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chart skill
S k i l l s Pa g e
Name: _____________________________________________________
The Two Houses of Congress
Read this table to discover basic facts about each house (chamber)
of the U.S. Congress. Then answer the questions.
Questions
Senate
435
How many members?
100
Based on state population. The state with
the largest population has 53 House
seats; the state with the smallest has 1.
How many seats does
each state have?
Each state has two Senators.
Two years
How long is each
member’s term?
Six years
Yes. (No limit to the number
of terms.)
Can a member be
re-elected?
Yes. (No limit to the number
of terms.)
Yes. Representatives are elected in
even-number years (2006, 2008, etc.).
Speaker of the House
• Creates bills (proposed laws) on how
to collect taxes.
• Votes whether to impeach federal
officials (charge them with serious
misconduct).
• Decides who will be President if no
candidate receives a majority of the
electoral vote.
Are all members elected
at the same time?
No. One third of the Senate is elected
in each even-number year.
Who is the
presiding officer?
Vice President of the U.S. (Casts a
tie-breaking vote in the event of a tie.)
What are the
special powers
of each house?
• Confirms U.S. treaties (agreements
with other nations).
• Confirms President’s appointments of
top officials.
• Votes whether to remove impeached
officials from office.
• Decides who will be Vice President
if no candidate receives a majority
of the electoral vote.
1. How long is a U.S. Senator’s term? ______________________________________________
2. In which house of Congress are the states represented equally? _________________
3. The Vice President of the U.S. casts a tie-breaking vote in which house? __________
4. Will Americans elect new U.S. Senators in the year 2011? _________________________
5. Which house has the power to choose the President if no candidate receives
enough electoral votes?_______________________________________________________
BONUS: Do you think that each state should have an equal number of seats in the
House of Representatives, or should the current system remain the same, with the
most populous states having more Representatives? Why? ________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
T4 SCHOLASTIC NEWS / Edition 4 / October 27, 2008
©2008 by Scholastic Inc. Teachers may make copies of this page to distribute to their students.
Reproducible
Skills
pa g e
House of
Representatives