Constitution Quest #1 Flashcards
1
Q
What does the legislative branch do?
A
Makes the laws
2
Q
What does the executive branch do?
A
Enforces the laws
3
Q
What does the judicial branch do?
A
Interprets the laws
4
Q
What are the two houses of congress?
A
The house of representatives and the senate
5
Q
Which is the smaller house of congress?
A
The senate
6
Q
Which is the larger house of congress?
A
House of representative
7
Q
How many people do each house have?
A
435 in the house of representatives and 100 in the senate
8
Q
How did the delegates from the Virginia plan want to handle voting among the states?
A
By population
9
Q
How did the delegates from the New Jersey plan want to handle voting among the states?
A
Equal votes per stae
10
Q
What was the great compromise (Roger Sherman/CT compromise)?
A
There would be two houses that would do both
11
Q
What are two checks that Congress has over the President?
A
Override a law and impeachment
12
Q
What is a check the Judicial Branch has over congress?
A
Judicial Review
13
Q
What is a check the president has over the Supreme court?
A
Pardon (takes someone proven guilty of charge out of jail)
14
Q
How did the delegates separate powers?
A
3 branches, Executive, Legislative and Judicial
15
Q
Why did the delegates separate powers?
A
Because what they king was doing was tyranny and they did not want one all powerful person
16
Q
What is a census?
A
A census is when the amount of people in a state is counted to figure out how many electoral votes each state gets
17
Q
What is the point of a census?
A
To find out how many electoral votes each state gets
18
Q
How often is a census taken?
A
Every 10 years
19
Q
What is the length of a term for a house member?
A
2 years
20
Q
Which house is the lower house and which is the upper?
A
Lower: House of reps
Upper: Senate
21
Q
What is the length of a term for a senator?
A
6 years
22
Q
What is the length of a term for a president?
A
4 years
23
Q
How many times can a house member a senator and a president run for re-election?
A
House member: Unlimited
Senator: Unlimited
President: 2 terms maximum
24
Q
What are electors?
A
People who are sworn to vote to one candidate and give that candidate all of the electoral votes in the state.
25
What is a Monarchy?
Ruled by one
26
What is an Oligarchy?
Ruled by a few
27
What is a Democracy?
Ruled by a majority
28
What are the basic forms of government?
Monarchy, Oligarchy, Democracy, Republic, Anarchy.
29
What is a republic?
Ruled by law
30
What is an Anarchy?
Anarchy ruled by no one
31
What forms of government do not really exists?
Anarchy, Monarchy, Democracy
32
What was the USA's initial rule book?
The articles of confederation
33
What are the articles of confederation state?
The USA's initial rule book
34
Steps to create the constitution?
Make a constitution, make the laws, everybody lives by the laws
35
How to pass a law?
Congress writes a law, 50% of the house and 50% of the senate need to agree, president can sign or veto, if vetoed congress can get super majority (2/3 house and 2/3 senate) and then overrides the law
36
How to overturn a law?
If a law is unconstitutional the judicial branch can overturn a law if it is unconstitutional
37
What is the process of overturning a law called?
Judicial review
38
What are the 4 main members of the presidents cabinet?
Secretary of State, Secretary of defense, Secretary of the treasury and the department of justice/attorney general
39
What is the check congress has over the president when the president appoints his cabinet?
They have to approve of his or her choices
40
What is the power/check called where a judge or president can be "fired" and which branch holds this power?
Impeachment and the legislative branch, the house accuses and the senate decides whether to impeach
41
How can the constitution be amended?
2/3 of the house and 2/3 of the senate and 38 states need to agree
42
What government has more power, federal or state?
Federal always wins (supreme law of the land)
43
What is a ratification?
The approval of an act
44
It is the states government justification on what type of problem?
Intrastate problems, within one state
45
It is the federal government justification on what type of problem?
On interstate (between states) or international conflict
46
What is the difference between interstate and intrastate?
Interstate: Between two states
Intrastate: Between a state
47
Who votes for the president?
Electors
48
How many electoral votes does a presidents need to get to win the election and how many possible electoral votes are there?
270 and 538
49
How many electoral votes does a presidents need to get to win the election and how many possible electoral votes are there?
270 and 538 and the delegates get all or nothing per state
50
What was the 1st amendment?
Political and religious freedom
51
What was the 2nd amendment?
Right to bear arms
52
What was the 3rd amendment?
Quartering of soldiers
53
What was the 4th amendment?
Search and seizure
54
What was the 5th amendment?
Grand juries, double jeopardy, self incrimination, due process
55
What was the 6th amendment?
Rights of the accused
56
What was the 7th amendment?
Right to civil trial by jury
57
What was the 8th amendment?
Bail and punishment
58
What was the 9th amendment?
Not an exhaustive list of rights
59
What was the 10th amendment?
All powers not discussed belongs to the states or the people
60
What are checks and balances?
