Deck 26: Representative Assemblies

Question 1

What is one of the ways of maintaining a high degree of control over the majority caucus and over the legislative assembly as a whole?

A) caucus democracy
B) majority principle
C) party discipline
D) cabinet solidarity

Answer 1

C

Question 2

A voter selects the candidate he feels is the friendliest,most open,and most approachable option.Which type of representative is he most likely electing?

A) microcosm
B) trustee
C) delegate
D) party member

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Which term refers to a proposal for Senate reform representing the intrastate model of federalism in which the interests of the various regions of the country are given effective representation?

A) House of the Provinces
B) House of the Federation
C) double-E
D) triple-E

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Which of the following tasks would an MP be LEAST likely to perform?

A) Challenge party policy based on the demands of constituents.
B) Assist and advise a constituent who did not receive an Employment Insurance cheque on time
C) Promote regional interests in parliamentary committees.
D) Criticize policies put forward by rival parties.

Question 5

Which of the following is NOT one of the four essential functions of parliament in Canada?

A) establishing legitimate government
B) making government behave
C) making an alternative government
D) making important cabinet and judicial appointments

Question 6

If a voter basis his electoral choice on the intelligence and moral stance of the candidates,which type of representative is he most likely electing?

A) delegate
B) trustee
C) party member
D) microcosm

Question 7

Which term is commonly used to refer to a representative assembly?

A) government
B) legislature
C) chamber
D) executive

Question 8

What is one possible path of legislation in the Canadian Parliament?

A) from House of Commons to Senate to minister to cabinet
B) from House of Commons to minister to cabinet to Senate
C) from cabinet to Senate to House of Commons to minister
D) from minister to cabinet to House of Commons to Senate

Question 9

Which of the following is one of the proposed solutions to address the difficulty of increasing the number of underrepresented groups in a legislature?

A) party discipline
B) executive dominance
C) dual-member constituencies
D) single-member plurality

Question 10

A man votes for a political candidate that he often sees attending his Church.Which type of representative type is he most likely basing his vote on?

A) microcosm
B) trustee
C) delegate
D) party member

Question 11

Which of the following is NOT one of the four different ways in which agents represent those who elect them to a representative assembly?

A) as trustee
B) as delegate
C) as executive member
D) as microcosm

Question 12

A politically knowledgeable voter does not bother looking up any personal information about the candidates in her riding.When she goes to the polls,which type of representative is she most likely electing?

A) trustee
B) microcosm
C) party member
D) microcosm

Question 13

Over the last few decades,how has the role of the representative as trustee changed in parliamentary democracies?

A) It has increased along with the role of representative as party member.
B) It has increased along with the role of representative as delegate.
C) It has declined while the role of representative as party member has increased.
D) It has declined while the role of representative as delegate has increased.

Question 14

In liberal democratic parliamentary systems,how do party members usually vote?

A) independently, according to personal judgment
B) as loyal members of the caucus, following the instructions of the leadership
C) according to the views of their constituents
D) according to public opinion

Question 15

In which of the following situations would the practice of responsible government provide the most effective representative check on the executive?

A) in a minority government situation where the opposition parties are not acceptable coalition partners
B) in a majority government situation
C) in a minority government situation where the Official Opposition is ahead in the polls
D) in a minority government situation where the Official Opposition is trailing in the polls

Question 16

Which of the following is NOT a contributing factor in the decline of legislative influence?

A) increased complexity of modern politics
B) global interdependence of states
C) use of responsible government
D) rise of party discipline

Question 17

What theory of representation suggests that a prime minister should appoint to the cabinet a member from each of the provinces?

A) trustee theory
B) microcosm theory
C) delegate theory
D) party theory

Question 18

An opposition MP in a majority government situation regularly attends and contributes to debates on a proposed bill in the legislature.Given the reality of the legislative process in Canada,what is most likely her motive?

