Civics Study Guide Key
Chapters 5,6,7, & Econ
Write the following definitions in your own words. ONE sentence each.
1) Legislative Branch
Lawmaking branch of government
2) Executive Branch
Branch that carries out laws
3) Judicial Branch
Branch that interprets laws
4) Checks and Balances
System that balances branches of govt.
5) Supreme Court
Highest court, appellate and original jurisdiction
6) Scarcity
Limited resources
7) Federal System
Division of power between Federal and state govt.
8) Original jurisdiction
Authority to be 1st to hold trials
9) Pocket Veto
Pres can reject a bill by not signing it
10) Impeachment
To charge a govt. official with misconduct.
11) Appellate Jurisdiction
Authority to Appeal prior cases
12) Executive Department
Parts of Exec branch that assist President
13) Profit
Income after expenses are paid
14) Commander in Chief
President’s job to command military
15) Reprieve
Postpone a prison sentence or execution
16) Attorney General
Head of the Dept. of Justice
17) Visa
Document allows people to visit other countries
18) Gerrymandering
Drawing congressional district to favor party
19) Monopoly
Country that controls all of a good or service
20) Bill
Proposed law being considered
Answer each with 1-2 sentences. Use own paper if needed.
21) What is the law of supply?
Businesses will provide more of a product if they can make more money from it.
22) Forced to leave the U.S is called what?
Expulsion
23) What is the law of demand?
Buyers will demand more of a product if they can get it cheaper..
24) What two presidents were impeached?
Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton, neither was removed from office.
25) Who is the leader of the Senate?
Vice President, and President Pro Tempore when VP is not available.
26) Who is the leader of the House of Representatives?
Speaker of the House
27) What are the two categories of laws?
Criminal (acts that are crimes) and Civil (disputes between people)
28) Name the qualifications to be US president.
35 yrs old, Native-born U.S. Citizen, Resident of U.S. for 14 years
29) What is the elastic clause?
Necessary and proper clause that allows Congress to stretch the Constitution to make laws.
30) What are the 3 things a president can do with a bill?
Sign it, Veto, Pocket Veto
31) What are the 2 houses of Congress?
House of Representatives, Senate
32) How many members are in Senate?
100, 2 for each state
33) How many members are in the House of Representatives?
435, allotted by population of each state
34) What are the 3 levels of federal courts?
District Court, Appellate Court, Supreme Court
35) Who declares war?
Congress
36) What are the 4 principle sources of law?
Statutory Law – laws made by Congress, Common Law – law by precedent and common sense, Administrative Law – created by govt agencies for our safety and daily life, Constitutional Law – Law taken directly from Constitution.
37) What are the 3 basic economic systems?
Traditional – Trade and Barter, Command – Govt controlled, Market – Controlled by the consumers and demand
38) How do the other 2 branches of government check and balance the Judicial Branch?
Executive – President appoint justices, Legislative – Congress can impeach Supreme Court justices.
39) Which level of federal courts is able to use both forms of jurisdiction?
Supreme Court can use both Appellate and Original (in some situations).
40) What is Gross Domestic Product? How is it used?
Dollar value of goods and services produced annually in a country. Used as a measure of a country’s economic health.
41) List the steps of “How a Bill Becomes a Law”.
Introduce the bill à First House Committee Hearing à Full House Hearing à Second House Committee hearing à Full House Hearing à Back to Original House to approve changes if needed à President’s Desk
42) List 5 of the Executive departments.
Any 5 of: Justice, State, Defense, Transportation, Homeland Security, Veteran Affairs, Treasury, Commerce, Labor, Health and Human Services, Agriculture, Interior, Housing Urban Development, Energy, and Education
43) How is the President a Legislative Leader?
He signs the bills created by Congress and influences them in their direction in his State of the Union Address
44) What type of economy do we have in the U.S.? Explain.
Mixed economy – Mostly market economy, but some government regulations make it a partial command economy
45) List the order of Succession.
President à Vice President à Speaker of the House à President Pro Tempore à Cabinet members by order of creation
46) When does the Supreme Court use original jurisdiction?
Involving diplomats and leaders of other countries, cases between states, cases between state and federal government.
47) How are Supreme Court justices replaced and how long is their term?
A justice serves for life, until he retires or dies, and the current President replaces him with a candidate of his choosing.
48) What is important about the Plessy vs. Ferguson case?
This case stated that Separate but Equal was constitutional. Case is overturned by Brown v Board of Education
49) Why did Nixon resign from his Presidency?
He feared impeachment for his acts of treason in the Watergate scandal.
50) Explain the differences of goods and services.
Goods are things you can hold and purchase (TV, bread, shoes), Services are activities and actions we pay for (hair cut, doctor visit, Car wash)