2025 civics test · Question 15 of 128 · Principles of American Government
There are three branches of government. Why?
In Chinese 政府有三个部门。为什么？
Official answers
- So one part does not become too powerful防止任何一个部门权力过大
- Checks and balances制衡
- Separation of powers三权分立
Any one of these answers is accepted unless the question asks for more than one.
Why this is the answer
The founders divided government into three branches so that no one part becomes too powerful. This is called separation of powers. Each branch can also limit the others, which is called checks and balances: for example, the President can veto a bill, Congress can override a veto, and courts can rule that a law is unconstitutional.