Three Branches Study GuideName: ______
Period: ______
Part One: Matching
All in a Day’s Work, Electoral Process, Congress in a FLASH!,Judicial Branch in a FLASH!
On your test, you will be asked to match a role in the government to its correct descriptor. For each of the roles listed below, be able to identify the requirements for election/holding the position, their main duty in government, and any checks they may have over other branches. There are eight questions in this portion of your test for a total of eight points.
Three Branches Study GuideName: ______
Period: ______
- President – nominates Supreme Court judges, elected by the Electoral College
- Senator – must be 30 years old to hole office, serves a 6 year term, advises and consents on judicial nominations
- House Representative – 435 total, must be 25 to hold office, serves 2 year terms
- Supreme Court Justice – declares laws unconstitutional, appointed to a life term
Three Branches Study GuideName: ______
Period: ______
Part Two: Fill in the Blank
A Very Big Branch
On your test, you will be given a word bank and asked to complete a sentence describing the different executive departments. There are seven questions in this portion of your test for a total of seven points.
Three Branches Study GuideName: ______
Period: ______
- Department of Interior – manages and protects the nation’s public lands
- Department of Justice – fights crime and runs the federal court system
- Department of State – manages our relationships with foreign countries
- Department of Labor – helps workers get fair wages and working conditions
- Department of Defense – manages the armed forces and conducts wars overseas
- Department of Transportation – oversees highway safety and air, rail, and sea travels
- Department of Homeland Security – protects against terrorists and other threats
Three Branches Study GuideName: ______
Period: ______
Part Three: Sequencing
Congress in a FLASH!
On your test, you will be asked to put the steps in order for how a bill becomes a law. There are seven steps, so this section will be worth seven points.
- How a bill becomes a law
- The proposal: a representative writes a bill and gets support from others in the house
- The introduction: the bill is assigned a number and is read aloud to the other Representatives. Then it is sent to a committee for close review
- The report: if the committee likes it, it will be sent to the whole House for debate
- The floor debate: all of the representatives get a chance to read the bill and debate whether it should be supports or opposed. The bill is read again and changes are suggested.
- The vote: if changes are made, the bill is read again, and the whole House is called to vote on the bill. They can vote yes, no, or present (if they don’t want to vote on that particular bill).
- The delivery: the bill arrives at the Senate, where it goes through the same debate, if changes are made, then another vote is held before it can move on.
- To the President: if both chambers of Congress approve, the bill lands on the president’s desk. If it is signed, it becomes a law. If it is vetoed, it doesn’t.
Part Four: Matching
The Supreme in Supreme Court
On your test, you will need to match up influential Supreme Court Cases with the correct descriptor. There are five court cases listed, so this section will be worth five points.
Three Branches Study GuideName: ______
Period: ______
- Marbury v. Madison – the Supreme Court and other courts have the right to decide whether something is unconstitutional
- Brown v. Board of Education – Overruled Plessy vs. Ferguson. Separate schools for students of different races are not equal
- Gideon v. Wainwright – It is unconstitutional to deny a person a lawyer just because they are poor
- Tinker v. Des Moines School District – It’s unconstitutional to deny students the right to free speech at school, unless the students’ speech disrupts school activities
- New Jersey v. T.L.O. – said it’s unconstitutional for principals and teachers to search students and their belongings, unless there is good reason (like safety and discipline) and the search doesn’t go too far
Three Branches Study GuideName: ______
Period: ______
Part Five: Multiple Choice
Walk-in Questions
On your test, you will have three multiple choice questions that deal with all three branches. Each question is worth one point, making this section worth three points.
Part Six: Short Answer
All Activities!
On your test, you will be given six short answer questions; you have to choose three to answer – one from each branch of government. Each answer must be in a complete sentence with the question in the answer. Spelling, grammar, and writing conventions COUNT FOR POINTS. Be sure to explain each prompt thoroughly; act like I don’t know anything about our government!
- How is the Senate and the House of Representatives different? How are they similar? Give three examples of each.
- Senate: serves six year terms, must be 30 to hold office, 100 total senators
- House of Representatives: two year terms, must be 25 to hold office, 435 total representatives
- Both: elected to Congress, able to write and pass laws, can override vetoes, etc.
- How does the legislative branch maintain checks and balances over the other branches? Provide three examples.
- Judicial Branch – can impeach justices
- Executive Branch – can override vetoes, must consent on appointments
- How does the Electoral College work? How is a president elected?
- Citizens first vote for their desired candidate (popular vote)
- Electors from the Electoral College will cast all of the state’s votes (AZ has 11) in favor of the winner of the popular vote (electoral vote)
- Candidate must receive a total of 270 electoral votes to be elected to office
- What powers does the president possess? What are four examples?
- Hold executive power over the country
- Commander in Chief of the armed forces
- Can grant reprieves or pardons
- Can make treaties (with the consent of the Senate)
- What is the different between a civil and criminal court case?
- Civil court case is between two citizens or civilians (example: divorce case)
- Criminal court case occur when a crime has been committed (example: theft)
- What are the different levels of the court system? How does that process work?
- Cases first go to the trial courts. Juries review evidence to decide who is right.
- Case can be appealed to the Court of Appeals where the panel of judges will review the trial court decision for error. Any decisions made at this level must be followed by all trial courts.
- Case can again be appealed to the Supreme Court which will review the appeals court decision for error. Any decisions made must be followed by all lower courts.