Special Reporting

On Thursday 25 people became American citizens at a ceremony in Hyannis.

The ceremony is something like a graduation, the final step in the often long and complicated process of becoming a citizen.

Before they graduate, aspiring citizens have to pass a civics test.

The questions are pretty basic. But really, could you pass the test?

Reporter Karen Duffin took to the field to ask citizens on Cape Cod a few of the questions.  You can listen to the results above.

Without a general studies Bachelor Degree-granting institution on Cape Cod, local high school seniors are forced to seek higher education elsewhere. Part two in our original 3-part series "By The Numbers: Worries About Cape Cod's Workforce," examines efforts to bring a degree-granting 4-year college - with student housing - to the region. Proponents believe such an institution is key to growing the young-adult population.

A group of young professionals are taking the lead to help find ways to keep their peers on Cape Cod. Part one in our original 3-part series "By The Numbers: Worries About Cape Cod's Workforce," examines reasons career-minded young people find it difficult to stay on the Cape, and explores some of the community initiatives to keep them here.

The 2010 Census confirmed that the greying of Cape Cod is continuing. The youngest generations are leaving the Cape and they're not coming back. Some people are more alarmed about this trend than others. But people in leadership positions are thinking about what the loss in population and workforce could mean for the Cape in terms of both workforce and vitality. 

Ticks — and tick-borne diseases — have become a part of life on the Cape and Islands, and across the Northeast. To address the problem and fill a need, private companies are creating new products designed to help keep ticks off us so we can avoid their dangerous bites. At the same time, researchers are developing and testing innovative ways to reduce tick populations and take the fight directly to the tick.

Part 5 of 5

For decades, Massachusetts has held the unfortunate distinction of having some of the highest rates of Lyme Disease in the country. And Cape Cod and the Islands is at the epicenter of the problem. In the fourth installment of our series, WCAI's Sean Corcoran reports on the debate surrounding treatment and diagnosis of Lyme disease.

Part 4 of 5

Lyme disease has persisted on the Cape and Islands for decades. But in recent years other tick-borne diseases have taken hold, too. In the third installment of our series, Sean Corcoran reports on the remarkable increase in tick-borne infections, and what could be happening in the ecosystem to account for it.

Part 3 of 5

In the first installment of our series, Sean Corcoran reports on researchers' newest understanding of tick ecology -- how they travel, how they live, and how they survive.

Part 1 of 5

In this original 5-part series, Sean Corcoran examines the ecology of the tick: how it survives, how it travels, how it gets under our skin.