Deck 9: Congress

Question 1

Political parties in Congress are fairly strong despite the individualism of the institution.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

While members' desire for reelection comes before the concerns of the party,party leadership will frequently try to force members to vote with the party.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

In early American history,Congress was the first branch.Over time it has become less important than the presidency,largely because the nature of the country's problems have changed.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

African American members of Congress who come from majority-minority districts are an example of descriptive representation.

Question 5

Why did the Founders believe that,as set forth in the Constitution,the Senate would be more responsive to national interests than the House?

A) All states were equally represented.
B) Senators were indirectly elected and served longer terms.
C) Senators were popularly elected.
D) The Senate had more constitutional authority than the House.
E) All bills would originate in the Senate.

Question 6

Members of Congress behave as if voters pay attention to all that they do,even though most voters do not,for fear of losing support during the reelection campaign when issues can become more salient with the public.

Question 7

The elastic clause in Article I of the Constitution created a situation in which Congress:

A) took a lead role in the early American constitutional system
B) was limited in its powers
C) had legislative power separated between two houses
D) had a small set of specific powers that guided its actions in early America
E) is no longer relevant in the policy-making process

Question 8

Legislative districts are gerrymandered because politicians are trying to draw House districts in a way that gives them a political advantage.

Question 9

Members of Congress often connect with people in their districts on a personal level through casework.

Question 10

Which of the following is NOT a constitutional compromise that created incentives for legislators to compromise between local and national interests?

A) creating a bicameral legislature
B) allowing slaves to count as three-fifths of a person
C) having senators serve longer than members of the House
D) the necessary and proper clause
E) a popularly elected House of Representatives

Question 11

Since incumbency rates are so high,members of Congress who hold a "safe" seat do not worry about the electoral connection to voters.

Question 12

The main difference between descriptive and substantive representation has to do with whether the legislator represents constituents from a distance or acts as if the legislator has a mandate to do exactly what he or she wants.

Question 13

According to the textbook,the behavior of legislators is understood by examining:

A) their desires to respond to constituents and the institutional structures of Congress
B) how their actions fit their personal ideologies
C) the political affiliation of each member
D) the gender and the race/ethnicity of each member
E) the amount of media coverage given to Congress

Question 14

Before any bill can become a law,the House and Senate must pass identical versions of the bill.In other words,there cannot be any differences between them.

Question 15

Providing help with campaign financing is an important way for party leaders to give members an incentive to vote the party line on key legislation.

Question 16

The public has a low regard for Congress,in large part because people do not understand how the Congress operates.

Question 17

Which legislative institution did the Founders believe would be most responsive to the public?

A) the House of Representatives
B) the president
C) the Senate
D) a conference committee
E) a subcommittee

Question 18

Redistricting and apportionment do not influence representation of state interests in the Senate.

Question 19

The term bicameralism refers to:

A) the implied powers that Congress can use in fulfilling its constitutional responsibilities
B) the tendency of legislators to listen to their constituents because they want to win elections
C) the governmental structure, which includes two different houses in the legislature
D) the redrawing of districts in the House of Representatives
E) the separation of powers between the Congress and the president

Question 20

Public approval of Congress is low because most members lack strong links to their constituents,preferring to focus on reelection efforts instead.

Question 21

The process of determining the boundaries of House districts every ten years is known as:

A) the census
B) apportionment
C) bicameralism
D) redistricting
E) malapportionment

Question 22

The tension between being responsive to constituents but responsible to national interest contributes to Congress's image problem.This is because:

A) it is interpreted as gridlock, and expectations are often impossible to meet
B) members never vote based on their constituents' interests
C) it leads to meaningless legislation
D) members never consider the national interest
E) it leads to too much legislation

Question 23

Which of the following conflicts are built into the congressional system?

A) Democrat versus Republican
B) conservative versus liberal
C) local versus national
D) new ideas versus old ideas
E) the president versus Congress

Question 24

Which of the following does NOT contribute to high incumbency rates?

A) diversity of congressional districts and states
B) development of a home style
C) the ability to raise large amounts of campaign contributions
D) constituency service
E) frequent high-profile scandals involving members of Congress

Question 25

When legislators help constituents with problems they have with government agencies and programs,legislators are engaged in:

A) policy representation
B) campaigning
C) home style
D) casework
E) direct democracy

Question 26

Legislators who make public statements demonstrating how they share priorities with the groups in their district are engaged in:

A) position taking
B) credit claiming
C) home style
D) descriptive representation
E) gerrymandering

Question 27

Which of the following best characterizes Americans' attitudes toward Congress?

