WorksheetsLegislative Branch
Total questions: 71
Worksheet time: 2hrs 55mins
Name
Class
Date
1.
What is the size of the senate? (how many senators)
a)
100
b)
435
c)
30
d)
25
2.
How long is a term for the house of representatives?
a)
2
b)
435
c)
100
d)
6
3.
Who is the presiding officer in the Senate?
a)
President
b)
Vice President
c)
Speaker of the House
d)
Oldest Senator
4.
How long is a term in the Senate?
a)
2 years
b)
6 years
c)
4 years
d)
1 year
5.
What is a Filibuster?
a)
When someone talks for a long time in order to prolong a decision.
b)
When all the members of the Senate leave and take a break.
c)
The brand of fireworks that Fred and George Weasley use in Harry Potter.
6.
If the President veto's a law, then _______.
a)
The bill is killed
b)
It goes back to Congress (House and Senate)
c)
It goes to the House
d)
It goes to the Senate
7.
How long must you be a u.s citizen to serve in the senate?
a)
9 years
b)
7 years
c)
3 years
d)
10 years
8.
How is the number of state's representatives in the U.S. House of Representatives determined?
a)
By population based on the U.S. Census.
b)
By population based on a state report.
c)
By the Constitution, which specifies two representatives for each state.
d)
By each state according to their number of state legislators.
9.
Who is the presiding officer of the U.S. House of Representatives?
a)
The majority party leader.
b)
The minority party leader.
c)
The vice president of the United States.
d)
The Speaker of the House.
10.
Congress belongs to which branch of government?
a)
Executive Branch
b)
Judicial Branch
c)
Leglislative Branch
11.
What is the minimum age requirement for the House of Representatives?
a)
25
b)
30
c)
35
d)
40
12.
In which article are the Congressional powers found?
a)
Article V
b)
Article VII
c)
Article I
d)
Article IV
13.
Which of the following is a non-legislative power of Congress?
a)
power to tax
b)
power to borrow
c)
investigatory power
d)
war powers
14.
In an impeachment trial, who presides over the trial if the President is being impeached?
a)
Vice President
b)
President
c)
Speaker of the House
d)
Supreme Court Justice
15.
Which house conducts the impeachment trial?
a)
House
b)
Senate
16.
Each state is guaranteed at least ________ seats in the House.
a)
1
b)
2
c)
3
d)
4
17.
What is a Filibuster?
a)
When someone talks for a long time in order to prolong a decision.
b)
When all the members of the Senate leave and take a break.
c)
The brand of fireworks that Fred and George Weasley use in Harry Potter.
18.
What is a veto?
a)
When the president accepts a bil
b)
When the president does not accept a bil
c)
When the president overturns a law
d)
When the Supreme Court upholds the law
19.
Congress's main function is to
a)
enforce the laws.
b)
make laws.
c)
decide whether or not laws are constitutional.
d)
impeach high government officials.
20.
Gerrymandering is
a)
legislation passed in southern states to limit African American participation in elections.
b)
the drawing of legislative district boundary lines to give the dominant party an advantage.
c)
known to give the minority party an electoral advantage at the expense of the dominant party.
d)
a process that attempts to limit debate on a bill in the Senate.
21.
What is a proposed law called?
a)
Amendment
b)
Legal ease
c)
Bill
d)
Contract
22.
In absence of the President of the Senate, who serves in his/her position?
a)
the majority leader
b)
the minority leader
c)
President Pro-Tempore
d)
the Speaker of the House
23.
A Congress person with the most years of experience are appointed toserve on the most powerful committees and are appointed as leaders ofthat committee. This idea is known as
a)
elder appointments
b)
cloture
c)
franking
d)
seniority rules
24.
What is "franking"?
a)
eat too many hot dogs
b)
free mail
c)
free gym membership
d)
Mrs. Ballenger's uncle
25.
Most bills die in _________________.
a)
joint resolution
b)
the floor
c)
committee
d)
pigeonhole
26.
Can call a special session of Congress.
a)
Speaker of the House
b)
President of the Senate
c)
President Pro Tempore
d)
President of the United States
27.
This committee is made up of members of both houses
a)
Committee of the Whole
b)
Joint Committee
c)
Standing Committee
d)
Select or Special Committee
28.
How long does a term of Congress last?
a)
1 year
b)
2 years
c)
6 months
d)
4 years
29.
How long does a session of congress last?
a)
1 year
b)
2 years
c)
6 months
d)
4 years
30.
Who is responsible for drawing districts for congressional representation?
a)
Senate
b)
House of Representatives
c)
President
d)
State Legislatures
31.
After a bill has been introduced, where does it go to be discussed and possibly changed?
a)
A Committee
b)
The Speaker of the House
c)
The Vice President
d)
On the floor to be debated
32.
The ___ approves Presidential appointments.
a)
House
b)
Representatives
c)
Vice President
d)
Senate
33.
Representation in the House is based on...
a)
Population
b)
Equality
34.
Representation in the Senate is based on...
a)
Representation
b)
Equality
35.
In which branch do revenue (tax) and budget bills begin?
a)
House
b)
Senate
36.
Which chamber initiates impeachment?
a)
House
b)
Senate
37.
What allows Congress to make laws necessary to carry out its duties?
a)
Inelastic Clause
b)
Elastic Clause
c)
Proper Clause
d)
Rubber Band Clause
38.
Another name for the Elastic Clause is the...
a)
Rubberband clause
b)
Inelastic Clause
c)
Necessary and Proper Clause
d)
Full Faith Clause
39.
Which chamber of Congress is a representation of the people?
a)
House
b)
Senate
40.
