Deck 7: Congress

Question 1

How many times in United States history has the Senate refused to confirm nominees to the Supreme Court?

A)2
B)7
C)12
D)42
E)91

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Which statement is true with respect to the "necessary and proper" clause?

A)It has given presidents broader power to conduct war.
B)It has decreased the amount of time members of Congress devote to casework.
C)it has added significantly to the authority of Congress to act in both domestic and foreign affairs.
D)it has had little effect on legislative powers of Congress.
E)it created the Congressional Budget Office and limited the president's power in the area of federal spending.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Why did Presidents Bush and Obama increase government spending in the late 2000s?

A)to reduce the budget deficit
B)to reduce taxes
C)because authorizations and appropriations from Congress required them to
D)to stimulate the economy and calm the financial and housing industries
E)to because the Supreme Court issued an opinion ordering them to

Answer 3

D

Question 4

In recent years, the practice of gerrymandering

A)has made elections more competitive.
B)has protected incumbents from both parties.
C)is unconstitutional and has been struck down by the Supreme Court.
D)has had little impact on the outcomes of elections.
E)had favored challengers as they try to unseat incumbents in Congress.

Question 5

The most important committees in Congress are:

A)joint committees.
B)conference committees.
C)select committees.
D)subcommittees.
E)standing committees.

Question 6

Decisions regarding the spending of tax revenue go through a two-step process involving authorizations and appropriations.In this context, an authorization

A)provides money for existing government programs.
B)establishes a specific program and provides the money for that program.
C)establishes a specific program and sets limits on the amount that may be spent on that program.
D)extends permission to the Senate for purposes of limiting spending on government programs.
E)permits the Congressional Budget Office to create a new program.

Question 7

The idea that legislators need to pass laws that are in the best interests of their constituents is referred to as

A)casework.
B)service.
C)policy representation.
D)constituent apportionment.
E)redistricting.

Question 8

The 2002 investigation into terrorist threats to the United States by the joint intelligence committees of Congress is an example of what constitutional function?

A)oversight
B)appointment
C)impeachment
D)electoral
E)casework

Question 9

Under the 2000 Census, each one of the 435 U.S.House districts nationwide had to contain:

A)79,104 people
B)283,675 people
C)311, 192 people
D)654,361 people
E)1,000,000 people

Question 10

Article II, Section 2, of the Constitution deals with the congressional role in all treaties.Which chamber must give consent to a treaty made by a president and what vote in that chamber must be obtained to ratify the treaty?

A)Senate, by a simple majority
B)House, by a two-thirds majority
C)Senate, by a two-thirds majority
D)House, by a simple majority
E)A simple majority of both the House and Senate

Question 11

In addition to creating the Congressional Budget Office, the Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 specifically

A)required all tax bills to originate in the House.
B)required authorization bills to originate in the Senate.
C)permitted appropriations without authorizations.
D)required judicial review of the budgetary process.
E)limited executive branch power over government spending.

Question 12

The first committee to review a tax bill is the

A)House Rules Committee.
B)House Budget Committee.
C)Ways and Means Committee of the House of Representatives.
D)Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives.
E)Select Committee on Taxation and Finance.

Question 13

Which of the following statements describes a difference between the House of Representatives and the Senate?

A)The House is less formal than the Senate.
B)Senators are more concerned with local issues.
C)Senate rules are short and relatively simple.
D)Most senators are campaigning all of the time.
E)There are strict limits on the length of time a Senator may speak.

Question 14

The dual nature of Congress means Congress has:

A)two chambers: House and Senate.
B)both expressed powers and implied powers.
C)both lawmaking and representative functions.
D)legislative role and executive authority.
E)taxing and spending powers.

Question 15

In the fall 2008 election, how many women were elected to the 111th Congress?

A)3
B)9
C)20
D)76
E)104

Question 16

Which one of the following correctly describes the impeachment process?

A)The House decides whether to levy formal charges against a government official; the Senate conducts a trial on the House charges.
B)The Senate decides whether to levy formal charges against a government official; the House conducts a trial on the Senate charges.
C)The House and the Senate jointly consider charges; the Supreme Court conducts a trial on the joint charges.
D)A high-ranking government official is removed from office as soon as the charges are voted upon in the House.
E)The power of impeachment can be used against any federal employee within any government branch or agency.

Question 17

How many senators and representatives vote in Congress?

A)435
B)535
C)270
D)104
E)161

Question 18

Which one of the following is true with respect to federal budget deficits?

A)The deficit has been the same from year to year.
B)Cuts in spending have not reduced deficits.
C)The federal government has rarely run a budget deficit.
D)Deficits were common in the 1930s, but disappeared with World War II.
E)Deficits have forced the government to borrow heavily.

Question 19

The presiding officer of the House of Representatives is called the

A)majority whip.
B)President Pro Tempore.
C)House majority leader.
D)Speaker of the House.
E)President of the House.

Question 20

The staff agency charged with helping the president prepare the budget is the

A)Office of Management and Budget.
B)Department of the Treasury.
C)Office of Fiscal Accountability.
D)Department of the Interior.
E)Internal Revenue Service

Question 21

Authorizations establish specific programs and set limits on the amounts that may be spent on them.

Question 22

Which Speaker of the House's actions caused future speakers to lose the right to sit on the House Rules Committees?

