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WorksheetsAPGOPO Unit 2: Interactions Among the Branches
Total questions: 65
Worksheet time: 24mins
Who is the head of the Judicial Branch of Government?
The Speaker of the House
The President Pro Tempore
The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court
Associate Supreme Court Justice
What did Hamilton mean when he made the following statement?
“Laws are a dead letter without courts to expound and define their true meaning and operation.” —Alexander Hamilton
For laws to be effective, there must be courts to make them known to citizens consistently.
For laws to be effective, there must be courts to interpret them consistently.
Laws that are not obeyed should be repealed by the courts.
Laws that are not obeyed should be enforced by the courts.
Why did the Constitution provide for two separate court systems?
to keep the federal court system from being overwhelmed
to establish the federal court system as having more power than State courts
to maintain a balance of power between the Federal Government and the States
to strengthen the balance of power between the three branches of Federal Government
What is the difference between original jurisdiction and appellate jurisdiction?
Original jurisdiction refers to a case being heard in a federal court; appellate jurisdiction refers to a case being heard in a State court.
Original jurisdiction refers to criminal or civil cases; appellate jurisdiction refers to only to civil cases.
Original jurisdiction refers to a case that could be heard in a federal or a State court; appellate jurisdiction refers to a case that must be heard in a federal court.
Original jurisdiction refers to a court where a case is first heard; appellate jurisdiction refers to a case being heard after it was tried in a lower court.
How are federal judges selected?
The person is named to the bench by the President and confirmed by the Senate.
The person is named to the bench by the President and does not need to be confirmed.
The person is publicly elected to the bench and confirmed by the Senate.
The person is nominated by the Senate and chosen by the President.
When a case is appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, the court can do which of the following?
Declares the law involved in the case to be unconstitutional.
Sends the case to Congress to decide on the legality of the law involved.
Sends the case back to the lower court for reconsideration.
Passes the case on to a higher court.
This type of jurisdiction is shared by both Federal and State judiciary.
Appellate
Original
Exclusive
Concurrent
The practice of senatorial courtesy deals with which of the following?
confirms any federal judge who serves in the State in which the president was born.
shows courtesy to federal judges who have served in the Senate.
considers the preferences of senators regarding judges serving in their State.
ensures that every federal judge has a professional background from his or her State.
The only official task of the vice-president is to
advise the president in foreign affairs
preside over the Senate and to vote in case of a tie
serve as the president's good will ambassador to other countries
chair government commissions at the President's request
In vetoing a bill, the President does which of the following?
Rejects only a part of the bill without rejecting it entirely.
Decides on a bills constitutionality.
Sends the bill back to its original committee for further review.
Rejects all sections of the bill.
In general, Congress is most likely to defer to the President:
in times of international crisis
in the area of social policy
late in the president’s term
when the economy is weak
The primary function of the White House staff is to
Carry out policy
Advise the president
Represent the bureaucratic agencies
Act as liaison with members of Congress
Which of the following are powers of the president?
granting pardons
dismissing Supreme Court justices
appointing every member in the bureaucracy
Declaring war
Which of the following is the most likely consequence of divided government?
Reorganization of the federal bureaucracy
Conflict between states
Delays in confirmation of federal court nominee
Conflicts between national government and states
Executive orders by the president are primarily issued to
Reorganize the chairs of committees of the legislative branch
Negotiate treaties with foreign countries
Direct action by the federal bureaucracy
Resolve conflict between state governments
Which of the following factors is the greatest influence on a citizen’s approval of the president?
The citizen’s party affiliation.
The president’s success in working with Congress.
The citizen’s state of residency.
The president’s success in diplomacy
Which of the following tasks falls to the vice president?
