Native Americans and American Indian Tribes on the 2025 Civics Test
Two American History questions on the 2025 Naturalization Civics Test ask about Native Americans (also called American Indians): who lived in America before the Europeans arrived, and the name of one American Indian tribe in the United States. Learn this pair once and you cover Q74 and Q117 . The hero photo above is Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park — land connected with the Navajo Nation, one of the accepted tribe answers.
Who lived in America before the Europeans arrived?
Who lived in America before the Europeans arrived? Accepted answers:
- American Indians
- Native Americans
Either wording is fine. A short, safe line many applicants use: Native Americans or American Indians.
You do not need a long history lecture on test day. You need one of those two accepted phrases.
Name one American Indian tribe in the United States
Name one American Indian tribe in the United States. USCIS accepts many tribe names. Official accepted answers include:
- Apache
- Blackfeet
- Cayuga
- Cherokee
- Cheyenne
- Chippewa
- Choctaw
- Creek
- Crow
- Hopi
- Huron
- Inupiat
- Lakota
- Mohawk
- Mohegan
- Navajo
- Oneida
- Onondaga
- Pueblo
- Seminole
- Seneca
- Shawnee
- Sioux
- Teton
- Tuscarora
Any one is enough. Pick a name you can say clearly and remember under interview pressure. Common short picks: Navajo, Cherokee, Apache, Sioux, or Seminole.
Tip: say the tribe name alone — for example Navajo — not a long sentence. Officers are listening for an accepted answer from the list.
How this shows up on test day
Think in a short chain:
- Who lived here before Europeans? → Native Americans / American Indians
- Name one American Indian tribe? → Navajo / Cherokee / Apache / another accepted name from the list
That pattern covers Q74 and Q117 . Q74 sits in the colonial/independence history block next to colonists and slavery questions; Q117 sits near the end of Recent American History. Studying them together saves time because both use the same vocabulary.
Nearby history worth linking
If you are drilling the colonial block, also review:
- Colonists — why colonists came to America (Q73 )
- Declaration of Independence — independence story after the colonial period
- Louisiana Purchase — later American History territory question
Those posts sit in the same American History section of the 128-question bank.
Your civics test has not changed
This is an evergreen study post, not a USCIS policy alert. Recent USCIS newsroom items (H-2B/H-1B caps, form editions, and enforcement guidance already covered in earlier posts such as denaturalization referrals and public charge) do not rewrite these answers. The 2025 Naturalization Civics Test is unchanged: a 128-question bank; up to 20 questions at the interview; 12 correct to pass, for Form N-400 filed on or after October 20, 2025. Dynamic officials (President, Vice President, Speaker, Chief Justice) still follow USCIS Check for Test Updates — they do not change Native American or tribe answers above.
Study these related questions
- Colonial Period and Independence — Q74 and nearby colonial history
- Recent American History — Q117 tribe question in context
- American History — the full history block
- Free scored practice test — drill Native Americans and tribe names until the answers feel automatic
- Browse the full question list when you want one topic at a time
Tip: if the officer asks who lived in America before the Europeans arrived, say Native Americans or American Indians. If they ask for one American Indian tribe, say a single accepted name such as Navajo or Cherokee.
This post summarizes public USCIS civics materials for educational study. It is not legal advice.