Deck 11: Congress

Question 1

Which rule in the House of Representatives permits floor amendments within the overall time allocated to the bill?

A)Closed rule
B)Open rule
C)Whip's rule
D)Majority rule
E)Minority rule

Answer 1

B

Question 2

A bicameral legislature is divided into two houses or chambers.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

The party leader who acts as a liaison between the leadership and the rank-and-file in the legislature is the

A)whip.
B)majority leader.
C)minority leader.
D)speaker.
E)committee.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Gerrymandering occurs when the majority party

A)supports benefits for blue-collar workers.
B)promises to promote legislation for corporate interests.
C)draws district lines to win as many districts as possible.
D)rewrites legislation to provide pork for their districts.
E)supports universal health care.

Question 5

A safe seat is a district in which the current office holder or one party regularly wins.

Question 6

Who or what gives enumerated powers to Congress?

A)The Constitution
B)The president
C)The Speaker of the House
D)The Bill of Rights
E)The Congress itself

Question 7

The most notable of all the powers of the House is

A)appointing members to committees.
B)answering constituent mail.
C)convicting and removing the President.
D)to author all bills for raising revenues.
E)the franking privilege.

Question 8

Legislator Smith votes for a colleague's bill with the expectation that the colleague will vote in turn for a measure favored by Legislator Smith.This practice is called

A)quid pro quo.
B)back scratching.
C)logrolling.
D)tit for tat.
E)fair trade.

Question 9

Majority leader is the highest leadership position in the House.

Question 10

Norms that guide behavior in Congress

A)have been entirely abandoned in recent years.
B)have been increasingly ignored by new members of Congress.
C)have stayed more or less the same over the years.
D)are generally considered more important than ever.
E)are strictly adhered to by new members of Congress, while older members tend to be more lax.

Question 11

Special spending projects that are set aside on behalf of individual members of Congress for their constituents are

A)franking privileges.
B)earmarks.
C)enumerated powers.
D)tailgates.
E)benchmarks.

Question 12

All of the following are true about the House of Representatives EXCEPT

A)legislators in the House serve two-year terms.
B)there are 435 members of the House.
C)policy specialists are common in the House.
D)each state has forty members of the House.
E)members must be at least twenty-five years old.

Question 13

To override a presidential veto, ____________________of both houses of Congress must vote to override the veto.

A)two-thirds
B)one-half
C)three-quarters
D)four-fifths
E)100%

Question 14

The framers of the Constitution expected which to be the most important branch of government?

A)Executive
B)Legislative
C)Judicial
D)the Library of Congress
E)Bureaucracy

Question 15

Legislators who base their votes on their analysis of the long-run welfare of the nation are playing a _____________ role.

A)delegate
B)pragmatic
C)trustee
D)pollster's
E)constituent responsive

Question 16

The Senate has the authority to charge, or impeach, the president.

Question 17

The process of changing the number of seats each state gets in the House is called

A)realignment.
B)gerrymandering.
C)malapportionment.
D)reapportionment.
E)shuffling.

Question 18

A bill can be forced to the floor of the House through a ____________________ petition signed by a majority of the membership.

A)fast track
B)no confidence
C)discharge
D)express
E)multi-lane

Question 19

Approximately what percentage of Americans had a favorable view of Congress in late 2009?

A)15%
B)25%
C)35%
D)45%
E)55%

Question 20

The redistricting process is controlled by the states.

Question 21

Floor action is the first step in the legislative process.

Question 22

Members of Congress generally pay close attention to their constituents because

A)they care about being reelected.
B)the popularity of the president depends on it.
C)the media force them to do so.
D)the Supreme Court has ruled that they may not vote against constituent preferences on important legislation.
E)the people can vote to override legislation.

Question 23

A friend of yours tells you that the district in which she lives has 85% of its residents registered as Republicans and that Republicans always win the House election from her district.This is an example of a

A)candidate's dream.
B)reapportionment.
C)party district.
D)safe seat.
E)sure bet.

Question 24

District lines for the House of Representatives are drawn by the authority of the

A)president.
B)Senate.
C)House of Representatives.
D)Supreme Court.
E)state governments.

Question 25

It is a responsibility of congressional subcommittees to hold hearings.

Question 26

Members of the House of Representatives are elected for ______ -year terms.

A)five
B)four
C)two
D)six
E)one

Question 27

The process of redrawing legislative district lines following the census is called

A)franking.
B)redistricting.
C)reapportionment.
D)gerrymandering.
E)reassignment.

Question 28

About one-half of all bills introduced into congress are passed.

Question 29

An elected office that is predictably won by one party or the other is called a(n)

A)incumbent advantage.
B)sure bet.
C)safe seat.
D)party district.
E)candidate's dream.

