Deck 10: Congress: Politics on Capitol Hill

Question 1

In __________,Republicans captured control of both houses of Congress for the first time in forty years.

A)1990
B)1994
C)1996
D)1998

Answer 1

B

Question 2

What best explains the overwhelming advantage incumbents possess in seeking reelection over opposition candidates?

A)additional financial support from constituent taxes
B)additional financial support from the federal government campaign fund
C)demonstrated ability to lead and public record of votes
D)name recognition,access to media,and campaign funding

Answer 2

D

Question 3

In the House of Representatives,who is second in authority to the Speaker of the House?

A)the majority leader
B)the majority whip
C)the minority leader
D)the minority whip

Answer 3

A

Question 4

__________ is the process of allotting congressional seats to each state according to its proportion of the population.

A)Apportionment
B)Appropriations
C)Delegation
D)Gerrymandering

Question 5

"Pork" legislation may aid the district of a member of Congress by __________.

A)diverting unallocated funds to the service sector
B)increasing jobs and revenue with federally funded projects
C)increasing revenue through private market investment
D)taxing corporations less so they provide health insurance for employees

Question 6

Congressional whips serve what main function?

A)act as official spokespersons for their chambers
B)help the Speaker schedule proposed legislation for debate
C)meet with members of the executive cabinet
D)persuade party members to tow the party line

Question 7

Each state has __________ senators elected every __________ years.

A)two; two
B)two; four
C)two; six
D)four; two

Question 8

Successful members of Congress share the same policy interests as voters,according to the __________.

A)conscience model of representation
B)delegate notion of representation
C)majority-minority model of representation
D)politico model of representation

Question 9

What is the term for an amendment designed to ensure the defeat of a bill on a final vote?

A)hostile amendment
B)killer amendment
C)kill bill
D)virus bill

Question 10

On average,each member of the House represents __________ voters.

A)7,000
B)107,000
C)700,000
D)1,700,000

Question 11

Why are there currently 435 members in the House of Representatives?

A)The Constitution requires a specific ratio of representatives to constituents.
B)The Constitution stipulates this number.
C)The number has changed to reflect gerrymandering.
D)The number is fixed at this limit by a statute.

Question 12

The principal function of __________ is the screening and drafting of legislation.

A)conference committees
B)filibusters
C)riders
D)standing committees

Question 13

What is the meaning of Tip O'Neill's comment,"All politics is local"?

A)Corruption at the local level is partly to blame for national policy failure.
B)The president is partly to blame for national policy failure.
C)Institutional design is partly to blame for national policy failure.
D)Representatives spend too much time in their local districts.

Question 14

The Framers envisioned there would be no more than __________ people in each House district.

A)10,000
B)30,000
C)50,000
D)75,000

Question 15

__________ is the only formal method for ending a filibuster and requires the approval of __________ senators.

A)Abrogation; fifty-one
B)Abrogation; sixty
C)Censure; sixty
D)Cloture; sixty

Question 16

__________ is a good example of Congressional casework.

A)Analysis of an incumbent's policy positions prior to a debate
B)Analysis of police force effectiveness
C)Analysis of water quality within a district
D)Assistance to a constituent in obtaining a Social Security check

Question 17

As shown in Figure 10.1,following the advice of Benjamin Franklin,what form of legislature does Congress take?

A)bicameral
B)direct
C)trilateral
D)unicameral

Question 18

Congress's exclusive constitutional power to authorize expenditures by all agencies of the federal government is referred to as __________.

A)advice and consent
B)apportionment
C)oversight
D)the power of the purse

Question 19

Why were Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton impeached but not removed from office?

A)A simple majority in the House led to charges of wrongdoing,but a Senate trial failed to impeach.
B)A simple majority in the Senate led to charges of wrongdoing,but a House trial failed to impeach.
C)A supermajority in the House led to charges of wrongdoing,but a Senate trial failed to impeach.
D)A supermajority in the Senate led to charges of wrongdoing,but a House trial failed to impeach.

Question 20

What occurs during the appropriations process?

A)Congress grants funds to federal agencies and programs.
B)Congress makes laws.
C)Congress acquires requested oversight material from the executive.
D)Congress instructs the president to eliminate federal agencies.

Question 21

The true leader of the Senate is the __________,elected by the majority party.

A)majority leader
B)president pro tempore
C)Senate Chair
D)Speaker

Question 22

The president pro tempore __________.

