Legislative Branch
What two groups together make up the Legislative Branch?
The Senate and the House of Representatives.
Who is in charge of the Executive Branch?
The President.
Which branch interprets the laws?
The Judicial Branch.
How many electoral votes does a candidate need to win the presidency?
A candidate needs 270 electoral votes to win.
What is the purpose of checks and balances?
To make sure no one branch has all the power and each branch can limit the others.
Which branch of government is responsible for making laws?
Answer: The Legislative Branch.
How old must a person be to become President?
At least 35 years old.
Which court is the highest court in the United States?
The Supreme Court.
What is the Electoral College?
The Electoral College is the process (and group of electors) that officially selects the President.
Give one example of how the Legislative Branch checks the Executive Branch.
The Senate can reject presidential appointments or the Congress can override a presidential veto with a two-thirds vote.
How many Senators does each state have?
Answer: Each state has two Senators.
How long is one presidential term?
A presidential term is 4 years.
How many Justices are on the Supreme Court?
9
How is the number of electoral votes for each state determined?
Each state's electoral votes equal its number of Senators plus its number of Representatives in Congress.
Give one example of how the Executive Branch checks the Judicial Branch.
The President appoints federal judges (including Supreme Court justices), subject to Senate approval.
How many members are in the House of Representatives?
Answer: There are 435 members in the House of Representatives.
What is the term limit for the Presidency?
Two terms is the maximum
Are there any constitutional requirements (age, education, or citizenship) to become a Supreme Court justice?
The Constitution sets no specific requirements for Supreme Court justices.
If no candidate gets 270 electoral votes, who decides the President?
The House of Representatives chooses the President, with each state delegation casting one vote.
Give one example of how the Judicial Branch checks Congress (the Legislative Branch).
The courts can declare laws passed by Congress unconstitutional.
A bill must pass both houses of Congress before going to the President. Name one thing Congress can do if the President vetoes a bill.
Answer: Congress can override the veto with a two-thirds vote in both the House and the Senate.
Name two powers the President has as head of the Executive Branch.
Answer: Examples: veto bills, sign bills into law, appoint federal judges and Cabinet members, act as Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces, make treaties (with Senate approval), issue executive orders.
How are Supreme Court justices chosen?
They are nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate.
Explain one argument people make in favor of the Electoral College and one argument people make against it.
In favor: It encourages candidates to consider smaller states and gives smaller states an equal voice in voting. Against: A candidate can win the popular vote but lose the electoral vote, which some say is less democratic.
Explain in a complete sentence why checks and balances help protect democracy.
Checks and balances prevent any single branch from becoming too powerful by allowing the other branches to limit its actions, ensuring power is shared and government is accountable.