Immigrants Prepare for Citizenship Test
*** A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect for Rockingham, Augusta, Shenandoah, Hardy, Page, Warren, Clarke, and Frederick until 8 p.m. Wednesday. 1" - 3" of snow are possible, with the heaviest snowfall in the mid afternoon. Snow could stick on untreated roads. Drive with Caution. *** *** A Winter Weather Advisoryis in effect for Highland, Pendleton, and Grant counties until 10 p.m. Wednesday. 2" - 4" of snow are possible, with the heaviest snowfall in the mid morning through the afternoon. Snow will likely stick to many untreated roads and visibility will be reduced. Drive with Caution. ***
Save Email Print
Bookmark and Share
Updated: 2:51 PM Mar 12, 2010
Immigrants Prepare for Citizenship Test
Harrisonburg, Va.
On Thursday evening, immigrants in the Harrisonburg area, who are looking to become U.S. citizens, gathered for a meeting to prepare for their citizenship test.
Posted: 11:40 PM Mar 11, 2010
width:320 and height: 240 and picwidth: 213 and pciheight: 159
Font Size:

On Thursday evening, immigrants in the Harrisonburg area, who are looking to become U.S. citizens, gathered for a meeting to prepare for their citizenship test.

The road to becoming a citizen begins with a test that could even be challenging for those born in America.

"They're going to be a lot better educated than a lot of Americans when they get finished with this. I'm fairly sure that if many Americans, right now without studying, took this, that they might not pass it," says Leila Osina, executive director of Skyline Literacy.

Osina helped give potential citizens a look at what they can expect. They also got building blocks to help them succeed.

Organizers says, once applicants become citizens, they'll be able to better help themselves and their communities.

"Ultimately the good that comes out of this is that we have an American taxpayer to help us with this particular load that we're carrying right now," says Osina.

"Being a citizen gives you an opportunity to have a sense of home. It gives you a feeling to belong somewhere, to be active somewhere," says Viktor Sokolyuk, with the Refugee Resettlement Program.

The test has 100 possible questions, none of which are multiple choice. Applicants are given ten questions at random and must answer six of them.

Organizers say the test was redesigned to help applicants understand and not just memorize facts about America.

"We have 100 senators, but if you don't know why we have 100 senators, two per state and they represent each state and there should be an equal number," says Osina.

In addition to the 100-question test, applicants must pass an interview, and a separate reading and writing test. So far, the 100-question test has a 92 percent pass rate.

If you are interested in taking the test yourself, click on the link below. A 60 percent score is a passing grade.

You can see how you did by clicking on the second link.

First Alert Weather
WHSV Poll
There are currently no active polls at this time.
Click here to view other polls on our site and past poll results.
National NDN Video
WHSV - TV 3 on Facebook