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WorksheetsAP Government Legislative Branch
Total questions: 75
Worksheet time: 39mins
Name
Class
Date
1.
How many members are in the House of Representatives?
a)
100
b)
250
c)
435
d)
535
2.
Which term means "having two houses"?
a)
Bicameral
b)
Bipartiasan
c)
Two-party
d)
Two-housal
3.
Which article of the Constitution creates Congress?
a)
Article I
b)
Article II
c)
Article III
d)
Preamble
4.
How long are the elected terms of members of the Senate?
a)
2 years
b)
4 years
c)
6 years
d)
8 years
5.
How long do Senate candidates have to live in the US before they run?
a)
5 years
b)
7 years
c)
9 years
d)
14 years
6.
How many members are in the Senate?
a)
100
b)
250
c)
435
d)
535
7.
Who is the leader of the political party that is NOT in power in the House?
a)
Speaker of the House
b)
Majority Leader
c)
Minority Whip
d)
Minority Leader
8.
Which term refers to the process of deciding how many members of the House each state gets?
a)
Redistricting
b)
Reapportionment
c)
Gerrymandering
d)
Census
9.
An agreement by two or more lawmakers to support each other's bills.
a)
Entitlement
b)
Standing Committee
c)
Logrolling
d)
Quorum
10.
To draw a district's boundaries to gain an advantage in elections.
a)
Gerrymandering
b)
Joint Resolutions
c)
Filibuster
d)
Logrolling
11.
Laws that are passed by Congress to appropriate money for local federal projects.
a)
Cloture Resolution
b)
Appropriations Bill
c)
Select Committee
d)
Pork-Barrel Legislation
12.
A person whom a member of Congress has been elected to represent.
a)
Speaker of the House
b)
Constituent
c)
President Pro Tempore
d)
Lobbyist
13.
The work a lawmaker does to help constituents with problems
a)
Earmarks
b)
Casework
c)
Revenue Bill
d)
Interest Group
14.
Presiding officer and most powerful member of the House of Representatives.
a)
Speaker of the House
b)
Majority Leader
c)
Whip
d)
Vice President
15.
A paid representative of an interest group who contacts government officials on behalf of interest groups.
a)
Representative
b)
Senator
c)
Contractor
d)
Lobbyist
16.
The Senate member, elected by the Senate, who stands in as president of the Senate in the absence of the vice president.
a)
Whip
b)
Majority Leader
c)
Speaker of the House
d)
President Pro Tempore
17.
A method of defeating a bill in the Senate by stalling the legislative process and preventing a vote.
a)
Rider
b)
Filibuster
c)
Lobby
d)
Logrolling
18.
A proposed law to authorize spending money.
a)
Appropriations Bill
b)
Revenue Bill
c)
Casework
d)
Filibuster
19.
The power of the legislative branch to review the policies, programs, and activities of the executive branch on an ongoing basis.
a)
Legislative Oversight
b)
Logrolling
c)
Gerrymandering
d)
Rider
20.
A temporary joint committee set up when the house and the Senate have passed different versions of the same bill.
a)
Conference Committee
b)
Standing Committee
c)
Select Committee
d)
Open Rule
21.
A temporary committee formed to study one specific issue and report its findings to the House or Senate.
a)
Select Committee
b)
Joint Committee
c)
Revenue Bill
d)
Conference Committee
22.
A provision included in a bill on a subject other than the one covered in the bill.
a)
Open Rule
b)
Perjury
c)
Rider/Earmark
d)
Joint Resolution
23.
A permanent committee in Congress that oversees bills that deal with certain kinds of issues.
a)
Rules Committee
b)
Joint Committee
c)
Standing Committee
d)
Select Committee
24.
Rule that forbids members of Congress to offer amendments to a bill from the floor.
a)
Closed Rule
b)
Open Rule
c)
Logrolling
d)
Joint Resolution
25.
A procedure that allows each Senator to speak only one hour on a bill under debate.
a)
Cloture Resolution
b)
Joint Resolution
c)
Revenue Bill
d)
Logrolling
26.
What political party is the majority party in the U.S. Senate?
a)
Democrats
b)
Republicans
27.
