U.S. Citizenship Applicants Are Told to Accept Two-Party System

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Jaime CasarinJaime Casarin
Published: 02 Dec, 2014
1 min read

Out of 100 civics questions for people applying for U.S. citizenship, question 45 suggests that future citizens have two options and only two options in American politics.

It is a win-win between Republicans and Democrats as the only possible answers gives exposure only to them and no other political party or option, such as participating without being obligated to associate with a party.

Question 45. "What are the two major political parties in the United States?"

Answer: Democratic and Republican.

Note that failure to answer this question correctly as stated might result in the denial of a solicitation to become a naturalized United States citizen, if it's one of five incorrect answers.

There are plenty of possible questions with one, two, or three options from a broad list of possible answers.

For example:

Question 87. "Name one American Indian tribe in the United States."

  • Cherokee
  • Navajo
  • Sioux
  • Chippewa
  • Choctaw
  • Pueblo
  • Apache
  • Iroquois
  • Creek
  • Blackfeet
  • Seminole
  • Cheyenne
  • Arawak
  • Shawnee
  • Hohegan
  • Huron
  • Oneida
  • Lakota
  • Crow
  • Teton
  • Hopy
  • Inuit

 

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So, that's one choice from a list of 22 possible answers.

A good way of presenting question 45 would be, "Name 2 major political parties in the United States."

A better way would be, "Name 2 political parties in the US."

The best way of presenting this question would be, "What are the options regarding political association or preference in the United States?"

Photo Credit: eurobank / shutterstock.com

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