Naturalization Study Guide
In order to assist you as you prepare for your naturalization interview with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, we have compiled this brief study guide. In contains a copy of the oath of allegiance to the United States, examples of the types of sentences the USCIS examiner may ask you to write, and sample history and government questions you will be expected to know. All this information is compiled from government source materials. If you have any questions about naturalization or any other immigration matter, please call us at 314-863-1212.
Naturalization Oath Of Allegiance To The United States Of America
“I hereby declare, on oath, that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state or sovereignty, of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen; that I will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I will bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform noncombatant service in the armed forces of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform work of national importance under civilian direction when required by the law; and that I take this obligation freely without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; so help me God.”
Sample Sentences For Written English Testing
To be eligible for naturalization, you must be able to read, write and speak basic English. The sentences on this page are examples of the types of sentences an INS officer may ask you to read aloud or write during your interview. They are not an exhaustive list. The INS officer who interviews you may ask you to read or write other sentences.
A Senator is elected for 6 years.
________ is the Vice President of the United States.
All people want to be free.
America is the land of freedom.
All United States citizens have the right to vote.
America is the home of the brave.
America is the land of the free.
_________ is the President of the United States.
Citizens have the right to vote.
Congress is part of the American government.
Congress meets in Washington, D.C.
Congress passes laws in the United States.
George Washington was the first president.
I want to be a citizen of the United States.
I want to be an American citizen.
I want to become an American so I can vote.
It is important for all citizens to vote.
Many people come to America for freedom.
Many people have died for freedom.
Martha Washington was the first lady.
Only Congress can declare war.
Our Government is divided into three branches.
People in America have the right to freedom.
People vote for the President in November.
The American flag has stars and stripes.
The American flag has 13 stripes.
The capital of the United States is Washington, D.C.
The colors of the flag are red, white and blue.
The Constitution is the supreme law of our land.
The flag of the United States has 50 stars.
The House and Senate are parts of Congress.
The people have a voice in Government.
The people in the class took a citizenship test.
The President enforces the laws.
The President has the power of veto.
The President is elected every 4 years.
The President lives in the White House.
The President lives in Washington, D.C.
The President must be an American citizen.
The President must be born in the United States.
The President signs bills into law.
The stars of the American flag are white.
The Statue of Liberty was a gift from France.
The stripes of the American flag are red and white.
The White House is in Washington, D.C.
The United States flag is red, white, and blue.
The United States of America has 50 states.
There are 50 states in the Union. There are three branches of Government.
He came to live with his brother.
He has a very big dog.
He knows how to ride a bike.
He wanted to find a job.
He wanted to talk to his boss.
He went to the post office.
His wife is at work right now.
His wife worked in the house.
I am too busy to talk today.
I bought a blue car today.
I came to _______ (city) today for my interview.
I count the cars as they pass by the office.
I drive a blue car to work.
I go to work everyday.
I have three children.
I know how to speak English.
I live in the State of ____________.
I want to be a United States citizen.
It is a good job to start with.
My car does not work.
She can speak English very well.
She cooks for her friends.
She is my daughter, and he is my son.
She needs to buy some new clothes.
She wanted to live near her brother.
She was happy with her house.
The boy threw a ball.
The children bought a newspaper.
The children play at school.
The children wanted a television.
The man wanted to get a job.
The teacher was proud of her class.
The white house has a big tree.
They are a very happy family.
They are very happy with their car.
They buy many things at the store.
They came to live in the United States.
They go to the grocery store.
They have horses on their farm.
They live together in a big house.
They work well together.
Today I am going to the store.
Today is a sunny day.
Warm clothing was on sale in the store.
We are very smart to learn this.
We have a very clean house.
You cook very well.
You drink too much coffee.
You work very hard at your job.
