Steve Rose: Can you pass a citizenship test? Try these 10 questions

Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt is onto something important. He proposes that Kansas students take the naturalization test as part of their civics curriculum. This is the test the United States administers to immigrants who want to become citizens.

There may be a general assumption that Kansas students would not score well on the naturalization test. There’s one way to find out. Give them the test.

There are 100 civics questions on the naturalization test. Applicants are asked, in English, up to 10 questions from the list. They must answer six of the 10 questions to pass.

That sounds reasonable. Could you pass? I have selected 10 out of the 100 — some of the more challenging questions. If you are an adult citizen, shouldn’t you be able to answer all of these basic questions correctly? Let’s see just how well you do. You also might give the test to a high school student who has taken a civics course.

The answers are at the bottom. No peeking.

1. Who is the chief justice of the United States?

2. How many justices are on the Supreme Court?

3. What is the name of the Speaker of the House now?

4. What is one responsibility that is only for United States citizens?

5. When is the last day you can send in federal income tax forms?

6. Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?:

7. When was the Constitution written?

8. What territory did the United States buy from France in 1803?”

9. Who was president during World War I?

10. If both the president and vice president can no longer serve, who becomes president?

ANSWERS:

1. John Roberts

2. Nine

3. Paul Ryan

4. Two possible answers: Either serve on a jury or vote in a federal election. Both are right.

5. April 15

6. Thomas Jefferson

7. 1787

8. Louisiana Territory

9. Woodrow Wilson

10. The Speaker of the House

How well did you do?

If you got all 10 right, good for you. You are a worthy citizen.

If you got eight right, pat yourself on the bank. Not a bad score.

If you got only six right, you are barely knowledgeable enough to become a citizen.

If you got less than six right, you are in deep trouble. Back to civics class for you!

This story was originally published January 19, 2016 at 4:57 PM with the headline "Steve Rose: Can you pass a citizenship test? Try these 10 questions."