Worksheet

The Library’s Three-Door Government Exhibit

Read a librarian’s speech about a federal government exhibit, then analyze how the three branches check one another.

Grade 5Social StudiesInteractive · Printable

Aligned toCIV.5.1

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1 C3 Framework standard
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15 questions
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Format: Interactive · Printable
Grade: Grade 5
Subject: Social Studies
Question types: Multiple choice, Circle the answer, Short answer

About this worksheet

What students practice

Students describe the main jobs of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches.
Students explain how checks and balances limit the power of each federal branch.
Students use evidence to analyze how branches share and check government power.

How to use

Read the speech together, then have students use its examples and the new situations to explain how federal branches limit one another.

Curriculum

C3 Framework standard covered

CIV.5.1

Describe the three branches of the federal government and how checks and balances limit each one.

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The Library’s Three-Door Government Exhibit

Use a librarian’s speech to explore branches, powers, and checks.

Read the librarian’s speech

Read the speech. Then answer the questions using details from the speech and what you know about the three branches.

A Speech for the Three-Door Exhibit

Good afternoon. I am Mina Patel, the civics librarian at Northstar Public Library. Our new exhibit has three tall doors labeled Legislative, Executive, and Judicial. The doors are a model, not rooms that people enter. They show how the Constitution divides the work of the federal government among three branches.

Behind the Legislative door is Congress, which includes the House of Representatives and the Senate. Congress writes and passes bills, approves money for government programs, and checks the executive branch through hearings and investigations. Congress also has the power to impeach federal officials and, in some cases, remove them from office. These powers give Congress important ways to watch how laws and public money are used.

Behind the Executive door is the president and the executive departments. The president helps carry out and enforce federal laws. A president may veto a bill passed by Congress. The president also nominates federal judges and other officials, but the Senate must confirm many of those nominations. This means the president does not control every appointment alone.

Behind the Judicial door are the federal courts. Courts hear cases and interpret laws. When a case raises a constitutional question, a court may decide that a law or government action conflicts with the Constitution. That power, called judicial review, can check both Congress and the president. Courts do not write ordinary laws or command the entire government; they decide cases brought before them.

Imagine that Congress passes the Library Access Act, a fictional law that creates grants for public libraries. The president vetoes the bill, saying the program costs too much. Congress can still make the bill law if two-thirds of the members voting in both the House and the Senate vote to override the veto. Later, if someone claims that part of the law violates the Constitution, a federal court could review that part in a real case.

The exhibit’s three doors remind visitors that checks and balances are not three branches doing identical jobs. Each branch has special responsibilities, yet each has some way to limit the others. Dividing power makes it harder for one part of the federal government to act without the knowledge or agreement required by the Constitution.

A visitor says, “The three branches are separate, so none of them can affect another branch.” Which detail from the speech best corrects the visitor?

A. Congress has two parts, the House of Representatives and the Senate.
B. The president leads executive departments that carry out laws.
C. The Senate confirms many officials nominated by the president.
D. Federal courts hear cases involving constitutional questions.

Select the two actions in the speech that show Congress checking the executive branch.

Congress holds hearings and investigations.Congress approves money for government programs.The president helps enforce federal laws.Federal courts interpret laws in cases.

The president nominates a person to lead a federal department. The Senate holds a hearing and votes against confirming the nominee. What does this example show?

A. The legislative branch can check an executive appointment.
B. The judicial branch writes a new federal law.
C. The executive branch decides how the Senate votes.
D. The president can remove the Senate from office.

In the fictional Library Access Act example, which event would happen first?

A. A federal court reviews a constitutional challenge.
B. The president vetoes the bill passed by Congress.
C. Congress overrides the president’s veto.
D. A person claims that part of the law is unconstitutional.

Why does the speech explain that both the House and the Senate must reach the required vote to override a veto?

A. It gives the president a second vote in each chamber.
B. It lets federal courts choose which bills Congress debates.
C. It requires broad agreement before Congress can overcome the veto.
D. It allows one senator to cancel a decision by the House.

Apply the checks and balances

Use the speech to reason about new situations. Choose the answer that best fits the Constitution’s system.

Underline the two statements that give evidence that courts can check both elected branches.

A court may decide that a law conflicts with the Constitution.Congress includes the House of Representatives and the Senate.A court may decide that a government action conflicts with the Constitution.The president helps carry out and enforce federal laws.

Congress passes a law that punishes a peaceful newspaper for criticizing federal leaders. A person brings a constitutional case to court. Which branch has the role described in the speech?

A. The legislative branch, because it passed the law
B. The executive branch, because it enforces laws
C. The judicial branch, because it can review the law
D. The Senate alone, because it confirms judges

A president announces a new federal program but asks Congress for money to operate it. Congress refuses to provide the money. Which check is being used?

A. The legislative branch is using control of spending.
B. The judicial branch is using power to interpret a case.
C. The executive branch is using the veto power.
D. The courts are using the power to nominate officials.

Which situation best shows the judicial branch checking the executive branch?

A. A court rules that a president’s action conflicts with the Constitution.
B. The president signs a bill after Congress passes it.
C. The Senate confirms a person nominated by the president.
D. The House and Senate conduct a hearing about a bill.

10.

Select the two statements that correctly describe a special job of the legislative branch.

It passes bills that can become federal laws.It decides whether a law is constitutional in a court case.It approves money for government programs.It carries out federal laws through executive departments.

11.

A student says, “Once a federal official takes office, no other branch can remove that official.” Which response best uses the speech to correct the student?

A. A federal court can remove an official by writing a new law.
B. Congress can impeach an official and sometimes remove that official.
C. The president can remove a senator who votes against a bill.
D. The executive departments can vote to replace an official.

12.

Which statement best explains why checks and balances can protect against an abuse of power?

A. Each branch can do the jobs of the other branches if it chooses.
B. One branch can act more easily when the others disagree.
C. Different branches have ways to question or limit government actions.
D. The courts can replace Congress when a law is unpopular.

13.

Select the two branch-and-check pairings that are accurate.

The president can veto a bill passed by Congress.Congress can decide the outcome of a court case.The Senate can confirm many officials nominated by the president.The president can declare a law unconstitutional before a case.

Explain with evidence

Write complete answers. Use specific details from the speech.

14.

Make a claim about why the Constitution gives different jobs to the three branches. Support your claim with at least two examples of checks and balances from the speech.

15.

Suppose Congress passes a federal law, the president signs it, and a person later argues that the law violates the Constitution. Explain what the judicial branch could do and why that action is a check on another branch. Use evidence from the speech.