What is the capital of your state?

Why this is the answer

The answer is the capital city of the state where you live. Every state and every territory has its own capital, the city where its government conducts its business, much as the federal government works from the nation's capital, Washington, D.C. Two groups answer differently, and the official list covers both. Residents of Washington, D.C. should say that D.C. is not a state and does not have a capital. Residents of a U.S. territory should name the capital of their territory. D.C.'s special status goes back to the Constitution: Article I, Section 8 gives Congress exclusive authority over a district, no more than ten miles square, that would become the seat of the federal government. State capitals are among the most stable answers on the whole test. Some states have moved their capital from one city to another over the years, but according to USCIS's 2008 lessons, no state capital has changed since 1910. The governor usually lives in the capital city as well, which ties this question to the one about your governor. It is still easy to miss. The largest or best-known city in a state is a trap, since it may not be the capital at all. Another is answering "Washington, D.C." while living in a state; that is the capital of the country, not of your state. After a move, give the capital of the state where you live now, not the one you left. Because the right answer depends on where each applicant lives, there is no single answer to memorize from a list. Look up your own state's capital, and if you live in a territory, its capital, before your interview. Whenever you say your state's name while studying, add its capital right after it, so the pair comes out together when the officer asks.