Civics Questions for the 65/20 Exemption - Study Questions

Sep 20, 2026

Civics Questions for the 65/20 Exemption outlines immigration naturalization accommodations for applicants who are over 65 and have been permanent residents for at least 20 years. It explains that these applicants may take the civics test in their chosen language and only need to study 20 of the 100 civics questions. The document provides a numbered list of specific civics questions and multiple-choice style answer options, covering government structure, voting, U.S. presidents, geography, political parties, responsibilities, and key historical events.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages6

Reading Time15 min

AccessFree to download

Civics Test Exemption Overview

Eligibility and test accommodations

Civics Questions (1-20)

Rights and freedoms

U.S. government branches

Congress and Senators

Voting and the Presidency

State and U.S. capitals

Political parties and citizen responsibilities

Age requirements and tax deadline

Early Presidents and major actions

Wars and civil rights leadership

Liberty, flag, and Independence Day

(rev. 01/19) Civics Questions for the 65/20 Exemption The Immigration and Nationality Act provides for special consideration of the civics test for applicants who, at the time of filing their Form N-400, Application for Naturalization, are over 65 years old and have been a permanent resident for at least 20 years. These applicants qualify to take the civics test in the language of their choice. They are also given special consideration as they are only required to study 20 of the 100 civics test questions for the naturalization test. 1. What is one right or freedom from the First Amendment?* ▪ speech ▪ religion ▪ assembly ▪ press ▪ petition the government -[1-](1- www.uscis.gov)[ www.uscis.gov](1- www.uscis.gov) 2. What is the economic system in the United States?* ▪ capitalist economy ▪ market economy 3. Name one branch or part of the government.* ▪ Congress ▪ legislative ▪ President ▪ executive ▪ the courts ▪ judicial 4. What are the two parts of the U.S. Congress?* ▪ the Senate and House (of Representatives) -[2-](2- www.uscis.gov)[ www.uscis.gov](2- www.uscis.gov) 5. 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.] 6. In what month do we vote for President?* ▪ November 7. What is the name of the President of the United States now?* ▪ [Visit](Visit uscis.gov/citizenship/testupdates)[ ](Visit uscis.gov/citizenship/testupdates)[uscis.gov/citizenship/testupdates](Visit uscis.gov/citizenship/testupdates) for the name of the President of the United States. -[3-](3- www.uscis.gov)[ www.uscis.gov](3- www.uscis.gov) 8. What is the capital of your state?* ▪ Answers will vary. [District of Columbia residents should answer [that D.C. is](that D.C. is)[not a state and does not have a capital.](not a state and does not have a capital.)[ ](not a state and does not have a capital.)[Residents of U.S. territories should name](Residents of U.S. territories should name)[ ](Residents of U.S. territories should name)[the capital of the territory](the capital of the territory).] 9. What are the two major political parties in the United States?* ▪ Democratic and Republican 10. What is one responsibility that is only for United States citizens?* ▪ serve on a jury ▪ vote in a federal election 11. How old do citizens have to be to vote for President?* ▪ eighteen (18) and older -[4-](4- www.uscis.gov)[ www.uscis.gov](4- www.uscis.gov) 12. When is the last day you can send in federal income tax forms?* ▪ April 15 13. Who was the first President?* ▪ (George) Washington 14. What was one important thing that Abraham Lincoln did?* ▪ freed the slaves (Emancipation Proclamation) ▪ saved (or preserved) the Union ▪ led the United States during the Civil War 15. Name one war fought by the United States in the 1900s.* ▪ World War I ▪ World War II ▪ Korean War ▪ Vietnam War ▪ (Persian) Gulf War -[5-](5- www.uscis.gov)[ www.uscis.gov](5- www.uscis.gov) 16. What did Martin Luther King, [Jr. do?](Jr. do?) * ▪ fought for civil rights ▪ worked for equality for all Americans 17. What is the capital of the United States?* ▪ Washington, D.C. 18. Where is the Statue of Liberty?* ▪ New York (Harbor) ▪ Liberty Island [Also acceptable are New Jersey, near New York City, and on the Hudson (River).] 19. Why does the flag have 50 stars?* ▪ because there is one star for each state ▪ because each star represents a state ▪ because there are 50 states 20. When do we celebrate Independence Day?* ▪ July 4 -[6-](6- www.uscis.gov)[ www.uscis.gov](6- www.uscis.gov)

FAQs

Who qualifies for the 65/20 civics test exemption?

Applicants are eligible if, at the time of filing Form N-400, they are over 65 years old and have been a permanent resident for at least 20 years.

How many civics test questions do eligible applicants need to study?

They are only required to study 20 of the 100 civics test questions.

What is an example of a question included in the 65/20 civics question list?

The list includes questions such as “What is the economic system in the United States?” with answer options like “capitalist economy” or “market economy.”

Sep 20, 2026

Uploaded by Alex Sinclair