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WorksheetsPowers and Structures of Government
Total questions: 75
Worksheet time: 38mins
Which of the following is a formal power of the President?
Issuing executive orders
Vetoing legislation
Leading their political party
Giving speeches
What is an example of an informal power of the President?
Appointing judges
Commander in Chief
Using the bully pulpit
Vetoing a bill
The Necessary and Proper Clause is also known as the:
Executive Privilege Clause
Supremacy Clause
Elastic Clause
Spending Clause
What Supreme Court case established judicial review?
McCulloch v. Maryland
Plessy v. Ferguson
Marbury v. Madison
Brown v. Board of Education
Rule-making authority allows executive agencies to:
Run elections
Make regulations that act like laws
Appoint judges
Veto legislation
An executive agreement is:
A treaty requiring Senate approval
An informal deal between two states
An international deal made by the President without Senate approval
A Supreme Court decision
Discretionary authority allows bureaucrats to:
Rewrite the Constitution
Interpret how laws are implemented
Pass new taxes
Run for office
Which of the following is issued by the President and has the force of law?
Veto
Executive privilege
Executive order
Treaty
What kind of spending is required by law?
Optional
Discretionary
Military
Mandatory
Entitlements include programs like:
Tax refunds
Social Security
Public schools
Highway construction
What is the correct order for how a bill becomes a law?
Debate → Committee → President → Vote
Vote → Committee → Debate → President
Committee → Debate → Vote → Other chamber → President
President → Committee → Debate → Vote
A filibuster is used in the:
House
Senate
Executive branch
Supreme Court
What is the main job of the House Rules Committee?
Count votes
Set debate rules
Write laws
Approve judges
Who leads the House of Representatives?
Vice President
Majority Whip
President Pro Tempore
Speaker of the House
Which chamber allows unlimited debate?
House
Senate
Executive Branch
Judicial Branch
Congressional committees are important because:
They run elections
They vote for the president
Most legislative work happens there
They approve treaties
What title is held by the Vice President in the Senate?
President of the Senate
Majority Leader
President Pro Tempore
Speaker of the Senate
Which chamber has more members?
House of Representatives
Senate
Supreme Court
Cabinet
Which of the following is NOT a formal power of the President?
Veto legislation
Make treaties
Appoint officials
Use social media to influence policy
The President acting as Commander in Chief means:
Making laws
Controlling the military
Appointing ambassadors
Leading the Senate
The bully pulpit refers to:
Giving campaign speeches
The President's power to veto
The President using their position to influence the public
Signing bills into law
What happens if the President vetoes a bill?
It automatically becomes law
Congress can override with 2/3 vote
The Supreme Court votes
The bill goes to the Vice President
Which court hears trials first?
Supreme Court
US Circuit Court
US District Court
Appellate Court
What is the main role of the U.S. Circuit Courts?
Conduct trials
Create laws
Hear appeals from lower courts
Approve presidential nominees
What is the highest court in the U.S.?
US District Court
US Circuit Court
Supreme Court (SCOTUS)
Appellate Panel
How many justices must agree to hear a SCOTUS case?
5
4
6
7
Judicial activism is when judges:
Follow the exact letter of the law
Avoid making controversial decisions
Interpret the Constitution loosely
Defer to Congress
Judicial restraint means judges:
Push policy changes
Avoid overturning laws unless clearly unconstitutional
Use media influence
Support executive orders
What is a concurring decision?
A. A unanimous vote
B. A judge agrees with the outcome but for different reasons
C. A tie vote
D. A decision that overrules the majority
The dissenting opinion is:
A. A unanimous agreement
B. Written by the Chief Justice
C. The opinion of the losing side
D. A brief summary of the majority view
Congressional oversight means:
Congress creates laws
Congress watches over the executive branch
Congress vetoes executive orders
Congress hears court appeals
The Solicitor General:
Writes laws
Is the Vice President
Represents the U.S. in Supreme Court cases
Oversees state elections
An iron triangle involves:
Media, voters, and Congress
President, Cabinet, and voters
Congress, bureaucracies, and interest groups
Congress, courts, and voters
What is an issue network?
