Assess students' understanding of the U.S. Constitution's separation of powers among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches and the system of checks and balances. Scope: identify formal powers and key clauses; provide concrete examples of checks (vetoes, judicial review, appointments and confirmations, impeachment, congressional oversight); and analyze short scenarios of interbranch conflict or cooperation. Suitable for grade 9–12, medium difficulty, combining factual recall with short analytical responses.