2025 civics test · Question 121 · Symbols
Why does the flag have 13 stripes?
Any one of these answers is accepted
- (Because there were) 13 original colonies
- (Because the stripes) represent the original colonies
What this means
The flag has 13 stripes because there were 13 original colonies. Each stripe represents one of the colonies that became the first states.
Learn this one alongside its pair, because the test asks both and they are easy to reverse:
- 13 stripes: the 13 original colonies
- 50 stars: the 50 states today
The stripes look back to the country’s beginning; the stars show what it is now.
Did you know? The first U.S. flag had 13 stripes, but the official flag briefly had 15 after Vermont and Kentucky joined the Union. Congress restored the 13-stripe design in 1818. Stars have been added as new states joined.
Answer: because there were 13 original colonies.
Why this is on the test
The stripes and the stars are two separate questions with two different answers, 13 for the original colonies and 50 for the states today.
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 96.
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