Could your marriage pass the test?!

I just came across this New York Times article about the interview/scrutiny process for couples who are suspected of marrying just to get a green card for one of the partners. To give readers an idea of what the test is like, they give some sample questions:

Your Wedding

• On the day of your wedding, where did you wake up? What about your spouse?

• Where was your wedding?

• How did you get to the wedding? What about your spouse?

• Who was present at your wedding?

• What did you do after the wedding? Where did you go?


Home and Money

• How many floors are in the house/apartment building where you live?

• How much is your current rent/mortgage payment?

• How many televisions do you have in your house/apartment?

• If you are standing at and facing your kitchen sink, where is the microwave oven?

• Is your microwave stationary or does it have a revolving plate?

• Are you paid weekly, every two weeks, twice a month or monthly? What about your spouse?

• How much money did you receive in your last paycheck/deposit? What about your spouse?

How You Met

• Where did you and your spouse first meet? When was it?

• Who first spoke to whom?

• Why were you there? What about your spouse?

• Was your spouse with any other people there? Who?

• When did you move in together?

• Do you have any tattoos? Where? What do they look like? What about your spouse?

Into the Bedroom

• If you are lying in bed, which side does your spouse sleep on?

• Do you have carpet in your bedroom? What color is it?

• How is your bedroom closet split up?

• Where do you keep your clean underwear? What about your spouse?

• What color is your toothbrush? What about your spouse’s?

• Do you and your spouse use birth control? What kind?

• What was the last movie you went out to see together?

Family, Friends and More

• How many brothers/sisters does your spouse have? What are their names?

• Do you have an answering machine at home? Whose voice is on the message?

• What did you do last night after work?

• What is the name of your spouse’s manager at work?

• Who is your best friend? What about your spouse?

• What day is trash picked up at your house?

I laughed when I could not answer the first question correctly! Where DID DH spend the night before we got married?! We eloped, and while I was in a hotel room with Susan, I think he stayed with friends (not very close ones), who never knew what we were up to. I will have to ask him when he gets home. ; )

Most of the others I knew easily. But it will be fun to see what DH answers when I show him the quiz later tonight. You never know what your spouse will remember or not (i.e. what he considers important enough to take note of).

But thinking about the quiz brought to mind a fun memory, from way back in Colorado, B.C. (Before Children) when he and I went with a bunch of other young married couples on a winter weekend retreat. The first night, we played The Newlywed Game, and it was a lot of fun, as the wife would be sequestered in another room while her husband was asked questions about their dating and marriage life, and then she would be brought in and asked the same questions. When it was our turn, one of the questions I was asked was, "Of all the dates you two had before you got married, which one was the best?" And without thinking, I replied "All of them." Everyone laughed and groaned in disbelief--DH had moments before given the exact same answer. : )