2025 civics test · Question 21 · System of Government
How many U.S. senators are there?
Official answer
- One hundred (100)
What this means
There are 100 U.S. senators.
Every state gets exactly two senators, no matter how large or small its population. There are 50 states, so 50 × 2 = 100. Wyoming, with under 600,000 people, has the same two votes in the Senate as California, with nearly 40 million.
This was a deliberate compromise when the Constitution was written: the Senate gives every state equal weight, while the House of Representatives is based on population. Together they form the two chambers of Congress.
Answer: one hundred (100).
Why this is on the test
The number 100 comes from a rule written into the Constitution (two senators per state regardless of size), which is the point the question is really testing.
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.
This question also appears on the 2008 civics test , as question 18.
Related questions
More from System of Government.
- 16 Name the three branches of government.
- 17 The President of the United States is in charge of which branch of government?
- 18 What part of the federal government writes laws?
- 19 What are the two parts of the U.S. Congress?
- 20 Name one power of the U.S. Congress.
- 22 How long is a term for a U.S. senator?