Civics question 115 of 128 65/20 set
What major event happened on September 11, 2001 in the United States?
4 accepted answers
- Terrorists attacked the United States
- Terrorists took over two planes and crashed them into the World Trade Center in New York City
- Terrorists took over a plane and crashed into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia
- Terrorists took over a plane originally aimed at Washington, D.C., and crashed in a field in Pennsylvania
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
Terrorists attacked the United States, and the accepted answers add the specifics: hijackers flew two planes into the World Trade Center in New York City, one into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, and a fourth crashed in a field in Pennsylvania after passengers fought back. Nineteen men from al-Qaeda hijacked four airliners that morning. Both towers collapsed within two hours, and 2,977 people were killed, the deadliest attack ever on American soil. The consequences reshaped the government: the Department of Homeland Security was created, airport screening was federalized, and military campaigns followed in Afghanistan and later Iraq. Those conflicts are asked about in a separate question, so keep this answer to the event itself.
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 Recent American History and Other Important Historical Information, inside the American History section of the test. It is also one of the 20 questions in the 65/20 set, so it is worth knowing well.
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