps? Did not know that). Aside from a few history questions I might debate, the "dropping loyalty to other countries" is not totally accurate in that we allow for dual citizenship.
posted by PJLandis at 10:56 PM on October 30, 2011

70. Why did the colonists fight the British?

because they didn't have self-government

That's an ambiguous answer.
posted by Jehan at 10:56 PM on October 30, 2011 [1 favorite]

"And one of those was the writing of the constitution being in 1787 instead of 1789. That was an annoying one."
Yeah, that was my DUH moment. Gotta exist before you can set laws of the land.
posted by TangerineGurl at 10:59 PM on October 30, 2011

I passed mine in 2005, and I was actually really disappointed that they didn't let you answer all 10. I would have aced it, dammit! Was also hoping for a more serious English test than just answering the questions. To be honest, the weirdest thing was having to write out your full name for the signature. My tester made me redo it twice because he said it wasn't legible enough...
posted by gemmy at 11:00 PM on October 30, 2011 [5 favorites]

I answered 95 and then got rickrolled on the 96th. Very funny, Christian Science Monitor.
posted by ActingTheGoat at 11:01 PM on October 30, 2011 [3 favorites]

The "who does a senator represent?" question was a tad ambiguous. If they had asked who a senator was *supposed* to represent that would have been clearer.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 11:03 PM on October 30, 2011 [7 favorites]

I suggest we require anyone running for office to take some civics test like this as well as a statistics test and a personality evaluation, i.e. test for psychopathy. We should actually disqualify anyone based upon their scores, but scores determine the ranking on ballots.
posted by jeffburdges at 11:10 PM on October 30, 2011 [3 favorites]

I was hoping it would be the one my sister did a while back that had all the questions about whether you are planning of becoming a pimp or a prositute or a drug dealer, or whether you have ever been a member of a communist organization, and so on. I'd have to answer "yes" to the last one...
posted by Pyrogenesis at 11:11 PM on October 30, 2011

That quiz could use some AJAX, geez.

You answered 86 of 96 questions correctly for a total score of 90%.

A few of those were tricky, especially with a (third) glass of Hendricks. 1787 for when the Constitution was written (not 1789), 435 for the number of Representatives (not 441.)
posted by plexi at 11:17 PM on October 30, 2011

The I-485 has those questions, Pyrogenesis. It is part of getting a green card. The form includes questions like:

"Do you intend to engage in the United States in espionage?"

If someone answered yes, I don't think they'd do a very good job of it.

"Did you, during the period from March 23, 1933, to May 8, 1945, in association with either the Nazi Government of Germany or any organization or government associated or allied with the Nazi Government of Germany ever order, incite, assist or otherwise participate in the persecution of any person because of race, religion, national origin, or political opinion?"

"Do you plan to practice polygamy in the United States?"

Officer, I didn't *plan* it. I just woke up married to a second woman.
posted by Monday at 11:21 PM on October 30, 2011 [2 favorites]

Going off 100% on the ten I could be bothered to click, I'm in with a chance of passing this, but I failed a similar online pseudo-UK one. There were some quite ridiculous and highly debatable questions in that, as I recall, so good job I was born there.
posted by Abiezer at 11:24 PM on October 30, 2011

in that we allow for dual citizenship.

We do not.
posted by Threeway Handshake at 11:25 PM on October 30, 2011 [1 favorite]

This post brings back memories.

"How many chances do you get, I would just learn 6 and take the test over and over till I got 6 I knew."

It's pretty expensive to get to the point of taking the test once. I couldn't imagine taking it twice, let alone several times.

"Disappointed at how easy the questions were, though."

Would you be as disappointed with how many born Americans still can't answer those 'easy' questions...or even care about the answers?

"The questions aren't supposed to be the hard part of becoming a citizen."

The hard part is jumping through all the hoops; obtaining the correct forms; making sense of them all without a lawyer (unless you want to pay for one of them too); understanding the unnecessarily complicated English (I'm a native English speaker and it was still ridiculous); filling them out correctly so you don't have to pay the pricey filing fees (some more than US $100) again; taking the time off from work to go down to the center and sit all day...

...basically the stuff that separates the sheep (people serious about gaining US citizenship) from the goats (all the other immigrants, I guess)

"I found it more challenging to account for all my travel in the last 5 years. And not becoming a habitual drunkard during the much more painful green card process."

Yeah, I failed this part - came to the US with a B.Sc. from an internationally recognized university and an Engineering job, and was told that my degree wasn't recognized and that I wouldn't be able to work for a year while my work permit was being 'processed'. During this time I mowed lawns for money, washed dishes with High School students under the table and generally lived on handouts. I couldn't work, but I could drive, at least, so I spent a lot of time playing frisbee golf, during which I was shown the ropes of the stoner, hippie lifestyle.

When I finally did get my work permit I had no work history or credit history, but I did have a license with a spotless record, however, so at least I could drive long distance to earn money.
So I drove trucks and did deliveries for 10 years. By the time I did work my way up to a well-paying, white-collar job my company downsized and laid off my entire department.

Back to square one - or at least square two.

In the meantime, about 10,000 Mexicans had jumped the border illegally, bought fake SS cards and were living and working comfortably.

