Fable Tests

US citizenship civics · Theme 2 · 12 min read

System of Government

Congress, the President and the courts: how many senators and representatives there are, how long they serve, what each branch does and which powers belong to the federal government or the states. Questions 16 to 62 of the 2025 civics test.

About this section

This is the largest section of the pool, with 47 questions. It covers the three branches of government, the numbers and terms you need to know, and the split of powers between the federal government and the states. Several answers depend on who holds office when you are interviewed, or on where you live; for those, check the official sources linked below shortly before your interview.

This section belongs to American Government, one of the three parts of the official USCIS 2025 civics test. At the interview the officer asks up to 20 of the 128 questions, and you need 12 correct answers to pass. Questions marked 65/20 are the 20 that applicants aged 65 or older with 20 or more years as a permanent resident may study instead; they are asked 10 of them and need 6 correct. The 2025 test applies if you filed Form N-400 on or after October 20, 2025; earlier filers take the 2008 version.

The questions

16. Name the three branches of government.

Accepted answers:

Congress makes the laws, the President carries them out, and the courts explain them and settle disputes about them.

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

Accepted answer:

The President leads the executive branch, which carries out and enforces federal laws.

18. What part of the federal government writes laws?

Accepted answers:

Congress, the legislative branch, writes federal laws. The President then signs or vetoes them, and the courts can review them.

19. What are the two parts of the U.S. Congress?

Accepted answer:

Congress has two chambers, the Senate and the House of Representatives. A bill must pass both before it goes to the President.

20. Name one power of the U.S. Congress.

65/20 question

Accepted answers:

Congress holds the lawmaking power, controls federal spending through the budget and alone can declare war.

21. How many U.S. senators are there?

Accepted answer:

Each of the 50 states has two senators, so there are 100 senators in all.

22. How long is a term for a U.S. senator?

Accepted answer:

Senators serve six-year terms. The terms are staggered, so only about a third of the Senate is up for election at any one time.

23. Who is one of your state’s U.S. senators now?

Accepted answer:

Senators can change after elections, so check the two current senators for your state on your state’s official website or at senate.gov before your interview. If you live in D.C. or a U.S. territory, the accepted answer is that you have no U.S. senators.

24. How many voting members are in the House of Representatives?

Accepted answer:

The House has 435 voting members, shared out among the states according to population.

25. How long is a term for a member of the House of Representatives?

Accepted answer:

Members of the House serve two-year terms, so every seat in the House is up for election every two years.

26. Why do U.S. representatives serve shorter terms than U.S. senators?

Accepted answer:

Because representatives face the voters every two years, the House is designed to respond quickly to what the public wants.

27. How many senators does each state have?

Accepted answer:

Every state, large or small, has exactly two senators.

28. Why does each state have two senators?

Accepted answers:

At the Constitutional Convention, small and large states disagreed about representation. The Great Compromise gave every state two senators, while seats in the House depend on population.

29. Name your U.S. representative.

Accepted answer:

Your representative depends on the congressional district where you live and can change after any election, so look it up by your address at house.gov or on your state’s official website shortly before your interview. Residents of territories may name their nonvoting Delegate or Resident Commissioner.

30. What is the name of the Speaker of the House of Representatives now?

65/20 question

Accepted answer:

The Speaker is chosen by the House and can change at any time, so check the current name at uscis.gov/citizenship/testupdates. Give the name of the person serving on the day of your interview.

31. Who does a U.S. senator represent?

Accepted answers:

A senator represents the people of the whole state, while a representative speaks for one district within it.

32. Who elects U.S. senators?

Accepted answer:

Senators are chosen in statewide elections by the voters of their own state.

33. Who does a member of the House of Representatives represent?

Accepted answers:

Each state is divided into congressional districts, and a representative speaks for the people who live in one district.

34. Who elects members of the House of Representatives?

Accepted answer:

The voters in each congressional district elect their own representative every two years.

35. Some states have more representatives than other states. Why?

Accepted answers:

House seats are shared out by population, which is counted in the census every ten years, so states with more people have more representatives.

36. The President of the United States is elected for how many years?

65/20 question

Accepted answer:

The President is elected to a four-year term, and presidential elections are held every four years.

37. The President of the United States can serve only two terms. Why?

Accepted answers:

The 22nd Amendment limits a president to two elected terms, a rule meant to stop any one person from holding the office for too long.

38. What is the name of the President of the United States now?

65/20 question

Accepted answer:

Check the current name at uscis.gov/citizenship/testupdates. You must give the name of the President serving at the time of your naturalization interview.

