Question
click below
click below
Question
Normal Size Small Size show me how
Branches of Gov't
Question | Answer |
---|---|
What fraction of Congress (or a constitutional convention) is required to propose an amendment to the U.S. Constitution? | two thirds |
What fraction of the state legislatures (or state constitutional conventions) is required to ratify an amendment to the U.S. Constitution? | three fourths |
What fraction of the senate must vote to convict a president (or other federal office holder) in an impeachment trial and remove them from office? | two thirds |
What federal official presides over an impeachment trial of the president in the senate? | Chief Justice of the Supreme Court |
What office serves as the president of the Senate and votes in the case of a tie? | vice president |
Where in U.S. government history does the phrase “separation of church and state” come from? | a private letter of Thomas Jefferson |
Which two amendments have been most important in Supreme Court trial history? | 1st and 14th |
What are the rights protected by the first amendment? | Freedom of Religion, speech, press, peaceful assembly, and petition of grievances |
What rights are protected by the fourteenth amendment? | Equal protection under the law for all citizens |
How many amendments have been made to the U.S. Constitution? | 27 |
Name three presidents who won the electoral college but lost the popular vote? How many president have won the election without winning the popular vote? | Donald Trump, George W. Bush, Benjamin Harrison, Rutherford B. Hayes, John Q. Adams; five presidents |
How many electoral college votes does a candidate need to win the presidency? How many total electoral college votes are there? | 270/538 |
What portion of the electoral votes allotted to each state skews the total of each state so that it is not entirely proportional based on population to other states? | The states 2 guaranteed senate votes |
Name three powers that the senate has the authority to vote on that gives it a check on other branches: | Judicial appointments, Foreign Treaties, Impeachment Trials, Ambassador and Cabinet appointments |
What kind of bill must always originate in the House of Representatives? | revenue (tax) bills |
What is it called when a president does nothing with a bill passed by congress for 10 days, but congress is no longer in session so the bill does not become a law? | pocket veto |
What are the groups called in both the House and the Senate that determine whether or not a Bill will be considered for a vote? | Committees |
Which is the largest branch of the U.S. Government with over 3 million employees? | Executive |
Name three organizations that are run by the Executive branch: | NASA, CIA, FBI, the Federal Reserve, Social Security, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Federal Trade Commission, the U.S. Military, Department of Education |
How many justices are currently on the supreme court? | 9 |
Who gets to vote on the Supreme Court in the case of a 4 to 4 tie? | The Chief Justice, John Roberts (currently) |
Who appoints justices to the supreme court? | The president, confirmed by the senate |
What Supreme Court case established the precedent of Judicial Review ? | Marbury v. Madison |
Which supreme court case established that law enforcement officers must make sure that the accused are aware of their rights? | Miranda v Arizona |
Which supreme court case overturned Plessy vs Ferguson and desegregated public schools in the united states? | Brown v Board of Education |
Which supreme court case, now overturned, mandated legal abortion in all 50 states? | Roe v Wade |
Which amendment established separate elections for President and Vice President? | 12th amendment |
Who decides presidential elections if no candidate wins a majority of the electoral college? | House of Representatives |
Name 3 kinds of laws that are under the jurisdiction of state governments? | death penalty, drug laws, abortion laws, traffic laws, divorce laws |
If a candidate wins 52% of the popular vote in Indiana, how many electoral votes do they win? | 11, all of Indiana's electoral votes |
If a parallel bill passes through each house of congress simultaneously, where do they go to resolve their differences before being presented to the president? | Conference committee |
a principle or rule established in a legal case that becomes authoritative to a court or other tribunal when deciding subsequent cases | Precedent |
Name 3 features of American government that demonstrate that the United States was not intended to be a pure (majority rules) democracy. | A written constitution, a bill of rights, a difficult amendment process, a Senate with equal representation by state, an electoral college system for electing the president, a representative legislature (where elected officials vote on laws) |
What check does the supreme court have on the legislative and executive branch? | Judicial Review |
What does Judicial Review mean? | The supreme court can strike down laws or executive orders as unconstitutional. |
What does it mean when the Supreme Court is called the court of last appeal? | There is no court or officer that can overrule a decision by the Supreme Court (except the Supreme Court) |