Then the war in Iraq started and I realized that the US could pretty much make up any bullshit excuse to bomb the shit out of any country it wanted to at any time - including mine. And that I'd be helping to pay for it.

10 years and thousands of dollars later, with the date for my test set for the next month, I decided I didn't want the responsibility of being a US citizen, so I left.

I'd do it all again, though. It was a great learning experience.
posted by tbonicus at 11:30 PM on October 30, 2011 [5 favorites]

They ask you the questions about being a Nazi, Commie, terrorist, drunkard, gambler, prostitute, etc etc during the green card process and then THREE times when you're becoming a citizen (on the application, then you verbally confirm every one again in the interview, and finally on the form you have to bring to the ceremony which is usually 30 days or so from passing the interview just in case you couldn't hold out on that Nazi membership).
posted by marylynn at 11:37 PM on October 30, 2011

92/96.

Seven seasons of the West Wing were more educational than I thought.

Also - it was much easier than the UK test, which I fail at when I haven't studied. And I study British history. (The history is much more useful on the US test - the UK test has no history, just questions like "What percentage of the UK population speak Welsh as a second language" and other crazy trivia you just memorize.)
posted by jb at 11:45 PM on October 30, 2011

93/96. I missed the Speaker of the House, a question on the order of succession, and one where I got lazy and missed the fact that there was an 'all of the above' option.

That was the worst interface ever, though.
posted by pjern at 11:54 PM on October 30, 2011

You had to remember historially important cricket scores to pass the Australian citizenship test...
posted by Jimbob at 12:06 AM on October 31, 2011

I don't need to know none of this stuff; I wuz born here!

USA! USA! USA!
posted by BitterOldPunk at 12:06 AM on October 31, 2011

I got to 40/43 when wrist pain started to set in. This seemed way easier than the British Citizenship Test which I failed.

Americans must have very limber wrists.
posted by TheophileEscargot at 12:15 AM on October 31, 2011 [3 favorites]

92 here, too. I was naturalized when I was 10. The guy in front of me was thrown into the Gorge of Eternal Peril. But I was not afraid.
posted by maxwelton at 12:16 AM on October 31, 2011 [3 favorites]

85, and not a US citizen. I failed on a few that I would have gotten if I had studied: presidential line of succession, date of the constitution, term length of a senator, term length of a representative, number of amendmends, etc.
posted by Pruitt-Igoe at 12:23 AM on October 31, 2011

80/96. Wow, apparently I've learned a lot about my neighbour to the south through osmosis. Well, that and the fact that a lot of those multiple choice options pretty much indicated which answer was right.

After that I was curious as to how I would do on the Canadian citizenship test and sort of worried I would do worse. Turns out I don't need to worry, but I don't think that test is very difficult, either. (It's a lot nicer only having to click once, though.)
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 12:29 AM on October 31, 2011

I guess I don't know who the Speaker of the House is.

Boner, eh?
posted by Sys Rq at 12:35 AM on October 31, 2011

hurdy gurdy girl: I was worried about that one too, but I aced it. I had to guess about the "peace tower", though.
It's actually pretty similar in style to the US one.
posted by Pruitt-Igoe at 12:36 AM on October 31, 2011

CANADIAN CITIZENSHIP TEST

1. Where does coffee come from?
2. What do you call a coffee with two cream and two sugar?
3. In which city can you find doctorin' jobs?
4. What do you wear on your head during the winter?
5. What is the large standardized case of beer called?
6. Do you intend to vote for the Harper government in future elections?
7. Are you bringing lots of money with you when you come to Canada?

(it is a trick test, you only need to answer the last two correctly to pass)
posted by Meatbomb at 12:52 AM on October 31, 2011 [10 favorites]

32. When did the US flag contract herpes?
posted by Horselover Phattie at 12:53 AM on October 31, 2011

Aside from a few history questions I might debate, the "dropping loyalty to other countries" is not totally accurate in that we allow for dual citizenship.

It's in the Oath, so while the U.S. may not strictly have a policy on the issue as a matter of law, the answer they're looking for is pretty clear.
posted by madajb at 12:57 AM on October 31, 2011

Got an 81, not a US citizen.

I really thought Canada bordered Oregon because, well, Portland just looks so laid back.
posted by FarOutFreak at 1:22 AM on October 31, 2011 [1 favorite]

I passed mine a week ago. The six actual questions I had to answer:

1. How many representatives does the House of Representatives have?
2. How long do we elect them for?
3. Who is the current Chief Justice of the Supreme Court?
4. Name one war the U.S. fought in the 20th century.
5. Who is the father of our nation?

and it appears I already forgot #6. USA!
posted by muckster at 1:33 AM on October 31, 2011 [8 favorites]

I got 86, which I hope is not bad for a non-Yank.
posted by Decani at 1:46 AM on October 31, 2011

86/96 - I can't believe that I missed ten questions. Let alone managed to suffer through the piss-poor UI design. Worse yet, I botched the national anthem question by mixing up "The Star-Spangled Banner" with "America The Beautiful". I guess it's off to the FEMA internment camps now...
posted by Godwin Interjection at 1:46 AM on October 31, 2011 [1 favorite]

Sweet, lets make this the requirement for everyone to vote.
posted by codswallop at 1:54 AM on October 31, 2011

Jesus, I only got 17 out of 24 on the British one! Some of those questions were ridiculously trivial, and I don't mean in the sense of "easy". Who the hell knows or cares how many hours a British kid is allowed to work? Who even pays attentions to rules like that?
posted by Decani at 1:55 AM on October 31, 2011

Who the hell knows or cares how many hours a British kid is allowed to work? Who even pays attentions to rules like that?

