Would you pass the test?

McALLEN — If the new U.S. citizenship test were administered as a pop quiz, there would be a lot fewer citizens.

The Monitor administered an informal sample test of 10 questions taken from a new citizenship test to 62 obliging U.S. citizens in the Rio Grande Valley.

More than half of them failed a 10-question sample test — that is, they could not answer even six of the questions correctly.

The new test, which is part of a pilot program in eight cities nationwide, aims to reduce the amount of rote memorization required of new citizens. Understanding, not recall, is what the government requires of new citizens, said Elena Garcia-Upson, a spokeswoman for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

Many Valley citizens said they learned the information on the test — which asks questions like “What is Benjamin Franklin famous for?” and “How many U.S. senators are there?” — in school, but couldn’t remember it for the test.

The sample questions sparked lively conversations about immigration and what should be required to become a citizen.

“We have learned all the answers to the test sometime in our lifetime,” said Dave Palacek, a Winter Texan.

Rooney Stewart, another Winter Texan, agreed, but said, “At this point in life I just don’t know that I need to know it.”

Students in Prof. Jim Wenzel’s introduction to U.S. government class at the University of Texas-Pan American said they could have done better on a 10-question sample test if they had had time to study for the test.

Wenzel used the questions to discuss what the test asked of new citizens, and what it said about the responsibilities of American citizenship.

While some students said they felt knowing U.S. history was important to good citizenship, others suggested testing more practical knowledge and skills for life in the United States, including familiarity with the legal code and how to prepare tax returns.

Garcia-Upson agreed that other skills are required for good citizenship. However, she said, learning Ben Franklin’s credentials is also important for new Americans.

“It’s important that the people understand our civic history and way of life,” Garcia-Upson said. “It’s the final step in achieving the U.S. dream.”

One question on the old test asked which form an applicant was required to fill out for citizenship, Garcia-Upson said. That question did little to test actual understanding of U.S. government; it has been replaced with one about Martin Luther King Jr.

The redesign, which began in 2000, also took into account that the old test was administered differently depending on where one took it.

For example, McAllen resident Margarita Lopez says she applied for citizenship more than a decade ago through her two sons, who were in the military. She spent months studying, only to have an immigration officer skip the usual paper test and ask her only three questions.

USCIS has admitted that the test as it now exists allows too much discretion on the part of immigration officers.

“Inconsistencies were reported in the way the exams were administered nationwide, and there was no assessment of whether applicants had a meaningful understanding of U.S. history and government,” according to a statement from the agency.

Current U.S. citizens who tried out a sampling of the questions were often flummoxed, but most said that they supported such questions being asked and considered it a fair and effective way to test new citizens.

The pilot test is broken up into three parts and includes a reading and writing component. The applicant must correctly form a sentence in English with words that are provided.

The second component is the civics exam. It used to be a multiple-choice test. The pilot version features 144 fill-in-the-blank questions, with many that have multiple answers.

Applicants will still only have to answer six questions out of 10 to pass.

The test is set to be reviewed in June or once more than 5,000 people have taken the test. The new test could replace the older one as soon as next year, said Garcia-Upson.

“We want to make sure when people raise their hand and recite the oath of allegiance that they have a grasp about what the country stands for,” she said.

Sara Perkins covers Starr County and general assignments for The Monitor. You can reach her at (956) 683-4472. For this and more local stories, visit www.themonitor.com.

Andres R. Martinez covers courts and general assignments for The Monitor. He can be reached at (956) 683-4434. For this and more local stories, visit www.themonitor.com.