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Branches of Gov't
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What fraction of Congress (or a constitutional convention) is required to propose an amendment to the U.S. Constitution? | two thirds |
| What fraction of the state legislatures (or state constitutional conventions) is required to ratify an amendment to the U.S. Constitution? | three fourths |
| What fraction of the senate must vote to convict a president (or other federal office holder) in an impeachment trial and remove them from office? | two thirds |
| What federal official presides over an impeachment trial of the president in the senate? | Chief Justice of the Supreme Court |
| What office serves as the president of the Senate and votes in the case of a tie? | vice president |
| Where in U.S. government history does the phrase “separation of church and state” come from? | a private letter of Thomas Jefferson |
| Which two amendments have been most important in Supreme Court trial history? | 1st and 14th |
| What are the rights protected by the first amendment? | Freedom of Religion, speech, press, peaceful assembly, and petition of grievances |
| What rights are protected by the fourteenth amendment? | Equal protection under the law for all citizens |
| How many amendments have been made to the U.S. Constitution? | 27 |
| Name the four presidents who won the electoral college but lost the popular vote? How many president have won the election without winning the popular vote? | Donald Trump, George W. Bush, Benjamin Harrison, Rutherford B. Hayes; five presidents (add John Quincy Adams) |
| How many electoral college votes does a candidate need to win the presidency? How many total electoral college votes are there? | 270/538 |
| What portion of the electoral votes allotted to each state skews the total of each state so that it is not entirely proportional based on population to other states? | The states 2 guaranteed senate votes |
| Name three powers that the senate has the authority to vote on that gives it a check on other branches: | Judicial appointments, Foreign Treaties, Impeachment Trials, Ambassador and Cabinet appointments |
| What kind of bill must always originate in the House of Representatives? | revenue (tax) bills |
| What is it called when a president does nothing with a bill passed by congress for 10 days, but congress is no longer in session so the bill does not become a law? | pocket veto |
| What are the groups called in both the House and the Senate that determine whether or not a Bill will be considered for a vote? | Committees |
| Which is the largest branch of the U.S. Government with over 3 million employees? | Executive |
| Name three organizations that are run by the Executive branch: | NASA, CIA, FBI, the Federal Reserve, Social Security, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Federal Trade Commission, the U.S. Military, Department of Education |
| How many justices are currently on the supreme court? | 9 |
| Who gets to vote on the Supreme Court in the case of a 4 to 4 tie? | The Chief Justice, John Roberts (currently) |
| Who appoints justices to the supreme court? | The president, confirmed by the senate |
| What Supreme Court case established the precedent of Judicial Review ? | Marbury v. Madison |
| Which supreme court case established that law enforcement officers must make sure that the accused are aware of their rights? | Miranda v Arizona |
| Which supreme court case overturned Plessy vs Ferguson and desegregated public schools in the united states? | Brown v Board of Education |
| Which supreme court case, now overturned, mandated legal abortion in all 50 states? | Roe v Wade |
| Which amendment established separate elections for President and Vice President? | 12th amendment |
| Who decides presidential elections if no candidate wins a majority of the electoral college? | House of Representatives |
| Name 3 kinds of laws that are under the jurisdiction of state governments? | death penalty, drug laws, abortion laws, traffic laws, divorce laws |
| If a candidate wins 52% of the popular vote in Indiana, how many electoral votes do they win? | 11, all of Indiana's electoral votes |
| If a parallel bill passes through each house of congress simultaneously, where do they go to resolve their differences before being presented to the president? | Conference committee |
| a principle or rule established in a legal case that becomes authoritative to a court or other tribunal when deciding subsequent cases | Precedent |
| Name 3 features of American government that demonstrate that the United States was not intended to be a pure (majority rules) democracy. | A written constitution, a bill of rights, a difficult amendment process, a Senate with equal representation by state, an electoral college system for electing the president, a representative legislature (where elected officials vote on laws) |
| What check does the supreme court have on the legislative and executive branch? | Judicial Review |
| What does Judicial Review mean? | The supreme court can strike down laws or executive orders as unconstitutional. |
| What does it mean when the Supreme Court is called the court of last appeal? | There is no court or officer that can overrule a decision by the Supreme Court (except the Supreme Court) |
| Which executive cabinet member is responsible for representing the United States to foreign governments and overseeing ambassadors and treaties? | The Secretary of State |
| Which executive cabinet member oversees the armed forces and is responsible for the defense of the country? | The Secretary of Defense (formerly War) |
| Which executive cabinet member is the head of the Department of Justice and the federal government's chief law enforcement officer. | The Attorney General |
| Which executive cabinet member functions as the chief financial officer of the government and advising the President on fiscal and economic policies, managing the nation's finances, including tax collection, debt management, and currency production. | The Secretary of the Treasury |
| Which executive cabinet member is responsible for managing the nation's public lands (national parks), natural resources, and cultural heritage, and for honoring trust responsibilities to Native American communities. | The Secretary of the Interior |
| Which branch of the US Government has the most employees and the biggest budget? | Executive Branch (2.5 million federal employees, not including military) compared to Legislative and Judicial (~35,000 each) |
| In order, name the first 3 political officers in the line of succession to the president. | 1. Vice President 2. Speaker of the House 3. Senate Pro Tempore |
| ESSAY: 2 Paragraphs, 5-8 sentences each, high school level writing expected, grammar and spelling a component of the grade | Features of the US government that are not entirely democratic (limit the power of the majority) and why. |
Created by:
dosselaer
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