Leading cabinet meetings
Presiding over the Senate
Commanding the military
Determining the federal budget
Among the legislative branch’s checks on the executive branch is their power to
override a veto
introduce bills to the floor of Congress
break a filibuster
levitate and use his x-ray vision
The President’s chief of staff is often referred to as the gatekeeper because
The chief of staff must approve any nominees to the executive branch
Access to the president is usually controlled by the chief of staff
The chief of staff decides on funding for different departments of the executive branch
Any bill that the president signs must pass through the chief of staff
Which of the following institutions is responsible for compiling the president’s budget proposal
Department of the Treasury
Congressional Budget Office
Office of Management and Budget
Federal Reserve Board
“Each party files detailed written statements—briefs—with the Court before they present their oral arguments. These detailed statements spell out the party’s legal position and are built largely on relevant facts and _________”
Which statement BEST describes the missing content about how Supreme Court briefs are created?
Judicial review is _____________________.
the ability of Congress to veto Supreme Court rulings.
the courts ability to determine if laws are constitutional.
established by Article I of the Constitution.
the court's power to tax.
Which of the following powers is shared by the House of Representatives and the Senate?
Establishing federal courts
Approving treaties
Holding confirmation hearings
Holding trials of impeachment
Which of the following committees plays a major role in the House in shaping tax policy?
Finance
Ways and Means
Commerce
Appropriations
Advocates of shifting the task of drawing United States House districts from state legislatures to independent commissions are likely to claim which of the following as an advantage of independent commissions?
.
House districts drawn by independent commissions are immune from challenges by the United States Department of Justice
Independent commissions are more likely to create majority minority districts where they are appropriate
Independent commissions significantly reduce the influence of partisan gerrymandering in the redistricting process
Independent commissions are more able to draw legislative districts that comply with the one person, one vote standard
Which of the following constitutional provisions broadened the power of Congress?
The necessary and proper clause
The equal protection clause
The Tenth Amendment
The Ninth Amendment
Which of the following actions by a congressional representative is an example of “pork barreling”?
Misusing campaign contributions
Directing federal funds into the representative’s district through legislation
Accepting money from a political action committee (PAC)
Voting for a salary increase.
Which of the following is an example of checks and balances in action in the United States government?
The president issues an executive order that freezes federal government hiring
The president vetoes a bill passed by Congress
The voters reject the status quo and elect all new members of Congress
The voters at the state level elect a governor from a party other than the president’s.
Congressional oversight refers to the power of Congress to:
Override presidential vetoes
Hold public hearings before confirming judicial appointees
Exercise some control over executive agencies
Seek judicial opinion on the constitutionality of pending legislation
Most of the work of legislating in Congress takes place in
Joint committees
Standing committees
Select committees
Conference committees
After a constitutional amendment has been proposed by both houses of Congress, its adoption requires:
Official filing with the secretary of state
Support by a majority vote of the people
Signature by the president
Ratification by three-fourths of the states
The House Rules Committee is an important part of the legislative process because it:
Determines ethics rules for members’ conduct
Determines whether a bill should be referred to a policy committee for consideration
Determines the terms and conditions of debate when a bill goes to the House floor
Has the authority to limit the Speaker and Minority leader in their use of patronage
The President cannot veto which of the following?
Joint resolutions that propose constitutional amendments
Laws overturning United States Supreme Court decisions
Legislation regulating congressional salaries
Legislation affecting foreign policy
When a bill passes the House and the Senate in different versions, the bill is resolved by which of the following types of committee?
Conference
Select
Reconciliation
Rules
Which of the following situations best illustrates the meaning of divided government in the United States political system?
The majority of Supreme Court justices are from one party, but the president is from another
The majority of governors are from one party but the president is from another
The president and the majority of members of Congress are from one party, but the majority of governors is from another
The majority of senators and the majority of representatives are from one party, but the president is from another
Which of the following best describes gerrymandering?
The party in power wins four or five surrounding districts by very small margins
The Supreme Court requires that state legislatures must adopt the doctrine of one person, one vote
The party in control of the state legislature draws district boundaries in such a way as to favor its own candidates in subsequent elections
By polling voters, party officials are able to determine how citizens will vote
Enumerated powers of the federal government include all of the following EXCEPT the power to:
Coin money
Declare war
Regulate interstate commerce
Regulate intrastate commerce
Fiscal policies refer to the government’s power to:
Regulate specific industries
Tax and spend
Reapportion congressional seats
Control the supply of money
Enforce treaties
Which of the following is true of the seniority system of Congress in relation to committee leadership and committee staffing?
