Deck 8: Congress: the Legislative Elite

Question 1

Which of the following is not an advantage incumbents have in seeking reelection?

A) Name recognition
B) Franking privilege
C) A great voting record
D) The ability to call news conferences

Answer 1

C

Question 2

"Smart money" backs a winner, so most campaign donations go to

A) educated candidates.
B) incumbents.
C) Democrats.
D) Republicans.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Which of the following is seen as a benefit for enacting term limits?

A) More professional legislators
B) More competitive open-seat elections
C) Less influence by special interests
D) Lower election costs

Answer 3

B

Question 4

In a typical two-year congressional session, an average of about 10,000 bills is introduced, but the 111th Congress passed fewer than _____________ bills.

A) 200
B) 400
C) 800
D) 1000

Question 5

The second largest ethnic group in America (after whites) is

A) African America.
B) Hispanic or Latino/a.
C) Asian America.
D) none of the above.

Question 6

Constituent service, or casework, is a form of "retail" politics where politicians

A) hold press conferences to announce campaign plans.
B) solicit campaign funds through the mail.
C) help people on a personal level.
D) All of the above are true.

Question 7

Congressman Paul Ryan of Wisconsin

A) is an outspoken critic of President Obama.
B) is chair of Republican Budget Committee.
C) proposed making social security means tested.
D) All of the above is true.

Question 8

Which of the following is not one of the three most powerful committees of the House of Representatives?

A) Rules
B) Ways and Means
C) Finance
D) Appropriations

Question 9

Which of the following is not one of the three most prestigious committees of the Senate?

A) Rules
B) Foreign Relations
C) Finance
D) Appropriations

Question 10

In the twenty-first century, party control of the House and Senate

A) has remained stable.
B) has seen both houses change party leadership.
C) has seen the House become nearly completely republican.
D) has seen the Senate overwhelmingly controlled by the democratic party.

Question 11

For the House of Representative, the 112th Congress saw the first time

A) women out numbered men.
B) businesspeople outnumbered lawyers.
C) most incumbents lost their seats.
D) preachers outnumbered business people.

Question 12

According to the Constitution, _____________ must begin in the House of Representatives.

A) foreign relations bills
B) revenue bills
C) social welfare bills
D) military bills

Question 13

An examination of the time spent by congress members shows

A) most spend most weekends in DC raising money from interests groups.
B) most spend a minimum time in DC and long weekends in their home district or state.
C) most spend most weekends in caucus meetings in DC.
D) most spend most weekends on junkets paid for by lobbyists.

Question 14

Which of the following is not a possible outcome of committee action on a bill?

A) The bill is passed into law.
B) The bill is rewritten into a new policy proposal.
C) The bill gets ignored.
D) The bill is killed by a negative vote.

Question 15

The efforts of Senators and Representatives to bring federal money home to their districts are called

A) beef.
B) pork.
C) cream.
D) tofu.

Question 16

Republicans in the House of Representatives assign committee memberships through

A) the Speaker of the House.
B) the Majority leader.
C) seniority.
D) a Committee on Committees.

Question 17

Prior to becoming Senator, the majority of Senators hailed from which of the following professional background?

A) Businessperson.
B) Educator
C) Lawyer
D) Physician or scientist

Question 18

The purpose of committee hearings is to

A) include public participation.
B) make major decisions on policy.
C) influence public opinion.
D) hear all available information on an issue.

Question 19

An examination of the number of women and minorities in the Congress shows that the number is

A) decreasing over time.
B) slowly increasing.
C) at an all-time high.
D) at an all-time low.

Question 20

A legislator's most relevant constituents are

A) the people in their district.
B) the people in their district who voted for them.
C) activist and financial elites in their district.
D) none of the above.

Question 21

A Senate filibuster can only be ended by

A) a presidential veto.
B) a cloture vote.
C) an order from the Speaker.
D) nothing, as it is final.

Question 22

The biggest divide in American politics remains

A) the size and role of the military.
B) the size and role of corporations.
C) the size and role of organized religion.
D) the size and role of the government.

Question 23

The Senate Majority and Minority leaders together

A) choose all committee chairs.
B) determine the agenda.
C) run the Senate meetings.
D) The Senate Majority and Minority leaders together are responsible for all of the above.

Question 24

Most amendments to a bill come during the part of the legislative process known as the

A) committee meeting.
B) subcommittee meeting.
C) floor vote.
D) conference committee.

Question 25

Members of Congress who maintain their own personal Political Action Committees

A) are violating the new campaign finance reform law.
B) can raise and spend unlimited amounts of money on their own reelection.
C) can raise and spend unlimited amounts of money on the election of others.
D) Both options b and c are true.

Question 26

Which of the following is a power of the Speaker of the House of Representatives?

A) Referring bills to committee
B) Appointing conference committees
C) Recognizing those who wish to speak on the floor
D) All of the above are powers of the Speaker.

