Posted by Jon Federman
How many amendments does the US Constitution have? *(See answers below). - How many voting members does the House of Representatives have?
- When was the Constitution written?
- For how many years is a US senator elected?
- What do we call the first 10 amendments to the Constitution?
Can you answer these five questions correctly? You could if you had enrolled in the program developed by New American Services to prepare permanent residents for the civics and English sections of the naturalization test. JF&CS is proud to report that 100% of the program's graduates from the past year have passed the exam, successfully completed the naturalization interview, and received citizenship status.
If you couldn't answer these five sample questions correctly, then you are not alone. A survey conducted in 2012 by the Center for the Study of the American Dream at Xavier University in Cincinnati showed that one out of three native-born American citizens would not be able to get the required six out of ten questions correct on the civics section of the exam. In other words, the pass rate for native-born Americans would only be around 66%.
Last year, New American Services successfully served a total of 182 permanent residents from 36 countries, with the largest number coming from Russia (36 participants), followed by Haiti (33 participants). "JF&CS has done an amazing job keeping adult students engaged, which has resulted in 100% of the participants meeting the requirements for citizenship. We are proud to continue our agency's long tradition of helping immigrants become knowledgeable and informed US citizens," noted Marsha Frankel, Clinical Director of Senior Services & Director of Mental Health at JF&CS.
Jon Federman is the JF&CS Staff Writer. A practicing attorney for more than 15 years, he is thrilled to bring his legal and persuasive writing skills to the JF&CS Marketing Communications department. Jon has a BA from Tufts University and a JD from Boston College Law School. In his spare time he is an exhibiting photographer and an award-winning cartoonist. Jon lived in London, England for five years before returning to Boston in 2011.