A) Legislators exhibit "grace under pressure."
B) Legislators are focused on partisan bickering and can't solve problems.
C) Legislators are willing to compromise to get things done.
D) Legislators frequently stand on principle.
E) Legislators are never self-interested or motivated by reelection concerns.

Question 28

Because of the ________,only ________ of the Senate is up for reelection in every even-numbered year.

A) two-year term; one-third
B) six-year term; one-half
C) two-year term; one-half
D) six-year term; one-third
E) four-year term; one-third

Question 29

Voting based on the trustee model can harm a Congress member's political career because:

A) it can go against the national interest
B) members can lose support among party leaders
C) it can go against the views of constituents back home
D) it forces members to spend too much time fund-raising
E) it is viewed by many as unconstitutional

Question 30

Passage of the Seventeenth Amendment in 1913:

A) gave women the right to vote
B) established prohibition
C) established a federal income tax
D) rescinded prohibition
E) allowed for the popular election of senators

Question 31

Which of the following is an example of the phenomenon of credit claiming?

A) a legislator marching in a local parade
B) a legislator saying his or her work in Congress helped decrease crime
C) a legislator explaining his or her role in securing funds for a local highway
D) a legislator emphasizing support for the Iraq war in front of college students
E) a legislator giving a speech to local veterans

Question 32

Which of the following is the LEAST likely reason that Congress has an image problem?

A) widespread political corruption for personal gain
B) media stories that portray Congress in a negative light
C) voters believing a particular image after years of finger-pointing in Congress
D) legislators' dual roles of responsibility and responsiveness, which mean they cannot make many people happy
E) a widespread perception that Congress is dominated by partisan politics

Question 33

The term substantive representation refers to ________,while the term descriptive representation refers to ________.

A) representing constituents from a distance; having a mandate directly from voters
B) shared traits between members and constituents; members serving constituent interests
C) members serving constituent interests; shared traits between members and constituents
D) having a mandate directly from voters; representing constituents from a distance
E) members serving constituent interests; representing constituents from a distance

Question 34

The concept of advertising in the House of Representatives refers to:

A) buying thirty-second spots on television to affect legislative debate
B) appeals without issue content that get a member's name in front of the public
C) claiming credit for things of value to voters, such as pork-barrel projects
D) making public statements on things that interest constituents
E) developing a member's Web page

Question 35

The process of drawing legislative districts for political advantage is known as:

A) representation
B) gerrymandering
C) apportionment
D) redistricting
E) bicameralism

Question 36

An example of the ________ model of representation is a situation in which a legislator acts as though he or she has an electoral mandate on salient issues but looks after broader interests on complex issues.

A) descriptive
B) politico
C) delegate
D) political
E) substantive

Question 37

Incumbency safety has ________ in the past two decades.

A) stayed the same
B) increased
C) decreased
D) been eliminated
E) doubled

Question 38

Which of the following is NOT a criterion for determining the geographic boundaries of a House district?

A) district size in terms of people
B) relative compactness of the district
C) number of square miles in the district
D) an attempt to keep districts roughly equal in terms of population
E) traditional natural boundaries

Question 39

The division of House districts across the states is known as ________,while the process of determining how those districts look within the states is called ________.

A) redistricting; gerrymandering
B) gerrymandering; redistricting
C) redistricting; apportionment
D) apportionment; redistricting
E) gerrymandering; apportionment

Question 40

Which of the following statements best characterizes public attitudes toward Congress?

A) Americans are deeply cynical toward Congress.
B) Americans like Congress but not their own legislators.
C) Americans like Congress better than they like the president.
D) Americans have positive attitudes toward Congress.
E) Americans trust members of Congress to work together in the best interests of the nation.

Question 41

Which of the following is NOT a function of the whip system in Congress?

A) gathering information
B) planning overall party strategy
C) coalition building
D) disseminating information
E) regular meetings to discuss legislative strategy

Question 42

Party leaders are:

A) responsible for universalism
B) the same in the House and Senate
C) usually elected on straight party-line votes
D) very powerful
E) the most senior members

Question 43

Which of the following is NOT a party position in the House?

A) majority whip
B) Speaker
C) committee chair
D) minority leader
E) majority leader

Question 44

Which theory of legislative politics holds that committee assignments are based on legislators trying to best serve their districts and that the entire legislature therefore respects the committee's interests?

