Question

legislative branch (congress)
main role
(power)
bicameral legislature
house of representatives
435 members
based on ______________.
lower house – represents a district in the state
senate
100 members
each state gets ______________ senators, upper house – represents the entire state
enumerated powers
aka delegated/expressed powers – listed in the constitution
tax
lay (raise) and collect taxes…to pay the ______________ and provide for the common defense and general welfare.
borrow money
issue government ______________
regulate interstate commerce
trade between ______________ and other nations
regulate naturalization
granting immigrants ______________
coin money
create the money we use
punish counterfeiters
punish people who make fake money
establish post offices
in charge of mail delivery
establish patents & copyrights
copyrights protect ____________ works. patents protect ____________ works.
declare war
decide to fight another country
establish lower federal courts
create a ______________ system below the supreme court
raise & support an army & navy
gather together an army and navy
overrides vetoes
a 2/3 vote of congress makes a bill a law without the president’s signature
impeachment
congress can ______________ members of the executive and judicial branches
treaties
an ______________ between 2 or more countries
must be approved by 2/3rds of ______________
appointments
president appoints ambassadors, supreme court justices, & ______________ members. must be approved by the senate
propose amendments
changes or ______________ to the constitution
investigations & oversight
a ______________ holds hearings to investigate an issue.
implied powers
______________ in the constitution but reasonably suggested
necessary & proper clause
aka ______________ clause – power to make all laws necessary and proper for carrying out all previous powers.

Explanation:

To solve this fill - in - the - blank worksheet about the Legislative Branch (Congress), we will go through each row and use our knowledge of U.S. government and the powers of Congress:

Bicameral Legislature

• House of Representatives: The House of Representatives is based on the population of each state. So we fill in "population".
• Senate: Each state gets 2 senators. So we fill in "2".

Enumerated Powers

• Tax: The power to lay (raise) and collect taxes is to pay the debts of the United States and provide for the common defense and general welfare. So we fill in "debts of the United States".
• Borrow Money: Congress has the power to issue government bonds. So we fill in "bonds".
• Regulate Interstate Commerce: This power is to regulate trade between the states and other nations. So we fill in "the states".
• Regulate Naturalization: The power to grant immigrants citizenship. So we fill in "citizenship".
• Coin Money: Congress has the power to create the money we use, which is the currency. So we fill in "currency".
• Establish Patents & Copyrights: Copyrights protect creative works (like literary, artistic works) and patents protect inventions. So we fill in "creative" for copyrights and "inventive" for patents.
• Declare War: As the name suggests, Congress has the power to decide to fight another country.
• Establish Lower Federal Courts: Congress creates a federal court system below the Supreme Court. So we fill in "federal court".
• Impeachment: Congress can impeach (charge with misconduct) members of the executive and judicial branches. So we fill in "impeach".
• Treaties: A treaty is an agreement between 2 or more countries. And treaties must be approved by 2/3rds of the Senate. So we fill in "agreement" for the first blank and "the Senate" for the second.
• Appointments: The president appoints ambassadors, Supreme Court Justices, and cabinet members. And these appointments must be approved by the Senate. So we fill in "cabinet".
• Propose Amendments: Congress can propose changes or additions to the Constitution. So we fill in "additions".
• Investigations & Oversight: A committee holds hearings to investigate an issue. So we fill in "committee".

Implied Powers

• Implied powers are not listed in the Constitution but reasonably suggested. So we fill in "not listed".

Necessary & Proper Clause

• The Necessary and Proper Clause is also known as the Elastic Clause. So we fill in "Elastic".

Final Answers (Filled - in Blanks)

• Bicameral Legislature - House of Representatives: population; Senate: 2
• Enumerated Powers - Tax: debts of the United States; Borrow Money: bonds; Regulate Interstate Commerce: the states; Regulate Naturalization: citizenship; Coin Money: currency; Establish Patents & Copyrights - Copyrights: creative; Patents: inventive; Declare War: (no blank to fill here as it's a description); Establish Lower Federal Courts: federal court; Impeachment: impeach; Treaties - first blank: agreement; second blank: the Senate; Appointments: cabinet; Propose Amendments: additions; Investigations & Oversight: committee
• Implied Powers: not listed
• Necessary & Proper Clause: Elastic

Answer:

To solve this fill - in - the - blank worksheet about the Legislative Branch (Congress), we will go through each row and use our knowledge of U.S. government and the powers of Congress:

Bicameral Legislature

• House of Representatives: The House of Representatives is based on the population of each state. So we fill in "population".
• Senate: Each state gets 2 senators. So we fill in "2".

Enumerated Powers

• Tax: The power to lay (raise) and collect taxes is to pay the debts of the United States and provide for the common defense and general welfare. So we fill in "debts of the United States".
• Borrow Money: Congress has the power to issue government bonds. So we fill in "bonds".
• Regulate Interstate Commerce: This power is to regulate trade between the states and other nations. So we fill in "the states".
• Regulate Naturalization: The power to grant immigrants citizenship. So we fill in "citizenship".
• Coin Money: Congress has the power to create the money we use, which is the currency. So we fill in "currency".
• Establish Patents & Copyrights: Copyrights protect creative works (like literary, artistic works) and patents protect inventions. So we fill in "creative" for copyrights and "inventive" for patents.
• Declare War: As the name suggests, Congress has the power to decide to fight another country.
• Establish Lower Federal Courts: Congress creates a federal court system below the Supreme Court. So we fill in "federal court".
• Impeachment: Congress can impeach (charge with misconduct) members of the executive and judicial branches. So we fill in "impeach".
• Treaties: A treaty is an agreement between 2 or more countries. And treaties must be approved by 2/3rds of the Senate. So we fill in "agreement" for the first blank and "the Senate" for the second.
• Appointments: The president appoints ambassadors, Supreme Court Justices, and cabinet members. And these appointments must be approved by the Senate. So we fill in "cabinet".
• Propose Amendments: Congress can propose changes or additions to the Constitution. So we fill in "additions".
• Investigations & Oversight: A committee holds hearings to investigate an issue. So we fill in "committee".

Implied Powers

• Implied powers are not listed in the Constitution but reasonably suggested. So we fill in "not listed".

Necessary & Proper Clause

• The Necessary and Proper Clause is also known as the Elastic Clause. So we fill in "Elastic".

Final Answers (Filled - in Blanks)

• Bicameral Legislature - House of Representatives: population; Senate: 2
• Enumerated Powers - Tax: debts of the United States; Borrow Money: bonds; Regulate Interstate Commerce: the states; Regulate Naturalization: citizenship; Coin Money: currency; Establish Patents & Copyrights - Copyrights: creative; Patents: inventive; Declare War: (no blank to fill here as it's a description); Establish Lower Federal Courts: federal court; Impeachment: impeach; Treaties - first blank: agreement; second blank: the Senate; Appointments: cabinet; Propose Amendments: additions; Investigations & Oversight: committee
• Implied Powers: not listed
• Necessary & Proper Clause: Elastic