Civics Test
cabinet members to be his advisors. For a nominee to
be confirmed, a majority of the Senate must approve
the nominee. Throughout history, presidents have
been able to change who makes up the cabinet or
add departments to the cabinet. For example, when
the Department of Homeland Security was created,
President George W. Bush added the leader of this
department to his cabinet.
36. What are two Cabinet-level positions?
++ Secretary of Agriculture
++ Secretary of Commerce
++ Secretary of Defense
++ Secretary of Education
++ Secretary of Energy
++ Secretary of Health and Human Services
++ Secretary of Homeland Security
++ Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
++ Secretary of the Interior
++ Secretary of Labor
++ Secretary of State
++ Secretary of Transportation
++ Secretary of the Treasury
++ Secretary of Veterans Affairs
++ Attorney General
++ Vice President
The people on the president’s cabinet are the
vice president and the heads of the 15 executive
departments. The president may appoint other
government officials to the cabinet. When George
Washington was president, there were only four
cabinet members: the secretary of state, secretary of
the treasury, secretary of war, and attorney general.
The government established the other executive
departments later.
37. What does the judicial branch do?
++ reviews laws
++ explains laws
++ resolves disputes (disagreements)
++ decides if a law goes against the Constitution
The judicial branch is one of the three branches of
government. The Constitution established the judicial
branch of government with the creation of the
Supreme Court. Congress created the other federal
courts. All these courts together make up the judicial
branch. The courts review and explain the laws, and
they resolve disagreements about the meaning of the
law. The U.S. Supreme Court makes sure that laws
are consistent with the Constitution. If a law is not
consistent with the Constitution, the Court can declare
it unconstitutional. In this case, the Court rejects the
law. The Supreme Court makes the final decision about
all cases that have to do with federal laws and treaties.
It also rules on other cases, such as disagreements
between states.
38. What is the highest court in the United States?
++ the Supreme Court
The U.S. Supreme Court has complete authority over
all federal courts. Its rulings have a significant effect.
A Supreme Court ruling can affect the outcome of
many cases in the lower courts. The Supreme Court’s
interpretations of federal laws and of the Constitution
are final. The Supreme Court is limited in its power
over the states. It cannot make decisions about stat