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)