A)has the power to nullify legislation with a pocket veto
B)has the power to select the majority leader
C)is an honorific office awarded to the senior senator of the majority party
D)is a role bequeathed to the vice president by the Constitution

Question 23

What is the typical trajectory of a bill in the House of Representatives?

A)introduction,committee referral,subcommittee,full committee report,rules committee,conference committee,send to president,full House vote
B)introduction,committee referral,subcommittee,full committee report,rules committee,full House vote,conference committee,send to president
C)introduction,committee referral,subcommittee,rules committee,full committee report,conference committee,full House vote,send to president
D)introduction,committee referral,rules committee,subcommittee,full committee report,full House vote,conference committee,send to president

Question 24

What is the purpose of a discharge petition?

A)to force a vote on a House bill within an opposing committee
B)to force a vote on a Senate bill within an opposing committee
C)to force a vote on a Senate or House bill within an opposing committee
D)to force the end of a filibuster in the House

Question 25

The only way to force a floor vote on a bill opposed by a committee is to get a majority of House members to sign a __________.

A)cloture rider
B)discharge petition
C)killer amendment
D)markup revision

Question 26

Which is an example of logrolling in Congress?

A)awarding a government contract to a campaign supporter
B)introducing and sponsoring a bill
C)sponsoring a bill in exchange for federal monies
D)supporting a bill in exchange for support of one's own bill

Question 27

A unanimous consent agreement specifies __________.

A)whether a bill reaches the House floor under a closed rule,restricted rule,or open rule
B)whether a bill reaches the Senate floor under a closed rule,restricted rule,or open rule
C)whether a bill reaches the Senate floor without a discharge petition
D)when a bill will be taken up on the Senate floor,what amendments will be considered,and when a vote will be taken

Question 28

A rise in party unity is indicative of __________.

A)cooperation across party lines
B)cooperation between Congress and the executive branch
C)decreasing party polarization
D)low bipartisanship levels

Question 29

What advantage does a subcommittee offer the legislative process?

A)expedited approval of joint committee floor submissions
B)expedited approval of standing committee floor submissions
C)greater division of labor
D)oversight of joint committees

Question 30

The role of Senate minority leader is important because __________.

A)he or she represents the opposition in negotiations with the majority leader
B)he or she serves as chief assistant to the majority leader
C)he or she serves as the national spokesperson for the party
D)the House does not have this position

Question 31

In the House of Representatives,the __________ decides who will speak on the floor and rules on points of order.

A)majority leader
B)majority whip
C)minority leader
D)Speaker

Question 32

Refusal to cooperate with a congressional investigation might invoke which citation?

A)contempt
B)obfuscation
C)obstruction
D)perjury

Question 33

According to the trustee idea of representation,legislators are __________.

A)obligated to follow a strict interpretation of the Constitution
B)obligated to present the views of their constituents
C)obligated to use their own opinions in decision making
D)trusted by their constituents because they are natives of their home districts

Question 34

A special joint committee created to reconcile differences in bills passed by the House and Senate is called a(n)__________ committee.

A)arbitration
B)conference
C)joint
D)select/special

Question 35

Which of the following is a contributing factor to congressional gridlock?

A)decreased specialization of Congress members in particular policy areas
B)greater ideological polarization of the parties
C)larger numbers of moderates among Democrats and Republicans
D)overwhelming public support for new legislation

Question 36

What does the term packing describe?

A)the allocation of House seats to the states after each 10-year census
B)the drawing of boundary lines of congressional districts following the census
C)a gerrymandering strategy which divides up and dilutes a strong minority to deny it the power to elect a representative
D)a gerrymandering strategy which puts a heavy concentration of one party's voters in a single district in order to "waste" their votes

Question 37

Which of the following events is the best example of an activity of the executive branch that involved strict congressional oversight?

A)the approval of President Obama's 2008 budget
B)the financial audit of Ohio in 2010
C)the Line Item Veto Act of 1996
D)the Watergate scandal

Question 38

The constitutional power of the U.S.Senate to reject or ratify treaties made by the president is referred to as __________

A)advice and consent
B)allocation
C)apportionment
D)confirmation

Question 39

The __________ is where congressional members of each party gather to select their leadership at the beginning of each term.

A)conference committee
B)electoral college
C)leadership conference
D)party caucus

Question 40

In an example of the change in what is considered appropriate Congressional behavior over time,Representative Joe Wilson's campaign donations increased despite violating __________ during a State of the Union address.

