Deck 12: Congress

Question 1

Which constitutional amendment shifted the power to elect senators from state legislators to popular elections?

A) Fifteenth
B) Sixteenth
C) Seventeenth
D) Eighteenth
E) Nineteenth

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Which branch of government was specifically created to closely represent the people's views?

A) Senate
B) House of Representatives
C) Supreme Court
D) president
E) president of the Senate

Answer 2

B

Question 3

How often are House members elected?

A) every two years, in even-numbered years
B) every two years, in odd-numbered years
C) every three years, in even-numbered years
D) every three years, in odd-numbered years
E) every four years, in even-numbered years

Answer 3

A

Question 4

The most precise way to describe attempts by state legislatures to address racial imbalance in the House of Representatives is

A) by reapportionment.
B) by redistricting.
C) through the creation of majority-minority districts.
D) through the creation of minority-majority districts.
E) through gerrymandering.

Question 5

Of the following, which would be the most important determinant in a successful congressional campaign?

A) the candidate's policy specialization
B) the candidate's personal wealth
C) the candidate's party affiliation
D) the candidate's prior experience
E) the candidate's incumbency

Question 6

Under Supreme Court jurisprudence, the drawing of legislative district boundaries for the purpose of benefitting an incumbent, political party, or another group is unconstitutional

A) whenever it is applied.
B) when it is clearly partisan.
C) when it creates a majority-minority district.
D) when it eliminates the minority party's influence in the district.
E) when it eliminates the minority party's influence statewide.

Question 7

How often does reapportionment and redistricting of seats occur in the House of Representatives?

A) every 2 years
B) every 4 years
C) every 6 years
D) every 10 years
E) every 12 years

Question 8

Because of the constitutional duties of the Senate, in which of the following policy sectors do many members of the Senate specialize?

A) health care policy
B) energy policy
C) agriculture policy
D) revenue policy
E) foreign policy

Question 9

Which of the following statements about reapportionment is NOT accurate?

A) It redraws the congressional district boundaries within the state.
B) It is a reallocation of seats in the House of Representatives.
C) It is based on the federal census.
D) It can diminish the advantage of incumbency.
E) It may cause a state to gain or lose congressional representatives.

Question 10

Because of the elastic clause, Congress exercises a ________ scope of authority.

A) broad
B) reasonable
C) limited
D) restricted
E) tenuous

Question 11

Both historically and continuing today, civically engaged citizens have a ________ influence on the outcome of the policy-making process.

A) weak
B) unilateral
C) strong
D) neutral
E) precise

Question 12

Which of the following best describes the makeup of the legislature in the United States?

A) unicameral
B) parliamentary
C) bicameral
D) executive
E) unichamber

Question 13

Which of these powers is/are granted to Congress by the Constitution?

A) to borrow money and regulate currency
B) taxation, spending, and establishment of tariffs
C) administration of post offices
D) punishing illegal acts on the high seas
E) All of these answers are correct.

Question 14

When creating the Congress, the founders of the United States strove primarily to create a legislature that could check the power of the

A) president.
B) Supreme Court.
C) military.
D) federal bureaucracy.
E) federal courts.

Question 15

Which of these factors makes it more likely that incumbents will prevail in congressional elections?

A) stronger name recognition
B) easier access to media coverage
C) the privilege of franking, or sending mail free of charge
D) larger campaign contributions
E) All of these answers are correct.

Question 16

Which of the following statements is true?

A) House members serve for two years and Senate members serve for four years.
B) House members serve for two years and Senate members serve for six years.
C) House members serve for four years and Senate members serve for eight years.
D) Both House and Senate members serve for four years.
E) None of these answers is correct.

Question 17

How many United States senators does each state have?

A) at least one, but no more than four
B) at least two, with the total based on the population of the state
C) exactly two
D) at least two, and no more than four
E) exactly four

Question 18

In 2016, how much did it cost, on average, to make a successful bid for the U.S. Senate?

A) $174,000
B) $560,000
C) $1.5 million
D) $5.6 million
E) $10 million

Question 19

On average, how many Senate seats are up for election every two years?

A) 20
B) 33
C) 50
D) 67
E) 100

Question 20

The practice of redrawing electoral boundaries for political advantage is known as

A) majority-minority district formation.
B) gerrymandering.
C) reapportionment.
D) redistricting.
E) casework.

Question 21

Which of the following is NOT a power of Congress?

A) establish taxes on exports
B) regulate interstate commerce
C) create the federal court system
D) declare war
E) borrow money

Question 22

Most representatives in Congress employ ________ in their approach to governance.

A) the trustee model
B) mostly the trustee model
C) a combination of the trustee model and instructed delegate model
D) mostly the instructed delegate model
E) the instructed delegate model

Question 23

Which of the following is a source of congressional power and authority?

