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The United States Constitution: The Legislative Branch

Total questions: 34

Worksheet time: 17mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

The legislative branch of the United States government is responsible for:

a)

Enforcing laws

b)

Interpreting laws

c)

Making laws

d)

Judging laws

2.

How many members are there in the House of Representatives?

a)

435

b)

100

c)

50

d)

200

3.

Who is the leading member of the majority party in the House of Representatives?

a)

Speaker of the House

b)

Minority Leader

c)

Whip

d)

President Pro Tempore

4.

What is the term length for a United States Senator?

a)

2 years

b)

4 years

c)

6 years

d)

8 years

5.

Who presides over the Senate when the Vice President is unavailable?

a)

President pro tempore

b)

Speaker of the House

c)

Majority Leader

d)

Minority Leader

6.

How long do members of the House of Representatives serve?

a)

Members of the House of Representatives serve for a term of two years.

b)

Members of the House of Representatives serve for a term of four years.

c)

Members of the House of Representatives serve for a term of six years.

d)

Members of the House of Representatives serve for a term of eight years.

7.

How long do members of the Senate serve?

a)

2 years

b)

4 years

c)

6 years

d)

8 years

8.

What is the House of Representatives also known as?

a)

Lower House

b)

Upper House

c)

Senate

d)

Parliament

9.

What is the Senate also known as?

a)

Upper House

b)

Lower House

c)

House of Representatives

d)

Parliament

10.

To become a member of the House of Representatives, you must be at least how many years old?

a)

At least 25 years old.

b)

At least 30 years old.

c)

At least 21 years old.

d)

At least 35 years old.

11.

To become a member of the House of Representatives, you must have been a United States citizen for at least how many years?

a)

7

b)

5

c)

10

d)

3

12.

To become a member of the Senate, you must be at least how many years old?

a)

At least 30 years old.

b)

At least 25 years old.

c)

At least 35 years old.

d)

At least 40 years old.

13.

To become a member of the Senate, you must have been a citizen of the United States for at least how many years?

a)

9

b)

7

c)

5

d)

10

14.

Who can become a member of Congress according to Article One, Sections 2 and 3 of the Constitution?

a)

Any U.S. citizen

b)

Only natural-born citizens

c)

Citizens of the U.S. for at least 7 years for the House and 9 years for the Senate

d)

Only residents of Washington D.C.

15.

The powers of Congress are limited by:

a)

The President's veto power

b)

The system of checks and balances

c)

The Supreme Court's decisions

d)

The Bill of Rights

16.

How can the Executive Branch check the Legislative Branch?

a)

By vetoing legislation

b)

By declaring laws unconstitutional

c)

By appointing judges

d)

By controlling the budget

17.

How can the Judicial Branch check the Legislative Branch?

a)

By vetoing legislation

b)

By declaring laws unconstitutional

c)

By appointing judges

d)

By controlling the budget

18.

How does the Legislative Branch check the other two branches?

a)

By appointing judges and justices

b)

By vetoing laws

c)

By declaring laws unconstitutional

d)

By overriding vetoes and impeaching officials

19.

The three types of congressional committees mentioned in the text are:

a)

Standing, Select, and Joint

b)

Permanent, Temporary, and Advisory

c)

Legislative, Executive, and Judicial

d)

Federal, State, and Local

20.

Which type of committee is permanent and exists year after year?

a)

Standing committee

b)

Ad hoc committee

c)

Select committee

d)

Joint committee

21.

The main purpose of Special or Select Committees is to:

a)

review legislation

b)

conduct investigations

c)

oversee government operations

d)

all of the above

22.

Conference Committees are made up of members from which two parts of Congress?

a)

House of Representatives and Senate

b)

Senate and Supreme Court

c)

House of Representatives and Executive Branch

d)

Executive Branch and Supreme Court

23.

Which committee would likely investigate the effects of climate change?

a)

Environmental Committee

b)

Finance Committee

c)

Education Committee

d)

Health Committee

24.

What are the Enumerated Powers of Congress according to Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution?

a)

The power to declare war, levy taxes, and regulate commerce

b)

The power to appoint judges, veto laws, and grant pardons

c)

The power to interpret laws, conduct foreign policy, and manage the military

d)

The power to enforce laws, oversee education, and manage public health

25.

Which of the following is an Enumerated Power of Congress?

a)

Declare war

b)

Establish schools

c)

Regulate local businesses

d)

Control state taxes

26.

Fill in the blank: Congress has the power to _______ money.

a)

Coin

b)

Print

c)

Borrow

d)

Spend

27.

The Necessary and Proper Clause is also known as:

a)

Elastic Clause

b)

Supremacy Clause

c)

Commerce Clause

d)

Establishment Clause

28.

Which of the following is an example of an Implied Power of Congress?

a)

A) Coining money

b)

B) Creating the IRS

c)

C) Declaring war

d)

D) Running the Post Office

29.

Fill in the blank: Congress is forbidden by the Constitution from creating _______ laws.

a)

Ex post facto

b)

Tax

c)

Immigration

d)

Healthcare

30.

What is the first step in the process of a bill becoming a law?

a)

The President signs it into law.

b)

The bill is proposed in one chamber of Congress.

c)

The bill is sent to a standing committee.

d)

The bill goes to a conference committee.

31.

Fill in the blank: The bill is sent to a _______ committee, which researches the proposal, holds hearings, debates the issue, and finally votes on whether the bill will make it to the chamber floor.

a)

standing

b)

select

c)

joint

d)

conference

32.

What happens if the President vetoes a bill?

a)

The bill becomes law immediately.

b)

The bill is sent back to Congress for reconsideration.

c)

The bill is discarded permanently.

d)

The bill is sent to the Supreme Court for review.

33.

True or False: Only about 1/4 of proposed bills make it through all the steps and actually become a law.

a)

True

b)

False

34.

What is required for Congress to override a presidential veto?

a)

A simple majority vote in both the House and Senate.

b)

A two-thirds majority vote in both the House and Senate.

c)

Approval from the Supreme Court.

d)

A unanimous vote in the Senate.