Legislative Branch Quiz

Explain the structure, functions and processes of the legislative branch of government. What is the function of a standing committee in Congress?

• It chooses the Speaker of the House.

• It can override a Presidential veto of a bill.

• It considers all proposed bills on a particular subject.

• It resolves differences between bills passed by the Senate and House of Representatives.

Which official presides over the proceedings of the U.S. House of Representatives?

• Chief Justice of the Supreme Court

• Vice President of the United States

• President pro tempore

• Speaker of the House

Which national official is most similar to an elected member of a city council?

• the President of the United States

• a Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court

• the Attorney General of the United States

• a member of the House of Representatives

What is an ordinance?

• a type of executive order issued by the President

• a requirement imposed by the U.S. Supreme Court

• a law passed by a county or municipal government

• a non-binding recommendation passed by Congress

The chart below identifies steps that are common to the passing of our national laws and laws for the State of Florida.

• Most bills die in conference committee.

• National laws are harder to pass than state laws.

• The use of committees provides an efficient way to organize lawmaking in a democratic society.

• The Florida Constitution and the U.S. Constitution failed to place any checks on legislative power.

The diagram below shows some of the steps in enacting a federal law. What is the next step in the lawmaking process?

• The bill goes to the people for a vote.

• The bill goes to a committee in the Senate.

• The bill goes to the President for signature.

• The bill goes to a conference committee to reach a compromise between the two houses.

The diagram below shows two steps taken by a local government. What would be the best title for this diagram?

• Approval of a Treaty

• Passage of an Ordinance

• Ruling on a State Statute

• Issuance of an Executive Agreement

What is the primary purpose of a conference committee in Congress?

• to persuade the President to sign a bill

• to set the calendar for the next session of the legislature

• to harmonize a bill passed in different forms in each house

• to discuss new bills that might be introduced into each house of the legislature

What do the lawmaking processes at the local, state, and national levels have in common?

• Only one house is needed to pass new legislation.

• Only the executive branch can propose new bills.

• The judicial branch advises the legislature on whether new bills would be constitutional.

• The cooperation of both the legislative and executive branches is needed to pass new laws.

Which of the following identifies an important similarity in the lawmaking processes of the national government and the State of Florida?

• Two different versions of a bill can be signed into law at the same time.

• The state legislature and Congress both have unlimited powers in passing laws.

• Bills are sent to a committee before being voted on by houses of the legislature.

• The executive branch can reject a bill passed by the legislature through a pocket veto.