How many Americans could pass the new citizenship exam?

  1. Name two important ideas from the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution

  2. Why is the Electoral College important?

  3. The Nation’s first motto was “E Pluribus Unum.” What does that mean?

  4. Why did the United States enter the Persian Gulf War?

  5. Why do U.S. representatives serve shorter terms than U.S. senators

Would-be U.S. citizens will face a much harder exam on civics and history, reports Ariana Baio in The Independent.

Until now, applicants had to answer six of 10 questions correctly from a test bank of 100 questions before the exam. For example, they might be asked to name one First Amendment right, know that the Constitution is “the supreme law of the land,” pick November as the month of presidential elections, identify George Washington as the first president or name one Indian tribe.

Now they’ll have to get 12 of 20 questions correct out of a test bank of 128 questions. There are fewer one-word answers.

The old version included: Who did the U.S. fight in World War II?

The new version: Why did the U.S. fight in World War II?

The new exam resembles a more challenging version released late in 2020, just before Trump’s first term ended. The Biden administration scrapped that test, saying it created too high a barrier for citizenship.

I wonder how the average American would do on the new exam. In fact, I’m not sure most Americans could pass the old one.

Possible answers to the questions above:

  1. Equality. Liberty. Social contract. Natural rights. Limited government. Self-government.

  2. It decides who is elected president. It provides a compromise between the popular election of the president and congressional selection

  3. Out of many, one. We all become one

  4. To force the Iraqi military from Kuwait.

  5. To more closely follow public opinion.

Citizenship should require more than memorizing facts and slogans, argues Santiago Vidal Calvo in City Journal. The higher standards should start with “higher expectations — expanding basic civics and English requirements for permanent residency and certain work visas that have a path to citizenship,” he writes.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is also “changing how it evaluates the “good moral character” requirement for green-card applicants, he writes. As in the Canadian and Australian points-based systems, U.S. immigration officers can now “prioritize applicants with in-demand skill sets, advanced education, English proficiency, and a clear commitment to American civic values.”
“We should encourage newcomers to embrace an American identity,” Calvo writes. “This might include a brief course on U.S. history and civic responsibilities as an application requirement for green cards. We might ask naturalization applicants to write a short essay explaining what America means to them.”

He notes that “three-quarters of naturalized U.S. citizens say they are very proud to be American, compared with 69 percent of native-born Americans.”

Tyler Cowen makes a pitch for admitting high-ability immigrants from China, India and Russia. They’re eager to be Americans — and very good in math.