Key terms
Bicameral
congress
house
congressman
committee
subcommittee
constituent
bill
appropriations standing committee
select committee
Joint committee
conference committee
seniority system
----------------------------------------------------------------------------Use the words above. Write the word on your answer sheet
1 A person elected to the House of Representatives.
2 A meeting of people from the House and from the Senate to fix differences in a bill
3 A person who lives in a congressional district.
4 Giving power to the person who has been there the longest.
5 A legislature made up of 2 houses.
6 Another name for the House of Representatives
7 A permanent committee
8 A committee that deals with special issues.
9 A proposed piece of legislation
10 Money.
Write only the letter
11 How many members are there in the House of Representatives?
a. 50
b. 100
c. 435
d. 535
12 Which is NOT true about the Senate?
a. 6 year term
b. 100 members
c. 40 years minimum age d. citizen for 9 years
13 Which is the closest to the truth about California
a.The Senators try to represent only one political party
b. All congressmen have equal power
c. Your congressman is your best voice in government
d. Most voters agree on most things
match the branch of government with its function – write only the letter
14 Legislative
a. interprets laws
15 Executive
b. creates laws
16 Judicial
c. enforces and carries out laws
17 The A in PAC stands for which
a. action
b. appropriations
c. adversary
d. ability
18 Which is NOT an action a President can take with legislation?
a. sign the bill into law
b. veto the bill
c. rewrite the bill
d. ignore the bill
19 Which best describes pork barrel spending
a. a new bay bridge that is earthquake proof
b. more money for scholarships
c. money to build a theme park in honor of Mr. Stevens d. tax breaks for the rich
20 Which of these allows Members of Congress to specialize in a particular area
a. committees
b. pork barrel spending
c. PACs
d. appropriations
the True False section T or F is fine
21 The Vice-President is the 101st vote in the Senate
22 A capital is a building.
23 The Speaker is the leader of the House of Representatives
24 A joint committee has members from the Senate and the House
25 No chairs are allowed in Standing Committees
Match the role with the activity….. write only the letter
1 Chief Executive
a-firing the secretary of Labor
2 Commander in Chief
b-deciding to kill Bin Laden
3 Chief Agenda Setter
c-trying to get a law about health care
4 Representative of the Nation
d- meeting with Japan’s prime minister
5 Chief of State
e commenting on Steve Jobs’ death –
6 Foreign policy Leader
f-announcing we will attack terrorists anywhere
7 Party Leader
g-raising money for Democrats
The multiple choice part… write only the letter
8-Which is NOT a job in the Executive branch?
a. park ranger
b. army soldier
c. congressman
d. FBI
9-‘execute’ means…
a. carry out
b. kill
c. do
d. all of these
10-Which of these is NOT an executive department?
a. defense
b. treasury
c. state
d. senate
11-where does the president live with his family?
a. white house
b. capitol
c. camp david
d. Arlington
12-What is the name of the President’s plane?
a. F-14 Phantom
b. Boeing 767
c. Air Force 1
d. Apollo 11
13-How much is a president paid each year?
a. $400k
b. $150k
c. $75k
d. works for free
14-I turned 50 in 2007. In what year was I old enough to be president?
a. 1967
b.1992
c. 1977
d. 1987
(hahaha, math!!!!)
15-One remarkable thing about Franklin Roosevelt is…
a. he served more than 2 terms
b. he led the nation out of WW1
c. he was never ‘elected’
d. both his father and brother were presidents
16-There have been about how many presidents?
a. 30
b. 50
c. 100
d. 150
17-More Americans voted for Al Gore than George Bush in 2000, but Bush was elected
a. because he had more money
b. because of his dad
c. because of the electoral college
d. because Gore let him have it
18-The federal Government could also be called the _________ government.
a. national
b. regional
c. provincial
d. nocturnal
19-Most money for the Federal government comes from …
a. income tax
b. corporate tax
c. excise tax
d. estate tax
20-What kind of tax is different based on how much money you have?
a. regressive
b. responsive
c. progressive
d. relative
Famous Presidents: write only the letter (don’t write on this page)
21-Washington
a. established many customs of the office
22-Lincoln
b. united a broken nation
23-Jefferson
c. doubled the size of the nation
24-FD Roosevelt
d. changed the role of government
The True False section… T or F is fine
25-April 15 is often called tax day
26-Raising taxes on imports can protect similar businesses in our country
27-Regressive taxes are bad for the poor
28-The federal government is the nation’s biggest employer
29- Most people who work for the federal government work in the executive branch
30- The executive branch makes laws
The multiple choice section
1-In the federal court system, which court is the lowest level?
a. supreme court
b. district court
c. appellate court
d. night court
2-When a judge does the same thing as an earlier decision, she is following….
