Deck 11: Congress: Doing the Peoples Business

Question 1

Carol Moseley Braun, the first African American woman to serve in the Senate, came to office in ________.

A) 1897
B) 1933
C) 1959
D) 1993
E) 2005

Answer 1

D

Question 2

In recent years in Congress,

A) Democrats have moved more toward the political center.
B) Republicans have moved more toward the political center.
C) polarization of the two parties has increased.
D) partisanship has decreased.
E) All of these answers are correct.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Joseph "Uncle Joe" Cannon is an example of an exceptionally powerful turn-of-the-century

A) Speaker of the House.
B) senator.
C) president.
D) chief justice.
E) state governor.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Which of the following statements about Congress is LEAST accurate?

A) Congress is a bicameral institution.
B) The Senate was initially seen as the protector of minority rights against mass opinion.
C) The House was initially seen as the chief governmental representative of the majority of the people.
D) Senators' terms of office are three times longer than those of representatives.
E) When the Constitution was first put into effect, it made senator and representative the only two federal offices that would be elected directly by the people.

Question 5

Hiram Fong, the first Asian American to serve in the Senate, came to office in ________.

A) 1897
B) 1933
C) 1959
D) 1993
E) 2005

Question 6

Which of the following midterm elections saw the LOWEST percentage of incumbents win reelection?

A) 1994
B) 1998
C) 2002
D) 2006
E) 2010

Question 7

Which of the following powers does the Constitution NOT explicitly grant to Congress?

A) the power to fix weights and measures
B) the power to impeach federal officials
C) the power to regulate environmental standards
D) the power to regulate the armed forces
E) the power to govern the District of Columbia

Question 8

The presidencies of Theodore Roosevelt and Franklin Roosevelt are notable for

A) their subservience to Congress.
B) the equal partnership they forged between Congress and the executive.
C) their role in expanding executive power.
D) their unchallenged presidential authority.
E) their failure to enact any significant legislation.

Question 9

The Framers overcame internal squabbling by agreeing to the Great Compromise, which

A) recognized the existence of slavery but allowed the federal government to ban the international slave trade.
B) factored three-fifths of the slave population into calculations of representation and taxation.
C) allowed the people to elect their congressmen directly, but stipulated that presidents be elected indirectly through the Electoral College.
D) created a bicameral system, based on proportional representation in one house and state-by-state voting in the other.
E) dictated that members of both the House and the Senate would be elected directly by the people.

Question 10

Approximately how many constituents does the average congressperson represent?

A) 35,000
B) 95,500
C) 350,100
D) 710,700
E) 1,250,000

Question 11

Which of the following is NOT generally one of the advantages incumbents wield over challengers?

A) Incumbents can send mail to their constituents at the government's expense.
B) Incumbents are more likely to be able to hide their political leanings to attract a broader base.
C) Donors tend to contribute more money to incumbents, who seem like a safer bet than challengers.
D) Incumbents are able to keep themselves in the public eye by making periodic public announcements or initiating new policies.
E) Incumbents are able to pull strings of government to win the favor of individual constituents.

Question 12

Powers the Constitution explicitly grants to Congress are known as

A) enumerated powers.
B) delegated powers.
C) reserved powers.
D) elastic powers.
E) executive powers.

Question 13

In 2016, what percentage of incumbent congressional members won their reelection bids?

A) 97 percent
B) 70 percent
C) 55 percent
D) 40 percent
E) 25 percent

Question 14

The American people directly elect their senators as a result of

A) Article I of the Constitution.
B) Article II of the Constitution.
C) the Twelfth Amendment.
D) the Fourteenth Amendment.
E) the Seventeenth Amendment.

Question 15

The elastic clause of the Constitution allows Congress to

A) claim powers not explicitly granted to it by the Constitution.
B) override presidential vetoes.
C) assert its supremacy over the other branches of government.
D) overturn state laws that conflict with federal law.
E) regulate commerce with foreign nations.

Question 16

Which of the following statements about Congress today is LEAST accurate?

