Introduction to the Legislative Branch

Based on the image of a tree labeled with branches of the U.S. Government, which branch is associated with making laws and is highlighted as the focus of the driving question about structure?

• Executive branch

• Judicial branch

• Legislative branch

• State governments

According to the etymology shown, which combination best explains the word "legislative"?

• Legis (law) + late (propose) + suffix -ive (converts verb to adjective)

• Legis (judge) + late (delay) + suffix -ism (belief system)

• Lex (language) + latus (broad) + suffix -ion (process)

• Legis (law) + gress (walk) + prefix con- (together)

The term "Congress" is derived from the parts con and gress. Based on this etymology and the images of Washington, D.C. and the U.S. Capitol, what is the most accurate interpretation?

• A place where people together walk or come together, referring to the national legislature located in Washington, D.C.

• A court where judges walk the halls to decide cases

• A military headquarters where troops march together

• A museum where visitors stroll through exhibits

What is the main job of the national legislature?

• To enforce laws within individual states

• To write laws for the entire country

• To judge court cases at the national level

• To manage local city ordinances

Which statement best describes the structure of the U.S. Congress when it is referred to as bicameral?

• It has one chamber that writes all laws

• It has two separate chambers

• It is divided into federal and state levels

• It meets only in the U.S. Capitol building

How many members are in the U.S. House of Representatives?

• 100

• 435

• 538

• 270

What is the term length for members of the U.S. House of Representatives?

• 4 years

• 6 years

• 2 years

• 1 year

According to the material, which factor determines how many representatives a state receives in the House?

• Geographic size

• Number of counties

• Population

• Land area in square miles

Using the population density maps, which state would likely have more House members: California or Wyoming?

• Wyoming, because it is larger in land area

• California, because it has more people and higher population density

• Wyoming, because it has more counties

• Both have the same number because each state gets two

What is the primary purpose of the U.S. Census as described?

• To set tax rates for each state

• To count everyone living in each state every 10 years

• To elect representatives directly

• To redraw district boundaries annually