Deck 12: Congress

Question 1

What is the term of office for U.S. senators?

A) 2 years
B) 4 years
C) 6 years
D) 8 years
E) 10 years

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Over time, with rulings by the Supreme Court, the power of Congress to regulate commerce has

A) expanded.
B) diminished.
C) neutralized.
D) vanished.
E) remained stable.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Congress is __________; that is, it is divided into two separate chambers, the House of Representatives and the Senate.

A) bicameral
B) bifurcated
C) bisected
D) divided
E) unified

Answer 3

A

Question 4

War powers are shared between Congress and

A) the judiciary.
B) the people.
C) the president.
D) the state legislatures.
E) the Supreme Court.

Question 5

With the _________ Amendment, passed in 1913, Congress gained the power to "lay and collect taxes on incomes," whatever the source.

A) Twelfth
B) Fourteenth
C) Sixteenth
D) Nineteenth
E) Twenty-First

Question 6

Despite advancements made by underrepresented groups in electing members to Congress, it is still predominantly

A) white and male.
B) white and female.
C) Hispanic and male.
D) over 65 and female.
E) under 40 and male.

Question 7

The House of Representatives is subject to _________, which is the redrawing of the boundaries of congressional districts in a state to make them approximately equal in population size.

A) devolution
B) realignment
C) oversight
D) redistricting
E) Reed's Rules

Question 8

To be a U.S. senator, an individual must be at least ________ years old, and have been a U.S. citizen for ________ years before taking office.

A) 25; seven
B) 25; nine
C) 30; five
D) 30; nine
E) 35; ten

Question 9

When Congress exercises its power to allocate a set amount of federal dollars for a specific program or agency, it is using its ability to

A) authorize.
B) appropriate.
C) tax and spend.
D) provide for the common good.
E) regulate commerce.

Question 10

Congress's power to authorize refers to

A) the power to oversee a federal program or agency.
B) the power to allocate a set amount of funding for a program or agency.
C) the power to provide for the common defense.
D) the power to create a federal program or agency, and set funding levels.
E) the power to check the executive branch of government through impeachment.

Question 11

According to the Constitution, all bills for raising revenue should originate in the

A) House of Representatives.
B) Senate.
C) states.
D) Supreme Court.
E) executive branch.

Question 12

What is the term of office for members of the House of Representatives?

A) 2 years
B) 4 years
C) 6 years
D) 8 years
E) 10 years

Question 13

Because the Framers knew that the country would grow, they required a __________ of the population every ten years, after which the number of congressional districts in each state would be adjusted to reflect population changes.

A) caucus
B) census
C) registration
D) realignment
E) roll call

Question 14

Until 1914, the mode of election for the _________ was indirect: citizens voted for members of their state legislatures, who then selected these individuals.

A) House of Representatives
B) Majority Leader of the Senate
C) president
D) Senate
E) Speaker of the House

Question 15

The Framers listed the powers of the legislature in the Constitution because they were afraid that the legislative branch would

A) stop being responsive to the people.
B) become too powerful.
C) become beholden to special interests.
D) be manipulated by the other two branches.
E) create unconstitutional laws.

Question 16

The mode of election for the Senate was changed with the ratification of the _________ Amendment.

A) Twelfth
B) Fourteenth
C) Seventeenth
D) Nineteenth
E) Twenty-First

Question 17

By setting the size of House of Representatives by population, and each state's number in the Senate equal regardless of population, the Framers ensured that

A) large states could not control the legislative agenda.
B) small states could control the legislative agenda.
C) the House could override the will of the states.
D) the Senate could override the will of the people.
E) the president could largely ignore the Congress.

Question 18

Which of the following is NOT a qualification of becoming a member of the House of Representatives?

A) be at least 25 years old
B) be a U.S. citizen
C) have been a U.S. citizen for seven years prior to running for office
D) reside in the state that he or she represents
E) have served in a local government office or state legislature

Question 19

The House started with 65 members and eventually grew to __________ members by 1929, at which point the number was capped.

A) 100
B) 130
C) 270
D) 435
E) 512

Question 20

The _________ Act of 1965 prohibited states and political subdivisions from denying or abridging "the right of any citizen of the United States to vote on account of race or color."

A) Civil Rights
B) Equal Protection
C) Judiciary
D) Omnibus
E) Voting Rights

Question 21

Since 1959, when Hawaii and Alaska joined the union, the Senate has had _________ members.

A) 50
B) 100
C) 270
D) 435
E) 512

Question 22

Congress's ultimate check on the executive and judicial branches is its power to remove officials and judges from office by

A) advice and consent.
B) cloture.
C) impeachment.
D) special committee.
E) unanimous consent agreement.

