Deck 10: Congress

Question 1

Members of Congress are primarily guided by a desire to ________, while being subject to the constraints of ________.

A) respond to constituent interests; institutional structures
B) represent interest groups demands; campaign finance law
C) pass good policy; having to please voters
D) make money; campaign finance law
E) gain influence in Washington; the law of diminishing returns

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Since incumbency rates are so high, members of Congress who hold a "safe" seat do not worry about the electoral connection to voters.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

A bill that made it illegal to catch fish under a certain size would be an example of an earmark.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Redistricting and apportionment do not influence representation of state interests in the Senate.

Question 5

A filibuster can only be used in the House, while cloture can only be invoked in the Senate.

Question 6

Party leaders help with campaign financing to give members an incentive to vote the party line on key legislation.

Question 7

The main difference between descriptive and substantive representation has to do with whether the legislator represents constituents from a distance or acts as if the legislator has a mandate to
do exactly what he or she wants.

Question 8

Before any bill can become a law, the House and Senate must pass identical versions of the bill.

Question 9

Senators tend to be policy generalists, while members of the House often become policy experts on a particular issue.

Question 10

In early American history, Congress was the first and most important branch. Over time it has become less important than the presidency, largely because the nature of the country's problems have changed.

Question 11

Public approval of Congress is low because most members lack strong links to their constituents, preferring to focus on reelection efforts instead.

Question 12

Term limits restrict how much money a congressional candidate can raise in a given term of Congress.

Question 13

Members of Congress behave as if voters pay attention to everything they do, because even the smallest issues can come to light during reelection campaigns.

Question 14

States can only gain seats in the House of Representatives-they can never lose seats.

Question 15

The McCaskill Sexual Assault Bill is an example of an uncontentious piece of legislation that enjoyed broad bipartisan support.

Question 16

Members of Congress often use casework to connect with people in their districts on a personal level.

Question 17

Which of the following is NOT an enumerated power of Congress?

A) coining money
B) levying taxes
C) establishing post offices and roads
D) regulating commerce
E) judicial review

Question 18

An example of descriptive representation would be an African-American representative who comes from a district that has a majority of African-American constituents.

Question 19

When determining who will chair a committee, the position usually goes to the member of the majority party with the longest service on the committee. This is an example of the norm of reciprocity.

Question 20

Legislative districts are gerrymandered because politicians are trying to draw House districts in a way that gives them a political advantage.

Question 21

The process of determining how many House districts each state gets is known as ________, while the process of determining how those districts look within the states is called ________.

A) redistricting; gerrymandering
B) gerrymandering; redistricting
C) redistricting; apportionment
D) apportionment; redistricting
E) gerrymandering; apportionment

Question 22

The process of determining the boundaries of House districts every 10 years is known as:

A) the census.
B) apportionment.
C) bicameralism.
D) redistricting.
E) franking.

Question 23

The term "substantive representation" refers to ________, while the term "descriptive representation" refers to ________.

A) representing constituents from a distance; having a mandate directly from voters
B) shared traits between members and constituents; members serving constituent interests
C) members serving constituent interests; shared traits between members and constituents
D) having a mandate directly from voters; representing constituents from a distance
E) members serving constituent interests; representing constituents from a distance

Question 24

In Federalist 57, James Madison wrote that legislators were to:

A) only encompass the common good.
B) only represent their local constituents.
C) follow the president's lead on policy matters.
D) encompass the common good and represent their local constituents.
E) make sure that the Congress represented a direct democracy.

Question 25

Which part of the legislature did the Founders believe would be the least responsive to the general public and most attentive to national interests?

A) the House of Representatives
B) a party caucus
C) the Senate
D) the committee system
E) a subcommittee

Question 26

What is "descriptive representation"?

A) legislators acting as though they have a simple mandate to carry out voter desires
B) shared demographic traits between legislators and constituents
C) legislators acting on behalf of collective, national interests
D) legislators responding differently to constituents on the basis of how salient an issue is to the public
E) legislators ignoring the needs of constituents

Question 27

What was the result of the passage of the Seventeenth Amendment in 1913?

A) Women got the right to vote.
B) Prohibition was established.
C) The federal income tax was established.
D) Prohibition was rescinded.
E) The popular election of senators was allowed.

Question 28

What is "bicameralism"?

