TimesLeader.com

July 8
New naturalization test questions

Beginning on October 1, 2008, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will replace the set of questions currently used as part of the citizenship test with the questions listed here, along with others. All applicants who file for naturalization on or after October 1, 2008 will be required to take the new test. For those applicants who file prior to October 1, 2008, but are not interviewed until after October, 2008 (but before October 1, 2009), there will be an option of taking the new test or the current one.

Some questions below have more than one correct answer. In those cases, all acceptable answers are listed. All answers are shown exactly as worded by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

If you’re interested in checking your personal knowledge, a sampling of the questions follows:

1. What is the capital of the United States?

2. Where is the Statue of Liberty?

3. What did Martin Luther King Jr. do?

4. Name one war fought by the United States in the 1900s.

5. What was one important thing that Abraham Lincoln did?

6. When is the last day you can send in federal income tax forms?

7. How old do citizens have to be to vote for President?

8. What is one responsibility that is only for United States citizens?

9. Who is the Governor of your state?

10. What is the capital of your state?

Acceptable answers:

1. Washington, D.C.

2. New York Harbor, Liberty Island, New Jersey, near New York City and on the Hudson River

3. Fought for civil rights or worked for equality for all Americans

4. World War I, World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War or (Persian) Gulf War

5. Freed the slaves (Emancipation Proclamation), saved (or preserved) the Union or led the United States during the Civil War

6. April 15

7. Eighteen and older

8. Serve on a jury or vote

9. A: Answers will vary. Residents of the District of Columbia and U.S. territories without a Governor should say “we don’t have a Governor.”

10. A: 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.

- Compiled by Shelby Fisk