A) Whereas committee seats were traditionally awarded based on merit, incumbents have managed to impose a strict seniority system on these appointments.
B) The number of women and ethnic minorities in Congress increased during the second half of the twentieth century.
C) For several decades after 1937, Southern Democrats were able to prevent progressive legislation from being passed in Congress.
D) Partisan divisions have become more virulent within Congress.
E) Party leaders today are more important in the legislative process than 30 years ago.

Question 17

In the decades following Andrew Jackson's presidency, primacy in formulating public policy shifted to the

A) House of Representatives.
B) Senate.
C) president.
D) Supreme Court.
E) voting public.

Question 18

Which of the following descriptions best captures the popular view of the Senate in the late nineteenth century?

A) the government body most in tune with the will of the American people
B) a powerless body that placidly rubber-stamped presidential initiatives
C) a source of progressive, even radical, policy initiatives
D) a group of nonpartisan, deliberative elder statesmen
E) a millionaires' club beholden to party bosses and big business

Question 19

Jeannette Rankin is notable as the first

A) female Supreme Court justice.
B) woman elected to the House of Representatives.
C) female senator.
D) woman to run for vice president on a major party's ticket.
E) female Speaker of the House.

Question 20

When the republic was founded, policy initiatives were usually introduced by the

A) House of Representatives.
B) Senate.
C) president.
D) Supreme Court.
E) voting public.

Question 21

In which of the following midterm elections did the president's party lose the most seats?

A) 1990
B) 1998
C) 2002
D) 2006
E) 2010

Question 22

Funding for specific projects that are added by members of Congress to appropriation bills, usually without oversight or public debate, is known as

A) earmarks.
B) riders.
C) budget requests.
D) presidential funding priorities.
E) log projects.

Question 23

Which of the following statements about midterm elections is most accurate?

A) They take place every two years.
B) They usually result in losses for the sitting president's party.
C) They usually see higher turnouts than non-midterm elections.
D) They are generally less partisan affairs than non-midterm elections.
E) They receive higher levels of media coverage than non-midterm elections.

Question 24

Which of the following statements about congresspersons' relationships with their constituencies is LEAST accurate?

A) Contact between members of Congress and their constituents is generally mediated through the congresspersons' staffs.
B) Members of Congress are having increasing difficulty knowing if constituent communications are authentic and coming from their actual district.
C) Members of Congress often engage in credit claiming-returning to their home districts to announce a new grant or piece of legislation that will benefit their constituency.
D) Members of Congress often pursue "home-style" activities like holding town meetings in their districts.
E) Issues confronting constituents are most often first communicated to their members of Congress through the media.

Question 25

Informal groups of lawmakers who gather together based on party or interest to discuss matters of common concern are known as

A) delegates.
B) trustees.
C) politicos.
D) placeholders.
E) congressional caucuses.

Question 26

Most of the actual review of legislation in Congress takes place

A) by the personal staffs of congressional members.
B) during visits to lawmakers' home states.
C) in caucuses.
D) in committees.
E) when Congress is in recess.

Question 27

The franking privilege allows members of Congress to

A) voice their opinion on the floor without fear of legal reprisal.
B) appoint the officials who will count the votes in their own district.
C) reshape district lines to enhance the power of their party.
D) send correspondence to constituents at the government's expense.
E) "table" controversial petitions, thus avoiding divisive issues.

Question 28

Which of the following statements about majority-minority districts is LEAST accurate?

A) They represent attempts to enhance political participation and representation of minorities.
B) They redraw district lines so as to enhance the political power of a racial minority group.
C) Their efficacy has been questioned, as they lead to other districts being more fully dominated by whites.
D) The Supreme Court has recently made the qualifications for creation of such districts more strict.
E) Evidence suggests that majority-minority districts contribute to significant declines in white political participation, without any visible increase in minority participation.

Question 29

Congresspersons who try to balance the desires of interest groups, party leaders, and voters with their own best judgment are said to act as

A) delegates.
B) trustees.
C) politicos.
D) placeholders.
E) caucuses.

Question 30

Which of the following statements about the relationship between lobbyists and members of Congress is most accurate?

A) Members of Congress are not allowed to receive any gifts or donations from registered lobbyists.
B) Lobbyists can provide a valuable democratic function by keeping members of Congress informed about important issues.
C) Despite popular views of congressional corruption, it has been several decades since a member of Congress has been formally charged with inappropriately receiving gifts from lobbyists.
D) After leaving Congress, a former congressperson can immediately accept a position as a congressional lobbyist.
E) A former congressional staffer can become a congressional lobbyist immediately after leaving the staff job.

