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Civic exam questions in English: the official French lists, by theme
Model-written, not yet read by a native reader.
The civic exam is taken in French only. The Ministry of the Interior publishes its question lists in French, without answers: 190 for the multi-year residence card and 209 for the resident card. This page sorts them by theme and gives 64 of them in English with the correct answer. Lists read on 21 October 2026.
Sources: official lists of the Ministry of the Interior (CSP, resident card), read on 21 October 2026. The naturalisation list is not covered here: its official page did not answer on 21 October. Hexaciv is an independent preparation tool. It is not an official website, is not linked to any government body and does not give legal advice. The authoritative source is the Ministry of the Interior's, cited on this page.
Can I take the civic exam in English?
No. The exam is in French (Ministry of the Interior: “40 questions in French”). That is why the lists below are in French. For each theme you get the French wording, the French terms explained in English and, for the questions answered on this site, the answer in English.
List: multi-year residence card (CSP), 190 questions
- Principles and values of the Republic (37 questions; covered in French in our article on the Republic's values)
- Institutions and politics (46 questions)
- Rights and duties (30 questions)
- History, geography and culture (47 questions)
- Living in French society (30 questions)
List: resident card (CR), 209 questions
- Principles and values of the Republic (40 questions)
- Institutions and politics (50 questions)
- Rights and duties (38 questions)
- History, geography and culture (49 questions)
Questions answered in English (64)
For each one: the correct answer, why the other three are wrong, the French wording you will see and the sheet to read.
- About a child's social media, which statement is correct?
- Is it always possible to divorce?
- Which of these rights is a fundamental right?
- For what reason can freedom of expression be limited?
- What is an infraction (infraction)?
- Which is the most serious infraction?
- Which freedom lets a person have no religion?
- Does an adult woman of French nationality have the right to vote in elections?
- Who was George Sand?
- In which year does the French Revolution begin?
- In which year is slavery abolished for good in France?
- Where does the Allied landing of 1944 take place?
- Where is Corsica?
- Which of these countries attracts the most visitors each year?
- Why is the Shoah studied at school?
- What is marked on 8 May?
- What is King Louis XIV's nickname?
- Which mountain range lies between France and Spain?
- Which big French city is on the Mediterranean Sea?
- Who was Auguste Renoir?
- Who was Napoleon I?
- Who was Simone de Beauvoir?
- Who is the king of France at the time of the French Revolution?
- How many countries are in the European Union?
- On what day is Europe Day celebrated?
- What is the role of Parliament?
- Which schools do the communes manage?
- Which country is one of the founding countries of the EEC in 1957?
- Who must obey the law?
- From what age can you vote?
- In France, is it compulsory to declare your income to the tax office?
- In France, who has the freedom of association (the right to join or create groups)?
- Which word names precisely hatred against Jewish people?
- Which text created, in 1789, the freedom of conscience that is the basis of laïcité (secularism)?
- What is the secularism charter (charte de la laïcité) at school for?
- How long is the term of the deputies (députés)?
- Which route can be used to change the Constitution?
- On which day is Europe Day celebrated?
- What does it mean to be a citizen of a State?
- Being a juror (juré d'assises) is a key role. What does this role guarantee?
- A person is deprived of their civic and political rights for 5 years. Which of these sentences is correct during these 5 years?
- Who was president of the Fifth Republic?
- Which French island is in the Indian Ocean?
- Which French island is in the Indian Ocean, between Madagascar and the African continent?
- What is the chef-lieu (the préfecture, main administrative town) of the Brittany region?
- What is the definition of parental authority (autorité parentale)?
- Is it legal to burn a French flag in public?
- What is La Marseillaise?
- What does freedom of expression guarantee?
- What does the principle of laïcité allow?
- What does Marianne represent?
- What is the language of the French Republic?
- Which statement about freedom of expression is correct?
- Which are symbols of the French Republic?
- Who must respect religious neutrality in a prefecture?
- About access to health care, which statement is correct?
- Up to what age is school compulsory?
- What is école maternelle (nursery school)?
- Within what time must you declare your child's birth at the town hall?
- Which emergency number calls the police?
- Which help lets people with little money have a lawyer?
- Who can eat in the school canteen?
- Working without being declared is:
- At school, what can a child with a disability have?
How to use these lists
- Pick your card, then the theme where you score lowest on the free mock exam.
- Read the Ministry sheet that covers most of its questions (named at the top of each theme page).
- Learn the French terms in the glossary, then redo the mock exam.
Before you revise question by question, see where you stand: 40 timed questions, corrected in English, French or Arabic.
Our rule of thumb: book only after 34 out of 40 on two mock exams. The official pass mark is 32 out of 40. A fail means registering and paying again.
Take the free mock exam (40 questions)