What political party is the majority party in the U.S. House of Representatives?
a)
Democrats
b)
Republicans
28.
____________ refers to the actual division of congressional districts, or the drawing of congressional district lines, within a state.
a)
Reapportionment
b)
Redistricting
c)
Gerrymandering
d)
Inauguration
29.
What is the practice of drawing an oddly shaped district to increase the voting strength of a particular party or group?
a)
Reapportionment
b)
Redistricting
c)
Gerrymandering
d)
Plutocracy
30.
All 50 states have ___ Senators who serve for ___ years each, barring expulsion, impeachment, resignation, or death.
a)
36 : 2
b)
2 : 6
c)
7 : 11
d)
100 : 435
31.
____ _____ do not currently exist for Congressmen, would require a Constitutional Amendment, but have been recommended to increase turnover.
a)
Term Limits
b)
Salary Freezes
c)
Hot Pockets
d)
Standing Committees
32.
Compromise is rare in the modern Congress because the parties have become more _____ and internally _____.
a)
Communist : Communist
b)
Angry : Complacent
c)
Moderate : Heterogeneous
d)
Polarized : Homogeneous
33.
Polarization occurs when parties move _____ from the moderate middle and share ___ in common
a)
Away : Less
b)
Closer : More
c)
Towards : Something
d)
Tangential : Everything
34.
____ do most of the real work in Congress.
a)
Primaries
b)
Caucuses
c)
Committees
d)
Conferences
35.
This individual keeps close contact with all members of his or her party, counts votes for key legislation, prepares summaries of bills, and acts as a communications link within the party.
a)
Whip
b)
Speaker
c)
Leader
d)
Chairperson
36.
A group of Congressmen who share some interest and work to promote that interest is a _______
a)
Interest Group
b)
Caucus
c)
Committee
d)
Conference
37.
A proposed law is called a______
a)
Amendment
b)
Executive Order
c)
Bill
d)
Coin
38.
A _______ is taken every 10 years
a)
Election
b)
Census
c)
Constituent
d)
Term
39.
Which of the following can a committee NOT do?
a)
Amend the bill
b)
Rewrite the bill
c)
Ignore the bill
d)
Sign it into law
40.
power of Congress to regulate interstate and foreign trade
a)
Tax power
b)
Commerce power
c)
public debt
d)
public
41.
The 17th Amendment...?
a)
Stopped Legislatures from picking the Senate
b)
Decided how to elect the president
c)
Established Veto
d)
Gave women the right to vote
42.
Which of the following is an example of the president's role as commander in chief?
a)
appointing justices to the Supreme Court
b)
granting presidential pardon
c)
issuing an executive order about an administrative problem
d)
sending troops overseas to support foreign policy decisions
43.
Which of following is a power of the executive branch?
a)
appoints federal judges
b)
declares acts of Congress unconstitutional
c)
ratifies treaties
d)
impeaches and removes judges
44.
Who are the leaders of the executive departments who advise the president?
a)
President
b)
Legislative Branch
c)
Judicial Branch
d)
Cabinet
45.
The fact that the U.S. Congress can override a presidential veto is an example of which feature of government?
a)
judicial review
b)
checks and balances
c)
separation of powers
d)
advice and consent
46.
Which article of the constitution discusses the Executive Branch of government?
a)
Article 1
b)
Article 2
c)
Article 3
d)
Article 4
47.
Person who will become president if the elected president cannot serve.
a)
Vice-President
b)
Speaker of the House
c)
President Pro Tempore
d)
Supreme Court Justice
48.
Speech the President gives to Congress?
a)
State of the Union Address
b)
Debate
c)
Presidential Powers
d)
Cabinet
49.
Number of terms a president can be elected.
a)
2
b)
4
c)
6
d)
8
50.
Number of years in a President's term of office.
a)
2
b)
4
c)
6
d)
8
51.
What is the main purpose of the executive branch?
a)
to make laws
b)
to enforce laws
c)
to go to war
d)
to interpret laws
52.
What is NOT a requirement to be president?
a)
35 yrs old
b)
14 years of residency
c)
military service
d)
born a citizen
53.