Civics Questions
1. What is the supreme law of the land?
2. What does the Constitution do?
3. The idea of self-government is in the first three words of the Constitution. What are these words?
4. What is an amendment?
5. What do we call the first ten amendments to the Constitution?
6. What is one right or freedom from the First Amendment?
7. How many amendments does the Constitution have?
8. What did the Declaration of Independence do?
9. What are two rights in the Declaration of Independence?
10. What is freedom of religion?
11. What is the economic system in the United States?
12. What is the “rule of law”?
13. Name one branch or part of the government.
14. What stops one branch of government from becoming too powerful?
15. Who is in charge of the executive branch?
16. Who makes federal laws?
17. What are the two parts of the U.S. Congress?
18. How many U.S. Senators are there?
19. We elect a U.S. Senator for how many years?
20. Who is one of your state’s U.S. Senators now?
21. The House of Representatives has how many voting members
22. We elect a U.S. Representative for how many years?
23. Name your U.S. Representative.
24. Who does a U.S. Senator represent?
25. Why do some states have more Representatives than other states?
26. We elect a President for how many years?
27. In what month do we vote for President?
28. What is the name of the President of the United States now?
29. What is the name of the Vice President of the United States now?
30. If the President can no longer serve, who becomes President?
31. If both the President and the Vice President can no longer serve, who becomes President?
32. Who is the Commander in Chief of the military?
33. Who signs bills to become laws?
34. Who vetoes bills?
35. What does the President’s Cabinet do?
36. What are two Cabinet-level positions?
37. What does the judicial branch do?
38. What is the highest court in the United States?
39. How many justices are on the Supreme Court?
40. Who is the Chief Justice of the United States now?
41. Under our Constitution, some powers belong to the federal government. What is one power of the federal government?
42. Under our Constitution, some powers belong to the states. What is one power of the states?
43. Who is the Governor of your state now?
44. What is the capital of your state?
45. What are the two major political parties in the United States?
46. What is the political party of the President now?
47. What is the name of the Speaker of the House of Representatives now?
48. There are four amendments to the Constitution about who can vote. Describe one of them.
49. What is one responsibility that is only for United States citizens?
50. Name one right only for United States citizens.
51. What are two rights of everyone living in the United States?
52. What do we show loyalty to when we say the Pledge of Allegiance?
53. What is one promise you make when you become a United States citizen?
54. How old do citizens have to be to vote for President?
55. What are two ways that Americans can participate in their democracy?
56. When is the last day you can send in federal income tax forms?
57. When must all men register for the Selective Service?
58. What is one reason colonists came to America?
59. Who lived in America before the Europeans arrived?
60. What group of people was taken to America and sold as slaves?
61. Why did the colonists fight the British?
62. Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?
63. When was the Declaration of Independence adopted?
64. There were 13 original states. Name three.
65. What happened at the Constitutional Convention?
66. When was the Constitution written?
67. The Federalist Papers supported the passage of the U.S. Constitution. Name one of the writers.
68. What is one thing Benjamin Franklin is famous for?
69. Who is the “Father of Our Country”?
70. Who was the first President?
71. What territory did the United States buy from France in 1803?
72. Name one war fought by the United States in the 1800s.
73. Name the U.S. war between the North and the South.
74. Name one problem that led to the Civil War.
75. What was one important thing that Abraham Lincoln did?
76. What did the Emancipation Proclamation do?
77. What did Susan B. Anthony do?
78. Name one war fought by the United States in the 1900s.
79. Who was President during World War I?
80. Who was President during the Great Depression and World War II?
81. Who did the United States fight in World War II?
82. Before he was President, Eisenhower was a general. What war was he in?
83. During the Cold War, what was the main concern of the United States?
84. What movement tried to end racial discrimination?
85. What did Martin Luther King, Jr. do?
86. What major event happened on September 11, 2001, in the United States?
87. Name one American Indian tribe in the United States.
88. Name one of the two longest rivers in the United States.
89. What ocean is on the West Coast of the United States?
90. What ocean is on the East Coast of the United States?
91. Name one U.S. territory.
92. Name one state that borders Canada.
93. Name one state that borders Mexico.
94. What is the capital of the United States?
95. Where is the Statue of Liberty?
96. Why does the flag have 13 stripes?
97. Why does the flag have 50 stars?
98. What is the name of the national anthem?
99. When do we celebrate Independence Day?
100. Name two national U.S. holidays.
Answers
1. the Constitution
2. sets up the government
defines the government
protects basic rights of Americans
3. We the People
4. a change (to the Constitution)
an addition (to the Constitution)
5. the Bill of Rights
6. speech
religion
assembly
press
petition the government
7. twenty-seven (27)
8. announced our independence (from Great Britain)
declared our independence (from Great Britain)
said that the United States is free (from Great Britain)
9. life
liberty
pursuit of happiness
10. You can practice any religion, or not practice a religion.
11. capitalist economy
market economy
12. Everyone must follow the law.
Leaders must obey the law.
Government must obey the law.
No one is above the law
13. Congress
legislative
President
executive
the courts
judicial
14. checks and balances
separation of powers
15. the President
16. Congress
Senate and House (of Representatives)
(U.S. or national) legislature
17. the Senate and House (of Representatives)
18. one hundred (100)
19. six (6)
20. Answers will vary (in Missouri, the Senators are Roy Blunt and Claire McCaskill).
21. four hundred thirty-five (435)
22. two (2)
23. Answers will vary (in St. Louis, MO 3rd district, it is Russ Carnahan).
24. all people of the state
25. (because of) the state’s population
(because) they have more people
(because) some states have more people
26. four (4)