A)Newt Gingrich
B)Tip O'Neill
C)Sam Rayburn
D)Joseph Cannon
E)Gene Rayburn

Question 23

A discharge petition is a crucial part of the procedure to

A)initiate proceedings in either house to expel a member.
B)take a bill out of a committee's hands.
C)initiate impeachment proceedings.
D)remove a chairperson from a standing committee.
E)vote on conviction in impeachment proceedings.

Question 24

Assistant floor leaders are called

A)whips.
B)chairs.
C)liaisons.
D)minority leaders.
E)sergeants-at-arms.

Question 25

Tax bills can originate in either the House or the Senate.

Question 26

A special order issued by the House Rules Committee, determining when a bill will come up for debate, is called a(n)

A)rule.
B)writ.
C)appropriation.
D)discharge petition.
E)cloture.

Question 27

When a bill comes up for debate in the House, how many members need to be present for the Committee of the Whole to have a quorum?

A)50
B)100
C)218
D)398
E)535

Question 28

The Senate device in which one or more senators speak continuously in an effort to prevent a bill from coming to a vote is called a

A)floor debate.
B)filibuster.
C)cloture.
D)unanimous consent agreement.
E)floor conference.

Question 29

Terminating debate in the Senate takes a vote for cloture adopted by

A)two-thirds of those present.
B)two-thirds of the total membership.
C)three-fifths of the entire Senate.
D)a simple majority of those present.
E)simple majorities in the House and Senate.

Question 30

The Union Calendar in the House of Representatives is for bills dealing with

A)labor unions.
B)little or no debate.
C)appropriations and tax legislation.
D)specific individuals, corporations, or localities.
E)national holidays, ceremonies, and remembrances.

Question 31

Which House calendar is used for bills that require little or no debate?

A)House
B)Union
C)Private
D)Consent
E)Casework

Question 32

All of the following terms are related to the Senate, except

A)filibuster.
B)cloture vote.
C)discharge petition.
D)unanimous consent agreements.
E)Rule 22

Question 33

Bills must pass both houses in exactly the same form before they can be sent to the president.When different versions of a bill have been passed by the House and the Senate, the bill is sent to a

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

Question 34

The elected official presiding over the Senate is also known as the

A)president of the United States.
B)vice president of the United States.
C)President Pro Tempore of the Senate.
D)Senate majority leader.
E)Speaker of the Senate.

Question 35

How has the seniority system been altered when choosing chairs in congressional committees?

A)Chairs are now elected by party caucus.
B)Chairs now automatically assume their position by being the longest serving party member.
C)The oldest member of each committee now becomes the chair.
D)Chairs are no longer appointed by the leader of the majority party.
E)Chairs are appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate.

Question 36

What major committee in the House can report a bill directly to the floor without going through the Rules Committee?

A)Budget
B)Finance
C)Ways and Means
D)Appropriations
E)Resolutions

Question 37

Increased tax revenue or spending cuts can reduce budget deficits.

Question 38

What would be the appropriate step to take a bill out of the jurisdiction of a committee and bring it to the floor of the House for consideration?

A)filibuster
B)cloture vote
C)unanimous consent agreement
D)public hearing
E)discharge petition

Question 39

Who is primarily responsible for rounding up the votes of party members and persuading them to be present when their votes are needed?

A)Speaker of the House
B)Clerk of the House
C)majority leader
D)Senate president
E)whips

Question 40

Which type of congressional committee is formed to examine particular issues?

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

Question 41

Congress may override the presidential veto by a two-thirds vote in each house.

Question 42

Conference committees are committees formed to work out a compromise when different versions of a bill have been passed by the House and the Senate.

Question 43

The House majority leader has little importance or responsibility to its party.

Question 44

The Senate has rejected only about twenty treaties since the nation's founding.

Question 45

The President of the Senate may vote in order to break a tie.

Question 46

Reapportionment is performed every ten years when the population of the United States is counted by the Census Bureau.

Question 47

The reelection rate of incumbents in the House of Representatives is frequently above 95 percent.

Question 48

Senate rules are many and complex; House rules are short and relatively simple.

Question 49

Explain some of the factors that influence the drawing of congressional district boundaries.What is gerrymandering and how does it affect electoral outcomes? What are some of the proposals for reform?

Question 50

Policy representation is concerned mainly with passing legislation that benefits a representative's district.

Question 51

In recent years, the use of the filibuster has become more controversial.Discuss the reasons for the filibuster in the U.S.Senate.Do you think the filibuster should be eliminated? Why or why not?

Question 52

Compare and contrast the relative powers of the leadership of the House of Representatives and the Senate. Why do the leadership positions in the two bodies vary so greatly?

Question 53

Most members of Congress are members of trade unions, or have worked as scientists or members of the clergy.

Question 54

Although Congress is a partisan body, the procedure for getting a bill proposal to a floor vote is remarkably fair.

Question 55

Policy agenda is "the list of subjects to which government officials and those around them are paying serious attention."

Question 56

The oversight function is carried out by committees in the Department of Justice.

Question 57

Which is the more important function of a member of Congress: representation or enacting legislation? Explain.Make sure you give examples of the various functions in your answer.

Question 58

A discharge petition is the only device that can be used to take a bill out of the jurisdiction of a committee.

Question 59

Under the Constitution, presidential appointments must receive the consent of the House of Representatives.

Question 60

Any senator or representative can introduce a bill.A senator can do so by sending the bill to the Senate desk; a representative can do so by depositing the proposal in the hopper located on the floor of the house.

Question 61

Who would you say has been more successful in exercising power in the areas of budgetary spending and military affairs, Congress or the president? Explain.Make sure you discuss relevant events and laws.