2025 Civics Test Questions 81–90 with Answers & Explanations

Quick answer: below are 10 questions (81-90) with answers and explanations, sourced from official public material or written to the official outline. The format matches the mock exam exactly, so what you learn here transfers one-to-one.

Questions 81-90

Question 81: There were 13 original states. Name five.

• A. New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and New York ✓
• B. California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, and Colorado
• C. Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Florida, and Texas
• D. Vermont, Maine, West Virginia, Alabama, and Missouri

Answer: A — New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and New York. The 13 original states: New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia. Any five are a full answer; every distractor state joined the Union later. Official, adapted

Question 82: What founding document was written in 1787?

• A. The Declaration of Independence
• B. The Bill of Rights
• C. The Articles of Confederation
• D. (U.S.) Constitution ✓

Answer: D — (U.S.) Constitution. The Constitution was written in 1787 at the Philadelphia Convention. The Declaration is 1776; the Bill of Rights was ratified in 1791; the Articles of Confederation predate them all. Official, adapted

Question 83: The Federalist Papers supported the passage of the U.S. Constitution. Name one of the writers.

• A. (Samuel) Adams
• B. (George) Washington
• C. (Thomas) Jefferson
• D. (James) Madison ✓

Answer: D — (James) Madison. Madison, Hamilton, and Jay wrote the 85 essays under the shared pen name Publius — naming any one is a full answer. Jefferson was serving as U.S. minister in Paris and wrote none of them. Official, adapted

Question 84: Why were the Federalist Papers important?

• A. They ended the Revolutionary War
• B. They translated the Constitution into other languages
• C. They created the first national banks
• D. They helped people understand the (U.S.) Constitution ✓

Answer: D — They helped people understand the (U.S.) Constitution. The Federalist Papers explained and defended the proposed Constitution, helping people understand it and supporting its passage. Ending the war, banking, and translation were never their role. Official, adapted

Question 85: Benjamin Franklin is famous for many things. Name one.

• A. First President of the United States
• B. Founded the first free public libraries ✓
• C. Commanded the Continental Army
• D. Wrote the Declaration of Independence alone

Answer: B — Founded the first free public libraries. The official answers: founded the first free public libraries, first Postmaster General, helped write the Declaration, inventor, U.S. diplomat. Franklin was never President, never wrote the Declaration alone, and never commanded the army. Official, adapted

Question 86: George Washington is famous for many things. Name one.

• A. First president of the United States ✓
• B. Writer of the Declaration of Independence
• C. Third president of the United States
• D. Founder of the first free libraries

Answer: A — First president of the United States. Washington: "Father of Our Country," first President, General of the Continental Army, and president of the Constitutional Convention — naming any one works. The distractors belong to Jefferson, Madison, and Franklin. Official, adapted

Question 87: Thomas Jefferson is famous for many things. Name one.

• A. First Postmaster General of the United States
• B. Founder of the first free libraries
• C. General of the Continental Army
• D. Writer of the Declaration of Independence ✓

Answer: D — Writer of the Declaration of Independence. Jefferson: wrote the Declaration, third President, doubled the nation's size with the Louisiana Purchase, first Secretary of State, founded the University of Virginia. The army was Washington's; the Post Office and libraries are Franklin's. Official, adapted

Question 88: James Madison is famous for many things. Name one.

• A. “Father of the Constitution” ✓
• B. Commander at the Battle of Yorktown
• C. First Secretary of the Treasury
• D. “Father of Our Country”

Answer: A — “Father of the Constitution”. Madison: "Father of the Constitution," fourth President, President during the War of 1812, and one of the Federalist Papers writers. "Father of Our Country" is Washington; the Treasury is Hamilton's. Official, adapted

Question 89: Alexander Hamilton is famous for many things. Name one.

• A. Third president of the United States
• B. Writer of the Declaration of Independence
• C. Governor of the Virginia colony
• D. First Secretary of the Treasury ✓

Answer: D — First Secretary of the Treasury. Hamilton: first Secretary of the Treasury, Federalist Papers writer, founder of the First Bank of the United States, and Washington's wartime aide. He was never President and had no role in the Declaration. Official, adapted

Question 90: What territory did the United States buy from France in 1803?

• A. Texas
• B. Louisiana Territory ✓
• C. Florida
• D. Alaska

Answer: B — Louisiana Territory. The Louisiana Purchase of 1803 — from Napoleon's France for about $15 million — roughly doubled the nation. Alaska came from Russia (1867); Florida from Spain (1819); Texas joined by annexation (1845). Official, adapted

Answer key at a glance

Answer from memory first, then check the key — the fastest way to find which explanations you actually need to read in full.

Study notes for this set

Every explanation above cites its source — verify anything that surprises you at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) material directly. Ready for more? Continue with questions 91-100; the full index lives in the 2025 Civics Test question bank.