Each branch can check each other so no branch is all powerful
61
Secretary of defense
In charge of the defense department and the military
62
Secretary of state
In charge of the state department and of foreign affairs
63
Secretary of the treasury
Deals with all financial and monetary matters directly related to the government
64
Secretary of justice
The department of the federal executive branch headed by the attorney general and administers the FBI
65
What are ambassadors
A diplomat sent by a country to a country as its official representative
66
How to pass treaties
The president negotiates and the senate ⅔ of the senate has to ratify it
67
How to join wars
To join a war the US has to get 50% of each house in congress and the president has to agree
68
What is the presidents cabinet?
The presidents highest advisors
69
What was the NJ plan?
Equal votes per state
70
What was the Virginia plan?
By population
71
Who elects the president and how do they elect them?
Electors, each state is given a certain number of electoral votes and which ever candidate the state gives the majority of gets all of the states electoral votes
72
How many total electoral votes are there?
538
73
How many total electoral votes are needed to win?
270
74
What was the great compromise?
That there would be two houses that would do equal and population voting
75
How to amend the constitution?
To amend the constitution there needs to be ⅔ of the house and ⅔ of the senate in agreement and ¾ of the states which is 37.5, so 38 states need to be in agreement
76
Ratification definition?
It is the official way to confirm something, usually by vote
77
1st amendment
Political and religious freedom
78
2nd amendment
The right to bear arms
79
3rd amendment
Quartering of soldiers
80
4th amendment
Search and seizure
81
5th amendment
Grand juries, double jeopardy, self incrimination, due process
82
6th amendment
Rights of the accused
83
7th amendment
Right to civil trial by jury
84
8th amendment
Bail and punishment
85
9th amendment
Not an exhaustive list of rights
86
10th amendment
All powers not discussed belongs to the state or people
87
What is an amendment?
Something that is added to something to improve it
88
vetoes
When a law is denied
89
overrides
When congress gets a super majority
90
judicial review
if a law is unconstitutional the judicial branch can overturn it
91
pardons
the president can take a man put in jail by the supreme court out of jail
92
impeachment
when a president or a judge is fired during bad behavior by congress
93
appointment
the president can appoint its cabinet and judges
94
confirmation
congress has to approve of the presidents cabinet
95
What are popular votes?
Votes that are based off of how the people voted
96
What are electoral votes?
The choice expressed collectively by the electoral college, which determines the winner of elections for president and vice president in the US.
97
What is the difference between popular and electoral votes?
Electoral determines the winner, popular votes do not matter
98
What does the attorney general do?
Prosecutor, head of law enforcement, police and FBI
99
What does the Secretary of state do?
In charge of foreign affairs
100
What does the Secretary defense do?
Head of the military
101
What does the secretary of the treasury do?
In charge of money
102
What is the age at which an American citizen can become president?
35
103
Who focuses on foreign affairs and in what department?
The secretary of state and the state department
104
Who focuses on law enforcement and in what department?
Attorney general and department of justice
105
What is the name of the presidents closets advisors?
The presidents cabinet
106
Which state would a presidential candidate most likely visit the most?
California
107
What is the math used to calculate the amount of electoral votes?
Representatives + Senators + 3 for DC
108
What is the maximum number of terms the president can serve for?
2
109
What is the term limit for a supreme court justice?
For life during good behavior
110
What is the number of supreme court justices?
It is supposed to be 9
111
What is the term given to the ability of the Supreme Court to declare a law unconstitutional?
Judicial review
112
What are the two steps necessary to become a supreme court justice?
To be appointed by the president and confirmed by 50% of the senate
113
The role of the judicial branch is to_____ the laws.
Interpret
114
A US senator is elected for___ years and can serve for_____ terms.
6 years and unlimited terms
115
A US representative is elected for_____ years and can serve____ terms.
2 years and unlimited terms
116
Why is the house given the role of originating tax laws?
Because they favor the people and the founding fathers would want less taxes on the people because GB taxed them way to much
117
Why do the senators vote to confirm appointees and ratify treaties when the House has no role?
Because they are the upper house of congress, more educated and more experienced
118
Congress can "undo" a presidential veto by doing what?
An override
119
What was the plan of the government that favored the large states?
The Virginia plan
120
What was the plan of government that favored small states?
The New Jersey plan
121
What was the states plan that was known as the great compromise?
The Connecticut compromise
122
What is it called when the power of one branch of government blocks another branch of government?
Checks and balances (checks is more exact)
123
What was the Document that was replaced by the Constitution?
The articles of confederation
124
What is the term given to bring formal charges against a President or judge, what is the process?
Impeachment, House: Acuse, Senate: Decide
125
What amendment guarantees the right to free speech and religion?
The 1st
126
A census is taken ever____ years, why?
10 years and it is to see how many representative each state gets
127
What is it called when a president frees a person accused or convicted of breaking a law?
A presidential pardon
128
What is the concept that each branch of government is charged with different jobs?
The separation of powers
129
What was the number of states originally needed to ratify the constitution? And now?
9 states and now 38
130
How can the constitution be amended today?
2/3 of the house of representatives and 2/3 of the senate and 38 (3/4 / 19/25) states
131
How can the judicial branch check the executive branch?
They can check them on a regulation on judicial review