Immigrants.
posted by tbonicus at 1:56 AM on October 31, 2011

One of the questions asks how old you have to be to vote for the President, and the "right" answer is 18. Is there in fact any constitutional age qualification to be appointed to the Electoral College?
posted by Joe in Australia at 2:03 AM on October 31, 2011 [2 favorites]

4. Name one war the U.S. fought in the 20th century.

Does that include "Police Actions" or not?
posted by Jimbob at 2:10 AM on October 31, 2011

I answered "Vietnam" so apparently, yes.
posted by muckster at 2:11 AM on October 31, 2011

OK, so you gave up at the point when it looked like you were going to pass. But could you, Brit or not, pass the British Citizenship test?
posted by rongorongo at 2:26 AM on October 31, 2011

I well and truly failed the British test. Which hasn't broken my heart or anything, but compared to the US test, the British test seems very focused towards...well, making sure people know how to get a job and not get on the dole, or something. Questions about where to find out about employment training opportunities, questions about what you usually need to submit with a job application, questions about who is eligible for benefits...
posted by Jimbob at 2:33 AM on October 31, 2011

The rationale of these tests eludes me. America's worst enemies may well know more facts about her history and constitution than many potentially solid, loyal citizens. Isn't it attitudes they should be trying to test?
posted by Segundus at 3:06 AM on October 31, 2011 [2 favorites]

In the time in took me to navigate through that ridiculous interface, all the good comments were taken. :-(

I will point out though, that April 15 is only "the last day you can send in federal income tax forms" when it does not fall on a weekend, or a national holiday, and you have not received an extension, and you are not a victim of certain national disasters (like Katrina), and you don't care about the consequences if you don't file on time — assuming we're talking about Form 1040 or one of its related forms, and ignore the fact that you CAN send in the forms whenever you like (that is, the post office will deliver them and the IRS will accept delivery — I know people who have filed them years late). Perhaps the question could have been better stated.
posted by ubiquity at 3:16 AM on October 31, 2011

Gotta tell this one story from when I was trying to get my paperwork ready for my citizenship:

Took the day off work to drive to the city in the morning and sit all day on them hard-ass benches (or the floor) to wait for my number to be called. Of course, being downtown, I had to park at a meter (not being familiar with the downtown area, I didn't know where to find a parking ramp).

I got there at about 9am and stayed there till past noon. The meters had a maximum of 1 or 2 hours, so I'd put in the money and start my stopwatch, then go back out to put money in the thing when the time was almost up. I think I was parked about 4 blocks away.

Finally, my number's almost up, but so is the time on the parking meter, so I have to decide: go out and feed the meter and risk missing my number, or wait to be called and get towed and spend the rest of that day looking for my car, which I would be unlikely to locate before the place closed at 5pm, stranding me in a strange city an hour from home.

I decided to put money in the meter. I came back in and my number had been called - I missed it by one number. The window was closed too. After explaining the situation to the lady behind the counter I was informed that there was nothing she could do; I'd have to come back a different day.

Enraged, I marched upstairs to the mayor's office and demanded to speak to him. He wasn't in, but his secretary was kind enough to listen to my story, maybe just to get me to stop yelling in the office. She was kind enough to call the lady downstairs and 'ask her politely' to accept my paperwork. The lady downstairs wasn't very pleased. She looked at me, took my forms and said "That wasn't very nice"

I looked at her straight in the eye and coldly replied "Neither were you."

I don't know what the point of that story is - something about what's simultaneously great and incredibly fucked up about the entire process, and how insanely difficult it is for some immigrants who try to do things legally, while being treated like they just crawled out of a tunnel on the border all dusty and shit, when in fact, the immigrants that do things illegally sometimes seem to get through faster.
I just thought I'd throw it out there among all the test scores because when natural-born citizens see this test they think how easy or hard the test is, but when I see that test I'm just reminded of the logistics of the whole thing, how hard I tried for so many years to do things the right way, and feeling like there were walls being thrown up just for the fun of it.

Something about how the US is a country created by immigrants, who then get there and make it more difficult for other immigrants to get in and treat them like the outsiders. Something something test for immigrants something something actually talking about the plight of the immigrants something something...

Something...
posted by tbonicus at 3:25 AM on October 31, 2011 [14 favorites]

95 out of 96. Is it cheating that both my parents are historians, and I'm a massive nerd?
posted by askmeaboutLOOM at 3:32 AM on October 31, 2011

The interface is about as ridiculous as the fact that people still want to immigrate to a country as fucked up as the USA.
posted by mary8nne at 3:56 AM on October 31, 2011

5. What is the large standardized case of beer called?

A case?

I haven't lived there for a while.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 4:18 AM on October 31, 2011

in that we allow for dual citizenship.

We do not.

