The!Constitution!

WORKSHEET!1!

!
The$Three$Branches$of$Government$
!
1.!What!is!the!primary!role!of!the!legislative!branch!of!government?!
The primary role is to enact legislation/to make laws
!
2.!What!is!the!legislative!body!of!government!called?!
!
Congress
3.!What!two!parts!make!up!this!legislative!body?!
! Of Representatives & The Senate
The House
4!What!officials!make!up!the!legislative!body?!
Senators
! & Congressmen & Members Of The House {Representitives}
Elected
5.!Are!these!officials!elected!or!appointed!today?____________________________!Which!one!used!
to!be!different?!
Senators
!
6.!What!is!the!primary!role!of!the!executive!branch!of!the!government?!
!
To implement
and enforce/execute laws & Commander In Chief for armed forces
7.!Who!is!the!primary!official!of!the!executive!branch?!
!
The President
8.!What!other!position!does!this!person!fill?!
!
Commander In Chief for armed forces
9.!Is!this!person!elected!or!appointed?!
!Elected by the electoral college/people
10.!What!other!officials!make!up!the!executive!branch?!
The Vice President, & The Cabinet/The Heads Of All The Executive Branches
!
11.!What!is!the!primary!role!of!the!judicial!branch!of!government?!
!
To interpret the law & oversee the court system of the U.S
12.!What!institutions!carry!out!the!role!of!the!judicial!branch?!
!
The Supreme Court & The Lower Federal Courts
13.!What!officials!make!up!the!judicial!branch?!
!
Supreme
Court Justices & Judges
14.!Are!these!officials!elected!or!appointed?!
Appointed
by the President, and confirmed by the senate
!
15.!What!part!of!the!Constitution!covers!the!legislative!branch?!!
! Article One
16.!What!part!of!the!Constitution!covers!the!executive!branch?!
! Article Two
18.!What!part!of!the!Constitution!covers!the!judicial!branch?!
! Article Three
19.!What!does!the!phrase!checks!and!balances!mean!when!referring!to!the!Constitution?!
! It means each branch of the government has the power to stop/obstruct the other branches
20.!What!is!the!supreme!law!of!the!land?!
It is an article of the constitution, that says that the constitution is the supreme law of the land,
and that it/national law should be obeyed and take presidence

1!

The!Constitution!

WORKSHEET!2!

!
!

The$Two$Houses$of$Congress$
!
!
Term!of!office!(how!long?)!

House!of!Representatives!
Senate!
!
!
2 Years
6 Years
!
!
Qualifications!for!holding!
1.!At!least!25!years!old!
1.! At least 30 years old
office!
! A citizen of the U.S for at !
2.!!least seven years
2.!!A citizen of the U.S for at
!
! least nine years
3.!A resident of the state they 3.! A resident of the state they
represent
! represent
Four
hundred thirty five total !
Number!of!members!from!
!
Two
each!state!
!
right
now, and based on
!
population
Current!election!method!
Direct!election!by!the!people! Direct
!
election by the people
!
!
Older!election!method!
!Chosen by state legislators Direct
!
election by the people
!
Others
Officers!
!
Leader-Speaker
Of The House ! Tie Breaker-VicePresident, As
!
& President Of The Senate
President ProTempore-Leader Needed
! Others as wanted
Senate can only be kicked
The
Impeachment!powers!
! House can only be kicked The
!
out
by
its own members, and
!
out by its own members, and
the! power to charge somebody the power to hold the accused
!
trial, with the Supreme Court Justice

Complete!the!following!sentence:!
In!the!Constitution!as!it!was!originally!passed,!the!population,!for!the!
representation
taxation
purposed!of!_____________________________________!and!________________________!is!the!
white population
sum!of!the!total!population!of!____________________________!plus!3/5!of!the!
slave population
______________________________.!

2!

The!Constitution!
!
!
How!Laws!Are!Made:!
!

WORKSHEET!3!

President!Vetoes!bill!

Congress$
House!and!!
Senate!

Both!Houses!pass!bill!
with!a!simple!majority!

!
Lets!bill!sit!
for!ten!
days!

President!

LAW!

Signs!bill!

Congress!overrides!veto!with!a!
twoathirds!majority!in!both!houses!

The!diagram!shows!three!ways!a!bill!can!become!a!law.!Describe!each!
way!in!a!sentence.!
!
1.!! The House & The Senate pass the bill, and it goes to the President, who signs it, and it
becomes a law.

2.!! The House & The Senate pass the bill and it goes to the President who vetoes it, and they
override the veto with a two-thirds majority in both houses, and it becomes a law.

3.!! The House & The Senate pass the bill and it goes to the President who leaves it for ten days
without doing anything and it becomes a law.

3!

The!Constitution!!

WORKSHEET!4!

!
!
!