Question 30

The right to apportion representatives among the states according to the population is the authority of the

A)Constitution.
B)Congress.
C)president.
D)state governments.
E)Supreme Court.

Question 31

The proportion of senators who are up for election at any one time is about

A)one fifth.
B)one-third.
C)one-half.
D)two-thirds.
E)one (all are up for election at the same time).

Question 32

The assigning by Congress of congressional seats after each census is called

A)gerrymandering.
B)redistricting.
C)reapportionment.
D)reassignment.
E)safe seats.

Question 33

Most legislators stick with one model of representation and consider all legislation through the lens of that model.

Question 34

The current holder of an elected office is called the

A)challenger.
B)gerrymander.
C)incumbent.
D)constituent.
E)redistricter.

Question 35

John Smith is considering a run for the House of Representatives against Betty Jones who currently holds the seat.In this case, Betty Jones is the

A)redistricter.
B)challenger.
C)constituent.
D)gerrymander.
E)incumbent.

Question 36

The drawing of legislative district boundaries to benefit a party, group, or incumbent is known as

A)gerrymandering.
B)redistricting.
C)reapportionment.
D)reassignment.
E)franking.

Question 37

There are _____________ members in the House of Representatives.

A)100
B)435
C)270
D)50
E)535

Question 38

There are _____________ members in the Senate.

A)50
B)270
C)435
D)535
E)100

Question 39

The House and Senate enforce rules through a joint ethics committee.

Question 40

The residents of a congressional district or state are called

A)incumbents.
B)citizens.
C)lobbyists.
D)constituents.
E)activists.

Question 41

Each state has a minimum of ____________________ representative(s) in the House.

A)five
B)one
C)two
D)ten
E)twelve

Question 42

The sole power to try an impeachment case is given to the

A)House of Representatives.
B)Senate.
C)Supreme Court.
D)justices of the various federal district courts.
E)grand jury.

Question 43

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

A)The power to tax and borrow money
B)The power to regulate interstate commerce
C)The power to create federal courts below the Supreme Court
D)The power to declare war
E)The power to rule state laws are unconstitutional

Question 44

Powers given explicitly to Congress in the Constitution are called

A)enumerated powers.
B)unlisted powers.
C)elastic powers.
D)expansive powers.
E)implied powers.

Question 45

The necessary and proper clause allows for ____________ powers.

A)enumerated
B)express
C)influential
D)implied
E)iron

Question 46

House seats are allocated on the basis of a national census conducted every ______________ years.

A)five
B)twenty
C)ten
D)three
E)seven

Question 47

Which of the following is an advantage held by incumbents in getting reelected?

A)They can send free mail to their districts most of the time.
B)They have high name recognition.
C)They are able to help their constituents through earmark spending.
D)They typically have more money than challengers.
E)All of the above

Question 48

The Speaker of the House is formally chosen by

A)the Supreme Court.
B)the president.
C)the entire House.
D)the Senate.
E)the majority party in the House.

Question 49

Special spending projects set aside on behalf of individual members of Congress for their constituents are known as

A)window dressing.
B)gerrymandering.
C)earmarks.
D)franking privileges.
E)incumbency advantages.

Question 50

The framers listed the power to _____________ in Article I of the Constitution.

A)execute traitors
B)declare war
C)impeach the president
D)collect taxes
E)regulate interstate commerce

Question 51

Bicameral legislatures have _______ chamber(s).

A)six
B)two
C)one
D)unlimited
E)zero

Question 52

When a legislature has two chambers, it is said to be

A)split.
B)inefficient.
C)bicameral.
D)divided.
E)unicameral.

Question 53

The U.S.Congress has two chambers in its legislature.As a result it is called a(n) ___________ legislature.

A)bicameral
B)split
C)pluralistic
D)unicameral
E)divided

Question 54

The presiding officer in the House of Representatives is called the

A)majority leader.
B)Speaker.
C)president of the House.
D)caucus chair.
E)leader pro tempore.

Question 55

The powers of the Speaker of the House include

A)the power to make all appointments to standing committees.
B)the power to set the rules of the House.
C)the power to choose the minority party leader.
D)the power to recognize members who rise to speak.
E)the power to determine whether debate is subject to the closed or open rule.

Question 56

The sole power of impeachment is given to the

A)House of Representatives.
B)Senate.
C)Supreme Court.
D)President and the cabinet.
E)Judiciary Committee.

Question 57

James Madison was concerned about the "fickleness and passion" of which governmental body?

A)The judiciary
B)The Senate
C)The House of Representatives
D)The presidency
E)The bureaucracy

Question 58

Compared to the Senate, the House of Representatives

A)has more time for debate.
B)has larger staffs for its members.
C)receives more media coverage.
D)has fewer members.
E)has more rules governing it.

