What Is One Responsibility That Is Only for United States Citizens?

The answer

This is Question 49 on the USCIS naturalization civics test: "What is one responsibility that is only for United States citizens?" There are exactly two accepted answers, and you only need to give one:

• Serve on a jury, or
• Vote in a federal election.

Both are duties the U.S. reserves for citizens alone. Only citizens may be summoned to sit on a federal jury, and only citizens may cast a ballot in a federal election for President, Vice President, or members of Congress.

Why these two—and not the others

The civics test deliberately separates responsibilities that are only for citizens from rights and duties shared by everyone living in the United States. That distinction is what the question is really testing.

Common wrong answers students give include:

• "Pay taxes" — Everyone who earns income in the U.S., citizen or not, must pay taxes. It is a duty of all residents, so it is not citizen-only.
• "Obey the law" — Every person in the country must obey the law, including non-citizens and visitors.
• "Register for Selective Service" — This applies to most male residents aged 18–25, including many non-citizens (immigrants), so it is not exclusive to citizens.
• "Freedom of speech" or "freedom of religion" — These are rights, and they are guaranteed to everyone in the U.S., not just citizens; they are also not "responsibilities."

By contrast, jury service and voting in federal elections are genuinely restricted to citizens, which is exactly why USCIS lists only those two.

Related civics answers worth knowing

The naturalization test groups several closely related questions. Keeping them straight prevents mix-ups on test day:

• Rights only for citizens (Question 50): vote in a federal election, and run for federal office.
• Two rights of everyone living in the U.S. (Question 51): freedom of expression, speech, assembly, to petition the government, freedom of religion, and the right to bear arms (any two).
• A promise you make when you become a citizen (Question 52): give up loyalty to other countries, defend the Constitution and laws, obey the laws, serve in the military or do work of national importance if needed, and be loyal to the United States.

The bigger picture

The underlying civic idea is participation in self-government. Jury duty and voting are the two ways ordinary citizens directly exercise sovereign power—deciding legal cases and choosing the nation's leaders. Because these acts shape the government itself, the country limits them to its own citizens. So if you ever blank on Question 49, ask yourself: "Which duties let me personally help run the government?" The answers—serving on a jury and voting in a federal election—follow naturally.