Do you know enough to vote?

June 10, 2004 10:05 PM

U.S. Citizenship test. Can you get 8 out of ten???
posted by flatlander (80 comments total)

Ten out of ten here. : )
posted by SisterHavana at 10:08 PM on June 10, 2004

9 out of ten, but I figured the Constitution was written in 87 cuz it was ratified in 89. But I was going fast and I'm drunk, which also qualifies me as a U.S. citizen. god bless the U.S.A.! Yee-ha!
posted by strangeleftydoublethink at 10:11 PM on June 10, 2004

10 out of 10. I think any American citizen over the age of 12 should be able to pass this test...
posted by falconred at 10:13 PM on June 10, 2004

ten out of ten .
the drivers license test is 300 % harder .
is this why my citizenship is so precious ?
posted by mishaco at 10:15 PM on June 10, 2004

9 out of 10
Who is the governor of North Carolina? I don't live in North Carolina!
posted by jazon at 10:15 PM on June 10, 2004

This question put me in fantasy-land:

Name one benefit of being a citizen of the United States:

-Automatic dual citizenship in England.
-Universal medical insurance coverage.
-Vote for the candidate of your choice.
-Legal entry into any other country in the world.
posted by gluechunk at 10:18 PM on June 10, 2004

when it asked me "what are the three branches of government?" i couldn't help but picture matthew broderick holding his arm out in front of the blackboard. "executive, legislative, judicial. executive, legislative, judicial."
posted by bluishorange at 10:24 PM on June 10, 2004

Apparently, I got the super-easy version. The only one that threw me was the one about thr 49th state.

On taking it a second time: the mayor of Durnham? What the fuck is that?
posted by Yelling At Nothing at 10:26 PM on June 10, 2004

Yes.
posted by MrAnonymous at 10:32 PM on June 10, 2004

Who is the mayor of Durham?

Fuck if I know.
posted by letitrain at 10:33 PM on June 10, 2004

Hey Zeus!!!!
It comes from North Carolina.
posted by flatlander at 10:34 PM on June 10, 2004

10/10 three times. But then again, I pretty much know all the governors and senators of other states. (I'm seeking medical treatment for this condition.)

Gluechunk, it seems that by process of elimination, U.S. citizens can vote for the candidate of their "choice"? Hahahahaha. Ahahahha. Ha.
posted by jennak at 10:35 PM on June 10, 2004

First time round I got six, second I got ten.

And knowing America like I do (ie: barely, and Euro-prejudiced at that) if I was actually sitting the test it'd cost $50, I'd fail, have to wait six months and pay another $50 to try again. Hmph.
posted by bonaldi at 10:36 PM on June 10, 2004

Yes, people should recognize that everyone doesn't get the same questions every time.
posted by Ethereal Bligh at 10:39 PM on June 10, 2004

10/10, 9/10, 9/10
posted by y0bhgu0d at 10:48 PM on June 10, 2004

I still probably won't vote though.
posted by cohappy at 10:49 PM on June 10, 2004

I think this time around, I might be willing to swap my vote for an extra UK passport.
posted by chicobangs at 11:01 PM on June 10, 2004

10/10

I actually took that test 6 years ago. If I remember correctly, they asked me who was the president of the United States (Bill Clinton) and what the thirteen stripes on the flag represented, among others. I got 10/10 then, too.
posted by linux at 11:05 PM on June 10, 2004

10 out of 10 on the first try, so I quit while I was ahead.
posted by Oriole Adams at 11:06 PM on June 10, 2004

Your score was 10 out of 10.

And I'm Canadian.

Congratulations! You are qualified to be a U.S. citizen!

No thanks!
posted by The God Complex at 11:07 PM on June 10, 2004

10/10 - I think all MeFites will be at least 9/10 while at least 10% of the denizens of LGF would fail.
posted by bashos_frog at 11:13 PM on June 10, 2004

10/10. I know citizenship tests can be rather lengthy and complete, but this is a joke. I hope anyone that graduates high school in this country should be able to get at least 8 out of 10 right.
posted by mathowie at 11:15 PM on June 10, 2004

I lost because I thought that the Father of our Country was Thomas Jefferson, the man who wrote all the stuff. Boy am I dumb.

"Washington" as the answer to that question is like saying that Eisenhower was the President during World War Two.
posted by interrobang at 11:22 PM on June 10, 2004

That was it? Thanks. Now my citizenship feels devalued.
posted by scarabic at 11:37 PM on June 10, 2004

10/10, 10/10, 9/10.

I'm Canadian.