39. What is the name of the Vice President of the United States now?

65/20 question

Accepted answer:

Check the current name at uscis.gov/citizenship/testupdates. You must give the name of the Vice President serving at the time of your naturalization interview.

40. If the president can no longer serve, who becomes president?

Accepted answer:

If the President dies, resigns or can no longer serve, the Vice President takes over as President.

41. Name one power of the president.

Accepted answers:

The President carries out the laws, signs or vetoes bills passed by Congress, commands the armed forces, leads relations with other countries and appoints federal judges.

42. Who is Commander in Chief of the U.S. military?

Accepted answer:

The Constitution makes the President, an elected civilian, the Commander in Chief of the armed forces.

43. Who signs bills to become laws?

Accepted answer:

After Congress passes a bill, the President signs it to make it law, or can veto it.

44. Who vetoes bills?

65/20 question

Accepted answer:

The President can veto, or reject, a bill passed by Congress. Congress can still override a veto with a two-thirds vote in both chambers.

45. Who appoints federal judges?

Accepted answer:

The President chooses federal judges, including Supreme Court justices, and the Senate must confirm them.

46. The executive branch has many parts. Name one.

Accepted answers:

The executive branch is headed by the President and includes the Cabinet and the federal departments and agencies that carry out the law.

47. What does the President’s Cabinet do?

Accepted answer:

The Cabinet is made up of the heads of the executive departments and other senior officials, and its job is to advise the President.

48. What are two Cabinet-level positions?

Accepted answers:

The Cabinet includes the Vice President, the Attorney General and the secretaries who head the executive departments, such as the Secretary of State and the Secretary of the Treasury, plus several other senior officials. On the real test you would name two.

49. Why is the Electoral College important?

Accepted answers:

Voters in each state choose electors, and the electors’ votes decide who becomes President. The system was a middle path between a direct popular vote and having Congress pick the President.

50. What is one part of the judicial branch?

Accepted answers:

The judicial branch is made up of the Supreme Court and the lower federal courts.

51. What does the judicial branch do?

Accepted answers:

Courts review and explain laws, settle disagreements about the law and can strike down a law that goes against the Constitution.

52. What is the highest court in the United States?

65/20 question

Accepted answer:

The Supreme Court is the country’s highest court. Its decisions on federal law and the Constitution bind all other courts.

53. How many seats are on the Supreme Court?

Accepted answer:

The Supreme Court has nine seats: the Chief Justice and eight associate justices.

54. How many Supreme Court justices are usually needed to decide a case?

Accepted answer:

With nine justices on the Court, a majority of five is usually enough to decide a case.

55. How long do Supreme Court justices serve?

Accepted answers:

Supreme Court justices hold their posts for life; in practice most serve until they retire.

56. Supreme Court justices serve for life. Why?

Accepted answers:

Because justices never have to win an election or seek reappointment, they can decide cases on the law rather than under political pressure.

57. Who is the Chief Justice of the United States now?

Accepted answer:

Check the current name at uscis.gov/citizenship/testupdates. You must give the name of the Chief Justice serving at the time of your naturalization interview.

58. Name one power that is only for the federal government.

Accepted answers:

The Constitution keeps some powers for the national government alone, such as making money, raising an army, declaring war and dealing with foreign countries.

59. Name one power that is only for the states.

Accepted answers:

Powers not given to the federal government stay with the states, which run things such as schools, police, fire services, driver’s licenses and local land use.

60. What is the purpose of the 10th Amendment?

Accepted answer:

The 10th Amendment confirms that the federal government has only the powers the Constitution gives it, and that all other powers stay with the states or the people.

61. Who is the governor of your state now?

65/20 question

Accepted answer:

Governors change after state elections, so check the current governor on your state’s official website before your interview. If you live in D.C., the accepted answer is that D.C. does not have a governor.

62. What is the capital of your state?

Accepted answer:

Confirm your state’s capital city on your state’s official website. D.C. residents should say that D.C. is not a state and has no capital, and residents of a U.S. territory should name the territory’s capital.

Check yourself

  1. How many U.S. senators are there, and how long is a senator's term?
  2. How many voting members are in the House, and how long is their term?
  3. Who vetoes bills?
  4. How many seats are on the Supreme Court?
  5. Name one power that is only for the states.
  6. Who is the governor of your state now?

Ready to try a full test? Start US citizenship civics practice test 1.