Complete$the$following$paragraph.$
!
both
majority
A!bill!must!pass!by!a!___________________________________!vote!in!_______________!
President
houses.!Then!the!bill!is!sent!to!the!_____________________________,!who!can!sign!the!
veto
bill!or!____________________!it.!!If!the!President!keeps!the!bill!for!

ten
_____________________!days,!it!will!become!law!as!if!it!has!been!signed.!If!the!
returns
President!objects!to!the!bill,!he!________________________!it!to!the!house!where!the!
reconsideration
bill!originated!for!________________________.!A!vetoed!bill!must!pass!both!houses!
two-thirds
with!a!!___________________!majority!to!become!law.!

Power$of$Congress$
Put!a!check!mark!next!to!each!statement!that!describes!a!power!granted!to!
Congress.!

levy!taxes!on!goods!sent!from!
one!state!to!another!

!
!

establish!post!offices!

collect!taxes!and!duties!

pass!ex#post#facto!laws!when!
necessary!

grant!titles!of!nobility!

raise!and!support!armies!

regulate!foreign!and!

!
!

borrow!money!

make!laws!necessary!and!

interstate!trade!

appoint!Supreme!Court!judges!

coin!money!and!regulate!its!

declare!war!
elect!the!President!of!the!

establish!lower!federal!courts!

proper!for!carrying!out!other!
laws!

value!

United!States!
!

establish!lower!federal!courts!

suspend!the!writ!of!habeas#
corpus!

tax!exports!

provide!and!maintain!a!navy!

4!

The!Constitution!!

WORKSHEET!5!

The$Executive$and$Judicial$Branches$
!
Write!T!for!true!or!F!for!false!for!each!statement.!If!the!statement!is!false,!
rewrite!it!to!make!it!true.!
!
True
______!1.!The!President!is!responsible!for!executing!the!nations!laws.!
False
Elected By Electoral Collage
______!2.!The!President!is!elected!directly!by!popular!vote.!
True
______!3.!The!President!must!be!a!naturalaborn!citizen.!
False
______!4.!The!President!must!be!at!least!40!years!old!and!a!United!States!
resident!for!20!years.! Thirty Five Years Old & A Natural Born Citizen
True
______!5.!If!the!President!dies!or!is!removed!from!office,!the!Vice!President!
becomes!the!chief!executive!officer.!
False
______!6.!The!President!has!very!little!power!during!wartime.!
More Power
True
______!7.!The!President!can!grant!pardons!for!federal!crimes.!
True
______!8.!The!President!appoints!ambassadors,!Supreme!Court!judges,!and!
public!officials.! With the approval of the Senate
The Senate Ratifies Them
False
______!9.!The!President!alone!makes!treaties!with!foreign!countries.!
True
______!10.!The!President!must!periodically!give!Congress!information!on!the!
state!of!the!Union.! {It doesnt have to be a speech}
False
______!11.!The!President!holds!office!for!six!years,!but!the!Vice!President!holds!
Four years
office!for!only!four!years.!
True
______!13.!The!highest!court!in!the!United!States!is!the!Supreme!Court.!
True
______!14.!The!Supreme!Court!and!lower!federal!courts!are!responsible!for!
interpreting!the!nations!laws.!
False
______!15.!Federal!judges!are!elected!to!fourayear!terms.!
They are appointed for life.
True
______!16.!Judges!salaries!may!not!be!decreased!while!they!are!in!office.!
______!17.!The!federal!course!may!try!cases!involving!the!Constitution,!disputes!
True
with!foreign!countries,!and!disputes!between!states.!
False
______!18.!The!United!States!government!cannot!be!brought!to!trial!in!the!
federal!courts.!
Most
______!19.!All!federal!cases!must!begin!in!the!lower!courts!and!come!to!the!
False
Supreme!Court!only!on!appeal.!
T
False
______!20.!The!Supreme!Courts!decision!can!be!appealed!to!the!President.
!

5!

The!Constitution!

WORKSHEET!6!

The!Road!to!the!White!House!

Candidates!declare!themselves!
State!Primaries!or!Caucuses!
Party!Conventions/Nomination!
General!Election!(November)!
Electoral!College!Election!
Inauguration!(used!to!be!March,!now!January)!
How$to$become$President$without$winning$the$Popular$Vote$
(it$has$happened$3$times,$1876,$1888,$2000)$

!
An!example:!Lets!assume!2!candidates,!Sally!Likable!and!Cynthia!Smart,!and!4!states.!

!
!
State!and!population! Electoral!votes!
Hufflepuff!
!
2!million!voters!
!
Ravenclaw!
!
5!million!voters!
!
Slytherin!
!
2!million!voters!
!
Gryffindor!
!
2!million!voters!
!
!
And!the!winner!is:!
!
Total!popular!vote:!
Total!Electoral!vote:!