I know quite a few fine folks that have Canadian-American dual citizenship.
posted by NoMich at 4:30 AM on October 31, 2011

This MeFite does not take the challenge, as not ALL of us are in (or are interested in living in) the USA.
posted by scruss at 4:34 AM on October 31, 2011

That's the small case, stav, the correct but irrelevant answer is "too'fer".
posted by Meatbomb at 4:34 AM on October 31, 2011

I always was a rye drinker...
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 4:36 AM on October 31, 2011

FWIW, the Canadian test is like 24 questions, multiple choice. When they mail you the time of your test appointment, they also mail you a pretty thin booklet and tell you to learn what's in it. It's pretty simple stuff. They emphasize there's a civics section that you must get right; four questions about your rights and duties as a citizen. I was a little nervous, who wouldn't be? But it was a breeze because I studied.

Pretty much everyone else taking the test at the same time passed also, though I think there was one guy who messed up the civics section. They just make you take the test again later at another appointment, it's not a huge waste of anything except time.

I mean, really, when they give you a 24 page book with lots of illos and say ALL OF THE TEST ANSWERS ARE IN THIS BOOK then you pretty much want to learn what's in the book.
posted by seanmpuckett at 4:40 AM on October 31, 2011

The US deals with dual citizenship by mostly ignoring the other one, which is fine by me.
posted by HFSH at 4:42 AM on October 31, 2011

Oh right, the Canadian test is multiple choice, but they'll give you an oral one if you request.
posted by seanmpuckett at 4:43 AM on October 31, 2011

qxntpqbbbqxl Disappointed at how easy the questions were, though.

I should clarify my comment --- I didn't mean to be all "immigrants should face an epic test!! grar". What I actually was thinking was more like:

"Disappointed at how easy the questions were, because I'm in the mood for a fun American trivia quiz and this ain't it".

If anything, immigrants should be given a test that forces them to study practical information:

When a police officer pulls you over, do you:
a) Stay in your car
b) Get out of your car immediately and apologize profusely

Because in China, the correct answer is (b), which seems like a good way to get shot in the U.S.
posted by qxntpqbbbqxl at 5:00 AM on October 31, 2011 [5 favorites]

in that we allow for dual citizenship.

We do not.

I used to think that, too, but now I know several people with dual citizenship. The State department website says it's possible: "....a person naturalized as a U.S. citizen may not lose the citizenship of the country of birth."
posted by solotoro at 5:10 AM on October 31, 2011

On dual citizenship -- officially, the US doesn't like it. If you're naturalized as a US citizen, the US will only recognize your US citizenship. But they can't stop your original country of citizenship from recognizing your citizenship of that country, either, so in practice it happens.

I've lived in the US on and off for half my life now. I've got my green card. I just get hung up on the whole loyalty oath thing.
posted by Jeanne at 5:17 AM on October 31, 2011

You know this question about why the colonists fought the British has responses better suited to a grammar test about pronouns and their referents. Seems to me that it'd be rather difficult have a proper war, with conflicting parties on the battlefield, if "the British army stayed in their houses." (95/96, grumblegrumblegrumble).
posted by .kobayashi. at 5:31 AM on October 31, 2011 [2 favorites]

I got the first nine right, and then couldn't handle the clicks.

I love this though. There are a lot of people to whom I'd like to administer this test.
posted by glaucon at 5:36 AM on October 31, 2011

tbonicus - your car is highly unlikely to be towed if the meter has only been expired for a few hours. You'll get a ticket, of course, but most of the time they won't tow it unless it has been there for 24 hours or it is parked in an illegal zone. This may not apply in New York.
posted by desjardins at 5:36 AM on October 31, 2011

If anything, immigrants should be given a test that forces them to study practical information:

"How far up your ass is the TSA agent's hand allowed to go?"
posted by desjardins at 5:38 AM on October 31, 2011

I wonder how many graduating high school students these days would pass. I shudder to know the answer! Sometimes I think that every 5 years we here in the US should be forced to re-take our driver's test. I think maybe we should tack this test on too when we register to vote. Ok, I'm kidding, mostly, I just can't believe how easy that test is to pass and how little faith I have that your average American would pass it with ease.
posted by pazazygeek at 5:41 AM on October 31, 2011

Question 97: A corporation is now considered a citizen. Why?

A. Unprecedented corporate influence
B. Large cash donations
C. Clarence Thomas
D. All of the above
E. They have feelings, dammit!
posted by glaucon at 6:16 AM on October 31, 2011 [1 favorite]

in that we allow for dual citizenship.

We do not.

Not technically true. The US doesn't really recognize dual citizenship, i.e. if you're a US citizen, the fact that you may also be a citizen of some other country does not affect your rights or duties in the slightest. So, for example, if you're a US/Canadian citizen, and you get in trouble in Seattle, you can't demand access to the Canadian consulate. You may still have access to the Canadian health care system--the US federal government doesn't care one way or the other--but you still have to pay all taxes to the IRS that you'd otherwise have to pay, including Medicare. But naturalizing as a US citizen--or a citizen of some other country if one was born in the US--does not automatically affect one's US citizenship

There are, however, a few things that will. These include serving as an officer in a foreign army (friendly or otherwise), serving in any capacity in a foreign army with which the US is engaged in hostilities (duh), and holding a policy-level position in a foreign government. Other than that though, it is entirely possible to be a dual citizen.
posted by valkyryn at 6:22 AM on October 31, 2011 [2 favorites]

95/96. Year the Constitution was written.
posted by kirkaracha at 6:28 AM on October 31, 2011 [1 favorite]

if the real test is not multiple choice, that would make it much harder. The UK test is multiple choice.
posted by jb at 6:30 AM on October 31, 2011

95/96. Year the Constitution was written.

