Branches of Government Jeopardy

Congress, the President, and the Supreme Court: a three-branches civics review for middle grades. Free to copy, with phones working as buzzers.

6 categories · 30 clues · Final Jeopardy · everyone buzzes in from their phone

For the classroom

Copies all 30 clues into an editor of your own. Free, no account needed.

Every clue on this board

This page is public, so anyone can read the answers — copy the board and swap a few clues before game day.

Legislative Branch

$200
The legislative branch of the US government is called this.
What is Congress?
$400
The smaller of the two chambers of the national legislature, with 100 members, is called this.
What is the Senate?
$600
The main job of the legislative branch is this.
What is making laws?
$800
Chosen by its members, this leader presides over the larger chamber of the legislature.
Who is the Speaker of the House?
$1,000
A lawmaking body with two houses, like the US legislature, is described by this word.
What is bicameral?

Executive Branch

$200
This person is the head of the executive branch.
Who is the President?
$400
The President lives and works in this building at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
What is the White House?
$600
This official takes over if the President dies, resigns or is removed.
Who is the Vice President?
$800
As head of the armed forces, the President holds this title.
What is Commander in Chief?
$1,000
The heads of the executive departments, who advise the President, form this group.
What is the Cabinet?

Judicial Branch

$200
This is the highest court in the United States.
What is the Supreme Court?
$400
Members of the nation's highest court are called these.
What are justices?
$600
Federal judges keep their jobs for this length of time, as long as they show good behavior.
What is life?
$800
This is the power of courts to strike down a law that breaks the nation's highest law.
What is judicial review?
$1,000
In this 1803 case, over a man denied his job as a justice of the peace, the highest court first struck down a law of Congress.
What is Marbury v. Madison?

How a Bill Becomes a Law

$200
Before a full vote, a bill is studied and often changed by one of these small groups of lawmakers.
What is a committee?
$400
The member of Congress who introduces a bill is called its this.
What is the sponsor?
$600
If the President rejects a bill instead of signing it, this is the action taken.
What is a veto?
$800
In the upper chamber, this very long speech or delay is used to block a vote on a bill.
What is a filibuster?
$1,000
Bills that raise money through taxes must begin in this chamber of Congress.
What is the House of Representatives?

Checks and Balances

$200
Splitting government power among three branches is called this.
What is separation of powers?
$400
The House can charge a President with wrongdoing, a process called this.
What is impeachment?
$600
The upper chamber of the legislature must approve these agreements that the President makes with other countries.
What are treaties?
$800
Courts can check the other two branches by ruling that a law or action violates this document.
What is the Constitution?
$1,000
The President can forgive a person convicted of a federal crime using this power.
What is a pardon?

Numbers in Government

$200
Each state elects this many US senators.
What is two?
$400
A President's term lasts this many years.
What is four?
$600
A US senator's term lasts this many years.
What is six?
$800
The Constitution says a President must be at least this many years old.
What is 35?
$1,000
The House of Representatives has this many voting members.
What is 435?

Final Jeopardy — Overruling the President

Congress can override a presidential veto with a vote of this fraction of both the House and the Senate.

What is two-thirds?

How to run this board

This board is built around the three branches of the US government and how they keep each other in line. Columns cover what Congress does and how its two houses differ, the President and the executive departments, the Supreme Court and the federal courts, how a bill becomes a law, and specific checks each branch holds over the others.

Draw three columns on the board labeled legislative, executive, and judicial, and have the team that answers each clue write a word in the right column. By Final Jeopardy the class has a complete study sheet in their own handwriting.

The Checks and Balances column is the hardest, so play it last and let teams talk for fifteen seconds before anyone buzzes.

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