Civics question 6 of 128
What does the Bill of Rights protect?
2 accepted answers
- (The basic) rights of Americans
- (The basic) rights of people living in the United States
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
The Bill of Rights protects the basic rights of Americans, and the test also accepts the basic rights of people living in the United States. That second wording matters, because most of these protections apply to people present in the country rather than to citizens alone. The Bill of Rights is the name for the first ten amendments, ratified together in 1791. They cover freedom of speech, religion, press, assembly, and petition, the right to bear arms, protection from unreasonable searches, the right to remain silent, the right to a lawyer and a jury trial, and limits on punishment. The last two amendments in the set are about the shape of power itself, reserving to the states and the people everything the Constitution did not hand to the federal government.
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
- 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?
- 13. What is the rule of law?