Civics Lesson – United States Congress

July 16, 2017
Civics Lesson

It’s nearly impossible these days to turn on the news and not hear about what’s happening in Congress. So, what is Congress? Who is in Congress? Who represents you in Congress? These are important questions any U.S. Citizen should be able to answer, which is why there are several questions about the United States Congress on the N-400 Civics Test.

The United States Congress is one of the branches/parts of the U.S. government. Its members are chosen through elections. There are two parts to Congress: the Senate and the House of Representatives.

There are 100 U.S. Senators. Each state has two U.S. Senators. A U.S. Senator is elected to serve a six-year term. A U.S. Senator represents all of the people in his or her state.

You should know the names of the U.S. Senators who represent your state. You can find out who those individuals are – as well as their office contact information – here.

There are 435 voting members of the House of Representatives. [Note: There are six non-voting members of the House of Representatives. These individuals represent Washington D.C., Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.] The number of representatives per state varies depending on the state’s population. A U.S. Representative is elected to serve a two-year term.

You should know the name of the U.S. Representative who represents your district. You can find out who that individual is – as well as contact information for his or her office – here.

 

POP QUIZ!

The following questions may be asked during your N-400 Civics Test.

  1. What are the two parts of the U.S. Congress?
  2. How many U.S. Senators are there?
  3. We elect a U.S. Senator for how many years?
  4. Who is one of your state’s U.S. Senators now?
  5. The House of Representatives has how many voting members?
  6. We elect a U.S. Representative for how many years?
  7. Name your U.S. Representative.
  8. Who does a U.S. Senator represent?
  9. Why do some States have more Representatives than other states?

Answers [Note: N-400 Applicants are encouraged to respond to the civics questions using the answers provided below.]

  1. the Senate and House (of Representatives)
  2. one hundred (100)
  3. six (6)
  4. Answers will vary. – use the link above to find your state’s U.S. Senators.
  5. four hundred thirty-five (435)
  6. two (2)
  7. Answers will vary. – use the link above to find your district’s U.S. Representative.
  8. all people of the state
  9. because of the state’s population, because they have more people, because some states have more people

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