CIVICS TEST 1

Legislative Branch

one of the three branches of the U.S. government, consisting of the Congress – the House of Representatives and the Senate – responsible for making laws. Its core functions include drafting legislation, levying taxes, borrowing money, regulating commerce, and declaring war.

Executive Branch

The executive branch is responsible for carrying out and enforcing the laws of the United States. It is headed by the president and includes the vice president, the Cabinet, and numerous federal departments and agencies.

IL congressional rep/Senators

As of September 2025, Illinois is represented in the U.S. Senate by Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth. There are also 17 representatives from Illinois serving in the U.S. House.

How a bill becomes a law

A bill becomes a law in the United States when it is passed by both the House of Representatives and the Senate in identical form, sent to the President, and then either signed by the President, becomes law automatically by taking no action while Congress is in session (after 10 days), or has a presidential veto overridden by a two-thirds vote in both chambers of Congress.

Checks and Balances

a system designed to prevent any single branch of government, or any other powerful entity, from becoming too dominant by distributing authority among multiple branches and giving each the power to limit or influence the others.

Article 1 of the constitution

establishes the legislative branch, Congress, consisting of the House of Representatives and the Senate

Article 2 of the constitution

establishes the Executive Branch, vesting executive power in the President and outlining the qualifications, election process, and powers of the President and Vice President.

Enlightenment Philosophers

John Locke, Jean-Jacques, Montesquieu, Voltaire, Mary Wollstone

Articles of Confederation

the United States' first constitution, established between 1781 and 1789, creating a weak central government with most power residing in the individual states.

Constitutional Convention

a meeting of delegates in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from May to September 1787, which ultimately drafted the United States Constitution, establishing a stronger federal government than the previous Articles of Confederation

Enlightenment movement

was a powerful intellectual and philosophical movement in the 17th and 18th centuries that emphasized reason, individualism, and liberty over traditional authority