Citizenship · Question Words and Function Words

Which of the following is a QUESTION WORD on the USCIS reading test vocabulary list?

Correct answer

How (also on list: what, when, where, who, why)

  1. A How (also on list: what, when, where, who, why)
  2. B Maybe
  3. C Yesterday
  4. D Always

Why this is the answer

USCIS reading test questions begin with QUESTION WORDS. The vocabulary list includes: HOW, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, WHO, WHY. Sample reading test sentences in QUESTION form: 'Who was the first President?' 'When do we celebrate Independence Day?' 'Where does the President live?' 'What is the capital of the United States?' 'Why do people come to America?' 'How many states are there?' These questions test the applicant's ability to recognize question words and read them with appropriate intonation (rising intonation on yes/no questions, falling intonation on wh-questions in standard American English, though both patterns are accepted). VERBS on the USCIS reading list include: can, come, do/does, elects, have/has, is/are/was/be, lives/lived, meet, name, pay, vote, want.

Other function words: a, for, here, in, of, on, the, to, we.

Numbers: one, first, second, third, etc., plus 50. The reading test draws sentences from these vocabulary words to make simple, predictable test items. Practice reading aloud with proper pronunciation; many of these words have simple, regular pronunciations.

Source: USCIS Reading Vocabulary — Question Words

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About this topic: Question Words and Function Words

Question words and function words — how, what, when, where, who, why, and the small words a, for, here, in, of, on, the, to, we — make up most of every reading-test sentence. Reading them smoothly is what the officer listens for. This is one of 5 Reading Vocabulary questions on question words and function words, each with a full explanation on a single study page.

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