Study Guide
Things to know about the Constitution
For the Test you must know: (in addition to the Ch. 7 Study Guide)
(There is a lot of overlap here – but just want to make it clear)
1. The 3 Branches of Government and their primary jobs (who and what the job is)
Legislative, Executive, Judicial.
Job of the legislative is to make the Laws
Job of the Exec is to enforce the laws
Job of the Judicial is to interpret the laws.
2.
Duties of each of the 3 branches of government
Legislative - can declare war, overturn a veto, impeach a president, in charge of Post
Office
Executive - can sign a bill into a law, CO of the military, make treaties, appoint justices
Judicial - hear appeals from lower courts, declare laws unconstitutional
3.
What the 7 articles of the Constitution are each about (LEJSASR)
L - Legislative
E - Executive
J - Judicial
S – States
A – Amendments - 2/3’s of both houses have to vote yes
S - Supreme Law of the Land – no law can conflict with constitution
R – Ratification 9/13 states had to vote yes to make it official
4.
The qualifications and length of term for a Senator
Must be 30, citizen for 9 years, resident of the state
5.
How many Senators there are from each state
2 from each state total 100
6.
Qualifications and length of term for a Representative
Must be 25, citizen for 7 years and resident of state
7.
How Representatives are determined for each state
by population
8.
435
How many Representatives there are in the House of Representatives total
9.
The Qualifications and length of term for the President
Must be 35, Born a citizen and live in the U.S. for 14 years
10.
11.
Four powers of Congress (see Above)
Four powers of the President (see above)
12.
What impeachment means
Means to be charged with a crime while in office. It does not mean to get kicked out,
although if found guilty - then yes.
13.
Which house of Congress makes the decision to impeach an official
House of Reps
14.
Which house of Congress holds the impeachment trial
The Senate
15.
One way Legislative branch checks on the Executive branch
Can override a veto
16.
One way Executive branch checks Judicial branch
gets to appoint the justices
17.
One way Judicial branch checks Executive branch
Can declare a law unconstitutional
18.
One way Legislative checks Judicial branch
Gets to approve court nominees
18.
At least 3 Cabinet departments
State Dept. Treasury Dept. Homeland Security Dept.
19.
How long a Federal Judge keeps his job
For Life
20.
What an amendment is
A change or addition to the Constitution
21.
How many amendments to the Constitution in total
27
22.
What are the first 10 Amendments are called
The Bill of Rights
23.
What treason is and how someone can be convicted of it
Helping an enemy - have to admit it in court or have 2 eye witnesses
24.
What system is used to elect the President
The electoral College
25.
How the number of electoral votes is decided for each state?
it is the total number of congressmen a state has. 2 senators plus number of reps.
26.
What the necessary and proper clause is (elastic clause)
It says that Congress has the right to make any other laws it sees as “necessary and
proper” This has greatly increased the power of Congress
.
27.
The compromise made about representation in Congress (between the large and
small states)
Decided to have 2 houses of Congress. 1 (senate) has equal representation and everyone
has the same number. the other is the House of Representatives and it has a number
according to population., It is called proportional representation,
28.
The compromise made about slavery at the convention
⅗’s clause. Slaves are counted ⅗’s of a person for the population count. Helped
southern states have more representatives
29.
What “the supreme law of the land” is
The Constitution is the supreme law of the land, No other law can conflict with it.
30.
Why there is a system of Checks and Balances
So no one branch becomes too powerful
31.
What the 1 ten amendments are and what rights they cover.
See the Bill of Rights hand out.
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