A) to gain recognition from the general population
B) to effect changes to the bill
C) to fulfil her role as a member of the opposition
D) to be able to prove to her constituents that she opposed the issue in the next election campaign

Question 19

In the United States Obama had difficulty with health-care reform due to pro-life representatives in Congress.What prevents similar experiences from happening in Canada?

A) party discipline
B) responsible government
C) executive dominance
D) senate atrophy

Question 20

Which of the following is NOT one of the proposals for Senate reform put forward in Canada's constitutional debates in the last 30 years?

A) abolishment
B) replacement with a House of the Provinces
C) atrophy
D) triple-E

Question 21

Unicameral assemblies are the most common among the world's liberal democracies.

Question 22

Among its many roles,the assembly educates and socializes the public.

Question 23

Delegates are representatives who subordinate their own views to those of their constituents and act as instructed by them.

Question 24

In Canada,the legislative process is dominated by the executive.

Question 25

In the last 30 years,three main options have been put forward in the constitutional debates over Senate reform: abolishment,the "House of Provinces," and the "triple-E" proposal.

Question 26

For a bill to pass through Canadian Parliament,it must be read three times in both Houses of Parliament.

Question 27

Four roles of assemblies in liberal democracies are _________ representation,providing __________,__________,and _________ the public.

Question 28

A trustee is a representative who relies on his own judgment when making decisions on behalf of others.

Question 29

A representative assembly is commonly referred to as a legislature.

Question 30

A representative assembly is commonly referred to as a legislator.

Question 31

The representative assembly is commonly referred to as a _________.

Question 32

A party member is a representative who votes and acts as a loyal member of her caucus.

Question 33

The word representation has three different meanings.A representative may be a _________,such as a flag; it may be an ________ who is empowered to act for someone else; and it may be a ____________ who shares some characteristics of a group.

Question 34

Which of the following states have unicameral assemblies?

A) Denmark
B) United States
C) France
D) United Kingdom

Question 35

Unicameral assemblies exist in all of the Canadian provinces.

Question 36

One of the main functions of representative assemblies is to provide opposition to the government of the day.

Question 37

Through party discipline,the modern cabinet exercises a high degree of control over the majority caucus and thus over the assembly as a whole.

Question 38

The word "representation" has three different meanings: it is a symbol,an agent,and a person who shares the characteristics of a group.

Question 39

There are several ways representation works in politics.Which of the following is NOT one of those ways?

A) It can have symbolic importance
B) It can empower an individual to act on behalf of a group
C) It can legitimate the political process by including all groups of society
D) It can ensure that laws are formed and passed with the consent of the citizens.

Question 40

The four essential functions of parliament are to: establish a legitimate government,make government work,make government behave,and make an alternative government.

Question 41

Define and explain the significance of microcosm theory.Are there any problems with this model of representation?

Question 42

In parliamentary systems,and particularly in Canada,members of parliament have their roles limited in two ways: ____________ dominance and ____________.

Question 43

There are three different kinds of individual representatives: ___________ rely on their personal judgment; _________ subordinate their own views to those of their constituents; ___________ vote and act as loyal members of their caucus following party discipline.

Question 44

Three main options have been put forward in the constitutional debates of the last 30 years regarding Senate reform.The first is simply to _________ it; the second is to make the Senate a "House of _________"; and the third is the ___________ proposal,which originated in Alberta.

Question 45

Are representative assemblies in decline?

Question 46

The idea that a governing body should be a miniature replica of those it represents is called _____________ theory.

Question 47

What are the most important functions of parliament in the Canadian parliamentary system?

Question 48

Define and explain the significance of party discipline in Canada.What would be the effects of relaxing party discipline?

Question 49

Define and explain the significance of a representative assembly.

Question 50

Assess the impact of party discipline and executive dominance on representative assemblies.Are there other preferable models of representation that can make responsible government work?

Question 51

Compare and contrast the strengths and weaknesses of the trustee,delegate,and party discipline models of representation.

Question 52

Define and explain the significance of the word representation.

Question 53

Explain the proposed reforms to the Canadian Senate.What impact would these reforms have on the legislative process?