Unit 2: Interactions Among Branches of Government

AP United States Government and Politics: 4 practice questions with detailed explanations.

Unit Study Guide

Core idea

Each branch is powerful enough to check the others yet dependent on them - the FRQs test whether you can trace exactly HOW influence flows.

Congress

The House (population-based, 2-year terms, initiates revenue bills) and Senate (equal state representation, 6-year staggered terms, confirms appointments and ratifies treaties) differ structurally, which changes behavior. Bills die mostly in committee, survive floor votes, and in the Senate can be stalled by filibuster until 60 senators invoke cloture. A presidential veto returns the bill; Congress can override with two-thirds of both chambers.

The presidency

Formal powers (Article II): commander-in-chief, negotiate treaties (needs two-thirds Senate), appoint judges and officials (needs Senate majority), veto, and the State of the Union duty. Informal powers: executive orders, bargaining, going public, agenda-setting. Modern presidents also act through executive agreements instead of treaties.

The bureaucracy

Departments and agencies implement law: they write specific rules (discretion), execute policy, and are overseen by Congress (funding, hearings) and the president (appointments).

The federal courts

Life tenure insulates judges from politics. Judicial review (Marbury v. Madison) lets courts strike unconstitutional acts. Lower courts follow precedent (stare decisis); opinions may be majority, concurring, or dissenting. Courts lack enforcement power - legitimacy is their currency.

Top 5 Concepts to Master

  1. 1Trace a bill from introduction through committee, floor, filibuster risk, veto window, and override.
  2. 2Sort presidential actions into formal Article II powers versus informal tools.
  3. 3Explain how structure (House size, Senate terms) drives behavior differences.
  4. 4Apply judicial review and stare decisis to a scenario involving precedent.
  5. 5Describe congressional and presidential oversight of the bureaucracy.

Key Terms & Definitions

Practice with Flashcards
Filibuster and cloture

Senate delay tactic ended only by a three-fifths (60-vote) supermajority.

Veto override

Congress enacts a bill over the presidents objection with two-thirds majorities in both chambers.

Executive order

Presidential directive to agencies carrying force of law without new congressional action.

Treaty ratification

President negotiates; two-thirds of the Senate must approve.

Judicial review

Court power to declare laws or actions unconstitutional (Marbury v. Madison).

Stare decisis

Courts honor precedent, giving decisions stability across time.

Bureaucratic discretion

Agency freedom to fill in details of vague statutes when implementing them.

Divided government

One party holds the White House while the other controls at least one chamber of Congress.

Common Misconceptions: Exam Traps

The president makes laws.

Correct: Congress legislates; the president executes, proposes, and can veto or issue orders within existing law.

The Supreme Court enforces its rulings.

Correct: Courts rely on the executive and lower courts; they hold neither purse nor sword.

Committees are minor details.

Correct: Most bills die in committee; hearings and markups are where legislation is shaped.

Executive agreements and treaties are identical.

Correct: Treaties need two-thirds Senate ratification; executive agreements do not.

The bureaucracy only follows orders mechanically.

Correct: Agencies write binding rules and exercise discretion that shapes policy outcomes.

Featured Practice Questions

Question Bank Breakdown

By difficulty

easy 2medium 2

By topic

Congressional Committees 3Civil Liberties vs Civil Rights Foundations 3Congress: The Senate and the House 3How a Bill Becomes Law 2Federal Judiciary 2Judicial Review 1Executive Bureaucracy 1Presidential Powers 1

All Questions in this Unit