2025 civics test · Question 1 · Principles of American Government
What is the form of government of the United States?
Any one of these answers is accepted
- Republic
- Constitution-based federal republic
- Representative democracy
What this means
The United States is a republic. In a republic, power comes from the people, who elect representatives to make laws and run the government for them.
The officer will also accept “constitution-based federal republic” or “representative democracy.” Those longer answers describe the same system in more detail:
- Federal means power is shared between the national government and the fifty state governments.
- Representative means citizens vote for leaders to make decisions, rather than voting on every law themselves.
- Constitution-based means the Constitution sets the rules everyone, including the government, has to follow.
You do not need the full phrase. Saying “a republic” is enough to pass this question.
Why this is on the test
The very first 2025 question asks you to name the kind of government the country has, and the accepted answers are broad, so a short answer is safe.
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.
Related questions
More from Principles of American Government.
- 2 What is the supreme law of the land?
- 3 Name one thing the U.S. Constitution does.
- 4 The U.S. Constitution starts with the words "We the People." What does "We the People" mean?
- 5 How are changes made to the U.S. Constitution?
- 6 What does the Bill of Rights protect?
- 7 How many amendments does the U.S. Constitution have?