The English test, reading and writing

The civics questions are not the whole test. You also have to read one sentence out loud and write one down. Most people spend every hour on the 128 questions and none here, which is a mistake, because this part is short and completely predictable.

PartWhat happensTo pass
ReadingThe officer shows you up to 3 sentencesRead 1 correctly, out loud
WritingThe officer reads up to 3 sentences to youWrite 1 correctly
SpeakingNo separate testJudged from your normal answers during the interview

Why this part is easier than it looks

USCIS publishes the complete vocabulary list used to build those sentences. Every sentence you can be shown is made only of words from these lists. Learn the lists and there are no surprises left. Both documents carry the revision mark 08/08, read on 2026-08-24.

Reading vocabulary, the complete official list

People

Abraham Lincoln · George Washington

Civics

American flag · Bill of Rights · capital · citizen · city · Congress · country · Father of Our Country · government · President · right · Senators · state/states · White House

Places

America · United States · U.S.

Holidays

Presidents' Day · Memorial Day · Flag Day · Independence Day · Labor Day · Columbus Day · Thanksgiving

Question words

How · What · When · Where · Who · Why

Verbs

can · come · do/does · elects · have/has · is/are/was/be · lives/lived · meet · name · pay · vote · want

Other, function words

a · for · here · in · of · on · the · to · we

Other, content words

colors · dollar bill · first · largest · many · most · north · one · people · second · south

Read each one out loud. Reading in your head trains the wrong skill. Every sentence below uses only words from the list above, and that is checked by program, not by eye.

  1. Who was the first President?
  2. What is the capital of the United States?
  3. When is Independence Day?
  4. Why do we vote?
  5. Where is the White House?
  6. Who elects Congress?
  7. What is the name of the President?
  8. When is Flag Day?
  9. Abraham Lincoln was President.
  10. George Washington is the Father of Our Country.
  11. The people can vote.
  12. Where do Senators meet?
  13. What are the colors of the American flag?
  14. How many Senators do we have?
  15. Where do the people vote?
  16. What is the largest state?
  17. Who lived in the White House first?
  18. When is Memorial Day?
  19. Why does the citizen vote?
  20. What is the Bill of Rights?
  21. Name one right of a citizen.
  22. The President lives here.
  23. We want to vote for the President.

Writing vocabulary, the complete official list

People

Adams · Lincoln · Washington

Civics

American Indians · capital · citizens · Civil War · Congress · Father of Our Country · flag · free · freedom of speech · President · right · Senators · state/states · White House

Places

Alaska · California · Canada · Delaware · Mexico · New York City · United States · Washington · Washington, D.C.

Months

February · May · June · July · September · October · November

Holidays

Presidents' Day · Memorial Day · Flag Day · Independence Day · Labor Day · Columbus Day · Thanksgiving

Verbs

can · come · elect · have/has · is/was/be · lives/lived · meets · pay · vote · want

Other, function words

and · during · for · here · in · of · on · the · to · we

Other, content words

blue · dollar bill · fifty/50 · first · largest · most · north · one · one hundred/100 · people · red · second · south · taxes · white

Ask someone to read these to you, or read one, cover it, and write it from memory. Every sentence below uses only words from the list above.

  1. The President lives in Washington, D.C.
  2. Citizens can vote.
  3. Congress meets in Washington.
  4. Independence Day is in July.
  5. Alaska is the largest state.
  6. The flag is red, white, and blue.
  7. Lincoln was President during the Civil War.
  8. We have freedom of speech.
  9. California is in the United States.
  10. Thanksgiving is in November.
  11. People pay taxes.
  12. Washington is the Father of Our Country.
  13. The United States has fifty states.
  14. The White House is in Washington, D.C.
  15. Adams was President.
  16. Delaware was the first state.
  17. Senators come to Washington.
  18. Labor Day is in September.
  19. Presidents' Day is in February.
  20. Memorial Day is in May.
  21. Canada is north of the United States.
  22. Mexico is south of the United States.
  23. American Indians lived here first.

Want all of this on paper, for the interview?

This site is free and stays free. The book is the same 128 questions with every accepted answer, the officials for all 50 states already filled in, 17 full practice tests, and the 8 questions USCIS quietly leaves blank. It works without a screen and without a signal, which is how most people revise.

Paperback, $13.99   Kindle, $5.99

Spanish and English side by side, paperback or Kindle.

The 128 civics questions · The 100 question test · Which test do I take

Where these answers come from. The 128 questions and their accepted answers are the official USCIS civics test material, a work of the United States government. Senators and representatives were read from congress.gov and house.gov on 2026-09-04. Governor names were re-read from usa.gov on 2026-09-04, and state capitals from the same source on 2026-08-24. Office holders change, so check uscis.gov test updates before your interview.

Test rules read on 2026-08-24 from uscis.gov and the USCIS Policy Manual. This site is independent and is not affiliated with USCIS or the United States government.