The President’s media team
A group of judges
A policy alliance between interest groups, media, and bureaucrats
Congressional staff
Minimum age for House of Representatives:
21
25
30
35
Minimum age for Senate:
25
28
30
35
Minimum age for President:
30
33
35
40
What are the qualifications for SCOTUS?
Must be at least 40
Law degree required
Must be born in U.S.
No specific qualifications in the Constitution
What role does the House play in impeachment?
Tries the case
Appoints a judge
Votes to impeach (charge)
Overturns the impeachment
The Senate's role in impeachment is:
Investigate the President
Charge the President
Hold the trial and vote to remove
Ask the Supreme Court to intervene
Which is a positive of social media in politics?
Cyber harassment
Misinformation
Connecting with voters quickly
Spamming opponents
Which is a negative of social media for politicians?
Engaging with youth
Broadening support
Echo chambers and misinformation
Sharing platforms
Which power allows Congress to tax and regulate trade?
Social policy power
Implied power
Military power
Money and commerce power
What is the formal role of the President?
Chief Executive
Party Leader
Economic Leader
Social Influencer
Which of these is NOT a step in the legislative process?
Committee
Debate
Lawsuit
Vote
Who breaks a tie in the Senate?
Speaker of the House
President Pro Tempore
Chief Justice
Vice President
The power to declare war belongs to:
The President
The Supreme Court
Congress
State governors
What is true about the House and Senate?
House has more flexible rules
Senate has more members
Senate allows filibusters
House approves treaties
Who makes most of the day-to-day rules in federal agencies?
President
Congress
Bureaucrats
Governors
Lobbyists from the Airlines for America, an advocacy group that represents commercial airlines, work with members of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and officials from the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to discuss a new policy that addresses issues of airline safety. This scenario best illustrates
a political action committee
an iron triangle
a social movement
an independent expenditure
Which of the following is true of an executive agreement made between a US president and another head of state
It does not require senate approval, and the next administration is not required to follow it
It does not require Congressional funding because the president can use the power of the purse to raise implementation funds
It has more legal force than a treaty
It is binding for all succeeding Presidents and Congresses
Which of the following statements about Congress is true
Congress cannot override a presidential veto
A proposed constitutional amendment must be approved by two-thirds of both The House and The Senate
Congress can establish an official Church of the United States
Congressional power over the bureaucracy is less than that of the president
Which of the following demonstrates why the House Rules Committee is considered one of the most powerful groups in the House of Representatives
It supervises the ethical conduct of House members
It oversees the selection of federal judges
It determines the number of subcommittees that a standing committee may establish at a given time
It determines the scheduling of votes and the conditions under which bills are debated and amended
A major difference between the House of representatives and the Senate is that
Filibusters are only possible in the House
Revenue bills must originate in the Senate
Each state has equal representation in the House but not the Senate
There is unlimited debate in the Senate but not the House
The president has the power to appoint judges, ambassadors, members of his cabinet and other heads of agencies and bureaus. Once the appoint is made
The Senate must approve the appointment with a majority vote
The House must approve the appointment with a 2/3 vote
Congress must approve with a 2/3 vote
All 50 states must vote to approve the appointments
If the president and vice president were to die at the same time, the next president would be
The Secretary of State
The Speaker of the House
The Senate Majority Leader
The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court
Which of the following statements accurately describes the selection of the caseload for the United States Supreme Court?
The US Constitution spells out all of the categories of cases that the Supreme Court must hear
The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court has the authority to select the cases that the court will hear
The Supreme Court is free to choose the cases it hears but hears very few of them
The Attorney General screens cases for consideration by the Court
Judicial review refers to the power of the Supreme Court to
Review every law passed by Congress
Declare actions taken by the executive and legislative branches unconstitutional
Declare actions of lower courts unconstitutional, but not the actions of Congress
Review every action taken by Congress and the President
In which of the following circumstances would the rule of four be applied?