a. precedent
b. antecedent
c. attendant
d. recumbent
3-Someone who follows the exact words of the constitution is a…
a. strict constructionist
b. loose constructionist
c. precedent
d . president
4-Basically, appellate courts ….
a. double check the work of lower courts
b. try only criminals
c. deal only with guilty people
d. are all a part of the supreme court
5-How long do federal judges usually serve?
a. 4 years
b. 6 years
c. 8 years
d. as long as they want
6-To become a supreme court judge, most people spend time as judges on
a. night court
b. TV court
c. appeals court
d. municipal court
7-To say a case in on the court’s docket means the case is on the…
a. way out
b. calendar
c. list for denial
d. way to a guilty sentence
8-One justice is chosen to write the…
a. dissenting opinion b. concurring opinion c. majority opinion d. lunch order
9-The leading judge on the Supreme Court is the
a. majority justice
b. president of the court c. chief justice
d. judge uno
10-About how many stages are there after a case is chosen by the supreme court?
a. 5
b. 20
c. 30
d. silly answer
11-A person who works for a judge is called a
a. judge’s helper
b. slave
c. intern
d. law clerk
12- Which of these is NOT promised by the constitution
a. speedy trial
b. impartial jury c. appeal to the supreme court
d. a lawyer
13-Which of these are required to be a supreme court judge?
a. 35 yrs old
b. the Senate’s permission
c. US citizen d. a Law Degree
14-How many justices are there on the Supreme Court of the USA?
a. 9
b. 12
c. 15
d . it changes based on the president
15- About how many cases does the Supreme Court consider each year?
a. 20
b. 200
c. 500
d. 1500
The True / False section
16-The Supreme Court Justices work a shorter year than Mr. Stevens
17-Supreme Court Justices are chosen by the President
18-The Judicial Branch writes laws
19-The Judicial Branch is the weakest branch of the government
20-Every President gets to pick at least 1 supreme court justice
The matching section
Write the number of the amendment – 1, 4, 5, 6, 8, 14.
Which amendment allows:
1 Worship of rocks and trees
2 That all citizens get the same treatment by police in all states
3 That you can complain about our government
4 That you can’t be forced to testify against yourself
5 That you don’t have to wait years in jail for your trial to start
6 That you can join any club you want that meets in private
7 That a traffic ticket can’t cost you $40,000
8 That death by tickling is something you don’t have to worry about
9 Police can only look in your trunk if they have a reason
10 that you can’t be accused based on rumor, there has to be someone accusing you
The multiple choice section
11 The establishment clause means this can’t happen in the USA
a. religion
b. an official religion c. religious officials d. Muslims
12 What is a good match for the phrase ‘redress of grievances’?
a. fix problems
b. makes me sad
c. dressing for a funeral
d. dressing a star wars villain for a second time
13 What is one place where you are NOT allowed to protest or demonstrate?
a. near water
b. near airports
c. near churches d. near schools
14 A jury found him innocent, but I really think he’s guilty. When is his next trial for the crime?
a. never
b. speedy trial
c. cruel and unusual
d. later this month
15 We are all supposed to get the same treatment by the police and this is called…
a. due process
b. bear arms
c. redress of grievances
d. 12th amendment
16 which does NOT fit
a. part of a sentence b. the ends of a cat’s ‘fingers’