27. November
28. Barack Obama
Obama
29. Joseph R. Biden, Jr.
Joe Biden
Biden
30. the Vice President
31. the Speaker of the House
32. the President
33. the President
34. the President
35. advises the President
36. Secretary of Agriculture
Secretary of Commerce
Secretary of Defense
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
Attorney General
Vice President
37. reviews laws
explains laws
resolves disputes (disagreements)
decides if a law goes against the Constitution
38. the Supreme Court
39. nine (9)
40. John Roberts (John G. Roberts, Jr.)
41. to print money
to declare war
to create an army
to make treaties
42. provide schooling and education
provide protection (police)
provide safety (fire departments)
give a driver’s license
approve zoning and land use
43. Answers will vary (in Missouri, it is Jay Nixon).
44. Answers will vary (in Missouri, it is Jefferson City).
45. Democratic and Republican
46. Democratic (Party)
47. (John) Boehner
48. Citizens eighteen (18) and older (can vote).
You don’t have to pay (a poll tax) to vote.
Any citizen can vote. (Women and men can vote.)
A male citizen of any race (can vote).
49. serve on a jury
vote in a federal election
50. vote in a federal election
run for federal office
51. freedom of expression
freedom of speech
freedom of assembly
freedom to petition the government
freedom of worship
the right to bear arms
52. the United States
the flag
53. give up loyalty to other countries
defend the Constitution and laws of the United States
obey the laws of the United States
serve in the U.S. military (if needed)
serve (do important work for) the nation (if needed)
be loyal to the United States
54. eighteen (18) and older
55. vote
join a political party
help with a campaign
join a civic group
join a community group
give an elected official your opinion on an issue
call Senators and Representatives
publicly support or oppose an issue or policy
run for office
write to a newspaper
56. April 15
57. at age eighteen (18)
between eighteen (18) and twenty-six (26)
58. freedom
political liberty
religious freedom
economic opportunity
practice their religion
escape persecution
59. American Indians
Native Americans
60. Africans
people from Africa
61. because of high taxes (taxation without representation)
because the British army stayed in their houses (boarding, quartering)
because they didn’t have self-government
62. (Thomas) Jefferson
63. July 4, 1776
64. New Hampshire
Massachusetts
Rhode Island
Connecticut
New York
New Jersey
Pennsylvania
Delaware
Maryland
Virginia
North Carolina
South Carolina
Georgia
65. The Constitution was written.
The Founding Fathers wrote the Constitution.
66. 1787
67. (James) Madison
(Alexander) Hamilton
(John) Jay
Publius
68. U.S. diplomat
oldest member of the Constitutional Convention
first Postmaster General of the United States
writer of “Poor Richard’s Almanac”
started the first free libraries
69. (George) Washington
70. (George) Washington
71. the Louisiana Territory
Louisiana
72. War of 1812
Mexican-American War
Civil War
Spanish-American War
73. the Civil War
the War between the States
74. slavery
economic reasons
states’ rights
75. freed the slaves (Emancipation Proclamation)
saved (or preserved) the Union
led the United States during the Civil War
76. freed the slaves
freed slaves in the Confederacy
freed slaves in the Confederate states
freed slaves in most Southern states
77. fought for women’s rights
fought for civil rights
78. World War I
World War II
Korean War
Vietnam War
(Persian) Gulf War
79. (Woodrow) Wilson
80. (Franklin) Roosevelt
81. Japan, Germany, and Italy
82. World War II
83. Communism
84. civil rights (movement)
85. fought for civil rights
worked for equality for all Americans
86. Terrorists attacked the United States
87. Cherokee
Navajo
Sioux
Chippewa
Choctaw
Pueblo
Apache
Iroquois
Creek
Blackfeet
Seminole
Cheyenne
Arawak
Shawnee
Mohegan
Huron
Oneida
Lakota
Crow
Teton
Hopi
Inuit
88. Missouri (River)
Mississippi (River)
89. Pacific (Ocean)
90. Atlantic (Ocean)
91. Puerto Rico
U.S. Virgin Islands
American Samoa
Northern Mariana Islands
Guam
92. Maine
New Hampshire
Vermont
New York
Pennsylvania
Ohio
Missouri
Minnesota
North Dakota
Montana
Idaho
Washington
Alaska
93. California
Arizona
New Mexico
Texas
94. Washington, D.C.
95. New York (Harbor)
Liberty Island
(New Jersey, near New York City, and on the Hudson (River) are acceptable)
96. because there were 13 original colonies
because the stripes represent the original colonies
97. because there is one star for each state
because each star represents a state
because there are 50 states
98. The Star-Spangled Banner
99. July 4
100. New Year’s Day
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
Presidents’ Day
Memorial Day
Independence Day
Labor Day
Columbus Day
Veterans Day
Thanksgiving
Christmas
For more information, see USCIS Study Materials website.