Civics question 122 of 128
Why does the flag have 50 stars?
3 accepted answers
- (Because there is) one star for each state
- (Because) each star represents a state
- (Because there are) 50 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 flag has fifty stars because there is one star for each state, and the accepted phrasings include that each star represents a state and that there are fifty states. Stars have been added as states joined, so the flag has had twenty-seven official versions. The current one dates from July 4, 1960, after Hawaii became the fiftieth state the year before, and it is the longest-serving design in American history. Its arrangement, five rows of six alternating with four rows of five, came from a design a seventeen-year-old high school student in Ohio submitted for a class project. If a fifty-first state were ever admitted, the stars would change and the thirteen stripes would stay as they are.
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 Symbols, inside the Symbols And Holidays section of the test.