Question 31

Congresspersons who focus primarily on enacting the wishes of their constituents are said to act

A) in the delegate style.
B) as trustees.
C) as politicos.
D) in the placeholder style.
E) as caucuses.

Question 32

What was notable about the Congress elected in 2012?

A) It lost many of its African American representatives.
B) It elected the first Asian American woman representative.
C) It drastically increased its percentage of white males.
D) It saw the number of Hispanic American representatives outnumber African American representatives.
E) It had the first openly gay senator.

Question 33

The term gerrymander refers to

A) the redrawing of district lines to favor one party over another.
B) a Senate tactic for ending debate on a controversial issue and forcing a vote.
C) a congressional tactic for killing a bill before members can vote on it.
D) the congressional tactic of exchanging votes.
E) the practice of granting the majority party a majority on every congressional committee.

Question 34

Which of the following statements about congressional redistricting is most accurate?

A) There are currently 435 seats in the House of Representatives, but that number increases by one every time another million persons are added to the American population.
B) Since each state is guaranteed a fixed number of seats, redistricting only affects the shape of districts within a given state and never changes the number of representatives each state has.
C) Since membership in the House is capped at 435, redistricting may result in one state losing seats and another gaining seats.
D) Congressional redistricting must take place exactly every four years.
E) The Supreme Court has ruled that gerrymandering for political gain represents an unconstitutional infringement on citizens' rights.

Question 35

Congresspersons who focus primarily on using their best judgment to meet the needs of their constituents are said to act as

A) delegates.
B) trustees.
C) politicos.
D) placeholders.
E) caucuses.

Question 36

Which of the following statements about the committee staffers who assist members of Congress is LEAST accurate?

A) Committee staffers tend to be older and more experienced than a congressperson's personal staffers.
B) Appointments to a committee staff are split equally between the majority and minority parties in Congress.
C) The average size of a Senate committee staff is about 50; that of a House committee staff, about 65.
D) Committee staffers provide valuable expertise that helps members of Congress make better-informed decisions.
E) Though they are not elected officials, committee staffers nonetheless sometimes take an active hand in drafting federal legislation.

Question 37

All of the following are basic types of congressional committees EXCEPT

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

Question 38

Not including their many benefits, how much does the average congressperson make each year for his or her congressional service?

A) $50,000
B) $86,000
C) $111,000
D) $174,000
E) $235,000

Question 39

Nancy Pelosi first served as Speaker of the House in

A) 1995.
B) 1999.
C) 2007.
D) 2011.
E) 2013.

Question 40

Upon their arrival in Congress after the 2010 elections, Tea Party Republicans

A) set themselves up as a third party independent of the Republican Party.
B) quickly fell in with established practices of Congress.
C) placed strong pressure on the Republican leadership to follow Tea Party principles.
D) refused to align with either the Republican Party or the Democratic Party.
E) found that they actually had more in common with Democrats than with Republicans.

Question 41

In which of the following ways does the Senate differ from the House?

A) It has rules requiring germaneness, unlike the House.
B) It is harder to filibuster legislation than in the House.
C) It lacks a Rules Committee.
D) Its leader has more power to influence which legislation gets a vote than in the House.
E) The partisan cohesion of its parties is greater.

Question 42

The Senate tactic of holding the floor for hours on end until an unwanted piece of legislation is dropped or amended is known as

A) a discharge petition.
B) a filibuster.
C) cloture.
D) a hold.
E) a gerrymander.

Question 43

Congressional standing committee chairs are still primarily chosen on the basis of ________, though this has weakened in recent years.

A) partisan loyalty
B) their ability to frame issues along party lines
C) their skill in controlling the legislative agenda
D) their ability to raise funds for fellow party members
E) seniority

Question 44

In 2013, Senate majority leader Harry Reid pushed through a change in the cloture rule to stop filibusters for executive and many judicial nominees by requiring ________ votes to end debate and move to a vote.