How is a presidential veto overturned?
a)
1/2 vote in Congress
b)
2/3 vote in Congress
c)
Supreme Court ruling
d)
National election
41.
Which chamber's term is 6 years?
a)
House
b)
Senate
42.
A ________ committee is the final step before a bill is sent to the President in which differences between the House adn Senate bills are ironed out.
a)
Conference
b)
Standing
c)
Bicameral
43.
How many seats in the Senate does each state get?
a)
1
b)
2
44.
The people represented by a legislator or other elected official are called
a)
delegates.
b)
trustees.
c)
constituents.
d)
representatives
45.
Oversight is
a)
the process by which Congress follows up on the laws it has enacted.
b)
the process by which Congress reviews the actions of subcommittees.
c)
the time of the year that Congress chooses its leadership.
d)
when Congress passes legislation.
46.
Enumerated powers are
a)
power that are specifically granted to the national government by the Constitution.
b)
powers that the executive branch has.
c)
powers that allow the president to do whatever he likes, as long as it carries out the Constitution.
d)
Supreme Court decisions.
47.
The concept of cloture refers to
a)
a method used to defeat legislation in Congress.
b)
a process that shuts off discussion on a bill in the Senate.
c)
closed meetings held by both parties to elect their leadership or resolve other important issues.
d)
the resolution that adjourns Congress.
48.
What vote is required in the house of representatives in order for a bill to pass?
a)
A two-thirds vote of house members.
b)
A three-fifths vote of house members.
c)
A consensus of the house members.
d)
A majority vote of house members.
49.
A special provision in legislation to set aside funds for projects that have not passed an impartial evaluation by agencies in the executive branch is called a(n)
a)
unfunded mandate.
b)
backdoor clause.
c)
amendment.
d)
earmark.
50.
What happens when a house and senate version of a bill differ after being passed by their respective bodies?
a)
The bill is referred to the governor to sign or veto.
b)
The bill is referred to a standing committee to rewrite.
c)
The bill is referred to a conference committee for compromise rewording.
d)
The bill is killed.
51.
A single Senator can prevent a bill from being brought to the Senate floor.
a)
True
b)
False
52.
Amendments can become part of the Constitution by being proposed by...
a)
Congress and ratified by state conventions
b)
Congress and ratified by state legislatures
c)
state conventions and ratified by congress
d)
state legislatures and ratified by congress
53.
Why is it difficult for a bill to become a law?
a)
Bills require unanimous approval from the House and the Senate
b)
House and Senate members rarely agree.
c)
the president vetoes most bills that are sent for approval
d)
The process includes a system of checks and balances.
54.
To virtually eliminate the threat of a filibuster, the Senate would have to have a minimum of members from one party.
a)
50
b)
55
c)
60
d)
65
55.
Who do lobbyists represent?
a)
special interest groups
b)
the House of Representatives
c)
the President
d)
the Senate
56.
Legislative oversight is an example of checks and balances because
a)
Congress can deermine whether a power is explicit or implied
b)
Congress can see if the executive branch is carrying out a law as it intended
c)
oversight lets Congress judge whether or not a particular law is unconstitutional.
d)
oversight requires Congress to relinquish its power of judicial review.
57.
What is the purpose of gerrymandering?
a)
to change the number of House seats for each state.
b)
to give electoral advantage to candidates of the majority party
c)
to change the number of senate seats for each state
d)
to balance each district fairly between Republican and Democratic voters.
58.
Who is the top assistant to the Speaker of the House?
a)
majority leader
b)
minority leader
c)
whip
d)
vice president
59.
Why is the Rules committee the most powerful House committee?
a)
it can stop a bill from going to a committee for consideration.
b)
it can stop a bill from going to the House floor for debate.
c)
it can veto a bill that passes a House floor vote
d)
it can select the members of all other committees.
60.
At what point does a bill become a law?
a)
when it passes the Senate
b)
when it passes the House
c)
when it passes both houses of Congress
d)
when the president signs it.
61.
Who are the most important members of the Senate?
a)
vice president and the president pro tempore
b)
president pro tempore and the minority leader
c)
majority leader and the minority leader
d)
majority leader and the speaker
62.
If a vote in the Senate results in a tie, who can vote to beak the tie?
a)
vice president pro tempore
b)
president pro tempore
c)
president
d)
vice president
63.
Who is responsible for making sure the party's senators are present in the chamber when key votes are cast?
a)
majority leader
b)
minority leader
c)
whip
d)
president pro tempore
64.
What are the types of congressional bills?
a)
private and joint
b)
public and concurrent
c)
public and private
d)
simple and joint
65.
What are the types of congressional resolutions?
a)
public, concurrent and simple
b)
simple concurrent and joint
c)
joint, pocket and private
d)
concurrent, interactive and simple
66.
What is one way that a committee can kill a bill?
a)
by vetoing it
b)
by ignoring it
c)
by a 2/3rds vote to reject it
d)
by reporting it to the floor without comment
67.
What is one way that the president can reject a bill that reaches his or her desk?
a)
pocket veto
b)
amending the bill
c)
declare the bill unconstitutional
d)
attach riders to the bill
68.
Which power is a non legislative power?
a)
power to spend
b)
power to confirm presidential appointments
c)
power to tax
d)
power to regulate interstate commerce
69.
Where does the Constitution state that revenue bills must originate?
a)
in the Senate
b)
in the office of the President
c)
in the House of Representatives
d)
in the Congressional budget office
70.
Which type of bill actually approves the funds for a government program?
a)
revenue bill
b)
bill of attainder
c)
authorization bill
d)
appropriations bill
71.
What happens when a government official is impeached?
a)
the official must leave office
b)
the supreme court holds a trial
c)
the official goes to jail
d)
the senate holds a trial
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