Question 1

What is the difference between responsibility and responsiveness? How is the tension between these built into the U.S. Congress? Support your answer with specific examples from the textbook.

Accepted Answer

The answer of What is the difference between responsibility and...

Question 2

What is a pocket veto?

Accepted Answer

A pocket veto occurs when the president does not sign a bill and Congress adjourns within ten days of sending it to the president. This results in the bill being automatically vetoed without the possibility of Congress overriding the veto.

Question 3

Term limits are a type of reform that:

Accepted Answer

The answer of Term limits are a type of reform...

Question 4

What are the norms that guide behavior in Congress? Give an example of at least two of these norms. Do the norms seem to be strengthening (as in, more members are following them) or weakening over time? Do you believe that these norms are consistent with producing "good" policy? Why or why not?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What are the norms that guide behavior...

Question 5

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?

Accepted Answer

The process described is a markup, which is the process by which a legislative bill is amended or revised in committee. Multiple referral refers to a bill being referred to more than one committee for consideration, filibuster refers to a tactic used to delay or prevent action on a bill by speaking for an extended period of time, gerrymandering refers to the manipulation of electoral districts to favor a particular political party, and veto refers to the power of the president to reject a bill passed by Congress. None of these terms accurately describe the process described in the scenario.

Question 6

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

Accepted Answer

The filibuster/vote of cloture allows the minority party to stop legislation with as few as 41 votes. This is important for the minority party because they may not have enough votes to pass their own legislation, but they can use the filibuster to prevent the majority party from passing legislation that they oppose. It also gives the minority party leverage in negotiating with the majority party to make changes to the bill before they agree to end the filibuster.

Question 7

What did the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act eliminate?

Accepted Answer

The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (BCRA) banned the use of soft money in federal elections. Soft money was unregulated donations given to political parties that were intended to promote issues or political candidates indirectly. The Act aimed to limit the influence of special interest groups in politics by imposing strict limits on the amount of money individuals and organizations could contribute to federal candidates and political parties. This included banning soft money contributions to national party committees.

Question 8

The textbook introduces the idea of the electoral connection, in which the behavior of members of Congress is understood relative to their desire to be reelected. Explain the three types of behavior we observe in Congress because of the electoral connection, providing examples of each one. How does the electoral connection affect the Congress as a whole?

Accepted Answer

The answer of The textbook introduces the idea of the...

Question 9

What are apportionment and redistricting? What factors influence the outcome of the processes, particularly with respect to redistricting? What impact does this have on elections to the House of Representatives and, therefore, on the politics of lawmaking?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What are apportionment and redistricting? What factors...

Question 10

What is a filibuster?

Accepted Answer

A filibuster is a tactic used in the Senate by one or more senators to delay or prevent a vote on a bill by speaking for an extended period of time, essentially "talking the bill to death." The goal is to use up all available time for debate and prevent the bill from moving forward. It takes 60 votes to end a filibuster and proceed to a vote on a bill.

Question 11

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

Accepted Answer

Under closed rules, a bill cannot be amended on the House floor.

Question 12

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

Accepted Answer

Cloture is the vote that limits the amount of time spent debating a bill in the Senate. Filibuster is a tactic used to delay or prevent a vote on a bill by continuously speaking on the Senate floor. Closed rules and modified rules refer to the procedures in the House of Representatives, not the Senate. Suspension of the rules is a procedure used in the House of Representatives to quickly pass a bill without going through the regular voting process.

Question 13

All of the following describe omnibus legislation EXCEPT:

Accepted Answer

Omnibus legislation does not require a supermajority for passage in both houses. This statement is not a characteristic of omnibus legislation.

Question 14

When members of Congress wait until there is a crisis before taking action in addressing problems in the bureaucracy, they are engaged in:

Accepted Answer

Fire alarm oversight refers to the practice of Congress only intervening in bureaucratic issues when a crisis or problem arises, rather than actively monitoring and addressing issues through regular oversight. This is likely the best choice because it specifically describes waiting for a crisis before taking action, which is the scenario presented in the question.

Question 15

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

Accepted Answer

Suspending rules is not a way for Congress to engage in oversight of the bureaucracy, as it only pertains to the internal procedures of Congress itself. The other options, holding hearings, conducting investigations, limiting or cutting appropriations, and interviewing members of the bureaucracy, are all methods that Congress can use to oversee and check the power of the bureaucracy.

Question 16

Congress passes a bill banning the use of cell phones while driving. The bill passes both chambers in the last week before the session ends for the year. The president does not sign the bill and because of this it does not become a law. This is an example of a(n):

Accepted Answer

A pocket veto occurs when the president does not sign a bill and Congress adjourns before the 10-day period in which the president has to sign or veto the bill expires. In this case, the session ended for the year, making it impossible for Congress to override the veto. The bill has effectively been killed. This is not a fire alarm oversight tactic, filibuster, omnibus bill, or veto as those have different meanings and processes.

Question 17

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.

Accepted Answer

The authorization process determines the maximum amount of money that can be spent on a bill, while the appropriation process assigns the actual amount of money to be spent. Therefore, option B correctly matches the processes with their respective functions.

Question 18

Which of the following has NOT been suggested as a means of congressional reform?

Accepted Answer

Reducing the size of the House of Representatives has not been frequently suggested as a means of congressional reform. Other options such as campaign finance reform, term limits, granting more power to the Speaker, and changing the filibuster have all been debated as potential ways to improve congressional functioning.

Question 19

Many states have laws that mandate ________, preventing people from serving in the legislature for more than a certain number of years.

Accepted Answer

Term limits are laws that mandate limits on the number of years that people can serve in the legislature, preventing them from staying in power for too long. This is meant to prevent lawmakers from becoming too entrenched and to encourage turnover and fresh perspectives in government. Options A (gerrymandering), B (cloture), C (oversight), and E (filibusters) are all unrelated to limits on legislative terms.

Question 20

A vote of cloture requires approval by how many senators?

Accepted Answer

A vote of cloture in the Senate requires approval by 60 senators. This is because cloture is used to end a filibuster, which is a tactic used by senators to block or delay a vote on a bill. The Senate has 100 members, so 60 is the minimum number needed to overcome a filibuster and move forward with a vote.

Quiz 11: Congress