Question 59

Conviction of a public official on impeachment charges takes a __________ vote in the Senate.

A)majority
B)plurality
C)unanimous
D)five-sixths
E)two-thirds

Question 60

Which of the following is true regarding the Speaker of the House?

A)The Speaker is always a member of the majority party
B)The Speaker is next in line to become president if the sitting president dies in office
C)The Speaker is formally chosen by the majority party caucus
D)The Speaker can appoint all members of all committees in the House
E)The Speaker is the spokesperson for the minority party

Question 61

Which of the following is true about cloture?

A)It is a practice used only in the House of Representatives
B)It requires a three-fifths vote to pass
C)It is a tactic for delaying votes in the Senate
D)It is provided for in the Constitution
E)It has been ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court

Question 62

Which of the following is true about the president pro tempore of the Senate?

A)The president pro tempore is also the vice president of the United States.
B)The president pro tempore is usually a junior member of the minority party.
C)The president pro tempore almost always presides over the Senate.
D)The president pro tempore is not permitted to be on any committees or cast any votes.
E)None of the above

Question 63

Committees that determine the basic operations of the congressional chambers are known as

A)watchdog committees.
B)authorizing committees.
C)special committees.
D)rules and administration committees.
E)appropriations committees.

Question 64

The legislative leader selected by the minority party as spokesperson for the opposition is known as the

A)opposition leader.
B)minority leader.
C)Speaker.
D)minority mouthpiece.
E)alternative leader.

Question 65

A congressional committee with members from both the House of Representatives and the Senate is known as a(n)

A)special or select committee.
B)standing committee.
C)joint committee.
D)oversight committee.
E)leadership committee.

Question 66

A ___________ committee is a permanent congressional committee typically focusing on a policy area.

A)substantive
B)standing
C)conference
D)representative
E)joint

Question 67

A meeting of the members of a party in a legislative chamber to select party leaders and to develop party policy is called a

A)party platform.
B)party committee.
C)party caucus.
D)party meeting.
E)party policy.

Question 68

Committees that make decisions about how much money government will spend on its programs and operations are called ____________ committees.

A)authorizing
B)secret
C)monetary
D)rules and administration
E)appropriations

Question 69

A congressional committee created for a specific purpose, sometimes to conduct an investigation, is called a(n)

A)investigative committee.
B)joint committee.
C)standing committee.
D)oversight committee.
E)special or select committee.

Question 70

When a senator temporarily blocks the consideration of a bill or nomination it is called a(n)

A)obstruction.
B)hold.
C)cloture.
D)seniority rule.
E)filibuster.

Question 71

The House Agriculture Committee, the Senate Armed Services Committee, and the House Budget Committee are all examples of

A)standing committees.
B)joint committees.
C)conference committees.
D)special committees.
E)pork barrel committees.

Question 72

In the 1960s several members of the Senate who were very opposed to civil rights legislation held the floor of the Senate for many hours at a time trying to prevent votes on such legislation.This is an example of

A)collectivism.
B)majority rule.
C)cloture.
D)leadership.
E)the filibuster.

Question 73

Revenue and budget committees

A)determine the basic operations of the congressional chambers.
B)pass the laws that tell government what to do.
C)deal with raising the money to be spent by the government.
D)make decisions about how much money government will spend on its programs and operations.
E)All of the above

Question 74

The _________ is the party leader who is the liaison between the leadership and the rank-and-file in the legislature.

A)whip
B)go-between
C)page
D)Speaker
E)majority leader

Question 75

The committee that determines issues such as the number and kinds of floor amendments that will be allowed in the House of Representatives is the ____________ Committee.

A)Legislative Procedures
B)Billmaking
C)Leadership
D)Rules
E)Conference

Question 76

A _______________________ is a procedural practice in the Senate whereby a senator refuses to relinquish the floor and thereby delays proceedings and prevents a vote on a controversial measure.

A)filibuster
B)cloture
C)hold
D)special committee
E)turnabout

Question 77

Which of the following is a way in which we see the role of individualism in the Senate?

A)The power of party leaders
B)The authority of the Rules Committee
C)The use of holds and filibusters
D)The lack of a standing committee system
E)The refusal to participate in conference committees

Question 78

A procedural rule in the House of Representatives that permits floor amendments within the overall time allocated to the bill is known as a(n) ___________ rule.

A)unlimited
B)inviting
C)open
D)whip
E)leadership

Question 79

The _______________________ is the legislative leader selected by the majority party who helps plan party strategy, confers with other party leaders, and tries to keep members of the party in line.

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

Question 80

A procedure for terminating debate in the Senate is known as

A)holding.
B)proceeding.
C)closing.
D)cloture.
E)filibustering.