Question

read the passage about lawmaking by state governments. then follow the instructions below.

state legislatures make state laws for internal issues, similar to how the u.s. congress makes federal laws for national issues. also like congress, almost all state legislatures are bicameral. bicameral means that they are divided into two chambers, usually called a state senate and a house of representatives. districts within each state elect legislators to represent their citizens.

just like at the federal level, states have a system of checks and balances. for example, a governor can use executive power to veto a bill passed by a state legislature. and the state legislature can override a governor’s veto with enough votes. similarly, the u.s. president has the executive power to veto bills passed by congress.

but unlike the federal government, many states have ways to involve citizens directly in lawmaking. state referenda allow citizens to vote directly on a new law or even repeal an unpopular one. state initiatives go further by allowing citizens either to suggest a bill to the legislature or to place the issue on the ballot for a popular vote.

use the passage above to decide whether each statement is true for states, the federal government, or both.

	true for many states	true for the federal government
the legislature can pass national laws.
citizens can vote directly on new laws.
the executive branch has the power to veto bills to prevent them from becoming laws.

Explanation:

1. For "The legislature has two chambers":

• From the passage: "Also like Congress, almost all state legislatures are bicameral (divided into two chambers)" and Congress (federal legislature) is bicameral. So check both "True for many states" and "True for the federal government".

1. For "The legislature can pass national laws":

• State legislatures make state laws (internal issues), U.S. Congress (federal) makes federal (national) laws. So check "True for the federal government" only.

1. For "Citizens can vote directly on new laws":

• Passage says "many states have ways to involve citizens directly... State referenda allow citizens to vote directly" but federal government doesn't have this. So check "True for many states" only.

1. For "The executive branch has the power to veto bills to prevent them from becoming laws":

• Passage: "a governor (state executive) can veto a bill... the U.S. president (federal executive) has the executive power to veto bills". So check both "True for many states" and "True for the federal government".

Answer:

• The legislature has two chambers: Check both "True for many states" and "True for the federal government" columns.
• The legislature can pass national laws: Check "True for the federal government" column.
• Citizens can vote directly on new laws: Check "True for many states" column.
• The executive branch has the power to veto bills to prevent them from becoming laws: Check both "True for many states" and "True for the federal government" columns.