Question 35 of 128 · American Government · System of Government
Some states have more representatives than other states. Why?
Accepted answers
- (Because of) the state’s population
- (Because) they have more people
- (Because) some states have more people
Any one of these is accepted, unless the question asks for more than one.
Why this is the answer
Seats in the House are divided among the states by population. A state with more residents gets more representatives, and a state with fewer gets fewer. California, the state with the most people, has 52 voting members; Wyoming, the state with the fewest, has one. USCIS accepts three ways of saying it: because of the state's population, because they have more people, or because some states have more people. The rule comes straight from Article I, Section 2, which says representatives are apportioned among the states according to their respective numbers, counted in a census every ten years. Until the first census could be taken, the Constitution simply listed the seats for each of the original states, from one for Delaware and for Rhode Island to ten for Virginia. It also guaranteed every state at least one representative, however small. The census is what turns population into seats: it counts the people, and the count decides how many representatives each state should have. The way people are counted has changed. The original formula counted some people only in part: it added three fifths of "all other Persons" and left out Indians not taxed. The 14th Amendment, ratified in 1868, dropped the three-fifths rule and counts the whole number of persons in each state instead, still leaving out Indians not taxed. The 2008 study lessons explain the purpose: the Founding Fathers wanted people in all states to be represented fairly, so states with many people have a stronger voice in the House, while in the Senate every state has the same number of seats. Wrong answers usually point to something other than people. One is land area, as if bigger states got more seats. Others guess wealth, taxes paid, or the year a state joined the Union. None of those decides House seats. Population does, and it is counted again every ten years.
Sources
- One Nation, One People: The USCIS 2025 Civics Test Study Guide · M-1175 (2025)
- The Constitution of the United States: A Transcription · National Archives
- Constitutional Amendments 11-27 · National Archives
- Learn About the United States: Quick Civics Lessons for the Naturalization Test (2008 version) · M-638 (rev. 08/21)
- 128 Civics Questions and Answers (2025 version) · M-1778 (09/25)
Practice 20 random questions like the interview
Drawn from the official 128, 12 correct answers to pass, with an explanation after every answer.