Free US Citizenship Practice Test 2026 – CivicPass

1. The colonists came to America for many reasons. Name one.

• A. Freedom ✓ Correct answer
• B. American Indians
• C. Native Americans
• D. Africans

Colonists came to America seeking freedom, political liberty, religious freedom, economic opportunity, and to escape persecution.

2. Name the three branches of government.

• A. Legislative, executive, and judicial ✓ Correct answer
• B. Executive branch
• C. (U.S. or national) legislature
• D. Legislative branch

The three branches of government are the legislative (Congress), the executive (the President), and the judicial (the courts).

3. What does the Bill of Rights protect?

• A. (The basic) rights of Americans ✓ Correct answer
• B. Citizens eighteen (18) and older (can vote).
• C. You don’t have to pay (a poll tax) to vote.
• D. Any citizen can vote. (Women and men can vote.)

The Bill of Rights, the first ten amendments to the Constitution, protects the basic rights of Americans and of people living in the United States.

4. Ms. E's apartment catches fire at midnight. Which number should she call?

• A. 311 — city services line
• B. 911 — the national emergency number for police, fire, and ambulance ✓ Correct answer
• C. 411 — directory assistance
• D. 211 — social services line

In the United States, 911 is the universal emergency number for all life-threatening situations, including fire, medical emergencies, and crimes in progress. It is available nationwide and is free to call from any phone, including cell phones without an active plan. Non-emergency issues should be directed to 311 or the local police non-emergency line.

5. What is the economic system of the United States?

• A. Capitalism ✓ Correct answer
• B. Washington, D.C.
• C. New York (Harbor)
• D. Liberty Island [Also acceptable are New Jersey, near New York City, and on the Hudson (River).]

The economic system of the United States is capitalism, also described as a free market economy, in which businesses and prices are largely driven by private competition rather than government control.

6. What is the form of government of the United States?

• A. Republic ✓ Correct answer
• B. Forms the government
• C. Defines powers of government
• D. Defines the parts of government

The United States is a constitutional republic and representative democracy, in which citizens elect representatives to make laws on their behalf.

7. Who lived in America before the Europeans arrived?

• A. American Indians ✓ Correct answer
• B. Freedom
• C. Political liberty
• D. Religious freedom

American Indians, also called Native Americans, lived in America for thousands of years before Europeans arrived.

8. The President of the United States is in charge of which branch of government?

• A. Executive branch ✓ Correct answer
• B. Legislative, executive, and judicial
• C. Congress, president, and the courts
• D. (U.S.) Congress

The President of the United States is in charge of the executive branch of government.

9. There are four amendments to the U.S. Constitution about who can vote. Describe one of them.

• A. Citizens eighteen (18) and older (can vote). ✓ Correct answer
• B. (The basic) rights of Americans
• C. (The basic) rights of people living in the United States
• D. Citizens of the United States

Four amendments address voting: the 15th (race), the 19th (women), the 24th (no poll tax), and the 26th (citizens 18 and older). Citizens 18 and older can vote.

10. Mr. A receives a jury summons but ignores it because he considers it inconvenient. What can happen?

• A. Nothing — jury duty is optional for working adults
• B. His driver's licence is suspended
• C. He can be held in contempt of court, fined, or even jailed ✓ Correct answer
• D. He loses his right to vote

Jury duty is a civic obligation guaranteed by the Sixth and Seventh Amendments. Failing to respond to a jury summons without a valid excuse can result in being held in contempt of court, which may carry fines or imprisonment. Legitimate excuses (illness, extreme hardship) must be formally requested from the court.