1. Government Final Exam Review
Unit 3: Legislative Branch

2. Question 1
What is the most obvious function of the Legislative branch? to make laws

3. Question 2
Describe the process of redistricting Congressional districts
Census counts population changes
District boundaries are redrawn to ensure equal population

4. Question 3 How is representation in the House and Senate determined?
House: by population
Senate: by membership in the Union (every state gets 2 members)

5. Question 4 Describe the differences between the House and the Senate.
House: members serve for 2 year terms, has 435 members
Senate: members serve for 6 year terms, has 100 members, focuses more on national issues

6. Question 5
Explain how the Commerce Power is used by Congress and give examples
Used to regulate economic activity across state lines
Examples: product safety standards, minimum wage, vehicle emissions standards, insurance requirements

7. Question 6 Explain what happens when a bill is in committee.
hearings are held to explore the effects of the bill
the bill is debated amongst legislators who know a lot about the topic of the bill

8. Question 7 Describe what happens when a Senator gives a filibuster.
A Senator talks for a very long time about anything
Goal: prevent the passage of a bill through the use of unlimited debate

9. Question 8 List the roles played by members of Congress.
to propose and write laws
to represent their constituents
to balance the needs of their constituents with those of their party

10. Question 9
List the qualifications for a person to be eligible to serve in the House.
be at least 25 years old
have been a U.S. citizen at least seven years
live in the state they represent

11. Question 10 Describe the role of conference committees.
to find a compromise from House and Senate versions of a bill

12. Question 11 Describe the role of Rules Committee.
It defines the conditions under which the bills are to be considered by the House

13. Question 12 How does Congress use its power to investigate?
oversee the operations of various agencies in the executive branch
focus public attention on particular facts and perspectives
expose the questionable activities of some public official or private person or group