A) the Constitution
B) Supreme Court decisions
C) the media
D) the people
E) All of these answers are correct.

Question 24

________ is the process by which Congress "checks" the executive branch to ensure that laws are being administered in keeping with legislators' intentions.

A) Supervision
B) Oversight
C) Engagement
D) Regulation
E) Casework

Question 25

Appropriations of funds by congressional legislators for projects in their districts are known as

A) pork barrel.
B) earmarks.
C) preferred bills.
D) block grants.
E) categorical block grants.

Question 26

What process replaced the practice of joint referral, which had allowed bills to be referred for consideration to two House committees simultaneously, after it was abolished in 1995 by the 104th Congress?

A) placement in the hopper
B) transfer to the standing committee
C) assignment to a select committee
D) referral to the lead committee
E) allocation to the joint committee

Question 27

A special form of representation, personal aid to a constituent or group of constituents, is known as

A) private billing.
B) pork.
C) bringing home the bacon.
D) earmarks.
E) casework.

Question 28

Compared to the House, the Senate

A) has more members.
B) has a shorter electoral cycle.
C) is more prestigious.
D) relies more on leaders and committee chairs.
E) is less dependent on staff.

Question 29

Which 18th-century political theorist espoused the trustee model of political representation, in which congressional members follow their own conscience when deciding issue positions?

A) Edmund Burke
B) Baron de Montesquieu
C) Thomas Jefferson
D) Jean-Jacques Rousseau
E) Voltaire

Question 30

When a member of Congress advocates on behalf of a constituent who has an issue with a bureaucratic agency, he or she is playing the role of

A) legislator.
B) caseworker.
C) ombudsperson.
D) trustee.
E) instructed delegate.

Question 31

What has been the result of the 2010 moratorium on earmarks?

A) not effective, with only a small reduction
B) effective for a short time, but members have now resumed the practice
C) not effective, because legislators have been extremely successful in circumventing the moratorium
D) not effective, because of problems caused by large loopholes
E) effective, with a significant decrease in the amount of dollars appropriated

Question 32

Which former senator and vice president warned of the constituent service dilemma?

A) Dick Cheney
B) Al Gore
C) Walter Mondale
D) Harry Truman
E) Richard Nixon

Question 33

Compared to a colleague in the Senate, a House member

A) is less reliant on staff.
B) usually has more prestige.
C) has a broader constituency.
D) faces reelection less often.
E) All of these answers are correct.

Question 34

Within the instructed delegate model, elected representatives act

A) according to their conscience at all times.
B) mostly according to their conscience, and occasionally in line with constituents.
C) equally according to conscience and in line with constituents.
D) in line with constituents, unless constituents' views contradict representatives' personal views.
E) in line with constituents, even if those views contradict representatives' personal views.

Question 35

The wooden box into which House members insert proposed bills is known as the

A) matchbox.
B) hopper.
C) earmark.
D) jumper.
E) casket.

Question 36

In many congressional districts, particularly in more populated areas, House members' constituencies tend to have fairly ________ positions on many issues.

A) unified
B) similar
C) different
D) diverse
E) conflicted

Question 37

What type of bill has traditionally been used as a means for legislators to appropriate funds to special projects within their congressional districts?

A) health and human services bill
B) Veterans' Administration funding bill
C) transportation bill
D) communications bill
E) energy bill

Question 38

Which of the following was an important consideration during the shaping of congressional functions?

A) interventionist government
B) checks and balances
C) the consolidation of powers
D) creation of a confederal system
E) All of these answers are correct.

Question 39

All of the following are tools that Congress uses to "check" the executive branch EXCEPT

A) congressional hearings.
B) budgetary appropriations.
C) legislative veto.
D) congressional investigations.
E) confirmation hearings.

Question 40

Identify the correct chronological order of a legislative bill's passage.

A) introduction, committee review, conference committee reconciliation, House and Senate approval, presidential approval
B) introduction, conference committee reconciliation, committee review, House and Senate approval, presidential approval
C) introduction, committee review, House and Senate approval, conference committee reconciliation, presidential approval
D) committee review, introduction, conference committee reconciliation, House and Senate approval, presidential approval
E) introduction, conference committee reconciliation, House and Senate approval, committee review, presidential approval

Question 41

Advisory committees, like the controversial committee to consider the events surrounding the 2012 terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya, are examples of

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

Question 42

Which of the following House leaders is responsible for developing party strategy, working with minority party leadership, and encouraging unity among majority party legislators?

A) House majority leader
B) Speaker of the House
C) House majority whip
D) House minority leader
E) House minority whip

Question 43

Which of the following is NOT required for an effective presidential pocket veto?

