1. What is Congress?
  Bicameral legislature of the
US
  Made up of the US House of
Unit IV Review Sheets
2. What is the importance of Marbury
v Madison?
Representatives and the US
Senate
3. How can a decision of the
Supreme Court be changed?
  Established the Supreme
  Amendment to the
Court’s power of judicial
review
Constitution
4. Define simple majority
  One more than half
5. Define amendment
  Addition / change to a formal
document
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6. What is the Bill of Rights?
7. What are the five rights
protected by the First Amendment?
  First 10 amendments that
  GRASP
protect basic individual rights
and liberties
  Petition grievances, religion,
8. What limitations are there on a
citizen’s First Amendment rights?
assembly, speech, press
9. Define Federalism
  Rights can be limited when they
  Sharing of power between
infringe on the rights of others
federal and state governments
  Cannot create a danger –
can’t yell fire in a crowded
theater;
10. What are delegated / enumerated
powers?
  Powers belonging only to the federal
government
Examples
  Regulate interstate and foreign trade
  Raise/ support armed forces
  Declare war/ make peace
  Coin and print money
11. What are reserved powers?
  Powers retained by the states
Examples
  Establish and maintain public schools
  Set up local governments and conduct
elections
  Licensing professional workers
(doctors,lawyers,teachers)
  Ratify constitutional amendments
  Regulate immigration
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12. What are concurrent powers?
  Powers shared by both the states
and the federal government
Examples
  Collect taxes
  Make and enforce laws
  Borrow money
13. Explain Separation of Powers
  Organization of government into 3 branches
with their own functions and powers
  Legislative Branch, headed by Congress,
makes the laws
  Executive Branch, headed by the president,
enforces the laws
  Judicial Branch, headed by the Supreme
Court, interprets the laws
  Establish and maintain courts
14. Explain Checks and Balances.
  Each branch of the government
Executive over Legislative
  veto
can check, or limit, the power of
the other branches to prevent
any group from gaining too
much authority
Legislative over Executive
Judicial over Legislative
Legislative over Judicial
  Judicial review
Judicial over Executive
  Judicial review
  Override veto with 2/3
majority of both houses
  Can propose amendments to
overturn judicial decisions
Executive over Judicial
  Can appoint federal judges
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15. How is the Constitution a “living”
document?
  Can be changed or added to –
to keep it up to date
Examples
16. What is the unwritten Constitution?
  Things not mentioned in the
Constitution but we do them anyway
Examples
  Amendments
  Cabinet
  Elastic clause
  Political parties
  Committee system
17. Define elastic clause
  Congress can make all laws
necessary and proper
  Congress can stretch its
powers to cover situations not
mentioned in the
Constitution
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