Which system allows each branch to amend, override, or veto acts of another to prevent any one branch from exerting too much power?

• A. Checks and Balances
• B. Bill of Rights
• C. Constitutional Convention
• D. Responsibilities of Citizens

Answer: (A)

Checks and balances is the system that keeps one branch from overpowering the others by giving each branch ways to limit the actions of the others. In a government with this setup, the legislative branch makes laws, the executive enforces them, and the judicial branch interprets them. They can check each other: the president can veto a bill, but Congress can override that veto with a two-thirds vote; the courts can strike down laws or executive actions that don’t fit the Constitution; and processes like impeachment or approving appointments provide additional limits. This back-and-forth prevents any single branch from gaining too much power.

The Bill of Rights mainly outlines individual rights, not how power is distributed between branches. A Constitutional Convention is a gathering to revise or create a constitution, not a standing system of checks and balances. Responsibilities of Citizens describe duties and participation in government, not the structure of power.