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Why does the flag have 13 stripes?
ABecause there were 13 original colonies
BBecause there were 13 first Presidents
CBecause the war lasted 13 years
DBecause 13 men signed the flag law
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: A. Because there were 13 original colonies
1. The flag carries two counts at once: its stripes and its stars.
2. The 13 stripes are there because there were 13 original colonies.
3. Said another way, the stripes represent the original colonies.
4. The 50 stars carry the other count, one star for each state, so stripes and stars must not be mixed up.
5. The number of Presidents has never been shown on the flag, so that option invents a rule.
6. The length of the war and the number of signers do not appear on the flag either.
_Source: USCIS Civics Flash Cards M-623 (rev. 02/12), public domain, official civics question 96_
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