Four senators agree to a cloture motion
Congress adjourns its session within four days of submitting a bill to the president, and the president does not act
At least four justices on the Supreme Court agree that a case should be put on the Court's docket
The House Rules Committee limits floor debate to four minutes maximum for each member
Which of the following did the Supreme Court establish in Marbury v Madison
The Supreme Court can declare federal legislation invalid if the legislation violates the Constitution
Each state has the right to set up and run its own court system
All the powers that are not explicitly given by the Constitution to Congress belong to the states
Any president who commits treason, bribery or other high crimes and misdemeanors can be impeached
According to the Constitution, who has the sole power to impeach a president?
House of Representatives
The Vice President
The Supreme Court
The Senate
Which of the following is NOT a formal qualification of the Presidency?
Must be 35 years of age
Must be a "natural born citizen" of the United States
Must have extensive prior political experience
Must have lived in the United States for at least 14 years
What implies that Congress has powers beyond those expressed in the 18th clause of Article I?
Expressed Powers
Necessary and Proper Clause
Establishment Clause
Free Exercise Clause
A filibuster is a technique used in the…
House to delay legislation until a full house can convene
Senate to prolong debate in hopes of killing a bill
Senate to bypass committees in voting on controversial issues
House to allow more time to debate controversial policies
When a bill passes the House, where does it go next?
Senate
President
Supreme Court
Library of Congress
Which of the following is true regarding the House of Representatives?
It currently has 100 members.
The total number of seats in the House is fixed by the Constitution.
The number of terms a representative may serve is fixed by the Constitution.
Every state is represented by at least one member.
Which of the following would NOT be considered a negative for politicians when using social media
Young people are the main users of social media, but are also the group least likely to vote
Things posted on social media don’t disappear, so something a politician said in 2001 could come back to haunt them today
New platforms are being developed all the time, which means more people can access the information politicians want them to know
In Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution, these powers of Congress are described as
Writ of Habeas Corpus
Expressed Powers
Denied Powers
Bills of Attainder
The Vice President is the leader of the Senate, the leader of the House is
House Majority Leader
House Minority Leader
Speaker of the House
President Pro Tempore
Bureaucratic rule-making is best defined as
legally binding decisions made by Congress to constrain regulatory agencies
guidelines issued by government agencies, which provide specific regulations about how a policy will be implemented
directions given by the president to the bureaucracy regarding how a specific policy will be applied
review and supervision of departments and agencies conducted by congressional Committees
Which of the following IS NOT a true statement when it comes to Congress and the President
All presidential appointments must be approved by the Senate
Both the House of Representatives and the Senate along with the President write and approve the laws of this nation
Both Congress and the President have to approve new amendments
Congress and the President both have formal powers listed in the Constitution and informal powers that have developed over time
One of the major ways in which the president communicates with the people in our world today is
Social media outlets like Twitter and Instagram
Weekly editorials in the newspaper
A book published by the Library of Congress
Weekly addresses on the radio
A major positive in the use of social media by all members of Congress and the President is
Increased access to the people at a very small cost
The requirement of most social media outlets to only publish information that has been proven 100% accurate
The ability of people to know what their representatives look like
Because lots of people want to access social media, cell phone sales have increased
Which of the following is NOT TRUE of the nomination process of a Supreme Court Justice
It starts with a nomination by the president, and requires confirmation/approval by the Senate
All justices need to have a law degree, must have passed the bar and must have been a judge for at least 10 years
Most nominees have similar ideas and philosophies as the presidents who nominate them
All nominees get investigated and then interviewed by the Senate Judiciary Committee before being confirmed
The constitution stated that federal judges get to serve for life, they did this because
It's hard to become a judge so they should get to keep the job for many years
They wanted judges to do what is right, not what is popular, and when running for re-election you have to be popular
The nomination process is far too complicated to be doing it every 4 years
The number of people qualified to be a judge is so small, you can't be replacing them all the time
