On July 4, I joined those assembled at Harmony Hall to celebrate the 23 people who left 17 different countries and legally immigrated to the United States. They followed U.S. laws governing naturalization and took the oath of allegiance to this country.

One step in the process of naturalization is an oral civics test. Those seeking U.S. citizenship study the answers to 100 questions. When each person takes the test, an examiner poses 10 of those questions and the respondent must answer six correctly. The questions are broken into three distinct sections: American Government, American History and Integrated Civics. Integrated Civics includes questions about geography, national symbols, and holidays.

Let’s try a few questions and see how you do.

1. What is the supreme law of the United States?

The answer, though simple, seems outside the scope of the practical knowledge of most citizens today. The U.S. Constitution is the supreme law of this nation. Any law that disagrees with the letter and spirit of the Constitution has no binding force on the citizens of this nation.

2. What does the Constitution do?

Our Constitution does three things: It sets up our government, defines the powers and limits of government, and protects the basic rights of American citizens.

3. What do we call the first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution?

These 10 amendments form The Bill of Rights. In fact, delegates from at least two states said their states would not ratify the U.S. Constitution unless a bill of rights was added. The Bill of Rights enumerates basic freedoms, such as religion, speech, the press, and the right of people to peacefully assemble to redress grievances and petition government. All of us ought to read the Bill of Rights; we might be surprised at how many times our government gets mighty close to crossing the line and infringing on our rights.

4. What is the “rule of law”?

The rule of law has four basic elements. First, everyone must follow the law. Second, leaders must obey the law. Third, our government must follow the law. Fourth, no one is above the law.

Let’s pose one more question from the 57 questions about American government.

5. If both the President and Vice President can no longer execute the duties of the President’s office, who assumes the powers of President?

Did that one stump you? The answer is the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Now let’s move to a couple of questions from American History.

6. The Federalist Papers supported the passage of the U.S. Constitution. Name one of the writers of the Federalist Papers?

You should have paid closer attention in American History and Civics. The four writers of the Federalist Papers were James Madison, John Jay, Alexander Hamilton and a writer who identified himself as Publius.

7. Who was President during World War I?

Woodrow Wilson served as President during the First World War — the “War to End All Wars.”

8. There are four amendments to the Constitution about who can vote. Describe one of them.

The person can respond “citizens 18 years old and older” (26th); “no one must pay a poll tax to vote” (24th); “any citizen, male or female, can vote” (19th); or “a male citizen of any race can vote” (15th).

9. Why does the flag have 13 stripes?

Each stripe represents one of the 13 original colonies that became the United States.

10. Name one of the two longest rivers in the United States.

The two longest rivers in the United States are the Missouri River and the Mississippi River.

Remember: These 10 questions are only a tenth of the questions would-be citizens study in order to qualify to become U.S. citizens. Did you get at least six questions right?

Congratulations to those new citizens who were sworn in as citizens on July 4th at Harmony Hall. May you be an asset to this nation – and may this nation be a blessing to you.

Mike Parker is a columnist for Neuse News. You can reach him at mparker16@gmail.com.