Deck 3: Legislative Institutions

Question 1

Which of the following is true about legislatures?

A) they are highly accurate in representing minority groups in society
B) they are among the oldest political institutions known to society
C) they are invariably very effective in passing legislation
D) they work effectively with executive branches of government

Answer 1

they are among the oldest political institutions known to society

Question 2

The term "bicameral" means that

A) the legislature has two hundred members.
B) the legislature has two chambers.
C) the legislature has two committees.
D) the legislature has two political parties.

Answer 2

the legislature has two chambers.

Question 3

The Latin term "de jure" suggests that a power or a practice

A) exists in fact, although not in law.
B) is imaginary and never existed in fact.
C) is the result of a jury verdict from a trial.
D) is explained in the law, it is a legal power or practice.

Answer 3

is explained in the law, it is a legal power or practice.

Question 4

The term "de facto" means that

A) a practice or power is imaginary and never existed.
B) a practice or power is explained in the law.
C) a practice or power exists in fact, although not in law.
D) a practice or power is the result of a jury verdict from a trial.

Question 5

A legislature with only one chamber is referred to as:

A) unicameral
B) united
C) unidirectional
D) unitary

Question 6

The relationship between federalism and the number of chambers in the national legislature is:

A) federal systems are never unicameral
B) unitary systems are never bicameral
C) unitary systems are always bicameral
D) virtually all federal systems are bicameral, but not all bicameral systems are federal.

Question 7

Canada is an example of

A) a unicameral political system.
B) a federal and bicameral political system.
C) a unitary system with a bicameral legislature.
D) a confederal system with a unicameral legislature.

Question 8

The term "upper house" means what in respect to a national legislature?

A) the chamber is on the second floor of the legislative chamber
B) the chamber with the most ties with the mass public
C) the chamber least directly in contact with the mass public
D) the chamber that has more power in politics today

Question 9

In bicameral legislatures, it is most common that

A) the upper house is stronger than the lower house.
B) the two houses have equal strength.
C) the lower house is stronger than the upper house.
D) there is only one house in the legislature.

Question 10

"Private Members' bills" refer to legislation that is

A) dealing with international relations or foreign policy.
B) prepared in a closed session of the parliament.
C) introduced by an individual who is not a member of the Government.
D) high priority legislation for the Government of the day.

Question 11

In the German Parliament, the upper house has an absolute veto over legislation

A) if the legislation affects the states.
B) if the legislation is introduced by the Federal Chancellor.
C) if the legislation deals with the budget.
D) if the legislation deals with foreign policy.

Question 12

The term "suspensory veto" in the legislature means that

A) one house can block the work of the other house.
B) a prime minister has the ability to veto legislative action.
C) one house can slow down, but not stop completely, the actions of the other house.
D) the supreme court can block legislation.

Question 13

Standing committees in a national legislature are those bodies that

A) deal with challenges from the executive branch of government.
B) deal with short-term crises.
C) are made up of the most senior members of the legislature.
D) are established at the opening of the legislative term and last for the full legislativeterm.

Question 14

The concept of party discipline refers to

A) political parties cooperating and working together in a legislature.
B) political parties being able to "fire" their member legislators.
C) the practice of political parties charging their members to remain in office.
D) the cohesion of members of a political party within a legislature.

Question 15

A "backbencher" in a legislative body refers to

A) individuals who are party leaders.
B) individuals who are not party leaders.
C) individuals who are not elected to the legislature.
D) individuals who are elected by the largest margin in the legislature.

Question 16

The two major methods by which the public elects legislators are "district based" elections and

A) minority representation.
B) proportional representation elections.
C) plurality voting representation.
D) first past the post voting.

Question 17

The term "plurality voting" means that

A) the winner must get over 50 percent of the votes in an election.
B) whoever gets the most votes wins, even if they don't receive a majority.
C) there is a two-stage election on two consecutive Sundays.
D) voters cast their votes for at least two different candidates.

Question 18

"Majority voting" in elections refers to the requirement that

A) the winner receives over 50 percent of the votes cast.
B) whoever gets the most votes wins, even if they don't receive a majority.
C) there is a two-stage election on two consecutive Sundays.
D) voters cast their votes for at least two different candidates.

Question 19

As a general rule, single-member district, plurality elections have a tendency to

A) elect Republicans.
B) elect Democrats.
C) overrepresent majorities and hide minorities.
D) overrepresent minorities and fracture majorities.

Question 20

In a typical proportional representation election, individual voters cast their votes for

A) the individual they most prefer.
B) an ethnic group or political ideology.
C) more than one candidate at a time.
D) a political party, not an individual.

Question 21

An advantage of proportional representation voting is that it

A) occurs more frequently than plurality voting.
B) allows an individual to vote more than once.
C) is more accurate of public opinion than plurality, district based voting.
D) requires a clear majority of votes to win.

Question 22

A disadvantage of proportional representation voting is that it

A) tends to result in many political parties in the legislature with no majority party.
B) is more accurate of public opinion than plurality, district based voting.
C) requires a clear majority of votes to win.
D) occurs more frequently than plurality voting.

Question 23

An example of a political system with multiple-member districts is:

A) Britain
B) Japan
C) Germany
D) Italy

Question 24

Key functions of a legislature include:

A) Doing what the executive orders
B) Debate, lawmaking, communication, and education
C) Creating foreign policy and diplomatic policy
D) Increasing taxes and supporting public education

Question 25

As a general rule the appearance of women in national legislatures is

A) lower than it should be based upon the number of women in the population.
B) about what it should be based upon the number of women in the population.
C) above what it should be based upon the number of women in the population.
D) sometimes more and sometimes less than it should be, depending upon the nationbeing examined.

Question 26

There are far more unicameral legislatures than bicameral legislatures in the world presently.

Question 27

The Latin term "de jure" suggests that a power or a practice is never permitted to exist.

Question 28

The relationship between federalism and the number of chambers in the national legislature is: All federal systems have only one legislative chamber.

Question 29

Canada is an example of a federal system with one national legislative chamber.

Question 30

In bicameral legislatures, upper chambers may represent territorial units.

Question 31

In the German Parliament, the upper house has an absolute veto over legislation that is authored by the Federal Chancellor.

Question 32

Standing committees in a national legislature are established at the opening of the legislative term and last for the full legislative term.

Question 33

Where there is strong party discipline we can expect legislators to act in concert with their party leader's directions.

Question 34

The two major methods by which the public elects legislators are "district based" elections and coalition governments.

Question 35

The term "plurality voting" means that candidates must receive over 50% of the vote to win an election.

Question 36

As a general rule, single-member district, plurality elections divide the entire nation into a number of electoral districts in which each selects a single representative.

Question 37

In a typical proportional representation election, individual voters cast their votes for the individual candidate they most prefer.

Question 38

A disadvantage of proportional representation voting is that it tends to support the existence of many political parties in the legislature.

Question 39

Key functions of a legislature include tax reform and foreign policy.

Question 40

As a general rule, the proportion of women in national legislatures is fairly accurate with respect to the proportion of women in the population.

Question 41

How have the powers of legislatures changed over time, especially when compared to the powers of executives?

Question 42

What are the most important powers of legislatures for their respective political systems today?

Question 43

Political parties play many roles in politics. What is their most important function in legislatures?

Question 44

Why are legislative committees important in legislatures?

Question 45

What were the original reasons for bicameral legislatures (as opposed to being unicameral)? Do those reasons still apply today? Are there any reasons for a legislature to be bicameral?