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WorksheetsLegislative Branch Test Review
Total questions: 66
Worksheet time: 2hrs 11mins
What type of legislature does the US government have?
Unicameral
Bicameral
Tricameral
Noncameral
Which of the following are the two parts of the US Congress?
House of Representatives and House of Lords
Senate and Parliament
House of Representatives and Senate
Supreme Court and House of Representatives
Which group is considered the most powerful according to the Constitution?
Executive Branch
Legislative Branch
Judicial Branch
State Governments
What are the specific powers listed in the Constitution known as?
Implied powers
Enumerated powers
Inherent powers
Reserved powers
Where in the Constitution is information about Congress found?
Article 2, Section 4
Article 1, Section 8
Article 3, Section 1
Article 1, Section 3
Expressed powers of Congress are also known as what?
Delegated powers
Enumerated powers
Reserved powers
Concurrent powers
Which of the following is known as the "Power of the Purse"?
The power to declare war
The power to set taxes
The power to control money
The power to make all laws necessary and proper
What is the "necessary and proper clause" also known as?
Elastic clause
Power clause
Money clause
War clause
Which of the following is NOT a power of Congress?
Declare war
Set taxes
Spend money/borrow money
Appoint the President
What are implied powers of Congress?
Powers that are stated in the Constitution and granted because of other powers
Powers that are not stated in the Constitution but are granted because of other powers that are
Powers that are granted by the President
Powers that are granted by the Supreme Court
Which of the following is an example of an implied power of Congress?
The power to declare war
The power to collect taxes
The power to conduct investigations
The power to appoint Supreme Court Justices
What can Congress investigate?
Only decisions of the federal government
Individual members, committees, departments, or decisions of the federal government
Only individual members and committees
Only departments of the federal government
What is a positive outcome of the investigative powers of Congress?
Removal of corrupt officials from office
New legislation
Changes in government programs
All of the choices are correct
What is a negative aspect of the investigative powers of Congress?
They can lead to new legislation
They can be used for political revenge
They can result in changes in government programs
They can lead to the removal of officials from office
What is the purpose of legislative oversight?
To ensure that the judicial branch interprets laws correctly
To provide a continuing review of how effectively the executive branch carries out laws made by Congress
To oversee the financial expenditures of private corporations
To manage the internal operations of the legislative branch itself
Legislative oversight does not happen consistently because it is:
Always required by law
Driven by public opinion
Only necessary during elections
A daily routine
Which body of the U.S. government is responsible for approving presidential nominations such as judges and secretaries?
The House of Representatives
The Senate
The Supreme Court
The Executive Office
Where do spending bills have to start according to the U.S. Constitution?
The Senate
The House of Representatives
The Supreme Court
The President's Office
Which power is granted to the Senate by the U.S. Constitution?
Issuing executive orders
Approving treaties
Declaring war
Enacting tax laws
Who has the power to bring impeachment charges according to the U.S. Constitution?
The Senate
The President
The Supreme Court
The House of Representatives
What is the approximate number of constituents represented by a member in "The People's Chamber"?
500,000
720,000
1,000,000
850,000
Why is "The People's Chamber" considered to be the most responsive to the people?
Because of its ten-year term
Because of its five-year term
Because of its two-year term
Because of its annual elections
What is another name for "The People's Chamber"?
Upper Chamber
Senate
House of Representatives
Congress
What does the term "constituent" refer to ?
A member of the chamber
A voter who elects a person to represent them
A political party
A law passed by the chamber
How many members are there in the House of Representatives?
100
435
538
50
What is the minimum age requirement to be a member of the House of Representatives?
30 years old
25 years old
35 years old
21 years old
For how many years must one be a U.S. citizen before they can become a member of the House of Representatives?
10 years
5 years
7 years
14 years
What is one of the qualifications for being a member of the House of Representatives regarding residency?
Resident of the United States for 10 years
Resident of any state for 5 years
Resident of the state being represented
Resident of the capital city
How long is a term for the House according to the election cycles?
4 year terms
6 year terms
2 year terms
8 year terms
When are the elections for the House held?
November of odd numbered years
January of even numbered years
November of even numbered years
January of odd numbered years
If a representative cannot finish a term, who appoints someone to replace them until the next election?
The President
The Vice President
The Speaker of the House
The governor of the state
What is the purpose of reapportionment in the United States?
To elect the President
To divide up the 435 representatives among the states based on their population
To determine the number of senators for each state
To allocate federal funding to the states
How often is the census held?
Every 5 years
Every 10 years
Every 15 years
Every 20 years
Why might some states need to add or remove districts?
Due to changes in population density
Based on the census information
To increase the number of representatives
Because of a new law
What are Congressional districts?
