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Question

Difficulty: EasyStructure and Core Principles of the U.S. Constitution

"Every Bill which shall have passed the House of Representatives and the Senate, shall, before it become a Law, be presented to the President of the United States; If he approve he shall sign it, but if not he shall return it, with his Objections to that House in which it shall have originated..."
—Article I, Section 7 of the United States Constitution

Which of the following constitutional principles is best illustrated by the excerpt?

  1. The implementation of checks and balances between the legislative and executive branchesAnswer
  2. B
    The preservation of a unicameral legislature with supreme authority over the executive
  3. C
    The strict division of power between the national government and the state governments
  4. D
    The application of strict constructionist limits on the executive's role in the legislative process

Answer

The implementation of checks and balances between the legislative and executive branches
The correct answer is the implementation of checks and balances between the legislative and executive branches. The excerpt from Article I, Section 7 outlines the veto process, which allows the President (executive branch) to reject a bill passed by Congress (legislative branch), preventing it from becoming law. This is a primary example of checks and balances in the Constitution.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the text of the Constitution to identify the institutions and actions described.
The text describes the process of Congress (the House of Representatives and the Senate) passing a bill and presenting it to the President for approval or veto.
Identifying the participating branches of government allows for the determination of the structural principle being applied.
2
Determine how these branches interact under the clause.
The President is given the power to return (veto) a bill, representing an executive check on the legislative process.
Veto power allows one branch of the federal government to limit the actions of another, preventing unilateral control.
3
Correlate this interaction with the correct constitutional principle.
The mechanism of branches monitoring and restricting each other's powers is known as checks and balances.
This matching step identifies the core principle tested by the question.

Key Concept

Structure and Core Principles of the U.S. Constitution
Estimated Time:45s
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Topics

Structure and Core Principles of the U.S. Constitution

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