Assess students' ability to analyze how the U.S. Constitution's system of checks and balances limits concentration of power among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches. Require identification of key mechanisms (e.g., veto and override, judicial review, appointments and advice and consent, impeachment and removal, congressional oversight, pardons), explanation of how each constrains or balances another branch, and evaluation of their effectiveness using historical or hypothetical examples; scope: foundational clauses and landmark cases; Grade 9–12; medium difficulty; analytical responses expected.