Citizenship exam soon may require deeper knowledge

WASHINGTON — What was the Emancipation Proclamation?

People applying to become U.S. citizens now need to know that it freed the slaves. But in a couple of years, that knowledge won't be enough. Prospective citizens will need to have a deeper understanding of the Civil War and name one of the problems that led to it.

The federal government today is unveiling 144 draft questions that it plans to try out on immigrant applicants next year in 10 cities, including Yakima. A 2003 attempt was given a tryout, failed and was scuttled.

Citizenship and Immigration Services planned to post the new questions on its Web site (www.uscis.gov).

The agency wants to make the test more meaningful and has been working for several years to redesign it.

The redesign is aimed at making sure applicants know the meaning behind some of America's fundamental institutions and historical events, said Chris Rhatigan, an agency spokeswoman.

Answers to the Civil War question could include slavery, economics or states' rights, she said. "There's not one, rote SAT type question and answer," she added.

The questions to be released will be for the civics portion of the test and will be given orally to immigrants who volunteer to take the new draft test.

Immigration officials want to narrow the number of questions to 100 and launch the redesigned test in early 2008.

Another possible question would delve into the nation's system of checks and balances.

Immigrants now are asked "What are the three branches or parts of government?" The answer: executive, legislative and judicial.

But a draft test question asks: "Why do we have three branches of government?" Acceptable answers might be, "so that no branch is too powerful" or "to separate the power of government," Rhatigan said.