c. Santa ______
d. often hit with a hammer
17 Which is NOT one of the 5 freedoms of the first amendment?
a. speech b. education
c. religion
d. press
e. assembly
f. petition
18 Being repaid at a fair price is the same as
a. probably cause
b. petition the government
c. just compensation d. free exercise
19 Speeding, a gun on the front seat, blood on the floor, moaning from the trunk are all…
a. probable cause b. signs of guilt c. you need a warrant
d. the 5th amendment
20 What group is most likely to limit your civil liberties?
a. the Senate
b. the Army
c. fire departments
d. police
the True False Section
21 Demonstrations can happen legally anywhere at anytime.
22 With a warrant, police can search for anything the want
23 Police have more power to search your car than your house.
24 Picketing is a way for people to inform about a problem
25 Substantive due process can only be corrected by changing the law
1 What is the verb for moving into another country?
a. emigrate b. immigrate c. regurgitate
d. hesitate
2 What do you call someone who lives in a country but is not a citizen?
a. criminal b. parasite
c. lucky
d. alien
3 A person who leaves a country to get away from religious or political persecution is a?
a. refugee
b. pilgrim
c. exile
d. quota
4 What is a 5 syllable word for giving up your citizenship?
a. expatriation
b. decriminalization
c. urbanization d. naturalization
5 What is a name for the process of becoming a citizen?
a. expatriation
b. decriminalization
c. urbanization d. naturalization
6 What word will complete the phrase…‘equal _____ of the law’?
a. access
b. treatment
c. condition
d. protection
7 What is a latin word for segregation by law?
a. de jure
b. déjà vu
c. de facto
d. de niro
8 What is a latin word for segregation that is in practice but not really legal?
a. de jure
b. déjà vu
c. de facto
d. de niro
9 What does the D in ADA stand for?
a. disabilities
b. discrimination
c. disaster relief
d. american
10 Giving special treatment to a group to make up for past discrimination is called
a. affirmative action b. getting even c. pay back
d. feeling guilty
11 Which amendment promises equal protection of the law?
a. 1st b. 8th
c. 14th
d. 22nd
12 What ethnic group was excluded from entry into the USA in the late 1800’s?
a. Canadians
b. British
c. Mexicans
d. Chinese
13 In the early years of the USA, what were the limits on immigration?
a. no limits
b. 50 per year
c. only limits on French d. no immigration allowed
14 How do most people become citizens of the USA?
a. illegally
b. birth
c. marriage
d. taking a test
15 How common is it for citizens of the USA to have their citizenship taken away?
a. very
b. some
c. almost never
d. de facto
16. Giving citizenship to a whole bunch of people at the same time is called?
a. collective naturalization b. convenient
c. typical d. expatriation
17 The largest group of involuntary immigrants in USA’s history?
a. Armenians
b. Africans
c. Argentinians
d. Russians
18 The % of Hispanic and African American citizens in the USA is
a. about even
b. most of the USA population
c. way more Hispanics d. 85%
19 From the graph you once drew in class, about what % of the USA population is white?
a. 20
b. 50
c. 70
d. 95
20 What country today has the most people come into the USA?
a. Canada
b. Hawaii
c. Mexico
d. England
21 What was the name for the laws that enforced segregation in the south after the civil war?
a. unfair
b. discriminatory
c. illegal
d. Jim Crow
22 What do you call it to have one group separated from another group?
a. separation
b. segregation
c. integration
d. elevation
23 What is it called to forgive a past violation of law?
a. nice
b. kind
c. generous
d. amnesty
24 What is a latin phrase meaning ‘law of soil’?
a. jus soli
b. e pluribus unum
c. jus sanguinis
d. dre scott
25 What is a latin phrase meaning ‘law of blood’?
a. jus soli
b. e pluribus unum
c. jus sanguinis
d. dre scott
26 What is the word for only letting in a certain amount?
a. amnesty
b. segregation
c. expatriation
d. quota
Match
1-Initiative
2-Referendum
3-Recall
a - voting out an unpopular elected official
b -creating a law through democracy
c - changing an unpopular law
4-The USA congress has 435 members. How big is the legislative branch of California?
a. 120
b. 250
c. 445
d. 670
5 -How many states do NOT have a bicameral legislature
a. 1
b. 25
c. 34
d. 53
6- Salaries for governors are usually
a. very high
b. very low
c. about $100k on average d. typical for a chief executive of a large corporation
7-High taxes in states are bad for which of these
a. attracting business
b. paying govt. bills
c. making Democrats happy
d. govt. employees
8-For states, which is most common
a. sales tax only
b income tax only
c. sales and income tax
d. no tax at all
9-What can you call a tax meant to discourage you from buying a type of good?
a. discouragement tax
b. high tax
c. stall tax
d. sin tax
10-Which of these does California NOT have
a. an assembly
b. a senate c. a supreme court
d. a military
11- The 2000 Presidential election was especially contentious in which state
a. Florida b. California
c. Texas
d. New York
12 – most Americans live
a. in rural areas b. in urban areas
13 – which of these does NOT characterize urban areas
a. traffic b. apartments
c. dirt roads
d. homeless people
14- the area surrounding a central city is referred to as
a. suburbs
b. less urban
c. poserville
d. outskirts
15- local government is mostly funded through which
a. property tax b. sales tax
c. corporate tax
d. income tax
16- a bond is a form of
a. investing b. borrowing c. lending
d. all of these
17 – bonds make sense for cities in order to
a. pay daily bills
b. pay for salaries for police c. pay for teachers
d. pay for large projects like a new football field and swim center
18- The best substitute for ‘governor’ would be
a. justice
b. council man
c. president
d. senator
19- How many states do NOT have an elected government?
a. 0
b. 3
c. 14
d. 37
20-a cities role of deciding what sorts of things will be built where is called
a. zoning
b. districting
c. sorting
d. rolling
True and not True (mark T or F on your paper)
21- No California Governor has ever been recalled in history.
22- California is the only state that allows initiatives
23- All states have sales tax
24- All state legislatures meet every year
25- Cities usually pass all the bonds the mayor wants