98/99 - Who was lawfully elected President in 2000?
posted by glaucon at 6:31 AM on October 31, 2011 [1 favorite]

I just got back from DC, where I visited the GPO Bookstore (among other things). GPO Bookstore sells the Civics flashcards that they give to people trying to get citizenship.

I bought them to torment my work colleagues ('we're librarians, what do you mean you don't know how many representatives there are?'). The flashcards, by the way, do not have multiple choice options (they just have the question written on the front). So if you're looking for an excellent way to have everyone who walks into your office spend about 30 minutes there answering questions, buy the flashcards. It's been a lot of fun!
posted by librarylis at 6:31 AM on October 31, 2011

That format is ridiculous. Anybody have a better link to one?
posted by empath at 6:37 AM on October 31, 2011

I missed the Speaker of the House,

I wonder if more people would have gotten the question right if one of the choices has been "That big cry-baby guy" instead of his actual name.
posted by aught at 6:48 AM on October 31, 2011 [1 favorite]

Hmm, 81 out of 96. There seem to be a bunch of us Canadians with similar scores. Having made no particular effort to study this stuff, I guess this is just the general background level of information one gets from TV and the Internet.

(stavros: I have never heard anybody pronounce it the way Meatbomb suggests. Around here, it's always "a two four". Also you should check out the recent developments in stealth canoes, so that you're up to speed when the invasion begins.)
posted by FishBike at 6:51 AM on October 31, 2011

If you can get through that horribly formatted test, you love America enough to be a citizen IMO.

94/96.

"Under our Constitution, some powers belong to the states. What is one power of the states?" I assumed they meant powers expressly granted the states, and since there's no mention of education that I can remember, I assumed they were talking about state militias.

And also, really embarrassingly, I couldn't remember how long we elect representatives for. Is it every two years, or staggered 4 year terms? You'll pardon me for not having internalized that. We've had nothing but Dingells in that office for almost 80 years. I kinda zone out on the house of representatives.
posted by pjaust at 6:53 AM on October 31, 2011

desjardins, I was afraid to risk it; I was completely out of my element. First driving in a big North American city alone and all that..

Your TSA question made me laugh out loud on the bus.

What about this one:

“How many mph over the speed limit is a person of colour allowed to drive through the state of West Virginia after passing a large white barn called the K.K.Korale?”
posted by tbonicus at 6:53 AM on October 31, 2011

At first I thought, "One question per page? Am I willing to go through 96 pages?" Then I realized it was two pages per question and I knew for sure I wasn't doing it.

The format is a no go.
posted by Bonzai at 6:54 AM on October 31, 2011

These questions seemed like they were from the first 3 rounds of 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire'. I don't think of myself as politically aware, but I got to 58/58. (And then quit, 'cause, like, why bother with the rest if I'd already passed?)
I hope the real test doesn't have as many ads.
posted by MtDewd at 6:56 AM on October 31, 2011

the man of twists and turns, that tripped me up, too. I also got an 85. I don't know what happened in 1789 that's imprinted in my brain from civics, but I really thought the constitution was written that year. You suck, Christian Science Monitor! as usual...
posted by doyouknowwhoIam? at 7:07 AM on October 31, 2011

Selecting some of the wrong answers leads one to imagine a really kick-ass country, unrivaled in coolness. For instance, in the Republic of Edogystan, the military is commanded by the #1 lawyer, the flag has 13 stripes purely for luck, "rule of law" only applies to citizens, and the Cold War was fought over climate change.
posted by Edogy at 7:14 AM on October 31, 2011 [2 favorites]

I got to 40/43 when wrist pain started to set in. This seemed way easier than the British Citizenship Test which I failed.

23. How might you stop young people playing tricks on you at Halloween?

Call the police
Give them some money
Give them sweets or chocolate
Hide from them


Trick question. THIS IS ENGLAND NOT AMERICA!
posted by Winnemac at 7:16 AM on October 31, 2011 [1 favorite]

Pyrogenesis: "I was hoping it would be the one my sister did a while back that had all the questions about whether you are planning of becoming a pimp or a prositute or a drug dealer, or whether you have ever been a member of a communist organization, and so on."

That's the non-immigrant visa form: DS-156 (pdf link). It always cracked me up and I always wondered what was the legal requirement for those questions.
posted by falameufilho at 7:35 AM on October 31, 2011

valkyryn: "There are, however, a few things that will. These include serving as an officer in a foreign army (friendly or otherwise)"

I believe there's an exception in the law for serving in the Israeli Defense Forces.
posted by falameufilho at 7:36 AM on October 31, 2011

doyouknowwhoiam?: I don't know what happened in 1789 that's imprinted in my brain from civics

Perhaps your civics class covered the French Revolution?
posted by hanov3r at 7:49 AM on October 31, 2011

I took the whole test. Got a 94%. I think all the questions I got wrong were about which achievements belong to which founding fathers. I get them confused.
posted by Cygnet at 7:50 AM on October 31, 2011

The Federalist Papers and James Madison tripped my up. I also blew it on the order of succession, since I always thought one senator was worth 15 representatives, until it dawned on me afterward that the Vice President is President Pro Tempore of the Senate.
posted by halfbuckaroo at 7:51 AM on October 31, 2011

I got to around #30something and realized that I just do not give a fuck at all. All I had to do to become a naturalized citizen when I was 5 was show up and look adorable.
posted by elizardbits at 7:51 AM on October 31, 2011 [2 favorites]

the immigrants that do things illegally sometimes seem to get through faster.

