Branches of Government

Question 1

Name the three brances of government in order

Answer 1

Legislative, Executive, Judicial

Question 2

What is the Legislative Branch?

Answer 2

Bicameral Congress as stated in Article I of the Constitution

Question 3

Requirements to serve in the House

Answer 3

25 years old, 7 years a citizen, legal resident of state representing, 2 year term

Question 4

Who is the Speaker of the House?

Answer 4

Leader of the political party that has the majority for that term

Question 5

Requirements to serve in the Senate

Answer 5

30 years old, 9 years a citizen, legal resident of state representing, 6 year term

Question 6

Who is the president of the Senate?

Answer 6

the vice president, only votes in the event of a tie

Question 7

Who is the majority leader?

Answer 7

considered most poweral member of the Senate and does not have to share party of president

Question 8

Number of members in the Senate

Answer 8

100, 2 from each state regardless of size

Question 9

Number of members of the House

Answer 9

435 members currently, based on state population

Question 10

What’s the Reapportionment Act of 1929?

Answer 10

Act that fixed the number of House representatives to 435

Question 11

Least number of representatives each state must have and which states are these?

Answer 11

1, Vermont, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Alaska

Question 12

How did the 17th Amendment change the bicameral process?

Answer 12

Senators were chosen by state legislatures, and the Amendment gave the vote to the people

Question 13

Why do we have a bicameral Congress?

Answer 13

The Virginia Plan (larger states) and the New Jersey Plan (smaller states) were in conflict, so Conneticut offered the Great Compromise: bicameral Congress

Question 14

What’s the Great Compromise?

Answer 14

A way to offer both equal and proportional represention: AKA Connecticut Compromise

Question 15

Which one is the upper house?

Answer 15

Senate

Question 16

Which one is the lower house?

Answer 16

House

Question 17

Why are the houses divided and given different powers?

Answer 17

Framers wanted branches to limit and check each others’ power

Question 18

What’s the main purpose of Congress?

Answer 18

to make and pass laws

Question 19

Main powers of the House of Representatives?

Answer 19

1. impeach President and other officials 2. decide presidental elections if no majority of electoral college 3. raise taxes

Question 20

Main powers of the Senate?

Answer 20

1. hold impeachment trials 2. ratify teaties with a 2/3 vote 3. confirm appointment of executive officers

Question 21

Who presides over an impeachment trial?

Answer 21

Vice President if its not the President being impeached, chief justice of the supreme court

Question 22

What is the Power of the Purse?

Answer 22

the House’s ability to rasie taxes, because they more closely represent the people who vote them in

Question 23

Name the three brances of government in order

Answer 23

Legislative, Executive, Judicial

Question 24

Why does the Legislative Branch hold the most power in terms of checks?

Answer 24

The framers feared an executive holding too much power like King George III

Question 25

How are bills passed?

Answer 25

1. introduce in either house, except taxes 2. sent to committee 3. sent to subcommittee 4. back to full committee 5. if approved, then over to the other house 6. conferance committee 7. president signs or vetoes

Question 26

How does debate differ between the two chambers?

Answer 26

unlimited debate in Senate b/c of size, filibuster allowed, limited dabate in the House b/c of size

Question 27

What is a cloture?

Answer 27

unlimited debate in Senate b/c of size, filibuster allowed, limited dabate in the House b/c of size

Question 28

How is Congress's work organized?

Answer 28

Congress uses a committee system

Question 29

What does a conference committee do?

Answer 29

irons out differences between House and Senate bills before sent to President

Question 30

What does the Rules Committee do?

Answer 30

weeds out bills that are unworthy of being proposed to the full chamber

Question 31

Requirements to serve as the President

Answer 31

35 years old, natural citizen, reside in US for 14 years

Question 32

How many members of the electoral college?

Answer 32

538, each state has as many members of congress as it does electoral votes, plus 3 for DC

Question 33

What does the Presidential Succession Act of 1967 state?

Answer 33

Speaker of the House is next in line for President after VP

Question 34

What does the 25th Amendment state about the VP?

Answer 34

VP can now elect a replacement VP, used to be left vacant, VP can serve as President if he becomes disabled

Question 35

What's the "fourth branch" of government?

Answer 35

the Federal Bureaucracy, independent agencies that protect consumers and regulate industries

Question 36

Which branch can propose amendments?

Answer 36

legislative branch by 2/3 vote

Question 37

Judiciary Act of 1789?

Answer 37

established the Supreme Court and 13 district courts based on the states of the time

Question 38

What types of courts do we have?

Answer 38

Supreme, federal District Courts, Courts of Appeal, and special courts

Question 39

Number of Supreme Court Justices?

Answer 39

1 Chief Justice and 8 Associate Justices, serve for life, used to be 6 justices and grew as the US expanded

Question 40

How many votes for Supreme Court to consider a case?

Answer 40

4 justices must agree

Question 41

What's a writ of certiorari?

Answer 41

orders calling up the records from lower courts

Question 42

What's precedent?

Answer 42

previous rulings made in similar cases

Question 43

What's a majority opinion?

Answer 43

written during a split decision, a justice on the majority witll write an argument for their reasoning

Question 44

Whats a concurring opinion?

Answer 44

when a justice agrees with the majority but bases that argument on a different principle, he/she will write an argument for that reasoning

Question 45

What's a dissenting opinion?

Answer 45

written during a split decision, a justice on the minority will air their conflicting arguments

Question 46

Some examples of special courts?

Answer 46

Tax, Military, International Trade, Customs, Claims (person vs government)

Question 47

How did the Supreme Court change in 1925?

Answer 47

Supreme Court started enforcing the Bill of Rights and confromed to the federal standard of civil rights

Question 48

What does de jure mean?

Answer 48

legally enforced

Question 49

What does de facto mean?

Answer 49

exists in fact

Question 50

What is a whip in Congress?

Answer 50

an official in a political party whose primary purpose is to enforce discipline and threaten members to vote and act accordingly