Question 23

A political party needs ________ to gain majority control of the Senate.

A) 51 senators
B) 66 senators
C) 50 senators
D) 50 senators plus the vice president
E) a quorum

Question 24

A _________ committee is a permanent committee with the power to write legislation and report it to the full chamber.

A) conference
B) joint
C) select
D) special
E) standing

Question 25

In the 1950s, when the vice president became increasingly more active in the executive branch, the Senate began appointing ________ as its president pro tempore.

A) the Senate majority leader's choice
B) the oldest member
C) the oldest serving minority party member
D) the oldest serving majority party member
E) the most popular member by acclamation

Question 26

When the party that controls Congress is NOT the party of the president, this is referred to as

A) bicameralism.
B) concurrent government.
C) divided government.
D) reconciliation.
E) unified government.

Question 27

Congress has used its authority to _________ in order to exert oversight as to how the executive branch implements laws.

A) appropriate money
B) regulate commerce
C) tax
D) regulate weights and measures
E) provide advice and consent on presidential appointments

Question 28

The leader of the majority party in the House of Representatives is known as the

A) House majority leader.
B) House minority leader.
C) Speaker of the House.
D) Leader of the House.
E) vice majority leader.

Question 29

Article 1, Section 3, of the Constitution states that the _________ shall be the president of the Senate.

A) Senate majority whip
B) president
C) Senate majority leader
D) Speaker of the Senate
E) vice president

Question 30

The small number of senators, as opposed to the large number of representatives, has allowed each senator to ________ over policy outcomes.

A) exert individual influence
B) remain mostly immune from party pressure
C) have little influence
D) mostly ignore
E) exert party influence

Question 31

The power of advice and consent on treaties and presidential nominations was given solely to the

A) states.
B) Senate.
C) House of Representatives.
D) Supreme Court.
E) people.

Question 32

The _________ is the only formal leadership position in the House of Representatives that is written into the Constitution.

A) House minority leader
B) House parliamentarian
C) president pro tempore
D) Senate majority leader
E) Speaker of the House

Question 33

The majority party elects the _________, but unlike the Speaker of the House, this position is not written into the Constitution.

A) Senate majority whip
B) president pro tempore
C) Senate minority leader
D) Senate majority leader
E) House minority leader

Question 34

Committee chairs decide which bills receive hearings and which go on to _________, a meeting in which committee members write the version of the bill that they send to the entire chamber for a vote.

A) appropriations
B) conference
C) cloture
D) markup
E) reconciliation

Question 35

Congress has used the necessary and proper clause to do all of the following EXCEPT

A) regulate interstate railroads.
B) protect civil rights.
C) provide student loans.
D) mandate religion.
E) limit greenhouse gases.

Question 36

Which early Speaker of the House implemented a set of procedural changes that strengthened the power of the majority part over the minority party?

A) Newt Gingrich
B) Thomas Reed
C) Lyndon Johnson
D) Paul Ryan
E) Dennis Hastert

Question 37

The majority leader also has nine majority _________ to help get support for the party's preferred policies and keep lines of communication open between the party leadership and the rank-and-file membership.

A) chairs
B) delegates
C) directors
D) parliamentarians
E) whips

Question 38

How are House and Senate committee chairs typically chosen?

A) randomly assigned
B) majority party member with seniority
C) by lottery
D) majority party member with most knowledge
E) minority party member with seniority

Question 39

The highest-ranking minority party member in the House of Representatives is the _________, and his or her main responsibility is crafting the minority party's position on an issue and serving as the public spokesperson for the party.

A) Blue Dog
B) House minority leader
C) House minority whip
D) House ranking member
E) president pro tempore

Question 40

Who brings the formal charges in an impeachment?

A) Chief Justice of the Supreme Court
B) House of Representatives
C) president
D) Senate
E) vice president

Question 41

What are the formal qualifications for the House of Representatives? Would you alter any of these? Why or why not?

Question 42

Congress and the president negotiate the federal budget, which expires on September 30 each year. If they fail to do this, Congress enacts a ___________ in order to continue funding the government.

A) continuing resolution
B) concurring resolution
C) remedial budget
D) partisan budget
E) nuclear option

Question 43

The _________ maintains control before the bill goes to the floor by issuing a rule dictating how many amendments may be considered in the House of Representatives.

A) House majority leader
B) House majority whip
C) House Rules Committee
D) Speaker of the House
E) Judiciary Committee

Question 44

An extended debate in the Senate which is designed to delay or even prevent a bill's passage is referred to as a(n)

A) cloture.
B) filibuster.
C) hold.
D) override.
E) veto.

Question 45

Which of the following is NOT true about sponsoring a bill?