In the meantime, about 10,000 Mexicans had jumped the border illegally, bought fake SS cards and were living and working comfortably.

Where do you get this information? Last I heard the vast majority of illegal immigrants worked the shit jobs that citizens won't for wages and under conditions that would be illegal for citizens.
posted by schroedinger at 8:02 AM on October 31, 2011

96/96 and I'm procrastinating from work something terrible.

Must get around to getting my citizenship. I've been eligible for years now.
posted by gaspode at 8:03 AM on October 31, 2011

I got annoyed when the questions started to veer into ideological territory where actually knowing something about the subject may lead you to the wrong answer.
posted by odinsdream at 8:07 AM on October 31, 2011

93/96. I'll give them the 1787 writing of the Constitution and the Federalist Papers author, but the Selective Service question? I'm pretty sure you don't HAVE to register for it, just that registration is a prerequisite for a lot of services.
posted by kafziel at 8:09 AM on October 31, 2011

kafziel: I'm pretty sure you don't HAVE to register for [Selective Service]

According to the government, you're wrong.

"Almost all male U.S. citizens, and male aliens living in the U.S., who are 18 through 25, are required to register with Selective Service."
posted by hanov3r at 8:13 AM on October 31, 2011

I took this yesterday and thought of posting it here but didn't want to inflict the interface on y'all. Who gets to decide on which questions make it into the exam? I could imagine them asking: "Why did the United States invade Iraq?" with the answer being other than that they wanted to all along and now had a pretext.
posted by Obscure Reference at 8:13 AM on October 31, 2011

I choose the third option in all cases.
posted by clvrmnky at 8:26 AM on October 31, 2011

the Vice President is President Pro Tempore of the Senate

Nope. The Vice President is the President of the Senate, but usually blows it off as much as possible. "During the Vice President's absence, the president pro tempore presides over its sessions or appoints another senator to do so."
posted by kirkaracha at 8:34 AM on October 31, 2011 [1 favorite]

I don't know what happened in 1789 that's imprinted in my brain from civics, but I really thought the constitution was written that year.

1789 is when Washington's first term started. That's how I figured the Constitution would have been written a bit earlier. No way were they writing, ratifying, and enacting the Constitution within a year.

I choose the third option in all cases.

Ah, so you must have gotten half of them right!
posted by kmz at 8:54 AM on October 31, 2011 [1 favorite]

I feel like if I had to test on this material I'd have put "Putatively," in front of many of these questions. They don't make sense otherwise.

Under causes of the Civil War was the answer 'Westward Expansion', in addition to the obvious 'Slavery'. My recollection of 11th grade US History was that slavery was stable politically when there was a balance but new compromises had to be fixed every time new states were coming in. The prospects of the vast territory acquired during the Mexican War led Emerson to quip: "Mexico will poison us."

Then there's always Apu's performance on the citizenship test:

Proctor: All right, here's your last question. What was the cause of
the Civil War?

Apu: Actually, there were numerous causes. Aside from the obvious
schism between the abolitionists and the anti-abolitionists,
there were economic factors, both domestic and inter--

Proctor: Just say slavery.

Apu: Slavery it is, sir.
posted by Invisible Hand at 9:05 AM on October 31, 2011 [1 favorite]

I had a teacher in 5th grade who tried to teach us that the Civil War wasn't about slavery, but rather that the Civil War started specifically because Union troops fired on Fort Sumter. *facepalm* Trees, forest, etc.

The not really right question I'm surprised nobody's brought up was the Emancipation Proclamation one. It didn't end slavery itself (that would be the 13th Amendment). It declared slaves who were in rebel states free, which didn't include several slave-holding but Union states.
posted by kmz at 9:14 AM on October 31, 2011 [2 favorites]

I just get hung up on the whole loyalty oath thing.

Glad I'm not the only one. I'm rather fond of my foreign potentate and I'm not quite ready to give up her yet.

"I was hoping it would be the one my sister did a while back that had all the questions about whether you are planning of becoming a pimp or a prositute or a drug dealer, or whether you have ever been a member of a communist organization, and so on."

That's the non-immigrant visa form: DS-156 (pdf link).

They're also on the N-445 which is the form you need to fill out to make sure you haven't been up to no good in between your interview and the ceremony.
posted by madajb at 9:18 AM on October 31, 2011

Allegedly true story I forget where from about a Russian taking the test in Ellis Island days.

Question - what flies over the capitol building?

"Flag", the correct answer, did not occur to him.

A few moments of furrowed brow and he brightened.

