GED Social Studies
The Three Branches
The Constitution splits government into three branches with three verbs: Congress MAKES laws, the President ENFORCES them, and the courts INTERPRET them. Nearly every question hands you an action and asks which branch — translate the action to its verb.
The words first
- legislative branch
- Congress (House + Senate) — makes laws
- executive branch
- President and agencies — enforces laws
- judicial branch
- Supreme Court and lower courts — interprets laws
- veto
- the President's refusal to sign a bill
- judicial review
- courts striking down laws that violate the Constitution
The method
THE THREE VERBS
MAKE Congress: writes bills, declares war, controls the budget,
approves treaties (Senate)
ENFORCE President: signs or vetoes bills, commands the military,
appoints judges and officials, negotiates treaties
INTERPRET Courts: decide what laws mean, rule on the
Constitution, settle cases
HOW A BILL BECOMES LAW
idea → passes House → passes Senate → President signs (law)
└→ veto → Congress can
override with 2/3 of both
TWO CHAMBERS, ONE CONGRESS
House: seats by population, 2-year terms
Senate: 2 per state, 6-year terms
Worked all the way through
The problem
Which branch does each action belong to: (1) declaring a law unconstitutional, (2) vetoing a bill, (3) approving the federal budget?
- Step 1 — Translate action 1 to a verb.Judging a law against the Constitution is INTERPRETING → judicial.
- Step 2 — Action 2.The veto is the President's tool for refusing a bill → executive.
- Step 3 — Action 3.The budget is spending law, and lawmaking is Congress → legislative.
On the board
unconstitutional? → interpret
judicial
veto → refuse to sign
executive
budget → a money LAW
legislative
verb first, branch second
the method
Answer
1 judicial, 2 executive, 3 legislative
A second one, in a different form
The Senate refuses to confirm the President's Supreme Court nominee. Which two branches are interacting?
President appoints
executive
Senate confirms or refuses
legislative
executive ↔ legislative
a check in action
Answer
Executive (nominating) and legislative (confirming)
The usual mistake
Assuming the president declares war. Congress declares; the president commands.
Check yourself
Reduce every action to make, enforce, or interpret before looking at the choices. If an action seems to fit two branches, it is probably a CHECK — one branch reaching into another's business on purpose.
Practice it
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