Civics question 5 of 128
How are changes made to the U.S. Constitution?
2 accepted answers
- Amendments
- The amendment process
You only need to give one of these. The officer accepts any of them.
Source: official USCIS question list for the 2025 version of the civics test. This site is independent and not affiliated with USCIS.
Background
Changes are made to the Constitution through amendments, and the test accepts either the word amendments or the amendment process. Article V sets out how it works. An amendment is proposed either by a two thirds vote in both the House and the Senate, or by a convention called by two thirds of the states, a route never used. It then takes effect only when three quarters of the states ratify it, currently thirty-eight of fifty. The deliberately high bar means a temporary majority cannot rewrite the rules, which is the point of putting it there. Only twenty-seven amendments have succeeded since 1789, and one of them undid another: Prohibition was added in 1919 and repealed in 1933. Ordinary laws are far easier to pass and change, which is where most political fights happen.
This background section is written by US Citizenship Test Practice to explain the civics fact. It is not part of the USCIS question list, and the official answer above is the one to give at the interview.
Where this question sits
It is part of Principles of American Government, inside the American Government section of the test.
Related questions
- 7. How many amendments does the U.S. Constitution have?
- 8. Why is the Declaration of Independence important?
- 9. What founding document said the American colonies were free from Britain?
- 10. Name two important ideas from the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution.
- 11. The words "Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness" are in what founding document?
- 12. What is the economic system of the United States?