Areas designated for commercial development
Political boundary lines used to determine which areas of a state will be represented together
Divisions used for organizing state elections
Geographic regions for tax collection
What is gerrymandering?
A) A legal process of redrawing district boundaries
B) Creating districts to gain an advantage in elections
C) A type of voting system
D) A method of counting votes
What are the other terms associated with gerrymandering?
A) Shuffling and splitting
B) Packing and cracking
C) Merging and dividing
D) Clustering and separating
When does gerrymandering typically occur?
A) During the election process
B) After the election results
C) During redistricting
D) Before the election campaign
Is gerrymandering legal?
A) Yes, it is always legal
B) No, officials in state government can be arrested for it.
C) It is legal during elections
D) It occurs during redistricting even though it is illegal
Who can order a state to redraw its map if gerrymandering is believed to have occurred?
A) The President
B) The Governor
C) The Supreme Court
D) The State Legislature
How many senators does each state have in the United States Senate?
1
2
4
50
What is the minimum age requirement to become a senator in the United States?
25 years old
30 years old
35 years old
40 years old
For how many years must a person be a U.S. citizen before they can become a senator?
5 years
7 years
9 years
14 years
How long is a term for a senator in the United States?
4 years
6 years
8 years
10 years
When are the elections for the Senate held?
November of odd years
November of even years
December of even years
December of odd years
What fraction of the Senate is elected every two years?
1/4
1/3
1/2
1/6
If a senator cannot complete their term, who can appoint someone to finish it?
The President
The Vice President
The Speaker of the House
The Governor
Who is considered the leader and most powerful member of the House of Representatives?
The President
The Vice President
The Speaker of the House
The Majority Whip
How is the Speaker of the House chosen?
By the minority party
By the President
By the Supreme Court
By the majority party
What is one of the responsibilities of the Speaker of the House?
Vetoing bills
Recognizing members to speak
Appointing the President
Declaring war
What role does the Speaker of the House play in the presidential succession line?
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
What role does the President Pro Tempore serve?
leader of the majority party in the House
leader of the majority party in the Senate
acts as leader of the Senate when the actual leader is not there
constitutional leader of the Senate
What is the biggest determinant of which topics and bills get discussed in Congress.
The President of the United States
which political party has the majority
the constituents of House members
the problems the country is facing
All of the following are reasons why both the House an Senate are divided into committees EXCEPT for one. Which one is not a reason.
It makes it easier to get work done in Congress.
It allows for members to become specialists on certain topics.
It makes it harder to gerrymander districts.
It allows for an easier way to conduct hearings and investigations.
What is the name of the building that Congress meets in?
White House
J. Edgar Hoover Building
Washington Building
Capitol
Constituents have more influence over ____ because ____.
the House because they get elected more frequently than the Senate does.
the Senate because they do not work in committees.
the House because only House members can be fired.
the Senate because they have more time to meet with their constituents than the House does.
What is the main governing responsibility given to Congress by the Constitution?
enforce/carry out laws
make laws
decide if laws that already exist follow the guidelines of the Constitution
oversight of the executive
Who are the constituents for a senator?
All of the people in an assigned district.
All of the people in the state they represent.
Half of the people in the state are assigned to each senator.
The ____ decides what issues the party should focus on, then tries to get laws, policies, or spending through the legislative process that deal with those topics.
President Pro Tempore
Speaker of the House
Majority Party Leader
Vice President
The ____ develops criticism for the opposing party's platform (topics the opposing party chooses to focus on).
Majority Party Leader
Minority Party Leader
Majority Whip
Minority Whip
The _____ recognizes people to speak, schedules bills for actions, sends bills to committee, and enforces the rules and procedures of the chamber.
Speaker of the House
President Pro Tempore
Vice President
Majority Whip
What is the difference between implied and expressed (enumerated) powers?
Implied powers are specifically listed in the Constitution, expressed powers are inferred from other powers
Implied powers are specifically listed in the Declaration of Independence, expressed powers are listed in the Constitution
Expressed powers are specifically listed in the Constitution, implied powers are provided by the Supreme Court
Expressed powers are specifically listed in the Constitution, implied powers are inferred from other powers
True or False, members of Congress do NOT have term limits?
True
False
True or False, Congress makes the final decision over spending, taxes, and budgets for the U.S. Government?
True
False
Which group does a spending bill bill have to be introduced to first?
The House of Representatives
The Senate
The Executive Branch
Either the House of Representatives or the Senate
All of the following represent you in the federal congress EXCEPT for _____.
Josh Bashline
John Fetterman
Dave McCormick
Glenn Thompson
