American Government — Principles of American Democracy · Question 12 of 128
What is the 'rule of law'?
Practice answer: Everyone — including the government — must follow the law
Why this is the answer
The rule of law means that laws apply to everyone, including government officials and leaders. No person is above the law.
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: 12. This is not the official 2025 syllabus question number. Translation indices share the same practice ID and answer-option order.
Español — practice:12:es
¿Qué es el 'estado de derecho'?
Todos —incluyendo el gobierno— deben seguir la ley
العربية — practice:12:ar
ما هو 'سيادة القانون'؟
على الجميع — بمن فيهم الحكومة — الالتزام بالقانون
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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