Deck 9: Decision Making in Congress

Question 1

Which of the following is part of a member's formal, public record?

A) consulting with party leaders
B) social gatherings
C) roll call votes
D) speeches at conferences

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Which of the following actions would a "late decider" be likely to take?

A) listen to lobbyists from both sides before voting on a variety of amendments in committee
B) introduce legislation that would make minor changes to the Social Security Act
C) demand a waiver for constituents in her district in exchange for her vote on a bill
D) make a speech in a committee meeting about how important it is to draft a new immigration bill

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Which of the following members would tend to have the highest level of legislative effectiveness?

A) minority party member with a senior committee assignment
B) majority party member with a party leadership post
C) freshman member who focuses on fund-raising
D) senior member who devotes a great deal of time to casework

Answer 3

B

Question 4

What is the single best predictor of member's voting decisions?

A) presidential support (or lack of support)
B) party affiliation
C) constituent views
D) district demographics

Question 5

All of the following are factors that we typically think shape members' votes EXCEPT ______.

A) bribery
B) presidential leadership
C) party affiliation
D) constituent views

Question 6

Which of the following is an example of a logroll?

A) The president offers a member campaign support in exchange for his vote on a controversial piece of legislation.
B) A party leader offers a member a spot on a high-profile committee if she votes with the party.
C) Moderate members of each party create a cross-party coalition.
D) A member agrees to support his colleague's bill today, in exchange for support for his own bill at a future date.

Question 7

Which of the following types of House districts is most likely to be represented by a Democrat?

A) a district with few minority voters
B) a majority-minority district
C) a wealthy outer suburb
D) a rural area with lots of farmland

Question 8

What is asymmetric polarization?

A) Constituents are significantly more polarized than their representatives in Congress.
B) Republicans have moved further to the right ideologically than Democrats have moved to the left.
C) Members of Congress tend to be more polarized than judicial appointments to the Supreme Court.
D) Special interest groups have forced members of Congress to vote in a more polarized fashion.

Question 9

Which of the following helps explain the rise in party cohesion and unity since the 1970s?

A) gerrymandering
B) increased number of party-line votes
C) changes in the ideological composition of the two major parties
D) changes in the amount of control the president has over foreign policy decisions

Question 10

Which of the following is the most visible way that members participate in the lawmaking process?

A) cosponsorship
B) hearings
C) markup sessions
D) voting

Question 11

Which of these statements best describes polarization in the modern Congress?

A) Congress is almost completely polarized along party lines.
B) Congress is almost completely polarized by region.
C) Congress is much less polarized than in the 1970s.
D) Congress is currently experiencing a period of rapid depolarization.

Question 12

Which of the following is a centrist or moderate coalition in Congress?

A) Tea Party
B) Blue Dogs
C) Black Caucus
D) Progressive Caucus

Question 13

When members are visiting their districts, they can designate a staff member to vote for them on the chamber floor.

Question 14

An "active player" legislator would be likely to endorse new legislation very early, so he or she can shepherd it through each step of the legislative process.

Question 15

Political activists are more likely to identify as either liberal or conservative.

Question 16

Senators tend to be generalists, while members of the House tend to specialize in a few areas.

Question 17

Amendments are more freely offered in the Senate than in the House.

Question 18

Party voting is much more common today than it was in the 1970s.

Question 19

Members are more likely to vote with their party leaders on final passage votes rather than procedural matters.

Question 20

On a good day, about half the members of each subcommittee tend to be actively involved in committee work such as hearings and markup sessions.

Question 21

Presidents almost always prevail in persuading members of Congress to pass legislation important to them.

Question 22

The Agriculture Committee is the most biased toward members with a constituency stake in the legislation being considered.

Question 23

Bills in the House are limited to two cosponsors.

Question 24

Poison pills frequently succeed in killing bills in the Senate.

Question 25

Members strive to be recorded on as many votes as possible, and the participation rate is over 90 percent in both the House and Senate.

Question 26

In the current Congress, constituency pressure tends to bolster party unity.

Question 27

Stalemate describes a period in which Congress is extraordinarily productive.

Question 28

Scholars and journalists often mistakenly treat votes as if they were unambiguous indicators of legislators' views.

Question 29

Deliberation is the hallmark of legislative decision-making.

Question 30

Why might members or parties engage in a strategy of "strategic disagreement?"

Question 31

What is the difference between explicit and implicit bargaining? Give an example of each.

Question 32

What is a policy entrepreneur and why are they important to the policy process?

Question 33

What are the key differences between "early deciders," "late deciders," and "active players?"

Question 34

How do constituencies influence lawmakers' voting decisions?

Question 35

What are some of the costs and benefits of seeking multiple cosponsors for a bill?

Question 36

Why do members propose amendments?

Question 37

How does control of the floor agenda and use of special rules advantage majority leaders in the House? Give a specific example.

Question 38

Why is party cohesion high in the modern Congress? Is this development good or bad for representation?

Question 39

Why should voters be skeptical of interpreting a member's voting record as an unambiguous indicator of his views and priorities?

Question 40

Select a recent bill in the House or Senate and trace its passage through the chamber. Use the website voteview.com to download relevant votes and assess the influence of partisanship or other factors on the votes taken related to the bill (depending on student experience with data, the instructor can provide these files to students for select bills). Using vote information as well as qualitative sources, do you find evidence of strategic behavior? What factors do you believe best explain the passage (or failure) of the bill?