The example of such a change given in both the Slate and Washington Post articles is: instead of “How many stripes are on the American flag?” the question might be “Why are there 13 stripes on the American flag?”
Out of the 144 or so questions, 10 would be chosen for any given test, and test takers need to answer at least 6 out of 10 correctly to pass. But the civics lesson lies, I suppose, in having people study for the exam by learning the answers to all the potential questions so that they’re prepared for whichever 10 might appear. While officials talk about making the tests more “meaningful,” immigration advocates worry that these reforms may make the tests simply more difficult, another brick in the bureaucratic wall built around our borders.
Slate also provides a link to the current list of about 100 questions, which I printed out and attempted to answer. It’s ironic (or perhaps just sad) that any immigrant who did learn the answers to all the questions would most likely be better informed about U.S. history than many, if not most, native-born citizens and immigrants like me, who was naturalized along with my parents when I was still a minor. I’d gotten a fairly good K-12 public school education, and I still had trouble with a few of the questions: I never did know exactly how many members there are in the House of Representatives (435), or which constitutional amendments have to do with voting rights (I remembered one, but there are four: 15th, 19th, 24th, and 26th), or even how many amendments there are (27). And do you know in what year the Constitution was written? (1787) If I ever knew it, I’d forgotten.
Anyway, the list of questions provides a predictable picture of America’s view of its own cultural heritage, the ideas and institutions that we think make America great. The Constitution, the Bill of Rights, George Washington, the Emancipation Proclamation, the Revolutionary War, and Pilgrims all make an appearance. Nothing controversial: most items are tidy, simplified facts we learn and memorize in grade school; the patriotism is implicit but pervasive. “What is the most important right granted to United States citizens?” Answer: “The right to vote.” The only reference to post-Civil War history is “Who was Martin Luther King, Jr.?” More practical questions include “What is the minimum voting age in the United States?” and “In what month do we vote for the President?”
I don’t have a problem with any of these questions per se. I’d want my fellow citizens and citizens-to-be to know this stuff, to know at least the rudiments of what we deem our collective national history. But reading over this list, I had two reactions slightly at odds with each other: 1) the knowledge it covered seemed so paltry and inadequate, not to mention sanitized, and 2) why should only those becoming citizens be tested on what everyone ought to know? (I suppose the assumption is that these are the facts that every citizen already knows on account of our great public school system. But I’ve seen those Jay Leno man-in-the-streets segments and we all know we can’t assume any such thing.) So, in the spirit of reform and civic pride, what would happen if we asked every citizen, 18 and over, to take the citizenship test, with the chance to learn all the answers ahead of time? And better yet, what if we revised the questions so that they reflected a more complex and complete history of the nation to which we’re asking immigrants to pledge allegiance, forsaking all others?
Here are some questions that I think would make the test more meaningful:
1. What programs were begun as part of the New Deal and why?
2. How is Social Security funded?
3. What is the difference between Medicare and Medicaid, and who qualifies for each?
4. Recite the most famous lines from Emma Lazarus’s poem that is now part of the Statue of Liberty.
5. Why don’t we have a national religion? What does the separation of church and state mean?
6. What is the Scopes Monkey Trial?
7. What is a labor union?
8. Whom do lobbyists work for and what do they do?
9. What issue was Brown vs. Board of Ed about?
10. Name three famous American writers, poets, or artists.
11. Name three famous immigrants to America (besides Arnold Schwarzenegger).
Perhaps Tom Tancredo (R-CO) should be the first to take this new test.
But if we want to keep the quiz limited to immigrants seeking citizenship, then perhaps we should test them on what America’s collective knowledge actually is, rather than what we wish it were. In which case, the following questions might be more appropriate:
1. Who is Oprah?
2. What does “Brangelina” refer to?
3. Name two national pizza chains.
4. Who is the richest man in America?
5. What sport is played on Super Bowl Sunday?
6. What does it mean to “google” somebody?
7. What fast food chain’s ad slogan is “I’m lovin’ it”?
8. What is Wal-Mart? (and what makes it evil?)
9. Mac or PC?
10. Coke or Pepsi?
Readers, care to add your questions?
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