TedTest

From the Ted Talk by Belinda Stutzman: How is power divided in the United States government?

Unscramble the Blue Letters

Have you ever wondered who has the atoiutrhy to make laws or punish people who break them? When we think of power in the United States, we usually think of the President, but he does not act alone. In fact, he is only one pceie of the power puzzle and for very good raeson. When the acmriaen Revolution ended in 1783, the United States government was in a state of change. The founding fathers knew that they did not want to establish another crunoty that was ruled by a king, so the discussions were centered on having a strong and fair national government that protected individual freedoms and did not abuse its power. When the new constitution was adopted in 1787, the structure of the infant government of the United States called for three separate branches, each with their own powers, and a styesm of checks and balances. This would ensure that no one branch would ever become too powerful because the other branches would always be able to check the power of the other two. These branches work together to run the country and set guidelines for us all to live by. The legislative branch is described in Article 1 of the U.S. Constitution. Many people feel that the founding fathers put this branch in the dueomnct first because they thought it was the most important. The legislative branch is comprised of 100 U.S. Senators and 435 members in the U.S. House of Representatives. This is better known as the U.S. Congress. Making laws is the priamry function of the legislative branch, but it is also rsbeionpsle for approving federal judges and justices, passing the national bgduet, and declaring war. Each state gets two Senators and some number of Representatives, depending on how many people live in that state. The etivuxcee branch is described in Article 2 of the Constitution. The lredeas of this branch of government are the President and Vice President, who are responsible for enifncrog the laws that Congress sets forth. The President wroks closely with a group of advisors, known as the cieanbt. These appointed helpers asssit the President in making important decisions within their area of expertise, such as defense, the tersuary, and helonamd security. The executive branch also appoints government officials, cmodanms the armed forces, and mtees with leaders of other nations. All that combined is a lot of work for a lot of pepole. In fact, the executive branch eoplyms over 4 million people to get everything done. The third brand of the U.S. government is the jdiicaul branch and is detailed in Article 3. This branch is comprised of all the courts in the land, from the fareedl district courts to the U.S. speurme Court. These courts ieernptrt our nation's laws and punish those who break them. The highest court, the Supreme cruot, settles disputes among states, hears appeals from sttae and federal courts, and determines if federal laws are constitutional. There are nine justices on the Supreme Court, and, unlike any other job in our government, Supreme Court justices are aonpetpid for life, or for as long as they want to stay. Our democracy depends on an informed cetrinizy, so it is our duty to know how it works and what authority each barcnh of government has over its citizens. Besides voting, chances are that some time in your life you'll be called upon to participate in your government, whether it is to sevre on a jury, testify in court, or petition your Congress person to pass or defeat an idea for a law. By knowning the bcrneahs, who runs them, and how they work together, you can be involved, irmfoned, and intelligent.

Open Cloze

Have you ever wondered who has the _________ to make laws or punish people who break them? When we think of power in the United States, we usually think of the President, but he does not act alone. In fact, he is only one _____ of the power puzzle and for very good ______. When the ________ Revolution ended in 1783, the United States government was in a state of change. The founding fathers knew that they did not want to establish another _______ that was ruled by a king, so the discussions were centered on having a strong and fair national government that protected individual freedoms and did not abuse its power. When the new constitution was adopted in 1787, the structure of the infant government of the United States called for three separate branches, each with their own powers, and a ______ of checks and balances. This would ensure that no one branch would ever become too powerful because the other branches would always be able to check the power of the other two. These branches work together to run the country and set guidelines for us all to live by. The legislative branch is described in Article 1 of the U.S. Constitution. Many people feel that the founding fathers put this branch in the ________ first because they thought it was the most important. The legislative branch is comprised of 100 U.S. Senators and 435 members in the U.S. House of Representatives. This is better known as the U.S. Congress. Making laws is the _______ function of the legislative branch, but it is also ___________ for approving federal judges and justices, passing the national ______, and declaring war. Each state gets two Senators and some number of Representatives, depending on how many people live in that state. The _________ branch is described in Article 2 of the Constitution. The _______ of this branch of government are the President and Vice President, who are responsible for _________ the laws that Congress sets forth. The President _____ closely with a group of advisors, known as the _______. These appointed helpers ______ the President in making important decisions within their area of expertise, such as defense, the ________, and ________ security. The executive branch also appoints government officials, ________ the armed forces, and _____ with leaders of other nations. All that combined is a lot of work for a lot of ______. In fact, the executive branch _______ over 4 million people to get everything done. The third brand of the U.S. government is the ________ branch and is detailed in Article 3. This branch is comprised of all the courts in the land, from the _______ district courts to the U.S. _______ Court. These courts _________ our nation's laws and punish those who break them. The highest court, the Supreme _____, settles disputes among states, hears appeals from _____ and federal courts, and determines if federal laws are constitutional. There are nine justices on the Supreme Court, and, unlike any other job in our government, Supreme Court justices are _________ for life, or for as long as they want to stay. Our democracy depends on an informed _________, so it is our duty to know how it works and what authority each ______ of government has over its citizens. Besides voting, chances are that some time in your life you'll be called upon to participate in your government, whether it is to _____ on a jury, testify in court, or petition your Congress person to pass or defeat an idea for a law. By knowning the ________, who runs them, and how they work together, you can be involved, ________, and intelligent.