A) The bill was passed at end of the legislative session.
B) The president does not sign the bill.
C) The president has waited 10 days.
D) Congress has adjourned.
E) The president sends a message to Congress explaining why the bill should not become law.

Question 44

What is the fourth step in the process of a bill becoming a law?

A) introduction
B) conference committee reconciliation
C) presidential approval
D) House and Senate approval
E) committee review

Question 45

Identify the correct chronological sequence of subcommittee procedures in Congress.

A) hearings, markup, agency review, report
B) hearings, agency review, markup, report
C) agency review, markup, hearings, report
D) agency review, hearings, markup, report
E) markup, agency review, hearings, report

Question 46

According to the Constitution, who is the president of the Senate?

A) vice president
B) president pro tempore
C) Senate majority leader
D) Senate majority whip
E) Senate minority leader

Question 47

Partisan voting is usually most prominent

A) on foreign policy issues.
B) just prior to elections.
C) on issues on which there is broad consensus.
D) when party leaders do not indicate preferred positions on bills.
E) None of these answers is correct.

Question 48

Who is the most powerful person in the House of Representatives?

A) House majority leader
B) Speaker of the House
C) House majority whip
D) House minority leader
E) House minority whip

Question 49

In an attempt to block the Civil Rights Act of 1957, the former Republican senator from South Carolina Strom Thurmond spoke for 24 hours and 18 minutes on the Senate floor. This set the record for the Senate's longest

A) cloture.
B) filibuster.
C) consent agreement.
D) discharge petition.
E) markup.

Question 50

Who is the most powerful person in the Senate?

A) president pro tempore
B) the vice president
C) Senate minority leader
D) Senate majority leader
E) None of these answers is correct.

Question 51

In what position in the line of presidential succession is the Speaker of the House?

A) second
B) third
C) fourth
D) fifth
E) sixth

Question 52

Using computer-driven mapmaking technology, most congressional seats are configured to ensure a "safe seat." This tends to increase congressional

A) earmarks.
B) independence.
C) partisanship.
D) casework.
E) lettermarking.

Question 53

How many House members' signatures are necessary to execute a discharge petition, where a bill is extracted from committee for full House consideration?

A) a majority
B) three-fifths
C) two-thirds
D) three-quarters
E) absolute majority

Question 54

The reciprocal practice of trading votes, or ________, is widely used in Congress.

A) earmarking
B) filibustering
C) cloture
D) logrolling
E) markup

Question 55

In what way does the House of Representatives determine the terms of debate and the scope of amendments that will be allowed on a bill?

A) through the Rules Committee
B) by unanimous consent
C) through cloture
D) by joint committee
E) through markup

Question 56

Permanent committees with a defined legislative jurisdiction are known as

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

Question 57

In which year did Republicans regain control of both the House and the Senate?

A) 1988
B) 1994
C) 2006
D) 2010
E) 2012

Question 58

What is the second step in the process of a bill becoming a law?

A) introduction
B) conference committee reconciliation
C) presidential approval
D) House and Senate approval
E) committee review

Question 59

Committees that include members of both chambers of Congress are known as

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

Question 60

Which of the following leaders acts as a go-between with the leadership and the majority party members in the House?

A) House majority leader
B) Speaker of the House
C) House majority whip
D) House minority leader
E) House minority whip

Question 61

Explain the role and functions of congressional subcommittees.

Question 62

What is the attentive public, and what is its impact on congressional politics?

Question 63

Identify the types of tools employed by Congress to fulfill its oversight functions.

Question 64

Define gerrymandering and discuss its use in congressional redistricting.

Question 65

Identify the advantages of incumbency in congressional elections.

Question 66

What is a filibuster and when it is applied?

Question 67

Discuss the framers' differing visions for the roles of the House and the Senate.

Question 68

In 2018, a record number of women ran for Congress because

A) of their objection to President Trump's rhetoric and behavior towards women.
B) of the policy stances of their Republican representatives.
C) they were a part of a larger women-centered social movement.
D) they were kindled by the #MeToo social media protests.
E) All of these answers are correct.

Question 69

Which of the following statements about members of Congress is most accurate?

A) Latino representation in Congress is proportional to their percentage of the population.
B) African Americans are more likely to be elected to the Senate.
C) Congress is less diverse today than at any other point in history.
D) The composition of Congress closely resembles the leadership of other realms, like the corporate world and academia.
E) Congress is not demographically representative of the American public.

Question 70

Outline the five sequential features of the congressional legislative process, or how a bill becomes law.

Question 71

Outline the process of casework as a form of congressional representation.

Question 72

Compare and contrast the trustee and instructed delegate models of representation.

Question 73

Which of the following typically wields the most influence in congressional decision making?

A) the president
B) the Speaker of the House
C) the constituency
D) interest groups
E) congressional staff