Election!Results!
Popular!vote!
Winner!in!bold!

!
10!

!
Sally!Likable!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!999,999!
Cynthia$Smart$$$$$1,000,001$

!
25!

$
Sally$Likable$$$$$$$$$$3,000,003$
Cynthia!Smart!!!!!!!!!!!1,999,997!

!
10!

!
Sally!Likable!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!999,999!
Cynthia$Smart$$$$$1,000,001$

!
10!

!
Sally!Likable!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!999,999!
Cynthia$Smart$$$$$1,000,001$

Sally!Likable!
!
!
!
!

6,000,000
25

Cynthia!Smart!
!

5,000,000

30

!
So!who!is!the!new!president?! President Cynthia Smart
!
According!to!the!Constitution,!the!number!of!electors!for!each!state!is!equal!to!the!number!
Representatives
Senators
of!!_______________________!+!the!number!of!!_________________________.!
!

6!

The!Constitution!

WORKSHEET!7!

Checks$and$Balances$

Complete!the!chart!by!writing!the!following!statements!in!the!correct!
sections:

!
Veto!bills!
Impeach!the!President!
Declare!laws!unconstitutional!
Approve!Supreme!Court!
appointments!
Approve!Presidents!appointment!
Appoint!Supreme!Court!judges!

Ratify!treaties!
Command!armed!forces!
Impeach!Supreme!Court!judges!
Pass!laws!over!Presidents!veto!
Declare!presidential!acts!
unconstitutional!
!

!
!
!
!
!

Checks!on!Congress!

Checks!on!the!
President!

Checks!on!the!
Supreme!Court!

Ratify
Treaties {Senate} !
!
!
Impeach The President
!
Approve Supreme Court Appointment {Senate}
!
Impeach Supreme Court
Approve Presidents
Judges
!
Appointment {Senate}
!
Pass Laws Over President
Approve Supreme Court Judges {Senate}
!
The!President!can:!
!
!
!
Veto Bills
!
Command
Armed Forces
!
!
!
!
The!Supreme!Court! !
!
!
Declare Laws Unconstitutional
can:!!
!
Declare Presidential
!
Acts Unconstitutional
!
!
!

Congress!can:!

7!

The!Constitution!
!

Off The Test {For Now You

Dont Have To Learn The
Numbers}

WORKSHEET!8!

The$Bill$of$Rights$
Answer!the!following!questions!about!the!first!ten!Amendments!(the!Bill!of!
Rights).!
!
1.!What!freedoms!are!protected!by!the!First!Amendment?!
!
!
2.!What!is!the!right!to!assemble,!and!why!is!it!important?!
!
!
3.!What!is!the!purpose!of!the!Second!Amendment?!
!
4.!Which!amendment!prevents!unwarranted!searches!and!arrests?!
!
5.!Name!three!rights!protected!by!the!Fifth!Amendment!
!
!
6.!Which!Amendment!ensures!the!right!to!a!jury!trial!in!a!criminal!case?!
!
7.!What!is!the!meaning!and!importance!of!due!process!of!law!(5th!
Amendment)?!
!
!
8.!Why!was!the!Third!Amendment!so!important!to!people!in!the!late!18th!
century?!
!
!
9.!What!does!the!Seventh!Amendment!provide?!
!
!
10.!Name!three!things!prohibited!by!the!Eighth!Amendment.!
!
!
!
11.!How!do!the!Ninth!and!Tenth!Amendments!protect!the!people?

8!

The!Constitution!

WORKSHEET!9!

Review$
For!review,!complete!the!puzzle.!If!all!the!words!are!correct,!the!name!of!a!
document!will!appear!in!the!vertical!column.!

m p e a c
V e t

h m e n t

o e s

A m e n d m e n t
E x
L e g i

o s

a t

u d i

a l

E l
E x

e c
e c

t o r
u t i

M i

R a t

R e l i g i o n
A p p o i n t

a c

s
v

m e n t

1.!The!process!of!brining!charges!against!government!officials!for!misdeeds.!
2.!What!the!President!does!to!prevent!a!bill!from!becoming!a!law.!
3.!A!change!or!addition!to!the!Constitution.!
4.!A!law!that!makes!an!act!into!a!crime!AFTER!the!act!was!committed.!
5.!The!branch!of!government!responsible!for!making!laws.!
6.!The!branch!of!government!responsible!for!interpreting!the!laws.!
7.!A!group!of!people!chosen!by!voters!to!elect!the!President!and!Vice!President.!
8.!The!branch!of!government!responsible!for!carrying!out!and!enforcing!the!laws.!
9.!A!group!of!state!soldiers.!
10.!To!approve!amendments!or!treaties.!
11.!The!first!freedom!protected!by!the!Bill!of!Rights.!
12.!The!Presidents!power!to!choose!people!for!certain!offices!or!positions.!

9!