A) 40
B) 51
C) 60
D) 67
E) 75

Question 45

When presented with a bill, the president can respond in all of the following ways EXCEPT

A) signing the bill, as it is, into law.
B) leaving the bill unsigned, in which case it will become law after ten days.
C) exercising a pocket veto, whereby the president leaves the bill unsigned for ten days, in which case the bill dies if Congress goes out of session before those ten days expire.
D) exercising a line-item veto, whereby the president agrees to certain provisions of the bill but crosses out others.
E) vetoing the bill directly, in which case the bill is sent back to Congress for reconsideration.

Question 46

The chief duty of whips is to

A) toss out frivolous legislation before it reaches the floor.
B) forge consensus across the aisle.
C) ensure that party members are present to vote and that they vote as the party wants.
D) provide members of Congress with detailed assessments of proposed policies and help them draft new legislation.
E) control the flow of debate on the House floor.

Question 47

The Senate procedure of calling for an end to debate and forcing a vote on the floor is known as

A) a discharge petition.
B) a filibuster.
C) cloture.
D) a hold.
E) a gerrymander.

Question 48

In recent years in Congress,

A) Democrats have become more liberal as Republicans have become more moderate.
B) Democrats have become more liberal as Republicans have become more conservative.
C) Democrats have become more moderate as Republicans have become more conservative.
D) Democrats have become more moderate as Republicans have become more moderate.
E) None of these answers is correct.

Question 49

One of the most important powers of committee chairs is the ability to

A) decide which bills will be put up for a vote by the entire chamber.
B) pass a bill into law with a simple committee vote.
C) schedule legislation for floor consideration.
D) cast the first vote on all legislation.
E) control the flow of debate on the floor.

Question 50

The most powerful figure in the House of Representatives is the

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

Question 51

Which procedure allows a senator to prevent a vote on an issue until the Senate leadership consults individually with the senator?

A) a discharge petition
B) a filibuster
C) cloture
D) a hold
E) a gerrymander

Question 52

Committees that are convened to reconcile differences between Senate and House versions of the same bill before sending the bill to the president are known as

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

Question 53

Which of the following persons had a well-deserved reputation as a powerful Senate majority leader?

A) Harry Reid
B) Joseph Cannon
C) Newt Gingrich
D) Lyndon Johnson
E) Sam Rayburn

Question 54

In which of the following conflicts did Congress officially declare war?

A) War of 1812 with Great Britain
B) First Barbary War
C) Korean War
D) Vietnam War
E) First Gulf War

Question 55

Which of the following is NOT one of the powers traditionally wielded by the Speaker of the House?

A) appointing majority members to committees
B) referring bills to committees
C) scheduling legislation for floor consideration
D) casting the first vote on all legislation
E) helping control the flow of debate on the floor

Question 56

Between 2007 and 2011, the most powerful person in the House was

A) Kevin McCarthy.
B) Steny Hoyer.
C) Nancy Pelosi.
D) John Boehner.
E) Eric Cantor.

Question 57

Only the House of Representatives, not the Senate, may initiate

A) revenue bills.
B) bills related to foreign affairs.
C) military bills.
D) declarations of war.
E) civil rights legislation.

Question 58

Who is generally the most influential person in the Senate?

A) president of the Senate (that is, the U.S. vice president)
B) president pro tempore
C) majority leader
D) minority leader
E) chair of the Committee on Rules

Question 59

A request to force a House committee to release a piece of legislation to the floor for a vote is known as

A) a discharge petition.
B) a filibuster.
C) cloture.
D) a hold.
E) a gerrymander.

Question 60

Committees that are convened for a limited period of time to consider matters outside the jurisdiction of existing committees are known as

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

Question 61

Discuss the role committees play in Congress. What are the various types of committees? How are committee seats awarded? What powers do committees possess? Is the committee system a positive good or a necessary evil?

Question 62

Which of the following statements about the federal budget is LEAST accurate?

A) While about 25 percent of the federal budget is allocated to nondiscretionary expenditures, most of it can be used to fund any program that Congress desires.
B) The initial proposed federal budget is drawn up by the White House, not by Congress.
C) Congressional budget committees consult with representatives of executive agencies to develop a budget resolution.
D) The process of reconciliation allows Congress to change funding targets for various programs in order to stay within budgetary guidelines.
E) Congress frequently must resort to continuing resolutions, which allow agencies to continue to operate based on the previous year's budget, until the new budget can be finalized.

