Branch
U.S. Naturalization Test (2025 Standard) glossary · Civics
Definition
One of the three parts of government.
Branch in plain English
To keep any one person or group from getting too powerful, the U.S. government is split into three separate parts, and each part is called a branch. The three branches are the legislative (Congress, which makes laws), the executive (the President, who carries out laws), and the judicial (the courts, which decide what laws mean). Picture a three-legged stool: each leg does a different job, and they hold each other up and in check so none can tip the whole thing over. On the test you may be asked to name the three branches or explain why we have them.
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Practice Branch
Which set names all three branches of the U.S. federal government?
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