Test Your Knowledge of Our Three Branches of Government
How much do you know about the executive, legislative and judicial branches and how they intersect?
You may not have the high score, but we know that, in the classic American way, you’ll pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and try again. We hope you learned some fun facts about our three branches of government today. Thanks for playing! And don’t forget to share this with your fellow Americans.
4|Just remember that it’s the journey that counts, not the destination. We hope you had a fun time learning some facts about our three branches of government. Thanks for playing! And don’t forget to share this with your fellow Americans.
6|You know a lot about American civics, and we hope you learned some interesting facts about our three branches of government along the way. Thanks for playing! And don’t forget to share this with your fellow Americans.
7|You are an American civics whiz! Thanks for playing! And don’t forget to share this with your fellow Americans.
# wrong text: Sorry, that's incorrect. # right text: That's correct! # social text incomplete: Take this quick quiz to test your knowledge about the three branches of the U.S. government. Test yourself and share your results. # social text complete: Take this quick quiz to test your knowledge about the three branches of the U.S. government. I took the quiz and got a {score} out of {total_questions} correct! Test yourself and share your results. ? How many voting members of Congress are there? - 435 - 100 - 695 + 535 ! There are 535 lawmakers with voting power on Capitol Hill: 435 representatives in the House and 100 senators in the Senate. The House and the Senate are the two chambers of the U.S. Congress. (Learn more) ? How are justices selected to serve on the Supreme Court? - They are elected by the people. - They are elected by the electoral college. + They are appointed by the president. - They are selected by the House of Representatives. ! It’s the president’s job to appoint people to serve on the Supreme Court; however, presidential nominations are subject to Senate approval. (Learn more) ? What branch is responsible for interpreting the meaning of laws? - The executive branch - The legislative branch + The judicial branch ! As the guardian of the Constitution, the judicial branch is responsible for interpreting the meaning of laws, applying laws to individual cases, and deciding if a law violates the Constitution of the United States. Its overarching goal is to ensure that the American people have equal justice under the law. (Learn more) ? The vice president of the United States also holds which office? - National security adviser + President of the Senate - Speaker of the House - Chief executive ! The vice president is also president of the Senate, making him or her an officer in two branches of government: the executive branch and the legislative branch. As president of the Senate, he or she is responsible for presiding over the Senate and, when necessary, casting a tie-breaking vote. (Learn more) ? After a bill passes the House and the Senate, how long does the president have to sign or veto the bill? - 30 days - 6 months + 10 days - 45 days ! The president has 10 days to sign or veto a bill passed by Congress. In most cases, if the president has not signed the bill after 10 days, it automatically becomes law without a presidential signature. (Learn more) ? Which branch of government has the most federal employees? + The executive branch - The legislative branch - The judicial branch ! Not including uniformed military personnel, the executive branch has some 2.8 million employees throughout its various departments and agencies (4.2 million including uniformed military). That’s a far cry from the legislative branch’s 32,000 and the judicial branch’s 34,000 employees, as of October 2020. (Learn more) ? Which of the following could cause a federal government shutdown? - A presidential vacation + Congressional failure to pass an annual budget - A strike by federal employees - A filibuster in the Senate ! Each year, Congress and the president must agree on a funding bill to finance government operations for the fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1. A failure by the House of Representatives and/or the Senate to pass either an annual budget or a temporary funding measure or the president’s refusal to sign either of these two bills by Sept. 30 would result in a lapse of government funding, causing many government functions to shut down. This includes parts of government agencies like the Department of Homeland Security, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the National Park Service. (Learn more)America’s Defining Documents
The Declaration of Independence. The Constitution. The Bill of Rights. America’s founding documents were the result of debates and compromises that created a new nation unlike any other. Learn more about the history and content of America’s defining documents.
Government by the Numbers
The executive branch is one of the three branches of the U.S. government; it includes the president, vice president, presidential advisors and Cabinet, 15 executive departments, as well as hundreds of other bureaus and agencies. U.S. government employees within the executive branch play a variety of critical roles, such as issuing passports, maintaining public lands, printing money, monitoring the economy, and supporting health programs.
What Are Our Responsibilities As U.S. Citizens?
Sept. 17 is Constitution Day and Citizenship Day, a day on which we commemorate the signing of the Constitution in 1787 and also recognize all who have become citizens.
What Is the Electoral College?
Take a closer look at how Americans elect their president.
Don’t miss our latest facts, findings, and survey results in The Rundown