Question 63

What was the most recent conflict in which Congress officially declared war?

A) World War I
B) World War II
C) Korean War
D) Vietnam War
E) 2003 Iraq War

Question 64

Which of the following statements about impeachment is LEAST accurate?

A) The House has the sole power to pass a measure for impeachment.
B) The Senate has the sole power to try impeached officials.
C) In cases of presidential impeachment, the chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court presides over the trial.
D) Federal officials can be impeached for bribery, treason, and high crimes and misdemeanors.
E) The only two presidents ever to be impeached were both charged with bribery (and both acquitted).

Question 65

How many times has Congress officially declared war?

A) 0
B) 5
C) 11
D) 16
E) 37

Question 66

Describe how Congress received its structure and functions. What alternatives were argued for, in Philadelphia, before the delegates agreed on the current bicameral structure? Why were those alternatives rejected? What powers does the Constitution explicitly grant to Congress? What powers has Congress claimed for itself? How has the influence and standing of Congress changed over time?

Question 67

Which president suffered a major defeat when the Senate refused to ratify the Treaty of Versailles?

A) William McKinley
B) Woodrow Wilson
C) Theodore Roosevelt
D) Herbert Hoover
E) Franklin Roosevelt

Question 68

Why is the Speaker of the House such a powerful person? What powers does the Speaker have? Why is there no analogous position in the Senate?

Question 69

In order to secure approval of a Cabinet secretary, the president must gain the approval of

A) two-thirds of the Senate.
B) two-thirds of the House.
C) two-thirds of both chambers of Congress.
D) a simple majority of senators.
E) a simple majority of members of both chambers.

Question 70

In order to secure ratification of a treaty, the president must gain the approval of

A) two-thirds of the Senate.
B) two-thirds of the House.
C) two-thirds of both chambers of Congress.
D) a simple majority of senators.
E) a simple majority of members of both chambers.

Question 71

In general, congressional oversight of the executive branch

A) is strong, as the Supreme Court has affirmed the legislature's authority to exercise such powers as the legislative veto.
B) has long since been accepted as a congressional power even though it is not enumerated.
C) is strong because it is a power enumerated by the Constitution.
D) is weak, because Congress has no power over the budget of executive agencies.
E) is weak, because Congress has no recognized authority to change executive agency regulations.

Question 72

Discuss the methods by which Congress might be made more receptive to the American public, and the American public more invested in Congress. What significant problems must be addressed in order for Americans to regain trust in and engagement with Congress? What solutions are best suited to solving these problems? Are these solutions feasible? Is there any likelihood that the people's relationship with Congress will change meaningfully in the immediate future?

Question 73

Explain the process by which citizens choose their representatives. What resources must one have to win a congressional election? Why are incumbents so hard to unseat? Do the long tenures enjoyed by many congressmen undermine democracy or benefit their constituency?

Question 74

What tactic have presidents employed in recent years to ensure Senate ratification of negotiated treaties?

A) threatening to veto popular Senate legislation
B) involving senators directly in the negotiating process
C) conferring with senators during the negotiating process
D) offering executive department appointments to senators
E) threatening to block funding for Senate legislation

Question 75

Which of the following is required to remove a president from office via the impeachment process?

A) a two-thirds vote in the House
B) a two-thirds vote in the Senate
C) approval by a majority of the Supreme Court
D) approval by three-fourths of state legislatures
E) All of these answers are correct.

Question 76

Which of the following statements about the War Powers Resolution is most accurate?

A) Its constitutionality has been upheld by the Supreme Court.
B) It prevents the president from ever using military force without first securing a congressional declaration of war.
C) It has effectively curtailed the ability of presidents to employ military force without declarations of war.
D) In the 35 years since it was passed not a single president has recognized its constitutionality.
E) It has been declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.

Question 77

Explain the process by which legislation is drafted and becomes law. What role do different groups, formal and informal, inside Congress and out, play in the process? Why is the procedure so complicated? What are the drawbacks and advantages of this procedure? Should the legislative process be streamlined?