Question 27

The role of a Conference Committee is to

A) rewrite bills to please elite preferences.
B) reconcile House and Senate versions of a bill.
C) override a presidential veto.
D) debate amendments to a bill.

Question 28

The role of committee and subcommittee chairpersons is to

A) select which bills are considered.
B) select which issues will receive public hearings.
C) establish the agenda.
D) All of the above are true.

Question 29

Experienced legislators are more likely to vote for unpopular bills because

A) they know their constituents aren't likely to respond.
B) they are rich enough to retire.
C) they have sufficient support amongst their colleagues.
D) newer legislators are slaves to the polls.

Question 30

The second largest ethic group in America (after whites) is ______________________.

Question 31

The ability and desire to sell oneself as a candidate, raise money, and organize others to work on one's campaign is called ____________________.

Question 32

The difference between a legal campaign donation and a bribe is

A) bribes specifically require official actions in return.
B) campaign donations do not depend on getting influence.
C) bribes are for larger amounts of money.
D) not much.

Question 33

The __________ presides over the Senate in the absence of the vice president.

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

Question 34

The Republican "revolution" under Newt Gingrich brought control of Congress to the GOP in ____________________.

Question 35

The role of Congress is to deliberate over the policy proposals coming from

A) their constituents.
B) the media.
C) the president and bureaucratic elites.
D) state governors and legislatures.

Question 36

Most members of Congress spend a_________________________time in DC and long ________________in their home district or state.

Question 37

Political party whips

A) play little role in legislation.
B) play an important role in introducing legislation only.
C) play a marginal role in voting.
D) play an important role in legislation.

Question 38

Rules Committee membership is dominated by

A) powerful campaign fundraisers.
B) senior members from noncompetitive districts.
C) party leaders' favorites.
D) popular colleagues with party support.

Question 39

Before being elected to the senate Al Franken was

A) a congressman.
B) a comic and author.
C) a game show host.
D) a preacher.

Question 40

The most common professional background in Congress is ____________________.

Question 41

The term for the political custom of respecting senators' objections to major appointments in their states is ______________________.

Question 42

________________________ are alliances of leaders from executive agencies, congressional committees, and private business and industry.

Question 43

Mass distrust of politicians shows itself in popular support to limit legislative ____________________.

Question 44

The ____________________ in the House of Representatives determines the manner in which a bill is debated on the floor.

Question 45

The assistant floor leader, or ____________________, has the function of keeping members informed and seeing that they are present for important floor votes.

Question 46

Although most bills originate with the executive branch, they must be introduced by ____________________.

Question 47

President ____________________ twice vetoed budget resolutions, causing the federal government to temporarily shut down.

Question 48

The ultimate congressional power over the president is ____________________.

Question 49

The President of the Senate is also the ____________________.

Question 50

Presidential victories for bills that they publicly support are referred to as _________________.

Question 51

A roll-call vote in which a majority of voting Democrats oppose a majority of voting Republicans is called a ____________________.

Question 52

A political party___________________, or assistant floor leader, keeps members informed about legislative business.

Question 53

Another word for constituent services is __________________.

Question 54

Senators talking a bill to death to block further action is known as the ____________________.

Question 55

In an impeachment, the trial portion is conducted by the ____________________.

Question 56

The single most powerful person in the entire Congress is the ____________________.

Question 57

____________________ voting follows party lines more often than it follows other divisions.

Question 58

A ____________________ is a type of fundraising organization used by members of Congress to increase their influence.

Question 59

The Speaker of the House is ____________________ in line for the presidency.

Question 60

The theory of representative democracy implies that dissatisfied voters will defeat incumbents and do what they call ____________________.

Question 61

The Founders intended that Congress be the most powerful branch of government.

Question 62

Congress has no real way to "check" the President.

Question 63

In certain big-city districts, local government elites form a major constituency for federal representatives.

Question 64

Bills for raising revenue must originate in the Senate.

Question 65

Congress is the most popular branch of government.

Question 66

Personal financial information must be made public by members of Congress.

Question 67

The paradox of Congress is that most voters disapprove of Congress as a whole, but like their own representative.

Question 68

The Constitution grants greater formal power to Senators than House members.

Question 69

Two out of the top three wealthiest members of Congress live in California.

Question 70

Members of Congress are representative of their constituents in terms of social origins.

Question 71

Reconciled versions of bills that emerge from Conference Committees must represent the views of both houses of Congress.

Question 72

Members of Congress are disproportionately better educated compared to the masses.

Question 73

The House of Representatives has about 150 subcommittees.

Question 74

List the ways Congress can control the president, at least theoretically?

Question 75

Most Americans prefer control of government to be split between the parties.

Question 76

The elaborate procedures of Congress ensure that few of the bills introduced are ever passed.

Question 77

With the exception of the impeachment of Clinton, his administration is seen has having worked quite well with Congress.

Question 78

Congress continues to be made up of mostly older European-American males.

Question 79

In general, the President receives greater support from his own party than from the opposition party in Congress.

Question 80

A committee decision that kills a bill is final.