Study Guide for Test on SOLs CE.7b, 6a, 6b, 9a, and 9b

  1. What are the three branches of government and what does each branch do?
  1. legislative

What does it do? Makes the laws

  1. executive

What does it do? Carries out (executes) the laws

  1. judicial

What does it do? Interprets the laws

  1. What are the three levels of government?

A.national

B.state

  1. local
  1. What is a budget? A plan for making and spending money

CE.7b

  1. What does federalism mean? A system of government where power is divided between the national government and the state governments

What document establishes a federal form of government in this nation? U.S. Constitution

Under the Constitution, what level of government is supreme? national

  1. The powers not given to the national government by the U.S. Constitution are reserved to the states. (Amendment 10)
  2. There are certain powers that are denied to both the national and state governments by the Constitution of the United States.
  3. What are the primary responsibilities of the national level of government?
  1. Conducts foreign policy
  2. Regulates commerce
  3. Provides for the common defense
  1. What are the primary responsibilities of the state level of government?

Promotes public health, safety, and welfare

  1. When federal mandates require state actions without enough funding, tensions exist.

CE.6a

  1. The legislative branch:

Our national legislative branch is called Congress.

It is a bicameral legislature, which means it has two houses.

The two houses are: Senate

and House of Representatives

Some of the powers of the legislative branch are:

  1. Makes the laws of the nation
  2. Approves the annual budget
  3. Confirms presidential appointments
  4. raises revenue through taxes and other levies
  5. regulates interstate and foreign trade
  6. declares war

What is another word for law ? legislation

  1. The executive branch

The executive branch is headed by the President of the United States. He is the chief executive of the nation.

Some of the powers of the executive branch are:

  1. Executes (carries out) the laws of the land
  2. Prepares the annual budget for congressional action
  3. Appoints cabinet officers, ambassadors, and federal judges/justices
  4. Administers the federal bureaucracy
  1. The judicial branch

The judicial branch consists of the federal courts, including the Supreme Court, the highest court in the land.

What is the difference between a judge and a justice? A justice serves on the Supreme Court. Judges serve in the other courts

The Supreme Court exercises the power of judicial review, which is the power to determine the constitutionality of laws.

The federal (national) courts try two different kinds of cases:

  1. Those involving federal law
  2. Those involving interpretation of the Constitution of the United States.

CE.6b

  1. The Constitution defines the powers of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government in Articles I(legislative branch), II(executive branch), and III(judicial branch).
  2. What does separation of powers mean?Each branch of government has its own powers, which cannot be shared.
  3. What does checks and balances mean? Each branch of government has the power to limit the power of the other two branches.
  4. How can the legislative branch (Congress) check the executive branch (president)?
  1. Overrides presidential vetoes
  2. Impeaches and convicts a president
  1. How can the legislative branch (Congress) check the judicial branch (courts)?
  1. Confirms or refuses to confirm federal judges/justices
  2. Impeaches and convicts judges/justices
  1. How can the executive branch (president) check the legislative branch (Congress)?
  1. Proposes legislation (laws)
  2. Prepares annual budget for Congress to approve
  3. Calls special sessions of Congress
  4. Vetoes legislation Congress has passed
  1. How can the executive branch (president) check the judicial branch (courts)?

Appoints judges/ justices

  1. How can the judicial branch (courts) check the legislative branch (Congress)?

Judges/justices declare acts of Congress (laws) to be unconstitutional

  1. How can the judicial branch (courts) check the executive branch (president)?

Judges/justices declare executive actions to be unconstitutional

CE.9a

  1. What do the media do? inform policymakers and influence public policy
  2. How do the media help set the public agenda?
  1. Focusing attention on selected issues
  2. Offering a forum in which opposing viewpoints are communicated
  3. Holding government officials accountable to the public
  1. Government officials use the media to communicate with the public

CE.9b

  1. Who influence public policy? Individuals and interest groups
  2. Seeking to influence legislators to introduce a bill, or vote for or against a bill is called lobbying.
  3. What are the ways individuals influence public policy?
  1. Participating in politics (voting, campaigning, seeking office)
  2. Expressing opinions (lobbying, demonstrating, writing letters)

(This can also be called petitioning the government)

  1. Joining interest groups
  1. What are the ways interest groups influence public policy?
  1. Identifying issues
  2. Making political contributions ( PACs)
  3. Lobbying government officials