Make the U.S. citizenship test harder

This year the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is expected to update the citizenship test.  With about a 96% passing rate, the current version is almost easy enough for the Cheat-in-Chief to pass—almost!  It needs to be harder.  Only accomplished legal aliens should be endowed with citizenship rights; how can they care to reinvigorate our constitutional republic if they know nothing about it?

Currently, a citizen wannabee only has to get 6 out of ten civics questions during the interview portion correct; that’s about the equivalent of D-.  That’s simply not good enough for those who presume to assume the mantle of American.  Even 7 out of 10 would be forgiving as that equates to about a C, but America begins with A.

Not only must the passing threshold be increased, but the questions need to measure comprehensive civics knowledge, rather than just reward someone with sound short-term memory.  It’s simply too simple, even without the plethora of study guides.

The USCIS is conducting a pilot test that replaces oral questions with multiple-choice questions.  That’s an improvement because their design requires a broader base of knowledge.  An example can be found here.

A ninety-plus percent passing rate doesn’t even constitute a proper “test” but a perfunctory validation for almost all newcomers. But the path that ascends to citizenship of such a great country must be gaspingly steeper.

Here’s my brief sample of multiple-choice questions to whittle down the ludicrously liberal pass rate:  

Circle the correct answer:

• America is known as the “Land of the Free, the Home of the__________.” (Redskins, Patriots, Redcoats, Tomahawks, Brave)

• The due process clauses of the 5th and 14th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution can be tied to…?  (Magna cum Laude, Cicero, Magnum P.I., Magna Carta, Communist Manifesto)

• For the first time in history, our founders acknowledged that the pursuit of ________ is a fundamental human right. (wealth, pleasure, hedonism, mindfulness, happiness)

• Contrary to the 1619 Project’s propaganda, America was founded on idealistic principles for all humans; we call this the _______. (American Dream, welfare state, socialist’s dream, “real” communism, caste system)

• Part of Thomas Jefferson’s mandate to the Lewis and Clark Expedition was to find the _____ . (Northwest Passage, Shangri-La, Silk Road, El Dorado, Continental Divide)

• The _______, articulated in 1823, attempted, in part, to prevent further European interference in the Americas. (Adams Proclamation, Lombardi Game Plan, Washington Resolution, Jackson Edict, Monroe Doctrine)

• In Democracy in America, Alexis de Tocqueville wrote: “The __________ colonies have always enjoyed more internal freedom and more political independence than the colonies of other nations.” (Spanish, French, Belgium, English, Portuguese)

• In 1773, a mob chucked a boatload of British tea into Boston Harbor.  How many pounds did they wantonly waste? (50,000, 60,000 70,000, 80,000, over 90,000)

• The battle of ________________ is widely regarded as the start of the American Revolution. (The Bulge, The Alamo, Little Bighorn, Bull Run, Lexington and Concord)

In addition to returning illegal aliens (a much more pressing issue) whence they came, a future President Trump will do well to impose stricter requirements for permanent legal aliens to become U.S. citizens.  In fact, he did it once before, making the citizenship test harder to pass.  Predictably, Joe Biden the dunce once again demonstrated his penchant to make America average (something he can relate to), by dumbing-down the test.  His executive order titled “Restoring Faith in Our Legal Immigration System” emphasizes inclusion, rather than merit.

During the last decade, USCIS opened up America the Beautiful to 7.7 million naturalized citizens.  Nevertheless, the United States is reputed to have one of the most stringent citizenship processes.  That seems dubious, but if correct, then good!  If a citizenship applicant has advanced occupational skills that can help MAGA, then that wannabee should have no trouble scoring at least 80% on a new multiple-choice civics test.  Then, presuming they’re of good moral character and financially independent, they are welcome to partake of our bounty, commensurate with their contributions.

Our MAGA efforts require not only kicking out the illegals gaming the system, but ensuring our immigration and naturalization system is based on meritocracy, not DEI imperatives and family sponsorships.  We are exceptional, so let’s indeed restore faith in our legal immigration system.

Image: Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons, unaltered.