A) Bill sponsorship is an effective tool for giving local voters a voice in the federal policy.
B) When Congress members sponsor bills, they can claim it as their area of expertise.
C) Sponsoring bills is one way that Congress members fulfill their campaign promises.
D) Sponsoring bills helps Congress members avoid controversy in the public spotlight.
E) Bill sponsorship attracts media attention that Congress members can use in their favor.

Question 46

An agreement among all one hundred senators on how a bill or presidential nomination will be debated, changed, and voted on is called a(n)

A) unanimous consent agreement.
B) mutual non-aggression pact.
C) unilateral consent agreement.
D) majoritarian hold.
E) bipartisan consent agreement.

Question 47

How have the powers of Congress increased? Why did they increase?

Question 48

When voting on legislative matters, modern members of Congress must act as

A) elite guardians of the common good.
B) nonwavering delegates of popular opinion.
C) strict partisan supporters.
D) both trustees and delegates.
E) both experts and students.

Question 49

Federal dollars specifically devoted to a local project in a state or congressional district are known as

A) lopsided appropriations.
B) iron triangles.
C) constituent services.
D) earmarks.
E) boondoggles.

Question 50

The only way to stop a filibuster is by invoking _________, a motion to end debate that requires a supermajority of sixty votes to pass.

A) a continuing resolution
B) an override
C) a roll call vote
D) cloture
E) impeachment

Question 51

With a two-thirds majority vote in each chamber, the Congress can _______ a presidential veto.

A) bypass
B) override
C) accept
D) constrain
E) affirm

Question 52

If Congress will be going out of session within ten days, the president can wait for Congress to go out of session and simply not sign a bill, a practice known as a(n)

A) hold.
B) override.
C) pocket veto.
D) reconciliation.
E) executive veto.

Question 53

Explain redistricting and how gerrymandering occurs during the redistricting process .

Question 54

In the Senate, who can try to amend legislation on the floor?

A) only committee heads
B) the ranking member
C) president pro tempore
D) all senators
E) only the sponsor of a bill

Question 55

The sum of loans and interest that the federal government has accrued over time to pay for the federal deficit is known as

A) inflation.
B) the budget deficit.
C) the national debt.
D) monetary decline.
E) the doomsday debt.

Question 56

A(n) _________ is the member  of a committee  from the minority party with the greatest seniority.

A) ranking member
B) senior member
C) majority adviser
D) executive member
E) committee adviser

Question 57

During election season, a congressional office with no incumbent running for it can be described as a(n)

A) certain seat.
B) open seat.
C) lame duck.
D) nonpartisan seat.
E) horse race.

Question 58

Senators can use the practice known as a hold in order to _______ a bill for a minimum of twenty-four hours .

A) delay
B) stop
C) repeal
D) pre-filibuster
E) amend

Question 59

Constituents can best express approval or disapproval of the job their representatives are doing through

A) letter-writing campaigns.
B) emails and tweets.
C) public opinion polling.
D) elections.
E) approval ratings.

Question 60

Because House and Senate members aim to be responsive to their constituents, they

A) provide their private email addresses to the public.
B) hire staff members to address every possible concern.
C) establish offices in their home state so voters can get help with federal issues.
D) live in their home state, rather than Washington D.C., while Congress is in session.
E) respond to every constituent directly, rather than through staff members.

Question 61

Why do senators in the minority party have more influence than minority party members in the House?

Question 62

Explain the federal budgetary process and reconciliation.

Question 63

Define commerce clause , and explain its power.

Question 64

Describe what happens to a bill in committee.

Question 65

Discuss the importance of political parties in the U.S. Congress. How do political parties impact leadership and legislation?

Question 66

Analyze the similarities and differences between the role, structure, and power of leadership in the House and Senate.

Question 67

After a bill has been introduced in the House of Representatives, where does it go from there? Provide a brief explanation of the process.

Question 68

What is the difference between a representative who acts as a trustee and one who acts as a delegate?

Question 69

State what the general welfare clause allows Congress to do.

Question 70

Compare and contrast the enumerated and implied powers of Congress.

Question 71

Discuss the general demographic makeup of the modern Congress. Are there any similarities to the first Congress?

Question 72

Explain what happens in conference committees.

Question 73

What is the only formal congressional leadership position in the Constitution? Discuss the role of this individual.

Question 74

Discuss the meaning of home style.

Question 75

Discuss the power of advice and consent.

Question 76

What are advocacy caucuses? Explain their purpose.

Question 77

How do the constitutional requirements for members of the House of Representatives and the Senate differ? Why is that?

Question 78

How do modern members of Congress communicate with constituents?

Question 79

Explain Congress's role in the authorization of courts.

Question 80

What are the components of the congressional budget process?