Could you be American?

[Stavros]

Because everything in America is bigger the citizenship test I found in the Christian Science Monitor has 96 questions and is cumbersome to deal with, but I did it and got 89 right. I got wrong questions 12, 33 (never heard of 'Selective Service'), 46, 48, 62 (poorly worded question), 70 ('The British Army stayed in their houses' -?? don't even understand that), and 87.

It might be helpful if an American who wants to draws up say 10 key questions he or she thinks every US Citizenship should known the answer to...

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2011/0104/Could-you-pass-a-US-citizenship-test/Who-signs-bills

[TSLoverIB]

We should have a 10 Question test before you are allowed to vote.

[MdR Dave]

It should be an IQ test.

[NightmareX0666]

Because everything in America is bigger the citizenship test I found in the Christian Science Monitor has 96 questions and is cumbersome to deal with, but I did it and got 89 right. I got wrong questions 12, 33 (never heard of 'Selective Service'), 46, 48, 62 (poorly worded question), 70 ('The British Army stayed in their houses' -?? don't even understand that), and 87.

It might be helpful if an American who wants to draws up say 10 key questions he or she thinks every US Citizenship should known the answer to...

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2011/0104/Could-you-pass-a-US-citizenship-test/Who-signs-bills

Like any good American I started to take the test...got bored...and found some porn.

Actually got 91% right...not bad.

[Willie Escalade]

Currently taking it now...stay tuned...

[flabbybody]

I was 12 for 12 before my pc conked out. does anyone really think think the Commander in Chief is the secretary of defense?

I believe a US citizen test should ask 5 questions:
1) Who was the first president
2) Who is the current President
3) Name the two main political parties in the US
4) Who was president at the beginning of the Civil War
5) What did Paul Revere do to become famous

[Willie Escalade]

Ugh...I gave up after I got the required amount correct; I did miss six of them...how embarrassing!

[NightmareX0666]

I was 12 for 12 before my pc conked out. does anyone really think think the Commander in Chief is the secretary of defense?

I believe a US citizen test should ask 5 questions:
1) Who was the first president
2) Who is the current President
3) Name the two main political parties in the US
4) Who was president at the beginning of the Civil War
5) What did Paul Revere do to become famous

Fact: First of all, it's not likely Paul Revere ever yelled out the words "The British Are Coming" because the areas he rode through often had British army patrols and besides most of the colonials of the time considered themselves British and were loyal to the crown. The purpose of the ride was to warn John Hancock and Samuel Adams who were in Lexington at the time. He did inform others along the way but not by yelling in the streets.

Also, Paul Revere was not the only rider to make the trip. William Dawes and Samuel Prescott also made the ride and in fact Prescott was the only one of the three to make it to Concord (the location of their weapons stores where they thought the British army was ultimately headed). Revere was caught and detained by a British patrol and was left horseless to walk back to Lexington.

Revere was barely even known until Henry Wadsworth Longfellow published his famous poem in 1863 (it was written in 1860). The poem was never meant to be a "history lesson" but it's what most Americans remember.
http://www.interestingushistory.com/Myth-In-April-of-1775-Paul-Revere.html

[broncofan]

I only did seven questions and got them right. My computer was taking forever to load each new page.

If I could write some questions they would not be particularly tough:
1. What two bodies make up congress?
2. What are some of the functions of the Supreme Court of the United States?
a. decide on constitutionality of federal laws?
b. decide on constitutionality of state laws?
c. act as court of last resort in cases arising under federal law?
d. all of the above
3. How many justices on the Supreme Court?
4. How many U.S senators in the senate?
5. Who was the President at the beginning of WWII?
6. Who was the President during the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki?
7. Who was the President at the time of the stock market crash of 1929?
8. Who was chairman of the federal reserve on Black Monday?
9. How many amendments in the bill of rights?
10. How many presidential elections did FDR win?
11. Who was the first Vice President of the United States?
John Quincy Adams, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, James Madison
12. Who was the primary author of the declaration of independence?
13. Who was President during the Bay of Pigs invasion?
14. Who was the hero of New Orleans?
15. Who was secretary of the treasury when the first bank of the U.S was established? Hint: he lost a famous duel to Thomas Jefferson's vice president
16. Who wrote the Communist Manifesto? (cold war question: subtract one point if they answer it correctly and start a file on them).
17. In 50 words, describe the role guns play in your life? (if they fail to exceed the word limit or say something negative you deny them citizenship).

This is all I could come up with off the top of my head but my knowledge of U.S history is not all that deep.

[Willie Escalade]

The hero of New Orleans was Drew Brees

[Bopper007]

Got a 97% correct, but it was very tedious to get through.

[BrassVillanueva]

I'd rather it be overly-long and ensure that we have informed citizens than overly-simple and open ourselves up to an ignorant voting public. Oh, wait...

Anyway, I got 100%. I was way too much of a civics nerd in high school.

[Stavros]

I was 12 for 12 before my pc conked out. does anyone really think think the Commander in Chief is the secretary of defense?

I believe a US citizen test should ask 5 questions:
1) Who was the first president
2) Who is the current President
3) Name the two main political parties in the US
4) Who was president at the beginning of the Civil War
5) What did Paul Revere do to become famous

1) George Washington
2) Barack Obama
3) Democratic Party, Republican Party
4) Abraham Lincoln
5) -not sure how to answer this -symbolised the individual spirit and courage of the American Revolution?
-was Paul Revere famous in his own time, or after the Revolution?

[Stavros]

I only did seven questions and got them right. My computer was taking forever to load each new page.

