2008 civics test · Question 97 of 100 · Symbols★ 65/20 question
Why does the flag have 50 stars?
In Chinese 为什么国旗上有 50 颗星？
Official answers
- because there is one star for each state因为每个州一颗星
- because each star represents a state因为每颗星代表一个州
- because there are 50 states因为有 50 个州
Any one of these answers is accepted unless the question asks for more than one.
Applicants 65+ with 20+ years as a permanent resident study only the 20 starred questions.
Why this is the answer
The flag has 50 stars because there are 50 states, and each star represents one state. When a new state joins the country, a star is added to the flag. The flag has had 50 stars since Hawaii became a state. So the stripes stand for the original colonies, and the stars stand for today's states.
Also on the 2025 test as question 122
Source: USCIS 100 Civics Questions (PDF)