New citizenship test questions unveiledBy SUZANNE GAMBOA
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITERWASHINGTON -- Alicia Bowers, a Panamanian immigrant, can easily recall that George Washington was the first U.S. president. She knows the three branches of government are legislative, executive and judicial.
But Bowers, who took a course to study for the U.S. citizenship test she plans to take, was stumped when asked why there are three branches of government?
She also couldn't answer two other draft questions the government wants to try out on 5,000 immigrants who volunteer in 10 cities in an attempt to revise the citizenship test.
The government unveiled to mixed reaction 144 draft test questions Thursday. Officials plan to begin trying them out early next year and begin using a redesigned citizenship test in 2008.
"The people, they have to go to school to study that and take some courses in order to answer and have the right answers," Bowers said after she couldn't answer "What does the Constitution do?" and "Name one important idea found in the Declaration of Independence."
"Even with that, so many people, they barely read or write and can't understand that kind of question," said Bowers of Keene, near Fort Worth, Texas. Some of the questions were read to her over the telephone.
But she said understanding the concepts will help people understand what's happening in the country and why things are done a certain way.
"It's good because the people know how the system here in the United States works," she said.
Federal officials said that is what they hope to achieve.
Emilio Gonzalez, director of Citizenship and Immigration Services, a Homeland Security Department agency, said immigrants should know what they are swearing allegiance to when they take the oath of citizenship.
"You ought to internalize by that time the very values that make this country what it is, the very reason why you are raising your right hand. ... Citizenship is not test taking."