A) distributive theory
B) partisan theory
C) conditional party government
D) informational theory
E) democratic theory

Question 45

Which of the following is NOT a role of money in congressional elections?

A) scares off strong challengers
B) pays for staff and travel
C) increases a legislator's personal wealth
D) helps make incumbents relatively safe
E) pays for advertising

Question 46

Which of the following is NOT an informal norm that influences the structure of Congress?

A) universalism
B) reciprocity
C) conditional party government
D) specialization
E) seniority

Question 47

Strong party leadership only occurs when:

A) the members of the party give their consent
B) leaders exercise their strong negative powers
C) there is divided government
D) a party is internally divided
E) there is unified government

Question 48

Which of the following is NOT one of the built-in advantages that incumbents have over challengers?

A) ability to use personal funds for campaigning
B) ability to send mail to constituents at no cost, touting legislative accomplishments
C) the partisan bias of legislative districts
D) media attention attained by virtue of their position
E) ability to perform casework for constituents

Question 49

Those in Congress who support the use of earmarks argue that they are necessary for the legislative process because:

A) they provide consensus among both parties on federal spending priorities
B) they secure the passage of larger bills
C) they are distributed equally among the states
D) they only represent the desires of members of Congress and not interest groups
E) they are the only source of funding for local infrastructure projects

Question 50

Since the 1970s,party unity in the legislature has:

A) doubled
B) stayed the same
C) decreased
D) been eliminated
E) increased

Question 51

A ________ committee is created to deal with a specific policy topic,while a ________ committee is created to resolve differences between House and Senate versions of the same bill.

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

Question 52

The manner in which members of the House relate to their districts is called:

A) the incumbency advantage
B) descriptive representation
C) their home style
D) casework
E) substantive representation

Question 53

Conference committees are ________ and negotiate differences between ________.

A) permanent; the House and the Senate
B) temporary; Democrats and Republicans
C) temporary; the majority and minority leaders
D) temporary; the House and the Senate
E) permanent; Democrats and Republicans

Question 54

Legislators spreading benefits as widely as possible is called ________; trading their support on a bill for someone's support on a different bill is an example of ________.

A) specialization; universalism
B) reciprocity; specialization
C) reciprocity; logrolling
D) universalism; reciprocity
E) specialization; logrolling

Question 55

A key part of an incumbent's success is the incumbent's home style,which is developed by:

A) spending more time in the district than in Washington
B) using the ability to send free mail to constituents to tout the incumbent's accomplishments
C) helping constituents navigate the federal bureaucracy
D) using campaign funds to ward off potential challengers
E) spending more time in Washington than in the district

Question 56

Which of the following is an important power that party leaders in the House and Senate can use to influence the legislative process?

A) forcing members of the party to cast ballots in a particular way
B) the ability to set the legislative agenda
C) control over who can run for office under the party label
D) the ability to influence the redistricting process
E) control over how much money a member can spend on reelection

Question 57

Any group of legislators with a continuing membership and policy jurisdiction is known as a:

A) select committee
B) joint committee
C) conference committee
D) standing committee
E) subcommittee

Question 58

The president pro tempore of the Senate is:

A) the vice president
B) the majority leader
C) the minority leader
D) usually held by the oldest member of the majority party
E) usually held by the most senior member of the majority party

Question 59

The most important differences in the structure of party leadership are between:

A) the House and the Senate
B) Republicans and Democrats
C) minority and majority parties
D) committees and subcommittees
E) party leaders and party whips

Question 60

Why is money such an important deterrent to congressional political challengers?

A) It signals that the incumbent has strong ties to the president.
B) It signals that the incumbent has strong ties to the business community.
C) It signals that the incumbent is a skilled fund-raiser who will use lots of money to run a negative campaign against a challenger.
D) It signals that the incumbent knows how to raise money and will run a strong campaign.
E) It signals to voters that the incumbent is a political elite who cannot be beaten.

