U.S. Citizenship Test Practice: Checks and Balances and How a Bill Becomes Law
- Checks and Balances and How a Bill Becomes Law
- 10 questions
- 12 minutes
These questions follow a bill through Congress and show how each branch can limit the others. Tip: for every power, ask yourself which branch uses it and which branch can stop it.
Tap an option to mark your answer. You can change your mind, or tap the same option again to leave the question blank. The correct answers and explanations appear when you finish the test.Tap an option to answer; tap it again to leave the question blank.
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Question 1
A member of Congress writes down an idea for a new federal law and introduces it. What is this proposed law called before it passes?
Correct answer: B
A proposed law is called a bill until both houses pass it and the President signs it. An amendment is a change to the Constitution, not an ordinary law.
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Question 2
Congress wants to pass a new law that raises taxes. Under the Constitution, where must this kind of bill start?
Correct answer: D
The Constitution says bills for raising revenue must start in the House of Representatives, the chamber elected directly by the people every two years. The Senate can still change the bill afterward.
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Question 3
After a bill is introduced, it usually goes to a small group of lawmakers who study it, hold hearings and suggest changes. What are these groups called?
Correct answer: C
Most work on a bill happens in committees of the House and the Senate. Juries belong to the courts, the Cabinet advises the President, and electors choose the President.
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Question 4
The House of Representatives passes a bill, but the Senate votes against it. What happens to the bill?
Correct answer: A
A bill must pass both the House and the Senate in the same form. If one chamber rejects it, it cannot go to the President for signing.
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Question 5
The President signs a treaty with another country. What must happen before the treaty takes effect for the United States?
Correct answer: B
The President makes treaties, but they need the approval of two-thirds of the Senate. This is one way the legislative branch checks the executive branch.
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Question 6
A President is accused of serious wrongdoing. Which part of Congress has the power to impeach, or formally charge, the President?
Correct answer: C
Only the House of Representatives can impeach a federal official. Impeachment is a formal charge, not removal from office.
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Question 7
An impeachment trial decides whether a federal official will be removed from office. Which body holds this trial?
Correct answer: D
The Senate holds impeachment trials, and two-thirds of the senators present must vote to convict before an official is removed. When the President is on trial, the Chief Justice presides, but the senators decide.
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Question 8
The President commands the armed forces. Which war power does the Constitution give to Congress instead?
Correct answer: A
The Constitution gives Congress the power to declare war and to fund the military. The President is Commander in Chief, nominates officers and negotiates treaties.
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Question 9
The President nominates a person to lead a federal department, but the Senate votes not to confirm that person. This is an example of what?
Correct answer: B
When the Senate refuses to confirm a nominee, one branch is limiting another, which is checks and balances. Federalism is about sharing power between the national and state governments.
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Question 10
The House and the Senate have each passed a different version of the same bill. What must happen before the bill goes to the President?
Correct answer: D
A bill can go to the President only after the House and the Senate pass exactly the same text. Lawmakers often work out the differences in a joint conference committee.
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