"Pigeons!"
posted by IndigoJones at 9:23 AM on October 31, 2011 [1 favorite]

They're also on the N-445

Interesting how they seem to be making a distinction between "drugs" and "marijuana".
posted by elizardbits at 9:24 AM on October 31, 2011

Got the first 6 right, so: yes, I could.
posted by IAmBroom at 9:27 AM on October 31, 2011

Perhaps your civics class covered the French Revolution?

Maybe? I was a sophomore who was much more concerned with how other people viewed me than anything else. Even if I had paid attention, I think the drugs would have erased those memories, along with geometry and organic chemistry.

It didn't end slavery itself

That question actually pissed me off. For some reason, I latched on to this in school, possibly because all of the cheerleaders were so confused.

Not that there's anything wrong with being a cheerleader!
posted by doyouknowwhoIam? at 9:29 AM on October 31, 2011

Perfect score!

I'm up to #36 which has confused me: Who does a US Senator represent?

That's because there was no "the highest bidder" option on the question.

Also: I really wish there were a Secretary of Weather.
posted by CosmicRayCharles at 9:53 AM on October 31, 2011 [2 favorites]

"in that we allow for dual citizenship."

"You can either take the test and fill out these forms, or challenge an existing citizen to single combat."
posted by klangklangston at 10:12 AM on October 31, 2011 [4 favorites]

During your naturalization interview, you will be asked up to 10 questions from the list of 100 questions. You must answer correctly at least six (6) of the 10 questions to pass the civics test.

How many chances do you get, I would just learn 6 and take the test over and over till I got 6 I knew.

Unless I'm doing my math wrong, the chances of getting the six you know on a randomly selected set of ten questions out of 100 possible questions is less than 0.00007. You would have to take the thing about ten thousand times before having an even chance of seeing the six questions you knew!
posted by Jonathan Livengood at 10:31 AM on October 31, 2011

1. Tim Hortons
2. Double double
3. I dunno, Toronto?
4. Tuque
5. two-four
6. no
7. no

I'm Estonian!
posted by unigolyn at 10:39 AM on October 31, 2011 [3 favorites]

I'm Estonian!

This punchline works 80% of the time, no matter the joke.
posted by villanelles at dawn at 10:43 AM on October 31, 2011 [3 favorites]

There are, however, a few things that will. These include serving as an officer in a foreign army (friendly or otherwise), serving in any capacity in a foreign army with which the US is engaged in hostilities (duh), and holding a policy-level position in a foreign government.

Even on this last point, US authorities don't seem really bothered. I'm an American citizen by birth, and gained citizenship in other country. When I was elected to the parliament of my adoptive country, apparently people at the embassy got together to talk about what this could mean.

I was pretty nervous, to be honest. Not that I plan on moving back to the US any time soon, but I wanted to hang onto my US citizenship for a number of different reasons, e.g., to make it easier for my daughter to go to school in America, if she wanted. So I got together with a friend of mine at the embassy to ask what their learned opinion was.

He shrugged and said that an American citizen serving as a legislator in a foreign country had little precedent, and they saw no reason to go through the trouble of revoking my US citizenship. The way he put it was, "Essentially, unless you're working for Al-Qaida, there are only two ways of being guaranteed you will lose your American citizenship: you surrender it voluntarily, or the president revokes it for you."

Imagining George Bush signing some executive order stripping me of my citizenship tickled me to no end.
posted by Marisa Stole the Precious Thing at 11:33 AM on October 31, 2011 [9 favorites]

94 out of 96.

I guessed 23 instead of 27 for the number of amendments.

And I guessed James Adams instead of Madison for something else.
posted by marsha56 at 12:06 PM on October 31, 2011

93/96. Canadian.

Didn't know how many constitutional amendments there were, answered 1789 instead of 1787 for the writing of the consitution, and some other one I forget.

I knew all those years of watching Captain Kangaroo and The Electric Company would pay off.
posted by Capt. Renault at 12:27 PM on October 31, 2011

(My contrarian nature was pushing me to answer that Eisenhower participated in WWI, despite the obvious answer that they wanted of WWII. But in my experience, arguing with the test-makers never really goes well. But dammit -- Ike participated in WWI, thank you very much.)
posted by Capt. Renault at 12:36 PM on October 31, 2011

Capt. Renault: Ike participated in WWI, thank you very much.

Weeellll.... yes and no. Ike was in the US military during WWI, true. He was a brevetted Lt. Col. in the tank corp. But he never left the US, and never saw combat.

Not quite "but I was in the National Guard", but I don't think training in TX and PA counts as "participating".
posted by hanov3r at 1:30 PM on October 31, 2011

Threeway Handshake wrote: We do not.

It is tolerated, although the State Department discourages it. We do have a section in our oath, as many other countries do, about renunciation of loyalty to other countries, but again, as with us, few countries actually recognize that renuciation as part of a standard oath of citizenship.

My SO has triple citizenship. ;)

And the Canadian test, I only got 75%, taking it completely cold. The interface is much better, and kindly spits out a list of precisely which questions you got wrong. In my case 3, 4, 9, 10, and 14.

In the case of #9, I believe my problem was clicking on the wrong radio box, rather than actually getting it wrong. On #14, I didn't realize Prince Edward Island was an actual province. Oops. Sorry, my friends to the north.