Members of Congress with the longest continuous service are assured the chairmanship of major congressional committees
The chairs of congressional committees tend to be senior members of the body’s majority party
Members of congressional committees are the most senior members of the body’s majority party
The oldest members of Congress have the most seniority
Which of the following describes the result in a winner-take-all, single-member-district plurality system?
The candidate who receives the most votes in the election wins
The candidate must receive at least 51% of the votes to win all of the seats in the district
The top two vote-getters compete in a run-off election
A political party must receive 51% of the votes to win all of the seats in the district
The three points of an iron triangle include:
An independent agency, a state, and a member of Congress
An administrative agency, an interest group, and a congressional committee
A cabinet department, an interest group and the House majority leader
A regulatory commission, a corporation, and the White House Office
When none of the presidential candidates receives a majority of the votes in the electoral college, the winner is chosen by they:
Federal Election Commission
Majority of the House and Senate combined
House of Representatives only
Senate only
Congressional legislative powers include all of the following EXCEPT:
Legislating federal appropriations
Pardoning felons
Establishing a lower-court system
Passing federal laws
Members of Congress who have adopted the delegate role of representation normally cast their votes based on which of the following?
The preferences of the majority of their constituents
Their judgement about what is best for their constituency
The instructions of their political party’s leadership
Their political party’s most recent policy platform
Which of the following is a unique power held by members of the Senate?
Control of the veto
Control of the appropriations process
The ability to filibuster
The ability to impeach the president
If Congress adjourns during the ten days the president has to consider a bill passed by both houses of Congress, but which the president has not yet signed, what is the result?
Line-item veto
Legislative veto
Executive veto
Pocket veto
Which of the following statements about gerrymandering is true?
It has been banned by United States Supreme Court decisions beginning with Bake v. Carr.
It was used traditionally to maintain urban control of the House of Representatives
It can be used by a political party to draw boundary lines to control as many districts as possible
It guarantees greater constituency control over elected representatives
Which of the following constitutional principles most directly addresses the relationship between the national and state governments?
Checks and balances
The Bill of Rights
Federalism
Representation
The term “pork barrel” refers to legislation specifically designed to:
Encourage a federal balanced budget
Ensure the careful inspection of farm goods and other foodstuffs
Distribute excess produce to the poor
Provide funding for local projects that are intended to benefit constituents
Which of the following is an example of congressional oversight?
Holding hearings for review of an executive agency’s activities
Assisting constituents with particular problems
Reporting campaign contributions to the Federal Election Commission
Signing trade agreements with other countries without input from the president
Which of the following statements about motions for cloture is true?
They force a bill out of committee so that the full House can vote on it
They are applied to bills that failed in the previous session of Congress
They are applied only to appropriation bills
They are used by senators to end a filibuster and bring a bill to vote
Which of the following is the best example of a categorical grant?
Money given to states for special education programs
Money given to individuals in the form of tax rebates
Money given to states unconditionally
Money given to states to spend at their discretion on transportation
The Constitution states that all revenue bills must originate in:
The Office of Management and Budget
The Congressional Budget Office
The United States Senate
The United States House of Representatives
Nominations to the Supreme Court must be approved by:
Simple majority in the Senate only
Simple majority vote in both the House of Representatives and the Senate
2/3 vote in the House of Representatives only
2/3 vote in both the House of Representatives and the Senate
Of the following, which is the most powerful figure in Congress?
The Chair of the House Ways and Means Committee
The Speaker of the House
The Majority Whip of the House
The Chair of the Senate Finance Committee
Of the following, which has been used most to expand the power of the national government?
The commerce clause of the Constitution
The habeas corpus clause of the Constitution
The First Amendment
The Fifth Amendment
Congressional district boundaries are usually redrawn every ten years by the:
Census Bureau
State legislatures
President
Federal Election Commission
Lobbyists try to influence legislators mainly through:
Providing legislators with information on technical issues
Placing persuasive advertisements in the media
“wining and dining” legislators
Threatening to help the legislator’s opponent in the next election
