People Seeking US Citizenship Face Tougher Test
2020-12-08
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1People seeking U.S. citizenship will now be required to take a longer and more complex test.
2The test centers on civics, a study of the rights and duties of citizenship.
3There are now 128 subjects relating to American history and government for applicants to study before taking the test.
4There used to be 100 subjects.
5The new test requires applicants to answer 20 questions instead of 10.
6To pass, individuals must answer 12 questions correctly, or 60 percent.
7This is the same pass rate as before.
8The process of becoming a U.S. citizen is known as "naturalization."
9Passing the naturalization test is the final requirement for legal permanent residents - also known as green card holders - to become American citizens.
10A U.S. immigration official asks the applicant the questions during a naturalization interview, one of the final steps in the process.
11U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is the federal agency that administers the country's naturalization and immigration system.
12Last year, it announced it was improving the naturalization test for the first time since 2008.
13The change became official last week.
14Anyone applying for U.S. naturalization after December 1, 2020, must take the new test version.
15The USCIS's acting director, Ken Cuccinelli, said in July it was the agency's responsibility to improve and keep the test current in order to help new citizens "fully understand the meaning of U.S. citizenship and the values that unite all Americans."
16While many questions have not changed, some have been reworded and others will require additional explanation in the answers.
17For example, the former test asked, "There were 13 original states, name three."
18The new version states "There were 13 original states. Name five."
19Instead of "What are two rights of everyone living in the United States?," an applicant must now answer, "What are three rights of everyone living in the United States?"
20Some immigrant rights groups have criticized the new test, saying some questions were made more difficult without a clear reason to do so.
21Aaron Reichlin-Melnick is with the American Immigration Council.
22He raised concerns that some questions were influenced by politics.
23"On the old test, applicants could be asked 'Who does a U.S. senator represent?' The suggested answer was 'all people of the state,'" he said.
24On the new test, the suggested answer is "citizens of their state."
25"This is not correct," Reichlin-Melnick said.
26"Members of Congress represent everyone who lives within their district, regardless of citizenship status. It's been that way since the nation was founded."
27A 2018 study by the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation found that only one in three U.S.-born citizens would pass the former naturalization test.
28USCIS said it finalized the new test with the help of community-based organizations and volunteers across the country in summer 2020.
29"The data collected from this pilot was used to help USCIS make determinations about the language and grammatical structure of individual test items," the agency said.
30Sarah Pierce is a policy expert at the Washington D.C.-based, Migration Policy Institute.
31She said the test changes could possibly triple the amount of time each immigration officer needs to spend with applicants.
32"These changes reduce the efficiency of this already struggling agency," Pierce said.
33"The administration is adding hundreds of thousands of more minutes to these naturalization exams."
34USCIS spokesman Dan Hetlage said applicants 65 years and older who have been living in the U.S. legally for at least 20 years will be provided special consideration.
35They will be able to study from a smaller number of civics subjects and will need to only get six out of 10 questions correct to pass.
36I'm Bryan Lynn.
1People seeking U.S. citizenship will now be required to take a longer and more complex test. 2The test centers on civics, a study of the rights and duties of citizenship. There are now 128 subjects relating to American history and government for applicants to study before taking the test. There used to be 100 subjects. 3The new test requires applicants to answer 20 questions instead of 10. To pass, individuals must answer 12 questions correctly, or 60 percent. This is the same pass rate as before. 4The process of becoming a U.S. citizen is known as "naturalization." Passing the naturalization test is the final requirement for legal permanent residents - also known as green card holders - to become American citizens. A U.S. immigration official asks the applicant the questions during a naturalization interview, one of the final steps in the process. 5U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is the federal agency that administers the country's naturalization and immigration system. Last year, it announced it was improving the naturalization test for the first time since 2008. The change became official last week. Anyone applying for U.S. naturalization after December 1, 2020, must take the new test version. 6The USCIS's acting director, Ken Cuccinelli, said in July it was the agency's responsibility to improve and keep the test current in order to help new citizens "fully understand the meaning of U.S. citizenship and the values that unite all Americans." 7What's new 8While many questions have not changed, some have been reworded and others will require additional explanation in the answers. For example, the former test asked, "There were 13 original states, name three." The new version states "There were 13 original states. Name five." 9Instead of "What are two rights of everyone living in the United States?," an applicant must now answer, "What are three rights of everyone living in the United States?" 10Some immigrant rights groups have criticized the new test, saying some questions were made more difficult without a clear reason to do so. 11Aaron Reichlin-Melnick is with the American Immigration Council. He raised concerns that some questions were influenced by politics. 12"On the old test, applicants could be asked 'Who does a U.S. senator represent?' The suggested answer was 'all people of the state,'" he said. On the new test, the suggested answer is "citizens of their state." 13"This is not correct," Reichlin-Melnick said. "Members of Congress represent everyone who lives within their district, regardless of citizenship status. It's been that way since the nation was founded." 14A 2018 study by the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation found that only one in three U.S.-born citizens would pass the former naturalization test. 15USCIS said it finalized the new test with the help of community-based organizations and volunteers across the country in summer 2020. "The data collected from this pilot was used to help USCIS make determinations about the language and grammatical structure of individual test items," the agency said. 16Sarah Pierce is a policy expert at the Washington D.C.-based, Migration Policy Institute. She said the test changes could possibly triple the amount of time each immigration officer needs to spend with applicants. 17"These changes reduce the efficiency of this already struggling agency," Pierce said. "The administration is adding hundreds of thousands of more minutes to these naturalization exams." 18USCIS spokesman Dan Hetlage said applicants 65 years and older who have been living in the U.S. legally for at least 20 years will be provided special consideration. They will be able to study from a smaller number of civics subjects and will need to only get six out of 10 questions correct to pass. 19I'm Bryan Lynn. 20VOA News and The Associated Press reported on this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the reports for Learning English. Hai Do was the editor. 21We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section, and visit our Facebook page. 22__________________________________________________ 23Words in This Story 24applicant - n. someone who asks for something officially, usually in writing 25interview - n. a meeting in which someone is asked questions to see if they are suitable for a job, position, etc. 26original - adj. existing since the beginning 27status - n. the legal position of someone or something 28determination - n. a decision that something will happen 29efficiency - n. the good use of time and energy