Although some of the questions on the citizenship test are downright simple, I’m intrigued by just how hard some of them are.

So without making you read any further, here are the answers.

1. What does the Constitution do? A. It sets up the government, defines the government and protects the basic rights of Americans.

2. What is one right from the First Amendment? A. The First Amendment guarantees the freedom of speech, religion, assembly, press and the right to petition the government.

3. What do we call the first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution? A. The Bill of Rights.

4. How many amendments does the Constitution have? A. 27. The last amendment was added in 1992, 202 years after it was first proposed. That amendment, by the way, requires that any pay raises afforded to Congress take effect only after the next Congress is sworn in.

5. What are two rights in the Declaration of Independence? A. Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Remember the Schoolhouse Rock cartoon?

6. What is the economic system of the United States? A. We have a capitalist, or market, economy.

7. What stops one branch of government from becoming too powerful? A. Checks and balances, or separation of powers. Either answer will get you a checkmark.

8. Who makes federal law? A. Congress makes federal law, although Dick Cheney may disagree.

9. How many U.S. Senators are there? A. 100 – two per state. It’s often called the most exclusive club in the world.

10. The U.S. House of Representatives has how many voting members? A. 435.

11. Why do some states have more Representatives than others? A. Because those seats are apportioned based on population. States with more people have more representatives, but every state has at least one.

12. If both the President and Vice President can no longer serves who become President? A. The Speaker of the House. Today, that means California Representative Nancy Pelosi would lead the show.

13. What are two Cabinet-level positions? A. Lots of choices here, but any two would give you the right answer: Secretary of Agriculture, Secretary of Commerce, Secretary of Defense, Secretary of Education, Secretary of Energy, Secretary of Health and Human Services, Secretary of Homeland Security, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Secretary of the Interior, Secretary of Labor, Secretary of State, Secretary of Transportation, Secretary of the Treasury, Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Attorney General and Vice President.

14. How many Justices are on the Supreme Court? A. Nine. Extra Credit if you could name them: Chief Justice John Roberts, Associate Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, David Souter, John Paul Stevens, Clarence Thomas, Antonin Scalia, Samuel Alito, Stephen Breyer and Anthony Kennedy.

15. Under our Constitution, some powers belong to the federal government. What is one power of the federal government? A. The federal government can print money, declare war, create an army and make treaties.

16. What are two rights of everyone living in the United States? A. Again, you have several choices, but any two of these will do: freedom of expression, freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, freedom to petition the government, freedom of worship and the right to bear arms.

17. How old do citizens have to be to vote for President? A. This was one of the easy ones. The answer is 18 or older.

18. What are two ways that Americans can participate in their democracy? A. Another question with multiple answers. Did you say vote, join a political party, help with a campaign, join a civic group, join a community group, give an elected official your opinion on an issue, call Senators and Representatives, publicly support or oppose an issue or policy, run for office or write to a newspaper?

19. Why did colonists fight the British? A. Any of the following would be correct: because of high taxes, because the British army stayed in their houses and because they didn’t have self-governance.

20. Who wrote the Declaration of Independence? A. Thomas Jefferson.

21. There were 13 original states. Name three. A. New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvanie, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia.

22. When was the U.S. Constitution written? A. 1787.

23. Name one U.S. territory? A. Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Northern Mariana Islands, Guam.

24. Name two national holidays. A. New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents’ Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas.

25. Before he was President, Eisenhower was a general. What war was he in? A. World War II. Check your answers. Hope you did well.