A) the implied powers that Congress can use in fulfilling its constitutional responsibilities
B) the tendency of legislators to listen to their constituents because they want to win elections
C) the governmental structure, which includes two different houses in the legislature
D) the redrawing of districts in the House of Representatives
E) the separation of powers between the Congress and the president

Question 29

According to David Mayhew's work, advertising in the House of Representatives refers to:

A) buying thirty-second spots on television to affect legislative debate.
B) appeals without issue content that get a member's name in front of the public.
C) claiming credit for things of value to voters, such as pork-barrel projects.
D) making public statements on things that interest constituents.
E) developing a member's Web page.

Question 30

Why did the Founders believe that the Senate would be more responsive to national interests than the House?

A) All states were equally represented.
B) Senators were indirectly elected and served longer terms.
C) Senators were popularly elected.
D) The Senate had more constitutional authority than the House.
E) All bills would originate in the Senate.

Question 31

Legislators who make public statements demonstrating how they share priorities with the groups in their district are engaged in:

A) position taking.
B) credit claiming.
C) casework.
D) descriptive representation.
E) gerrymandering.

Question 32

Because of the ________, only ________ of the Senate is up for reelection in every even-numbered year.

A) two-year term; one-third
B) six-year term; one-half
C) two-year term; one-half
D) six-year term; one-third
E) four-year term; one-third

Question 33

The elastic clause in Article I of the Constitution created a situation in which Congress:

A) took a lead role in the early American constitutional system.
B) was limited in its powers.
C) had legislative power separated between two houses.
D) had a small set of specific powers that guided its actions in early America.
E) is no longer relevant in the policy-making process.

Question 34

What is a "constituent"?

A) someone registered to vote in an election
B) a member of a party's leadership team in Congress
C) an important lobbyist
D) someone living in a member's district
E) a member of the majority party

Question 35

The term "franking privilege" refers to:

A) incumbents' fund-raising advantages.
B) electoral safety leading to more honest discussions by long-term incumbents.
C) large staffs that incumbents employ in districts for casework.
D) free postage on mail that legislators send to their constituents.
E) the ability to travel back and forth between the district and Washington.

Question 36

Which of the following is an example of Mayhew's phenomenon of credit claiming?

A) a legislator marching in a local parade
B) a legislator releasing a position paper on an issue of interest to constituents
C) a legislator explaining the legislator's role in securing funds for a local highway
D) a legislator running a campaign advertisement
E) a legislator giving a speech to a foreign government

Question 37

Voting based on the trustee model can harm a Congress member's political career because:

A) it can go against the national interest.
B) it can lose support for the member among party leaders.
C) it can go against the views of constituents back home.
D) it forces members to spend too much time fund-raising.
E) it is viewed by many as unconstitutional.

Question 38

Which of the following is NOT a constitutional compromise that created incentives for legislators to compromise between local and national interests?

A) creating a bicameral legislature
B) allowing slaves to count as three-fifths of a person
C) having senators serve longer than members of the House
D) the necessary and proper clause
E) a popularly elected House of Representatives

Question 39

An example of the "________ model of representation" is a situation in which a legislator acts as though the legislator gives an electoral mandate on salient issues but looks after broader interests on complex issues.

A) descriptive
B) politico
C) delegate
D) balanced
E) substantive

Question 40

Which legislative institution did the Founders believe would be most responsive to the public?

A) the House of Representatives
B) the president
C) the Senate
D) a conference committee
E) a subcommittee

Question 41

The head of the majority party in the House of Representatives is called the:

A) president pro tempore.
B) majority leader.
C) Speaker of the House.
D) chief justice.
E) legislative liaison.

Question 42

Any group of legislators with a continuing membership and policy jurisdiction is known as a:

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

Question 43

Which of the following is NOT a part of the structure and functioning of Congress?

A) norms
B) political parties
C) staff
D) committees
E) unicameralism

Question 44

Which of the following is an example of gerrymandering?

A) placing two incumbents of the same party into one district
B) keeping districts roughly equal in size
C) trying to keep a single municipality in a district
D) ensuring that all parts of a district are connected
E) respecting traditional natural boundaries

Question 45

Which of the following statements best characterizes public attitudes toward Congress?

A) Americans are deeply suspicious and untrusting of their own representatives.
B) Americans like their own legislators but not Congress.
C) Americans like Congress better than they like the president.
D) Americans look to Congress first in times of crisis.
E) Americans trust members of Congress to work together in the best interests of the nation.