Following the Vice President, the next in succession for presidency is the
a)
Speaker of the House
b)
House Whip
c)
President Pro Tempore of the Senate
d)
Majority Leader of the Senate
54.
Which role does the President fulfill when dealing with Foreign Policy?
a)
Chief Executive
b)
Chief Diplomat
c)
Party Leader
d)
Economic leader
55.
In addition to congressional override, Congress has this power over a president.
a)
mandate
b)
pardon
c)
impeachment
d)
veto
56.
number of presidents removed from office
a)
0
b)
1
c)
2
d)
3
57.
A strict chain of command is characteristic of what type of leadership structure
a)
Circular
b)
Pyramidal
c)
Tubular
d)
Ad Hoc
58.
Which of these appointments does not need Senatorial confirmation?
a)
District Court Judge
b)
Ambassador
c)
Chief of Staff
d)
Cabinet Secretary
59.
The State of the Union Address is a way for the president to
a)
propose legislation to Congress
b)
campaign directly to the people
c)
approve or veto legislation
d)
appoint officials
60.
An official act by the President forgiving a person convicted of a crime and freeing that person from serving his/her sentence.
a)
Excuse
b)
Commutation
c)
Pardon
d)
Termination
61.
Which of these is NOT a power of the president?
a)
commander in chief
b)
appoint ambassadors
c)
declare war
d)
grant pardons
62.
The President gets to choose or appoint all of the following people EXCEPT
a)
members of Congress
b)
ambassadors
c)
cabinet members
d)
federal judges
63.
Department that handles foreign affairs such as the United Nations and embassies.
a)
Dept. of the Interior
b)
Dept. of State
c)
Dept. of Labor
d)
Dept. of Justice
64.
Department that contains the Attorney General and enforces laws of the U.S.
a)
Dept. of Justice
b)
Dept. of Energy
c)
Dept. of Defense
d)
Dept. of Labor
65.
Department that handles the operation of the armed forces.
a)
Dept. of Defense
b)
Dept. of Justice
c)
Dept. of Homeland Security
d)
Dept. of Interior
66.
According to the Constitution, all bills for raising revenue __________.
a)
are introduced by the president
b)
must start in the Senate
c)
must originate in the House
d)
must receive a two-thirds vote in both houses
67.
Minnesota has ___U.S. Representative in the House based on our population.
a)
6
b)
10
c)
8
d)
4
68.
Congressperson's mail goes for free in what is known as the
a)
great scam
b)
snail mail prevail
c)
junket
d)
franking privilege
69.
In this role, the president is the ceremonial figurehead of America.
a)
Chief of State
b)
Party Chief
c)
Chief Executive
d)
Commander-in-Chief
70.
In this role, the president may draft bills, issue signing statements, and veto bills from Congress.
a)
Chief of State
b)
Chief Executive
c)
Party Chief
d)
Chief Legislator
71.
Which of the following presidents was the most "accidental" --- meaning that he was never elected as POTUS or VP?
a)
Richard Nixon
b)
John Tyler
c)
Gerald Ford
d)
W.H. Harrison
72.
An agreement between the president and the leader of another country is known as a/an
a)
treaty
b)
gentleman's agreement
c)
executive order
d)
executive agreement
73.
When a president wins by a large majority and feels the public approval, he is said to have a/an
a)
executive privilege
b)
vote of confidence
c)
electoral mandate
d)
pocket veto
74.
Which of the following statements is true of the judicial system in the United States?
a)
It is a unitary court system
b)
Interest groups are forbidden from participating in criminal proceedings
c)
The system prescribes that criminal cases be decided by juries, and civil cases be decided by judges
d)
The US Constitution established all federal courts
e)
It is an adversarial system in which justice is supposed to emerge from the struggle between two contending points of view.
75.
Which of the following statements is true about Congress's influence over Supreme Court decision making?
a)
Congress can pass laws to prohibit judicial activism
b)
The Senate can filibuster court decisions
c)
Congress has significant control over the court's appellate jurisdiction
d)
The Senate can decide which cases the Supreme Court will hear
e)
District court judges ae reviewed by Congress every 10 years.
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