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Citizenship · Civics Vocabulary

Read: 'People have the right to be free.' The word 'free' on the USCIS reading list means:

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Correct answer

Having liberty and independence — the ability to act, speak, or think without restrictions; a core American value

  1. A Having no cost
  2. B Empty or available
  3. C Not working
  4. D Having liberty and independence — the ability to act, speak, or think without restrictions; a core American value

Why this is the answer

FREE (in the civic sense) and FREEDOM are on the USCIS CIVICS VOCABULARY list. In the context of American democracy, 'free' means having LIBERTY — the ability to live, speak, and act without oppression. Common reading test sentences: 'People have the right to be free.' 'America is the land of the free.' 'We are free.' The phrase 'land of the free' comes from the National Anthem ('The Star-Spangled Banner') written by Francis Scott Key. FREEDOM is the corresponding noun: 'Freedom of speech,' 'Freedom of religion,' 'Freedom of the press' are specific freedoms protected by the First Amendment. Other meanings of 'free' in English: costing nothing (free admission), available (free time), clear of obstacles. On the USCIS test, free is ALWAYS used in the liberty/rights sense, not the cost or availability sense.
Source: USCIS Reading Vocabulary — Civics: free/freedom

Practice more questions

This question is from our US Citizenship Test Practice practice test. Take the full practice test to test your knowledge across all Civics Vocabulary and other topics.

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About this topic: Civics Vocabulary

Civics vocabulary covers the government words on the official USCIS reading list: American flag, Bill of Rights, capital, citizen, Congress, country, Father of Our Country, government, President, right, Senators, state, White House. This is one of 8 Reading Vocabulary questions on civics vocabulary, each with a full explanation on a single study page.

New to this exam? Our Citizenship exam guide explains the format, scoring, and how to prepare.

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