US Review #2: Branches of Govt

Which newspaper headline shows the operation of the system of checks and balances?

"Senate Rejects President's Choice of Supreme Court Justice"

Delegates at the Constitutional Convention of 1787 agreed to create a bicameral legislature as a way to

address the issue of population differences among the states

The United States Constitution provides for a system of checks and balances between branches of government, but at different times one branch has appeared more powerful than the others. This situation has occurred mainly because

certain events have required one branch temporarily to take more forceful approaches and actions

If the President has vetoed a bill, the United States Constitution provides that the bill will become a law when the bill is

passed again by two-thirds of both houses of Congress

The purpose of limiting the powers of the three branches of the United States Federal Government is to

prevent the development of tyranny

"...it is the opinion of this committee that a national government ought to be to be established consisting of a Supreme Legislature, Judiciary, and Executive..." -Resolution submitted by Edmund Randolph, delegate to the Constitutional Convention, 1787 In adopting this resolution, the framers of the Constitution showed their belief in the idea of

separation of powers

"The individual can be free only when the power of one governmental branch is balanced by the other two." - Baron de Montesquieu, 1735 (adapted) The idea expressed in this quotation is best illustrated by which aspect of the United States Government?

separation of powers

Which action best illustrates the system of checks and balances in the United States Government?

Congress overrides a veto by the President

The authors of the United States Constitution believed that the voice of the people should be heard frequently. Which part of the Government was instituted to respond most directly to the will of the people?

House of Representatives

Which statement most accurately describes the exercise of power by the three branches of the United States Government?

Periods of strong Presidential leadership have alternated with periods of strong congressional leadership

Base your answer to this question on the quotation below and on your knowledge of social studies. "...The nation deserves and I will select a Supreme Court justice that Americans can be proud of. The nation also deserves a dignified process of confirmation in the United States Senate, characterized by fair treatment, a fair hearing and a fair vote. I will choose a nominee in a timely manner so that the hearing and the vote can be completed before the new Supreme Court term begins..." - President George W. Bush, 2005 Which constitutional principle is suggested by this quotation?

checks and balances

The Presidential veto is an example of

checks and balances

The face that the United States Constitution provided for federalism and a system of checks and balances suggests that

its writers feared a concentration of political power