Of course, all this proves is that my skill at taking multiple choice tests hasn't diminished much since I was in school, that multiple choice tests are still worthless at assessing someone's actual knowledge on a subject, and that I can no longer accurately position my mouse cursor.
posted by wierdo at 1:48 PM on October 31, 2011

I am keeping my Canadian citizenship. I did have to swear the loyalty oath but what the Queen doesn't know won't hurt her. Canada has no idea I'm now also American and they don't care. Some other countries do care - for example when my Germany and Spain which I know about because two friends had to jump through some hoops with those native lands to keep their original citizenships when they became Americans.
posted by marylynn at 1:48 PM on October 31, 2011

95/96, but only because "high taxes" was erroneously included as a reason the colonies declared independence. (Taxation without representation would have been correct, and is not at all the same concept.)
posted by one more dead town's last parade at 3:21 PM on October 31, 2011

It bugs me to no end that some of the correct answers are only marginally right and seem a little political.
posted by ob1quixote at 4:07 PM on October 31, 2011

It bugs me to no end that some of the correct answers are only marginally right and seem a little political.

Yeah, I thought so, too. #43 was pretty suspicious:

How many terms can a Senator serve consecutively?

a. Four.
b. Two.
c. Six.
d. There are no limits to how many terms a Senator can serve consecutively here in America, the greatest and best country in the whole wide world.

posted by Marisa Stole the Precious Thing at 4:25 PM on October 31, 2011

85/96, US permanent resident.

I liked how one of the incorrect answers for the Independence Day question was my birthday :D
posted by May Kasahara at 4:28 PM on October 31, 2011

Looking at the results again, though, it seems some of my answers didn't go through, otherwise my score would've been 90 or 91.

It was a terrible way to present this quiz, anyway. More page views for them, I guess.
posted by May Kasahara at 4:30 PM on October 31, 2011

(Got impatient waiting for those pages to load. Guess that's what did it. Anyway...)
posted by May Kasahara at 4:33 PM on October 31, 2011

It's amusing how often "Canadians" is the obvious fake answer.

How many justices are on the Supreme Court?

1. Nine.
2. Ten.
3. Eleven.
4. Canadians.

posted by one more dead town's last parade at 4:44 PM on October 31, 2011

shroedinger, I should have said a BILLION Mexicans so that you didn't confuse the tone of my story there.

..and I do remember using the word “seem”as in “seems to me”, as in many of the guys I hung out with from south of the border, when I asked about their status, just smiled and shrugged knowingly. I just thought it was weird that so many guys I played soccer with could work “legally” even though some of them got here after I did, while I had to continue waiting for permission .

And those “shit jobs” you're talking about are jobs that university graduates from other countries have to do as immigrants because their university isn't “recognized”, even though some of them even have sister schools in the US, and American students can go to those universities and get credits.

They were just some things I wanted to throw into the mix of light banter concerning everyone’s score. If I'd have known the forest was so hard to see, I'd have planted more trees.
posted by tbonicus at 8:57 PM on October 31, 2011

Perfect score.

That and a job would get me a cup of coffee. I am the 99%.
posted by bryon at 9:18 PM on October 31, 2011 [2 favorites]

94 - something or other where I wasn't reading carefully and the one about the year the Constitution was written - is there a reason all of us seem to think it was 1789?
posted by naoko at 10:50 PM on October 31, 2011

1789 is basically the year the Constitution was enacted. Elections, start of Washington's first term, etc.
posted by kmz at 10:57 PM on October 31, 2011

Nasty, sneaky USCISes.
posted by naoko at 11:48 PM on October 31, 2011

Wait, Marisa, not to be all starstruck here but did you just say you were elected to parliament? What country?
posted by BinGregory at 6:32 AM on November 1, 2011

My favorite question:

41. Name one war fought by the United States in the 1900s.
Choice #4 - War of 1812
posted by prepmonkey at 7:05 AM on November 1, 2011

Wait, Marisa, not to be all starstruck here but did you just say you were elected to parliament? What country?

Iceland. And to clarify, I was an alternate MP; the ones who take the seat when an actual MP for their party can't be there for two weeks or more. Who gets to be an alternate and who gets to be an MP is based on how many people voted for who in the party primaries (which creates the list), and how many people on the list got voted in for a particular district. So if MPs A B C from Party X are at the top three on the list for District 1, but Party X only gets enough votes in District 1 for MPs A and B, MP C becomes the alternate for MP A.
posted by Marisa Stole the Precious Thing at 9:24 AM on November 1, 2011 [1 favorite]

Or rather, MP C becomes the first alternate for either of them. If both MP A and MP B cannot be present in parliament for two weeks or more, than MP D has to step in.
posted by Marisa Stole the Precious Thing at 9:28 AM on November 1, 2011

94/96. No cheating.

Word of advice: The question asks how many VOTING members of the House of Representatives. Would have been correct were it not for that one word and me getting impatient with the shit design and speed of the survey.

Don't remember what the other one was that I got wrong.
posted by prepmonkey at 11:40 AM on November 1, 2011

So rather than calling out Katullus (for instance for making posts that really leave you with no hope of getting anything else done that day) you could just summon him for a parliamentary hearing?
posted by villanelles at dawn at 11:46 AM on November 1, 2011

Kattullus is my special advisor on the GRAR And SLYT Committee.
posted by Marisa Stole the Precious Thing at 1:54 PM on November 1, 2011 [1 favorite]