American History — Colonial Period and Independence · Question 79 of 128
What are the opening words of the Declaration of Independence?
Practice answer: When in the Course of human events
Why this is the answer
The Declaration of Independence opens with “When in the Course of human events.” “We hold these truths to be self-evident” appears shortly afterward, not at the beginning.
On the 2026 citizenship test, a USCIS officer asks up to 20 questions from the official 128-question pool — answering 12 correctly passes.
Study translations and question index
Practice index: 79. This is not the official 2025 syllabus question number. Translation indices share the same practice ID and answer-option order.
Español — practice:79:es
¿Cuáles son las palabras iniciales de la Declaración de Independencia?
Cuando en el curso de los acontecimientos humanos
العربية — practice:79:ar
ما هي الكلمات الافتتاحية لإعلان الاستقلال؟
عندما، في سياق الأحداث البشرية
Official syllabus and legal sources
M-1778 (09/25) — 2025 USCIS syllabus. Retrieved 2026-10-15. Check current USCIS answers.
- 8 U.S.C. § 1423 — English, history and civics requirements
- 8 C.F.R. § 312.2 — Knowledge of history and government
These laws establish testing requirements; they are not individual legal advice or a citation for every historical answer. Practice questions and study translations are editorial learning aids, not official USCIS translations. Confirm the test version that applies to your filing date.
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