Solution

branch
homeland
people
piece
assist
responsible
commands
state
authority
interpret
reason
federal
budget
informed
treasury
meets
works
cabinet
executive
court
judicial
document
leaders
branches
supreme
system
citizenry
primary
serve
employs
american
country
appointed
enforcing

Original Text

Have you ever wondered who has the authority to make laws or punish people who break them? When we think of power in the United States, we usually think of the President, but he does not act alone. In fact, he is only one piece of the power puzzle and for very good reason. When the American Revolution ended in 1783, the United States government was in a state of change. The founding fathers knew that they did not want to establish another country that was ruled by a king, so the discussions were centered on having a strong and fair national government that protected individual freedoms and did not abuse its power. When the new constitution was adopted in 1787, the structure of the infant government of the United States called for three separate branches, each with their own powers, and a system of checks and balances. This would ensure that no one branch would ever become too powerful because the other branches would always be able to check the power of the other two. These branches work together to run the country and set guidelines for us all to live by. The legislative branch is described in Article 1 of the U.S. Constitution. Many people feel that the founding fathers put this branch in the document first because they thought it was the most important. The legislative branch is comprised of 100 U.S. Senators and 435 members in the U.S. House of Representatives. This is better known as the U.S. Congress. Making laws is the primary function of the legislative branch, but it is also responsible for approving federal judges and justices, passing the national budget, and declaring war. Each state gets two Senators and some number of Representatives, depending on how many people live in that state. The executive branch is described in Article 2 of the Constitution. The leaders of this branch of government are the President and Vice President, who are responsible for enforcing the laws that Congress sets forth. The President works closely with a group of advisors, known as the Cabinet. These appointed helpers assist the President in making important decisions within their area of expertise, such as defense, the treasury, and homeland security. The executive branch also appoints government officials, commands the armed forces, and meets with leaders of other nations. All that combined is a lot of work for a lot of people. In fact, the executive branch employs over 4 million people to get everything done. The third brand of the U.S. government is the judicial branch and is detailed in Article 3. This branch is comprised of all the courts in the land, from the federal district courts to the U.S. Supreme Court. These courts interpret our nation's laws and punish those who break them. The highest court, the Supreme Court, settles disputes among states, hears appeals from state and federal courts, and determines if federal laws are constitutional. There are nine justices on the Supreme Court, and, unlike any other job in our government, Supreme Court justices are appointed for life, or for as long as they want to stay. Our democracy depends on an informed citizenry, so it is our duty to know how it works and what authority each branch of government has over its citizens. Besides voting, chances are that some time in your life you'll be called upon to participate in your government, whether it is to serve on a jury, testify in court, or petition your Congress person to pass or defeat an idea for a law. By knowning the branches, who runs them, and how they work together, you can be involved, informed, and intelligent.

Frequently Occurring Word Combinations

ngrams of length 2

collocation	frequency
executive branch	3
united states	2
founding fathers	2
legislative branch	2
supreme court	2

Important Words

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