Question 46

Which of the following is a power that party leaders in the House and Senate can use to influence the legislative process?

A) forcing members of the party to cast ballots in a particular way
B) the ability to control the timing of when bills come up for a vote
C) control over who can run for office under the party label
D) the ability to influence the redistricting process
E) control over how much money a member can spend on reelection

Question 47

Which of the following is NOT a function of the whip system in Congress?

A) gathering information
B) planning overall party strategy
C) coalition building
D) disseminating information
E) regular meetings to discuss legislative strategy

Question 48

The tension between being responsive to constituents but responsible to national interest contributes to Congress's image problem. This is because:

A) it is interpreted as gridlock, and expectations are often impossible to meet.
B) Congress will always choose the national interest over their constituents' interests.
C) it leads to meaningless legislation.
D) Congress will always choose their constituents' interest over the national interests.
E) it leads to too much legislation.

Question 49

Which of the following is NOT an informal norm that influences the structure of Congress?

A) universalism
B) reciprocity
C) conditional party government
D) specialization
E) seniority

Question 50

The process of drawing legislative districts for political advantage is known as:

A) representation.
B) gerrymandering.
C) apportionment.
D) redistricting.
E) bicameralism.

Question 51

All of the following media influences contribute to lower public approval of Congress EXCEPT:

A) negative press coverage of Congress.
B) the short news cycle.
C) superficial news coverage that does not focus on policy substance.
D) the need for media outlets to make a profit.
E) letters to the editor.

Question 52

When legislators help constituents with problems they have with government agencies and programs, legislators are engaged in:

A) policy representation.
B) campaigning.
C) advertising.
D) casework.
E) direct democracy.

Question 53

Since the 1970s, party unity in the legislature has:

A) fluctuated wildly.
B) stayed the same.
C) decreased.
D) been eliminated.
E) increased.

Question 54

Which of the following is NOT a party position in the House?

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

Question 55

Legislators spreading benefits as widely as possible is called ________; trading their support on a bill for someone's support on a different bill is an example of ________.

A) specialization; universalism
B) reciprocity; specialization
C) reciprocity; logrolling
D) universalism; reciprocity
E) specialization; logrolling

Question 56

Strong party leadership only occurs when:

A) the members of the party give their consent.
B) leaders exercise their strong negative powers.
C) there is divided government.
D) a party is internally divided.
E) there is unified government.

Question 57

The president pro tempore of the Senate is:

A) the vice president.
B) the majority leader.
C) the minority leader.
D) the Speaker of the House's ceremonial position.
E) usually held by the most senior member of the majority party.

Question 58

What does the Supreme Court say about race and the redistricting process?

A) It cannot play any role in the redistricting process.
B) It must be the top priority in the redistricting process.
C) It may be a factor but may not be the predominant factor in the redistricting process.
D) It can only be used as a factor in the redistricting process in states in the South.
E) It should not be used in the computer models that draw district boundaries.

Question 59

What is it called when Congress is unable to pass important legislation because of partisan conflict?

A) gridlock
B) whipping
C) incumbency advantage
D) gerrymandering
E) filibustering

Question 60

What is an argument in favor of earmarks?

A) They provide consensus among both parties on federal spending priorities.
B) They secure the passage of larger bills.
C) They are distributed equally among the states.
D) They only represent the desires of members of Congress and not interest groups.
E) They are the only source of funding for local infrastructure projects.

Question 61

The distributive theory of legislative organization argues that:

A) legislative leaders decide policy on the basis of support they get from legislators.
B) party leadership is strongest when it has the support of legislators.
C) committee views are respected over what the entire House wants.
D) interest groups are the crucial piece in the functioning of Congress.
E) pork-barrel spending should be eliminated.

Question 62

The process by which bills are rewritten and amended in a committee is known as:

A) multiple referral.
B) markup.
C) a conference committee vote.
D) a floor action.
E) veto.

Question 63

What is a pocket veto?

A) a way for the Speaker to prevent a bill from making it to the floor of the House
B) the process by which the Senate stops a filibuster
C) a ruling by the Supreme Court that finds an act of Congress unconstitutional
D) the automatic death of a bill if the president does not sign it in the last ten days of a session
E) the ability of the vice president to stop a bill from passing in the Senate

Question 64

Which of the following is less common in the Senate than in the House?

