What does the President’s Cabinet do?
By EasySay. Published . Updated .
The Cabinet advises the President.
It is a group of senior officials, mostly the leaders of the large executive departments, who advise the President about their work. This is question 47 on the 2025 USCIS civics list and question 35 on the 2008 list. It is unofficial practice.
Source: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), U.S. National Archives and Records Administration.
Practice this question
Unofficial practice
Which answers are accepted?
2025 list, question 47
For an N-400 filed on or after 20 October 2025
Advises the President (of the United States)
65/20 set: no
2008 list, question 35
For an N-400 filed before 20 October 2025
advises the President
65/20 set: no
We matched the two lists ourselves: USCIS publishes no mapping between the 2008 and 2025 questions.
These are the answers USCIS prints. The 2025 list says there may be other correct answers, and encourages you to answer with the ones it prints.
What does the answer mean?
The Cabinet is a team of advisers. Each member usually leads a large part of the executive branch, such as a department for education, farming or the national treasury. The President can ask for advice about the work of each department, and the Cabinet members give it.
The list gives one short answer, which is that the Cabinet advises the President. You do not need to name any member for this question. A separate question asks for two Cabinet-level positions.
Why does USCIS ask it?
The Cabinet belongs to the executive branch, the part of government that carries out the laws.
USCIS asks what it does so that you can tell the President's advisers apart from Congress and from the courts. Congress writes laws. The courts decide cases.
Article II, Section 2 of the Constitution lets the President ask the head of each executive department for an opinion in writing.
How the officer asks it
The officer asks what the Cabinet does and listens for the idea of advice. Your answer can be as short as advises the President. Say the whole short sentence, practice it aloud once or twice, and then choose the matching answer in the check on this page.
What are the common wrong answers?
These are real jobs, but they belong to other parts of government.
- Writes the laws. Congress does that. It is the legislative branch.
- Decides court cases. Judges do that in the judicial branch.
- Elects the President. The Cabinet works for the President after the election and has no part in choosing one.
How can I remember it?
Picture a table with the President at one end and department leaders around it. Everyone at that table gives advice. The one verb to remember is advises.
Which questions are related?
- What does the judicial branch do?The courts: explaining laws, reviewing them, settling disputes and checking them against the Constitution.
- What is the economic system of the United States?Capitalism, or a free market economy: private owners run most businesses and buyers and sellers set prices.
- What did the Emancipation Proclamation do?A January 1863 order from President Lincoln that freed enslaved people in the states fighting the Union.
- What are two Cabinet-level positions?Two jobs from the long list of Cabinet-level positions, such as Attorney General or Secretary of State.
- Who is Commander in Chief of the U.S. military?The President leads the armed forces as Commander in Chief, which keeps the military under an elected civilian.
Questions people ask
Is the Cabinet part of Congress?
No. Congress is the legislative branch and writes laws. The Cabinet is part of the executive branch and advises the President, who is in charge of that branch.
Which Cabinet members should I learn for this question?
None. This question asks only what the Cabinet does. Another question on the list asks for two Cabinet-level positions, so learn those when you practice that question.
Is this question on both the 2008 and 2025 lists?
Yes. It is question 47 on the 2025 list and question 35 on the 2008 list. Both lists give one accepted answer, the same idea in nearly the same words.
Sources and dates
- 128 Civics Questions and Answers (2025 version), form M-1778 (09/25), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), M-1778 (09/25); 128 questions; N-400 filed on or after 20 October 2025. Licence: public information (USCIS), may be distributed or copied. Checked . Passages checked: page 6. Source: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (uscis.gov).
- Civics Questions and Answers (2008 version), the 100 civics questions (rev. 08/21), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), rev. 08/21; 100 questions; N-400 filed before 20 October 2025. Licence: public information (USCIS), may be distributed or copied. Checked . Passages checked: page 3. Source: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (uscis.gov).
- The Constitution of the United States: A Transcription, U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, Page last reviewed September 8, 2026. Licence: public domain. Checked .
Cite this page
EasySay. "What does the President’s Cabinet do?". https://easysay.org/us/citizenship-test/questions/presidents-cabinet. Last updated October 22, 2026. Unofficial practice.
https://easysay.org/us/citizenship-test/questions/presidents-cabinet