Some of the answers were pretty simplistic, case point being "Who freed the slaves?" and the answer being "Abraham Lincoln." Obligatory Simpsons reference goes here:

"What was the cause of the Civil War?"

"Actually, there were numerous causes. Aside from the obvious schism between the abolitionists and the anti-abolitionists, there were economic factors, both domestic and inter-- "

"Just say slavery."
posted by synecdoche at 11:39 PM on June 10, 2004

Your score was 10 out of 10.
posted by Steve_at_Linnwood at 11:44 PM on June 10, 2004

5/10.

Guess who's not interested in your American politics thread.
posted by dydecker at 11:57 PM on June 10, 2004

8/10. Big "huh?" at the NC questions too (I actually lived there once, but that was years ago, so I've been out of the loop).

Couldn't help but smirk at the question, "what is one purpose of the United Nations?"
posted by topolino at 12:35 AM on June 11, 2004

Okay, I'll confess that I scored 7/10. The three questions I missed were: who's the guv of N. Carolina; these three things are guaranteed in the bill of rights (equal treatment under the law is not, apparently); and a question I can't quite recall asking for the number of a later amendment.
posted by Ethereal Bligh at 12:42 AM on June 11, 2004

My European score: 8/10, 9/10, 9/10. I had no idea that U.S. presidential elections are only held in November and that Congress is both the Senate and the House of Representatives. But I did answer correctly the ones about number of terms a senator can serve and what are the requirements to be president, so it all evens out.

/No Durham or NC questions for me in the 3 attempts
posted by magullo at 1:13 AM on June 11, 2004

9 out of 10. I got stung on the Mayor of Durham question.

I almost got an 8 out of 10. There was a question about the role of the Supreme Court. I didn't see "Appoint the President" as a choice so I just guessed and chose "Interpret the Law."
posted by eyeballkid at 1:21 AM on June 11, 2004

7/10 7/10 & 10/10 once I'd finally woken up.

Can't I take dual UK-US & spend the winter in Arizona?
posted by i_cola at 1:51 AM on June 11, 2004

10, 10, 10. The hard question was, of course, a North Carolina-centric one - asking about who that state's current Senators were. I couldn't quite remember which Carolina Elizabeth Dole and John Edwards represented, but I was pretty sure Jesse Helms had retired, so that allowed for some process of elimination. I'm back to being jobless today, but at least I kick ass at being an American. Boo ya!
posted by skoosh at 1:59 AM on June 11, 2004

9/10 for this Brit. I didn't know who wrote the Star-Spangled Banner, heh.
posted by reklaw at 2:32 AM on June 11, 2004

8/10

Wonder how American MeFites would do on a Canadian citizenship test.
posted by orange swan at 3:33 AM on June 11, 2004

9/10 for this dane. And no thanks on the citizenship.
posted by Eirixon at 3:36 AM on June 11, 2004

8/10 for me, a NZer. I must watch too many movies.
posted by malpractice at 4:06 AM on June 11, 2004

Damn easy. 10/10. I even got the # of people in the House of Representatives right.
posted by insomnia_lj at 4:07 AM on June 11, 2004

9/10, 10/10 for this Swede. I'd so fail a Swedish version, I'm sure.
posted by dabitch at 4:18 AM on June 11, 2004

9/10 for this Canuck. I didn't know how many amendments there are to the Constitution.
posted by stonerose at 4:50 AM on June 11, 2004

0/10

I didn't take the test.

If I wanted a green card, like Tony Montana, I'd just carve someone up real nice.
posted by bwg at 4:59 AM on June 11, 2004

Wonder how American MeFites would do on a Canadian citizenship test.

Why don't we find out?
posted by jacquilynne at 5:01 AM on June 11, 2004

10/10 but I clearly got the moron version. The questions you guys are complaining about didn't show up on mine. I got stuff like "who is the vice president."
posted by CunningLinguist at 5:04 AM on June 11, 2004

6/10 on the Canadian test - but I'm a USonian whose been living in Japan for two years, and I don't keep up w/ Canadian politics as much as U.S. politics.
posted by bashos_frog at 5:09 AM on June 11, 2004

gosh, 5/10.. Then again how hould I know that Premier Gordon Campbell is the Premier of my province. ;)
posted by dabitch at 5:25 AM on June 11, 2004

The test is from the Richmond Public Library. Richmond is a suburb of Vancouver. Vancouver is in British Columbia. This could possibly help with those pesky regional questions.
posted by jacquilynne at 5:47 AM on June 11, 2004

