Civics question 35 of 128
Some states have more representatives than other states. Why?
3 accepted answers
- (Because of) the state's population
- (Because) they have more people
- (Because) some states have more people
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
Some states have more representatives because they have more people. House seats are distributed among the states by population, a process called apportionment that is redone after each census, taken every ten years. The national total is fixed at 435, so seats do not simply multiply; they move. A state growing faster than the national average gains seats and one growing more slowly loses them, which is why every census draws political attention to the count itself. Every state receives at least one seat regardless of size. The Senate works the opposite way, with two seats for every state, and the contrast between the two chambers is exactly what this question is checking.
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 System of Government, inside the American Government section of the test.
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