Deck 6: Congress

Question 1

The __________ model of representation holds that a legislator should consider the will of the people but then do what he or she thinks is best for the nation as a whole and in the long term.

A) conscience
B) politico
C) reciprocity
D) trustee

Answer 1

trustee

Question 2

What does the conscience model of representation tell us about representation?

A) The job of the legislator is to stick to the will of the people.
B) A legislator follows his or her own judgment until the will of the public becomes involved in the issue, at which point he or she should heed their wishes.
C) A legislator follows the will of the people in most instances until conscience pulls him or her in a different direction.
D) A legislator always places the interests of the nation ahead of the district or the state.

Answer 2

A legislator follows the will of the people in most instances until conscience pulls him or her in a different direction.

Question 3

As an alternative to congressional districts, a state might use __________ to elect all of the state's representatives from the entire state.

A) at-large districts
B) gerrymandering
C) absentee ballots
D) logrolling

Answer 3

at-large districts

Question 4

To determine the number of representatives from each state, the Constitution indicated the allotment would be based on _________.

A) a census conducted every 10 years
B) the amount of taxes collected from that state by the national government
C) a formula that included geographical square miles and income from natural resources
D) a vote every two years in the Senate

Question 5

What form of legislature did the U.S. Constitution create?

A) bicameral
B) direct
C) unicameral
D) unified

Question 6

Which number most closely approximates the number of people included in each congressional district?

A) 100,000
B) 700,000
C) 1,700,000
D) 7,600,000

Question 7

What did the Supreme Court decide in Baker v. Carr (1961)?

A) that at-large districts are constitutional
B) that gerrymandering is unconstitutional
C) that House districts must contain approximately equal numbers of constituents
D) that redistricting is constitutional

Question 8

In comparison to the House of Representatives, which of the following are considered to be general characteristics of the Senate?

A) centralized power, moderate turnover rate
B) high turnover rate, more partisan
C) less-flexible rules, virtually unlimited debate
D) more media coverage, somewhat less partisan

Question 9

In comparison to the Senate, which of the following are considered to be general characteristics of the House of Representatives?

A) less flexible rules, more partisan
B) more media coverage, somewhat less partisan
C) virtually unlimited debate, more media coverage
D) high turnover rate, less partisan

Question 10

Committee work in both houses is done primarily by the _______.

A) sponsoring legislator
B) majority leader
C) party whip
D) committee staff

Question 11

________ is the primary claimed purpose of congressional committee hearings.

A) Rule summarizing
B) Editing
C) Fact finding
D) Campaigning

Question 12

Because of their enormous amount of work in policymaking activities, committee staffers working on Capitol Hill have been referred to as ________.

A) legislative bargainers
B) junior members of Congress
C) unelected representatives
D) bill managers

Question 13

__________ committees exist in both the House and the Senate, usually expire once a particular problem is addressed or if the congressional session ends, and tend to have a focused responsibility.

A) Conference
B) Select
C) Standing
D) Temporal

Question 14

Which statement best characterizes the hearing process of a formal bill?

A) A formal bill receives a hearing and goes to the floor when the vice president requests it.
B) A formal bill receives a hearing or floor time only when extensively marked up.
C) Few formal bills receive a hearing, but many are marked up and sent to the floor.
D) Most formal bills receive a hearing, but few are marked up and sent to the floor.

Question 15

Which kind of committee, composed of members selected from each chamber of Congress, is generally involved with investigation, research, and oversight of agencies closely related to Congress?

A) conference
B) joint
C) closed
D) standing

Question 16

When new senators and representatives arrive on Capitol Hill, who is responsible for welcoming them and orienting them to their responsibilities and the activities of the office?

A) the president's welcoming committee
B) the party whips
C) the majority leaders
D) the political parties

Question 17

The Democratic Party has just provided to each of its senators a summary of a bill that may soon come to a vote in the Senate. This voting cue helps the individual lawmakers _______.

A) edit the bill before it goes to the Rules Committee
B) understand the party's requirement for the position senators take
C) understand the opposition's point of view
D) rewrite the bill

Question 18

Among the caucuses in Congress, which is the largest?

A) judiciary committee
B) Republican Study Commission
C) Blue Dog Coalition
D) party conference

Question 19

The Blue Dog Coalition and the Republican Study Committee are two examples of a__________.

A) bicameral group
B) caucus
C) conference committee
D) leadership group

Question 20

__________ is an unlimited debate in which one senator or a group of senators keeps talking without interruption unless three-fifths of the chamber votes to end the discussion.

A) A cameral speech
B) An earmark
C) A filibuster
D) A rotation

Question 21

Which of the following statements about tax legislation in Congress is true?

A) Only the Senate can introduce tax bills.
B) Only the House can introduce tax bills.
C) The president, not Congress, introduces tax bills.
D) The Senate Appropriations Committee handles all hearings regarding tax bills.

Question 22

The success of a bill is most influenced by which of the following?

A) the popularity of its sponsor
B) the qualifications of the committee staff doing the markup
C) the recommendation of the subcommittee
D) the approval of the chair of the Rules Committee

Question 23

Once a bill has been introduced in Congress, what is typically the next step in the process?

A) conference committee
B) debate on the floor
C) referral to a committee
D) selection of the bill's sponsor

Question 24

A series of Gallup polls taken between 2004 and 2016 found that the public's job approval rating of Congress had __________.

A) risen from approximately 50 percent to approximately 80 percent
B) dropped from approximately 80 percent to approximately 50 percent
C) risen from approximately 10 percent to approximately 50 percent
D) dropped from approximately 50 percent to approximately 10 percent