A) committee markup
B) placement on the legislative calendar
C) a filibuster
D) multiple referral
E) markup

Question 65

The ________ process limits the amount of money that could be spent on a bill, but the ________ process determines how much money is actually assigned to be spent.

A) appropriation; authorization
B) authorization; appropriation
C) budget; authorization
D) budget; appropriation
E) appropriation; budget

Question 66

A vote of cloture requires approval by how many senators?

A) 50
B) 51
C) 60
D) 67
E) 75

Question 67

Which theory of legislative politics holds that committee assignments are based on legislators trying to best serve their districts and that the entire legislature therefore respects the committee's interests?

A) distributive theory
B) partisan theory
C) conditional party government
D) informational theory
E) democratic theory

Question 68

Which aspect of the committee system does NOT support members' reelection prospects?

A) The division of labor allows for policy specialization.
B) Party leaders can raise money to funnel to other legislators.
C) Legislators can more easily claim credit for particular policy areas.
D) Members can become experts in an area and use that in gaining funding for their district.
E) Members can support pork-barrel projects based on the needs of their district.

Question 69

When a bill comes to the floor of the House under ________, it cannot be amended.

A) a unanimous consent agreement
B) open rules
C) modified rules
D) closed rules
E) suspension of the rules

Question 70

What is a filibuster?

A) a vote in the Senate to end debate on a bill
B) agreements by legislators to limit debate on a bill
C) a senator's attempt to kill a bill by continuing to speak in order to prevent a vote
D) the process used to prevent amendments in the House
E) a representative's attempt to kill a bill by continuing to speak in order to prevent a vote

Question 71

All of the following describe omnibus legislation EXCEPT:

A) Leadership task forces may be used in place of committees.
B) a large bill covering several topics.
C) the inclusion of pork-barrel projects.
D) A supermajority is required for passage in both houses.
E) Creative strategies are often used to guide the bill to passage.

Question 72

A vote of ________ will limit the amount of time spent debating a bill in the Senate.

A) filibuster
B) closed rules
C) modified rules
D) suspension of the rules
E) cloture

Question 73

What is an advantage that larger committee staffs give members of Congress?

A) more time to spend in Washington rather than in their home district
B) more opportunities to pass legislation at the expense of having time to look at the details of the bills
C) more media attention from the press
D) better opportunities for fund-raising
E) independent sources of information and expertise with which to challenge the president

Question 74

The Livestock, Rural Development, and Credit Subcommittee of the House Agriculture Committee meets to determine the final language of a bill on regulations affecting livestock in the United States. This process is an example of what?

A) multiple referral
B) markup
C) filibuster
D) gerrymandering
E) veto

Question 75

Conference committees are ________ and negotiate differences between ________.

A) permanent; the House and the Senate
B) temporary; Democrats and Republicans
C) temporary; the majority and minority leaders
D) temporary; the House and the Senate
E) permanent; Democrats and Republicans

Question 76

A ________ committee is created to deal with a specific policy topic, while a ________ committee is created to resolve differences between House and Senate versions of the same bill.

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

Question 77

Which of the following is NOT a deviation from the standard path of the lawmaking process?

A) summit meetings
B) use of conference committees
C) major bills bypassing the committee process via discharge petitions
D) omnibus legislation
E) adjustments made to the legislation post-committee

Question 78

Why is the filibuster/vote of cloture an important legislative strategy for the minority party?

A) It forces every member of the Senate to speak about the bill.
B) It gives the majority party time to change key provisions in the bill before the vote.
C) It allows the minority party to stop legislation with as few as 50 votes.
D) It allows the minority party to stop legislation with as few as 41 votes.
E) It provides positive media coverage for the majority party.

Question 79

Which of the following lists is correctly ordered?

A) Member introduces a bill; one chamber takes floor action; conference committee version is approved.
B) Conference committee approves a bill; member introduces bill; one chamber takes floor action.
C) Member introduces a bill; conference committee version is approved; one chamber takes floor action.
D) Member introduces a bill; president signs/vetoes bill; conference committee version is approved.
E) One chamber takes floor action; president signs/vetoes bill; conference committee version is approved.

Question 80

Which of the following is NOT a way for Congress to engage in oversight of the bureaucracy?

A) holding hearings
B) conducting investigations
C) limiting or cutting appropriations
D) interviewing members of the bureaucracy
E) suspending rules