I got 10/10 on the American test (USA! USA! USA!) and 7/10 on the Canadian test. Who knew that the official symbol of Canada was the beaver? I shouldn't scoff, though, if Ben Franklin had gotten his way the symbol of the U.S. would have been the turkey.
posted by RylandDotNet at 5:59 AM on June 11, 2004

good trick jacquilynne, still... now I got 7/10.. I'm no Canadian.
posted by dabitch at 6:02 AM on June 11, 2004

There's also the naturalization self-test at the USCIS site.
posted by normy at 6:17 AM on June 11, 2004

10/10 on US and 3/10 Canadian - but with the exchange rate, I really scored a 5/10.
posted by plemeljr at 6:28 AM on June 11, 2004

10/10 on the US test, 8/10 and 10/10 on the Canadian. (I'm from the US.) If only that would get me Canadian citizenship... or at least permanent residency. sigh
posted by litlnemo at 6:32 AM on June 11, 2004

10/10 on US and 9/10 on Canada. Mostly guesses about Canada, though, and of course the one I missed was about the Queen. I thought you folks would have kicked her to the curb by now!
posted by Jugwine at 6:41 AM on June 11, 2004

I live in Durham, but didn't get any NC related questions. Our mayor is Bill Bell. I missed the one on the conditions to be President- didn't know you had to have lived in the United States for at least 14 years. Which seems an oddly arbitrary number. I guess it's half your life, given that you must be at least 35.
posted by bendybendy at 6:53 AM on June 11, 2004

i got 8/10 ... wrong date on the Constitution and i don't know who the hell the mayor of durham is ... i took the canadian test awhile ago and passed it ... i'm american
posted by pyramid termite at 7:20 AM on June 11, 2004

Aussie in the UK: 9/10 for the US test (curse those North Carolina senators), 10/10 for Canada. Where's my green card? Where's my lifetime pass to Tim Horton's?

They should just make this the official online application, and send you to a ready-to-print citizenship certificate if you pass. Yeah.
posted by rory at 7:28 AM on June 11, 2004

Though the NC questions seem to be throwing a lot of people, they are standard fare. The list of things that can be asked on the citizenship test includes the names of the mayor, governor, and representatives from the area you're testing in.
posted by whatzit at 7:40 AM on June 11, 2004

10 outta 10 baby.... now I feel qualified to invade and conquer the country of my choice!
posted by spilon at 7:41 AM on June 11, 2004

didn't know you had to have lived in the United States for at least 14 years. Which seems an oddly arbitrary number. I guess it's half your life, given that you must be at least 35.

Good thing there's not a lot of math questions on the test, eh? ;)
posted by Doktor at 7:57 AM on June 11, 2004

US: 8/10, 9/10, 9/10
Canada: 7/10, 7/10, 7/10

US citizen living in Canada.
posted by deborah at 8:08 AM on June 11, 2004

if I was actually sitting the test it'd cost $50, I'd fail, have to wait six months and pay another $50 to try again

I don't think there's a special fee for the test itself, but applying for US citizenship costs $320. If you fail either the Goofy Knowledge Test or the English test (which is likewise pretty minimal, and doesn't apply to old people), you can reapply whenever you want for the low low price of $320 again.

(10/10 US, 9/10 Canada, but I got all government questions and no who-holds-what-office ones)
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 8:21 AM on June 11, 2004

Your score was 10 out of 10.
Congratulations! You are qualified to be a U.S. citizen!

shout out to my history teacher 16 years ago, mr carlin!
posted by th3ph17 at 8:27 AM on June 11, 2004

10/10, 10/10, 10/10 for the US test, but I didn't get any q's on who the mayor or governor of NC is. Of course, as whatzit points out, they're just trying to ask who your mayor & governor & senators are - I'm sure most folks who got those wrong can name their own elected officials (around here, I mean).

All three times I mostly got questions about the set up of the government - how many senators, reps, justices, purposes of bodies, term limits, branches of gov, rights provided by amendments, etc. There were a couple about the flag (I loved the option for what the stripes represent: "the major rivers") and some historical stuff ("give me liberty or give me death") but nothing not covered in intermediate school american history. Still, fun to remember it.

Some answers overly simplistic, and some plain misleading - like "what were the original 13 states called" with the option "colonies" - as if that was a special word made up just for early american states, and not a particular kind of territory. They weren't called colonies, they were colonies of england until they declared their own independence and fought to secure it, and then constituted their own government.

