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Question 6 of 100 · 2008 civics test

What is one right or freedom from the First Amendment?

Part of the 2008 test, which applies if you filed Form N-400 before October 20, 2025.

On the 65/20 list: one of the 20 questions for applicants 65 or older with 20 years as permanent residents.

Accepted answers

  • speech
  • religion
  • assembly
  • press
  • petition the government

Each answer here counts on its own. If the question asks for two or more, give that many.

Why this is the answer

Name one and stop there. The First Amendment protects five freedoms, speech, religion, assembly, press and petitioning the government, and the question asks for only one of them. Each is on the official list as an answer by itself, so choose the one you can say most clearly; for many people that is speech. The amendment is a single sentence, and it is aimed squarely at Congress: it says Congress shall make no law establishing a religion or blocking its free exercise, and none abridging the freedom of speech or of the press, the right to assemble peaceably, or the right to petition the government for a redress of grievances. USCIS groups most of these under freedom of expression, which allows open discussion and debate on public issues, and it calls that kind of debate important to democracy. In everyday terms, speech means you can say or write what you think without fear of going to jail for it, for example by writing to a newspaper about a policy you dislike. Petition is the one people forget. It means asking the government to change a law or an action you think is unfair. These freedoms belong to everyone living in the United States, so a permanent resident preparing for the interview already holds them. That detail tends to make the list easier to remember, because you can match each item to something you have probably done: spoken your mind, attended a service, joined a gathering, read the news. The classic wrong answer is the right to bear arms. It sits right next door in the Second Amendment, which is why it gets mixed in. The vote is another tempting guess, but voting rights come from later amendments, not the First. This is also one of the asterisk questions, so applicants who are 65 or older with 20 or more years as permanent residents will find it on their shorter list.

Sources

Other questions about Principles of American Democracy