A)apprenticeship
B)civility
C)deference
D)institutional loyalty

Question 41

Which statement about incumbency is most accurate?

A)Incumbents have a huge advantage in reelection.
B)Incumbents have a small advantage in reelection.
C)Incumbents have no advantage in reelection.
D)Incumbents only leave office when pressured by party leadership.

Question 42

A __________ is one tactic to signal the leadership that a Senate member may have objections to a bill.

A)cloture
B)hold
C)markup
D)pocket veto

Question 43

A situation in which there is a Democratic president and a Republican-controlled House or Senate is an example of __________.

A)bipartisanship
B)cracking
C)divided party government
D)franking privilege

Question 44

To what has the Democratic dominance of Congress from 1954-1994 been attributed?

A)Democratic candidates appeared more creditable on promises to bring money and jobs to their districts.
B)Many voters considered national rather than local conditions when casting congressional votes.
C)More voters identified themselves as Republicans,but party identification did not play a significant role in congressional voting.
D)Republican congressional candidates enjoyed the many advantages of incumbency.

Question 45

What best represents the trend of party polarization over the last three decades?

A)Both Republicans and Democrats have become more conservative.
B)Both Republicans and Democrats have become more liberal.
C)Both Republicans and Democrats have become more moderate.
D)Party polarization has increased as bipartisanship has decreased.

Question 46

Which example best demonstrates a legislator acting as a trustee of his or her constituency?

A)considering public opinion,then using his or her own best judgment about what is good for the nation as a whole
B)doing whatever is best for reelection
C)following the public opinion of the constituency,regardless of his or her personal viewpoint
D)heeding public opinion in every case,except in matters of personal conscience

Question 47

Some Framers argued that including a bicameral legislature in the Constitution would reflect the nature of American liberal democracy __________.

A)by providing both a liberal and a conservative chamber
B)by using mutual oversight to prevent malfeasance in office
C)through redundancy,should one chamber be compromised
D)with responsiveness to and protection from a tyranny of the majority

Question 48

Those who favor term limits for representatives __________.

A)want no change to existing legislation on the matter
B)want to decrease competition for seats and reduce open seat races
C)want to discourage Washington outsiders from seeking public office
D)believe politicians become isolated from the concerns of their constituents

Question 49

This individual keeps close contact with all members of his or her party,counts votes for key legislation,prepares summaries of bills,and acts as a communications link within the party.

A)committee chairperson
B)majority/minority leader
C)majority/minority whip
D)president pro tempore

Question 50

A lobbyist for the NRA would be most effective when targeting a legislator __________.

A)whose voting behavior supports gun control
B)whose voting behavior opposes gun control
C)with a large and mostly unoccupied support staff
D)who wants cash for personal trips to gun shows

Question 51

One example of the Framers' intent to insulate the Senate from the tyranny of the majority was to __________.

A)give members lifetime appointments
B)give the Senate authority to overturn a presidential veto without House ratification
C)give the Senate authority to overturn a Supreme Court decision
D)have members appointed by their respective state legislatures

Question 52

Congressional reciprocity is deferral of members of Congress to the judgment of __________.

A)opinion poll analysts,mainly on minor technical bills
B)opinion poll analysts,mainly on high-profile bills
C)subject-matter specialists,mainly on high-profile bills
D)party leadership,over subject-matter specialists

Question 53

Which response best reflects the dilemma of pork in legislation?

A)Programmatic requests are beneficial to taxpayers but detrimental to reelection.
B)Programmatic requests favor federal employees at the expense of state employees.
C)Programmatic requests favor one district at the expense of all American taxpayers.
D)Programmatic requests are always wasteful expenditures but are useful to politicians.

Question 54

As demonstrated in Figure 10.3,packing and cracking both draw district lines to the favor of the majority party,and thus,are two types of __________.

A)gerrymandering
B)lawmaking
C)oversight
D)reapportionment

Question 55

Charged with the responsibility to __________,the __________ is almost certainly the most powerful committee in either chamber of Congress.

A)grant and set procedural rules; House Rules Committee
B)investigate the performance of government; House Oversight and Government Reform Committee
C)make decisions about money for authorized programs; Senate Appropriations Committee
D)set targets for spending and taxes; House Budget Committee

Question 56

Which example best demonstrates a legislator acting as a delegate of his or her constituency?

A)considering public opinion,then using his or her own best judgment about what is good for the nation as a whole
B)doing whatever is best for reelection
C)following the public opinion of the constituency,regardless of his or her personal viewpoint
D)heeding public opinion in every case,except in matters of personal conscience

Question 57

Which of the following is true of majority-minority districts?