If I could write some questions they would not be particularly tough:
1. What two bodies make up congress?
2. What are some of the functions of the Supreme Court of the United States?
a. decide on constitutionality of federal laws?
b. decide on constitutionality of state laws?
c. act as court of last resort in cases arising under federal law?
d. all of the above
3. How many justices on the Supreme Court?
4. How many U.S senators in the senate?
5. Who was the President at the beginning of WWII?
6. Who was the President during the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki?
7. Who was the President at the time of the stock market crash of 1929?
8. Who was chairman of the federal reserve on Black Monday?
9. How many amendments in the bill of rights?
10. How many presidential elections did FDR win?
11. Who was the first Vice President of the United States?
John Quincy Adams, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, James Madison
12. Who was the primary author of the declaration of independence?
13. Who was President during the Bay of Pigs invasion?
14. Who was the hero of New Orleans?
15. Who was secretary of the treasury when the first bank of the U.S was established? Hint: he lost a famous duel to Thomas Jefferson's vice president
16. Who wrote the Communist Manifesto? (cold war question: subtract one point if they answer it correctly and start a file on them).
17. In 50 words, describe the role guns play in your life? (if they fail to exceed the word limit or say something negative you deny them citizenship).

This is all I could come up with off the top of my head but my knowledge of U.S history is not all that deep.

Without googling ir reaching out for some books:

1) The House of Representatives, and the Senate
2) D, 'All of the above'
3) Nine
4) 100
5) FD Roosevelt
6) Harold Truman
7) Herbert Hoover
8) Don't know
9) 27 (this is one of the questions I got wrong in the CSM test)
10) Four (1932, 1936, 1940, 1944)
11) Not sure -Madison?
12) Thomas Jefferson
13) John F. Kennedy
14) No idea but Willy says Drew Brees so I will go with that- or is it the American Arab who wrote a book -Zeytoun?
15) No idea
16) co-written: draft by Frederick Engels, final text by Karl Marx, ps I think the US already has a file on me (!!)
17) I refuse to answer this question and anyway I am not American.

[Stavros]

Here are some sample questions that I think an American ought to know the answer to:

1) What is the name of the ancient sea that once divided the continental USA into two segments?
2) Name five of the nations that lived in the USA before the first settlers arrived.
2)

[Stavros]

Sorry I made a mistake and have to start again, so:

Here are some sample questions that I think an American ought to know the answer to:

1) What is the name of the ancient sea that once divided the continental USA into two segments?
2) Name five of the nations that lived in the USA before the first settlers arrived.
3) In one sentence what is the historical importance of Lexington, Massachusetts?
4) Where was the first capital city of the United States?
5) What are the three branches of Government in the USA?
6) In which state did the commercial oil and gas business begin in 1859?
7) Name three of the most famous businessmen of the last quarter of the 19th century.
8) Identify the sources of the following quotes:
a) "Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we fail".
b) "Call me Ishmael".
c) "Jewel and I came up from the field, following the path in single file".
d) "I, too, sing America".
e) "In my dreams you walk dripping from a sea-journey on the highway across America in tears to the door of my cottage in the Western night".
f) "It was a queer, sultry summer, the summer they electrocuted the Rosenbergs, and I didn't know what I was doing in New York".
9. Name three pioneers of Jazz associated with the 1920s.
10. With whom do you associate Mickey Mouse?

-that's all folks!

[flabbybody]

1) George Washington
2) Barack Obama
3) Democratic Party, Republican Party
4) Abraham Lincoln
5) -not sure how to answer this -symbolised the individual spirit and courage of the American Revolution?
-was Paul Revere famous in his own time, or after the Revolution?
It was a trick question Stavros. During his own time, Revere's fame was as the main organizer of the Boston Tea Party. The subsequent tea shortage prompted him to open a coffee shop, Revere's Roast, which soon after 1776 changed its name to Starbucks and went on to become the global coffee chain we now know.
Centuries passed before the story of his late night ride warning Revolutionary troops of the impending British attack was immortalized in a hit song by Bon jovi.
many answers would have been acceptable.

[NightmareX0666]

It was a trick question Stavros. During his own time, Revere's fame was as the main organizer of the Boston Tea Party. The subsequent tea shortage prompted him to open a coffee shop, Revere's Roast, which soon after 1776 changed its name to Starbucks and went on to become the global coffee chain we now know.
Centuries passed before the story of his late night ride warning Revolutionary troops of the impending British attack was immortalized in a hit song by Bon jovi.
many answers would have been acceptable.

Isn't Paul Revere a vampire? I seem to recall a band Paul Revere and the Raiders (you would think he would have chosen the Patriots over the Raiders, but hey who am I to talk - I'm a Browns fan!) who played back in the 50s or so... he might have changed his name I think he goes by Justin Bierber...how else can a brat like that become famous?

[Stavros]

It was a trick question Stavros. During his own time, Revere's fame was as the main organizer of the Boston Tea Party. The subsequent tea shortage prompted him to open a coffee shop, Revere's Roast, which soon after 1776 changed its name to Starbucks and went on to become the global coffee chain we now know.
Centuries passed before the story of his late night ride warning Revolutionary troops of the impending British attack was immortalized in a hit song by Bon jovi.
many answers would have been acceptable.

About that coffee shop...something just don't smell right, and it's not the coffee...

[Willie Escalade]

The Drew Brees answer was a joke. Think Super Bowl...

Also, Aaron Burr is an answer to one of those questions (not saying which one)...

[martin48]

Just one extra question - why would I want to be an American?