DENVER -- Has the federal government earned a failing grade on its own study guide for citizenship?

7NEWS Investigator Tony Kovaleski has uncovered a rather disturbing series of errors in a study guide to assist immigrants wanting to become American citizens.

Let's begin with an understanding: We all make mistakes. What is disconcerting in this specific case is the volume of errors in a seven-page study guide published by the Department of Homeland Security's Office of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

7NEWS asked 11-year-old Nate Gibby to spell the word "governor." The fifth-grade spelling bee finalist correctly spelled it "G-O-V-E-R-N-O-R."

7NEWS also asked 10-year-old Dave Mathews to spell "Great Britain." Matthews, who is also a fifth-grade spelling bee finalist from the Cherry Creek School District, correctly spelled the words "G-R-E-A-T B-R-I-T-A-I-N."

It may be simple enough for two fifth-graders, but the authors of the United States Government's Naturalization Study Guide were unable to match that achievement.

In fact, 7NEWS found 30 different spelling, grammar, punctuation, capitalization and factual errors in the seven-page document, including the word "naturalization" misspelled on the front page and later in one of the answers.

"When I saw this, I think it was incredulity. It was just shock," said reading teacher Jan Hoegh after discovering the mistakes while teaching a class.

Hoegh teaches reading to adults and said she believes someone should be held accountable for the numerous errors in the study guide.

Hoegh showed the document to the 7NEWS Investigators and said, "This floors me. All of the emphasis on English for people coming to this country, and it looks like there was no effort put into this document."

Revised in March 2005, the Naturalization Study Guide has been used nationwide for nearly two years by thousands of people sharing a common desire -- to become an American citizen.

"To have the government treat them with the disrespect that this sloppiness evidences, I think is inexcusable and tragic," former Colorado Gov. Richard Lamm said after reading through the mistake-riddled study guide.

Examples include question No. 6 on page two of the study guide, which reads: What do the strips mean on the flag represent?

When referencing the building in which Congress meets, question No. 95 reads: What is the United States Capital?

The correct form of the word is "Capitol."

The definition of capital spelled with "a-l" includes a city or town that is the official seat of government. The answer given to question No. 95 refers to the building in which Congress meets, which should end with "o-l."

One of the more obvious factual errors discovered by 7NEWS Investigators is question No. 23 on page six. The question reads: What two oceans border the United States?

The answer given in the study guide is: The Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

The question and answer fail to recognize that northern Alaska is bordered by the Arctic Ocean.

One of the most glaring mistakes appears on the back page of the study guide under the title "Sample Sentences for Written English Testing."

The sentence reads: The colors of the fag are red, white and blue. Clearly, the fifth word should be "flag."

"We're not proud of that document," said the spokeswoman for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Sharon Rummery. "This was given to a contractor to do. That doesn't relieve us of responsibility. We certainly should have proofed. We wish we had."

Rummery told 7NEWS Investigators that the study guide was recently corrected, and a new version is now available on the Internet.

If you would like to examine the entire error-filled seven-page document, you may do so by clicking the pages below:

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To view the study guide with the mistakes highlighted, click on the pages below:

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