A)Creation of majority-minority districts has been beneficial to Democrats.
B)Creation of majority-minority districts has not increased racial minorities in Congress.
C)Creation of majority-minority districts was ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.
D)Race is a significant factor in drawing the lines of majority-minority districts.

Question 58

How are committee chairs selected in the majority-party caucus?

A)a subject knowledge test
B)interviews to determine party loyalty
C)joint decision of the majority and minority leaders
D)seniority within the party

Question 59

The House minority leader __________.

A)has authority over the selection of the president pro tempore
B)has joint authority over which legislation goes to the floor
C)is elected by the minority party
D)is selected by the majority leader

Question 60

Executive deference to specialized committee members is an example of __________.

A)appointee preeminence
B)committee referral
C)congressional review
D)senatorial courtesy

Question 61

Appropriations committees help determine the programs that will be funded,while Ways and Means committees determine the amount of monies to be distributed.

Question 62

Because they continue from one Congress to the next,__________ committees are permanent fixtures to which bills are referred for consideration.

A)conference
B)filibuster
C)rider
D)standing

Question 63

Majority-minority districts are a form of __________ when they encourage states to redistrict certain legislative boundaries to allow African Americans a majority.

A)constructive redistricting
B)apportionment
C)positive gerrymandering
D)negative gerrymandering

Question 64

The __________ is the counterpart to the majority leader in the House opposition party.

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

Question 65

__________ can provide valuable information,political intelligence,and reelection funding,making legislators with whom they agree more effective.

A)Subcommittees
B)Senatorial aides
C)Standing committees
D)Lobbyists

Question 66

The average congressional district,since the 2010 census,has a population of about __________.

A)7,500
B)110,000
C)708,000
D)1,500,000

Question 67

Some of the responsibilities of the __________ in the House and Senate are to assist in keeping track of party members,pressuring members to vote the party line,and ensuring members' attendance at important role calls.

A)majority leaders
B)majority whips
C)committee chairs
D)presidents pro tempore

Question 68

The traditional succession pattern in the House is from whip to majority leader to Speaker.

Question 69

The Senate relies on a(n)__________,negotiated by the majority and minority leaders,to govern consideration of a bill.

A)bipartisan agreement
B)unanimous consent agreement
C)subcommittee recommendations
D)judicial opinions

Question 70

The __________ decides how a bill will be debated on the floor following subcommittee review and markup.

A)Senate Judiciary Committee
B)House Oversight and Government Reform Committee
C)Senate Standing Committee
D)House Rules Committee

Question 71

The presiding officer of the Senate is the vice president; in the vice president's absence,however,the __________ presides.

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

Question 72

The __________ in Congress makes it particularly vulnerable to special interest groups and to the appeals of highly paid lobbyists.

A)partisan system
B)decentralized committee system
C)bipartisan system
D)imbalance of power

Question 73

The activities that members of Congress undertake while they are in Washington; these activities might include committee and subcommittee meetings,time on the floor of the chamber,meeting with constituents,interest groups,other members,and staff,and attending conferences,events,and meetings in Washington.

A)hill style
B)trustee representation
C)home style
D)delegate representation

Question 74

This congressional rule of ethics refers to the fact that members cannot accept fees for speeches or personal appearances.

A)Campaign funding
B)Financial disclosure
C)Gifts
D)Honoraria

Question 75

The congressional elections of 2000 reflected the close partisan division of the nation.

Question 76

What are the three broad mandates of Congress?

A)form subcommittees,report to constituents,balance executive branch authority
B)appropriate lobbyist funding,be delegates for constituents,validate constitutional validity of laws
C)make laws,control the budget,and oversee the executive branch
D)control standing committees,oversee the judicial branch,veto unconstitutional laws

Question 77

The activities of senators and representatives in promoting their images among constituents and personally attending to constituents' problems and interests; these activities might include casework,pork barreling and earmarking,pressing the flesh,and puffing images.

A)hill style
B)trustee representation
C)home style
D)delegate representation

Question 78

A(n)__________ is an amendment to a bill that is not germane to the bill's purposes.

A)rider
B)cloture
C)filibuster
D)unanimous consent agreement

Question 79

Legislators typically eschew casework,as it is burdensome to the staff and emphasizes benefits for individuals over the good of the whole district.

Question 80

A bill goes through markup in a full committee after a subcommittee votes in favor of it.