Question 61

According to the text,larger committee staffs give Congress:

A) more time to spend in Washington
B) more opportunities to pass legislation
C) more media attention
D) better opportunities for fund-raising
E) independent sources of information and expertise with which to challenge the president

Question 62

A filibuster is:

A) a vote in the Senate to end debate on a bill
B) agreements by legislators to limit debate on a bill
C) a senator's attempt to kill a bill by continuing to speak in order to prevent a vote
D) the process used to prevent amendments in the House
E) a representative's attempt to kill a bill by continuing to speak in order to prevent a vote

Question 63

The distributive theory of legislative organization argues that:

A) legislative leaders decide policy on the basis of support they get from legislators
B) party leadership is strongest when it has the support of legislators
C) committee views are respected over what the entire House wants
D) committees exist to provide expertise to the entire House
E) pork-barrel spending should be eliminated

Question 64

All of the following describe omnibus legislation EXCEPT:

A) leadership task forces may be used in place of committees
B) a large bill covering several topics
C) the inclusion of pork-barrel projects
D) a supermajority is required for passage in both houses
E) creative strategies are often used to guide the bill to passage

Question 65

Which of the following is NOT a deviation from the standard path of the lawmaking process?

A) summit meetings
B) use of conference committees
C) major bills bypassing the committee process via discharge petitions
D) omnibus legislation
E) adjustments made to the legislation post-committee

Question 66

If Congress is in session and the president fails to sign the bill into law within ten days (not counting Sundays),the bill:

A) returns to the Congress where it can enact the law with a three-fourths majority in both chambers
B) returns to the Congress where it can enact the law with a two-thirds majority in both chambers
C) returns to the Congress where it can enact the law with a three-fifths majority in both chambers
D) is vetoed and does not become law
E) becomes law

Question 67

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.

A) appropriation; authorization
B) authorization; appropriation
C) budget; authorization
D) budget; appropriation
E) appropriation; budget

Question 68

Which feature of the committee system does NOT support members' reelection prospects?

A) The division of labor allows for policy specialization.
B) Legislators can easily claim credit for particular policy areas.
C) The policy needs of the majority party are served.
D) Members can support pork-barrel projects based on the needs of their district.
E) The committee system allows members to avoid controversial votes on the floor of Congress.

Question 69

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

A) a unanimous consent agreement
B) open rules
C) modified rules
D) closed rules
E) suspension of the rules

Question 70

When in committee,the final language of a bill is almost always determined through a collaborative process known as:

A) a markup
B) notice and comment procedure
C) specialization
D) multiple referral
E) cloture

Question 71

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

A) It forces every member of the Senate to speak about the bill.
B) It gives the majority party time to change key provisions in the bill before the vote.
C) It allows the minority party to stop legislation with as few as 49 votes.
D) It allows the minority party to stop legislation with as few as 41 votes.
E) It provides positive media coverage for the minority party.

Question 72

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

A) fire alarm oversight
B) legislative oversight
C) police patrol oversight
D) advice and consent oversight
E) executive oversight

Question 73

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

A) filibuster
B) closed rules
C) modified rules
D) suspension of the rules
E) cloture

Question 74

Rules are suspended most often for:

A) cloture
B) filibusters
C) controversial legislation
D) noncontroversial legislation
E) vetoed bills

Question 75

A vote of cloture requires approval by how many senators?

A) fifty
B) fifty-one
C) sixty
D) sixty-seven
E) seventy-five

Question 76

What is the difference between a veto and a pocket veto?

A) The former cannot be overturned by Congress, but the latter can.
B) The former requires the president to send it back to Congress, and the latter requires the president to wait until Congress goes out of session.
C) The former can be overturned by a majority vote, and the latter requires a two-thirds vote.
D) There is no difference between them.
E) Both can be overturned by Congress with a majority vote.

Question 77

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

A) holding hearings
B) conducting investigations
C) limiting or cutting appropriations
D) using the legislative veto
E) suspending rules

Question 78

Which of the following is less common in the Senate than in the House?

A) a markup
B) placement on the legislative calendar
C) a filibuster
D) multiple referral
E) cloture

Question 79

Which of the following lists is correctly ordered?

A) member introduces a bill; one chamber takes floor action; conference committee version is approved
B) conference committee approves a bill; member introduces bill; one chamber takes floor action
C) member introduces a bill; conference committee version is approved; one chamber takes floor action
D) member introduces a bill; president signs/vetoes bill; conference committee version is approved
E) one chamber takes floor action; president signs/vetoes bill; conference committee version is approved

Question 80

If Congress is not in session and the president fails to sign the bill into law within ten days (not counting Sundays),the bill:

A) returns to the Congress where it can enact the law with a three-fourths majority in both chambers
B) returns to the Congress where it can enact the law with a two-thirds majority in both chambers
C) returns to the Congress where it can enact the law with a three-fifths majority in both chambers
D) is vetoed and does not become law
E) becomes law