U.S. introduces new citizenship test
New citzenship test will be adminsitered from October 2008; replaces memorization of facts and figures with questions which test understanding of the fundamentals of American civic life
The federal government last week introduced a new U.S. citizenship civics exam designed to force would-be citizens to go beyond mere memorizing of historical facts and instead grasp the fundamental meaning of being an American. Gone are questions about the number of states in the union or what country the U.S. fought in the Revolutionary War. In their place are questions about why the colonists went to war with Britain or what powers are held exclusively by the federal government. “It’s no longer a test about how many stars are on the flag or how many stripes, it’s a test that genuinely talks about those things that make America what it is,” said
Emilio Gonzalez, director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The goal, he said, was a better test, not a harder test
