2025 civics test · Question 68 · Rights and Responsibilities

How can people become United States citizens?

Any one of these answers is accepted

  • Be born in the United States, under the conditions set by the 14th Amendment
  • Naturalize
  • Derive citizenship (under conditions set by Congress)

What this means

There are a few ways people become United States citizens, and naming one answers the question:

  • Being born in the United States, under the conditions set by the 14th Amendment.
  • Naturalizing - the process most immigrants go through, which ends with passing the tests and taking the Oath of Allegiance.
  • Deriving citizenship through citizen parents, under rules set by Congress.

If you are studying for this test, you are on the naturalization path, so that is an easy answer to remember. It is the process of applying, passing the English and civics tests, and taking the Oath.

Answer with any one: “naturalize,” “be born in the United States,” or “derive citizenship from your parents.”

Why this is on the test

This 2025 question sits close to home for anyone studying for the test, since it describes the very paths that lead to citizenship.

How this question is asked

On the 2025 civics test, the officer asks up to 20 of the 128 questions out loud and you pass by answering 12 correctly. You answer in your own words. There is no multiple choice and nothing to write down for the civics portion.

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