The canada test was hard though! got 5/10. I don't know my canadian geography or the names of provincial leaders etc. I educated-guessed on most of the governmental design / rights stuff, and got it right, but my random guesses on prairie provinces and such were less fruitful.
posted by mdn at 8:44 AM on June 11, 2004

Hmm, I got 8 out of 10 on the Canada test. It's apparently a "bill" not a "proposed law", and I had no idea who the opposition leader for B.C. was. Oh well.

Some answers overly simplistic, and some plain misleading

Well, that's a test for you.
posted by Mars Saxman at 8:54 AM on June 11, 2004

10/10 on American test and 9/10 for the Canadian: I missed the Prime Minister question. Actually, I did know the new Prime Minister, but I assumed the test would not be updated yet. Silly me.

So can I be Canadian, too? I want to be equally welcome on both sides of the North American Duplex!
posted by jscalzi at 9:05 AM on June 11, 2004

10/10 twice on the American test but I didn't get any of the obscure regional questions. This test would be a lot harder in person (IE: not multiple choice). For example: one of my questions was about the number of members of congress. I knew it was in the low 400s but the multiple choice answers of something like 20, 435, 212, 567 made it easy to guess.

Even as a multiple choice test it could have been much harder if they had more choices and better wrong answers like

a) 430
b) 431
c) 432
d) 433
e) 434
f) 435
g) less than all the above
h) greater than all the above

This test has nothing on an Advance Placement exam.
posted by Mitheral at 9:13 AM on June 11, 2004

10 outta 10. Although I blinked on the question about N. Carolina senators.
posted by 40 Watt at 9:25 AM on June 11, 2004

10 out of 10 on the Canadian test. I'm as Canadian as hockey! Though, oddly, hockey is not our national sport.

Lacrosse is.

Go figure.
posted by orange swan at 9:34 AM on June 11, 2004

Who is Canada’s Head of State?
b. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

The whole "royalty" kick confuses me, but at least your unelected leaders are straight about it.
posted by letitrain at 9:47 AM on June 11, 2004

9/10 on the Canadian test, but c'mon, I'm supposed to know who Richmond, B.C.'s local, provincial and federal representatives are? I'm from the East Coast, eh? Not to mention American. I do have Canadian cousins, though, and northern New York is practically in Canada anyway. I have to admit, I was a little shaky on some of those questions, and I totally guessed on the number of electoral districts. If the Canadian test weren't multiple-choice, I probably would've bombed.

/still more civic-minded than thou
posted by skoosh at 9:51 AM on June 11, 2004

9/10. Wicked. Where does my Green Card get mailed?
posted by chunking express at 10:04 AM on June 11, 2004

10 out of 10, but I correctly guessed the governor of North Carolina.
posted by tljenson at 9:14 PM on June 11, 2004

Although these questions seem generally pretty easy, included in the list of specimen questions provided by the USCIS is, "Name the thirteen original states of the Union". Not so simple, or something any respectable citizen should have on the tip of their tongue?
posted by normy at 10:03 PM on June 11, 2004

lessee - new england (me, nh, vt, ri, & mass) is five, then ny, nj, penn, conn, then w virginia and virginia, and then the carolinas... that's 13... not sure it's right, but that'd be my guess.
posted by mdn at 10:18 PM on June 11, 2004

I got 10/10. Now gimme my citizenship!
posted by madman at 11:54 PM on June 11, 2004

I got 11 out of 10.
posted by hama7 at 7:22 AM on June 12, 2004

re: the colonies - it occurred to me last night after I turned my computer off that georgia musta been a colony, because they wouldn't name a state after the king after the revolution. plus I forgot those weensy states - maryland, delaware... so now I've got too many, and I don't know which ones are wrong. West virginia could be later, I guess. I'll google it some time...
posted by mdn at 7:31 AM on June 12, 2004

West Virginia is later -- created out of the unionist rump of Virginia during the Civil War.

Original 13 are Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island (and Providence Plantations), Massachussetts, and New Hampshire.

Vermont came not too long after the ratification of the Constitution, and Maine was at the time part of Massachussetts and was split off in the early 1800's as one of those free-state/slave-state balancing acts.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 7:43 AM on June 12, 2004

9/10 US. 9/10 Canada. I guess I get my choice. Eenie meenie ....

But would either one want me?
posted by Geo at 3:55 PM on June 12, 2004

I filed a lawsuit - the test is culturally biased. (Who's yomerrican Daddy?)
posted by Opus Dark at 4:33 PM on June 12, 2004

9 out of 10... I was never taught what the 13 original states were.
posted by Keyser Soze at 8:00 PM on June 23, 2004