Parliament

The UK has a ​ (a)   legislature, comprised of the House of Commons and the House of Lords. The UK has a ​ (b)   of powers, whereby the executive branch is drawn from the ​ (c)   branch. This means that the government is formed based on the outcome ​ (d)   , and that members of the government must also be members of either the Commons or the Lords.

• bicameral
• fusion
• legislative
• general elections
• unicameral
• separation
• the royal perogative

Which of the following is not an exclusive power of the House of Commons?

• Votes of confidence in the government

• Passing the Budget

• Representing constituents

• Voting on proposed laws (bills)

Match the key term to the definition:

• An MP who holds a ministerial role

• Bills

• Draft laws before parliament

• Whip

• Instructions to MPs from their party

• Opposition

• An MP without a ministerial role

• Backbencher

• MPs whose party are not in government

• Frontbencher

Which of the following is not a duty of the Speaker of the House of Commons?

• Deciding what the House discusses on a given day

• Chairing debates and keeping order during debates

• Casting the deciding vote in case of a tie

• Representing the interests of MPs and the House of Commons

Starting from the earliest, place the stages of a Bill in the correct order.

• First Reading

• Report Stage

• Committee Stage

• Second Reading

• Third Reading

The House of Lords is comprised of around ​ (a)   peers. The majority of these are ​ (b)   , who have been appointed to the Lords because of their expertise or service to a political party. In addition, there are ​ (c)   hereditary peers, who have inherited their titles and been elected to serve in the Lords. There are also ​ (d)   Church of England bishops. Whilst most peers are a member of a political party, there is also a large group of peers not aligned to any party. They are known as the ​ (e)   .

• 800
• life peers
• 92
• 26
• crossbenchers
• 400
• 82
• 36
• independents

Which of the following statements about the House of Lords is not true.

• By convention, the Lords do not block a measure that was in the government's manifesto

• The whip is not as effective in the Lords because they hold their seats for life

• The Lords' committee system is more thematic than the Commons system which shadows departments

• The Lords have no say on secondary legislation

What name is given to a proposed law that is introduced by a backbencher?

(NOTE: no capital letters in the answer)

What informal name is given to the stage of a bill where the two houses consider the amendments proposed by one another?

• Ping pong

• Whiff whaff

• The usual channels

• Prorogation

Unit 1 link:

What (usually) makes the Government's control over Parliament so strong?

• The large majorities caused by FPTP

• The democratic legitimacy afforded in a representative democracy

• Strong support from the media for the winning party

• The inability of backbenchers and opposition parties to ever debate the issues they wished to have discussed