Deck 11: Congress

Question 1

Which of the following is an advantage congressional incumbents possess in seeking reelection over challengers?

A) outsider status
B) financial support from the federal government campaign fund
C) progressive taxes
D) the franking privilege

Answer 1

D

Question 2

The Constitutional Convention decided on what form of legislature?

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

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Congress is __________ than the general population.

A) less partisan
B) less well paid
C) happier
D) wealthier

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Each state has __________ senators,each of whom serves a __________-year term.

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

Question 5

__________ is a good example of congressional casework.

A) Analysis of an incumbent's policy positions prior to a debate
B) Analysis of water quality within a district
C) Helping a constituent navigate red tape
D) Assisting a federal agency operating within a member's district

Question 6

The vice president of the United States is the ceremonial leader of the Senate,but he or she has little real leadership responsibilities. The leader of the Senate responsible for the brunt of the work of the majority party is the __________.

A) majority leader
B) Senate chairperson
C) president of the Senate
D) Speaker

Question 7

A __________ is an informal group of members of Congress who share some interest or characteristic; its goal is to promote the interests around which it is formed.

A) caucus
B) colloquium
C) committee
D) conference

Question 8

The pork barrel 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 9

Whips serve what function?

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

Question 10

Which incumbency advantage involves efforts to highlight an incumbent's service to individuals and to the district?

A) visibility
B) credit claiming
C) lobbying
D) position taking

Question 11

Over the past three decades,the distance between the political parties in Congress has been growing steadily. As the parties have pulled apart ideologically,they also have become more __________ internally.

A) libertarian
B) diverse
C) collegial
D) homogeneous

Question 12

A filibuster can be ended through __________; it requires the approval of __________ senators.

A) abrogation; fifty-one
B) censure; fifty-five
C) cloture; sixty
D) discharge; sixty-seven

Question 13

The __________ makes economic projections about the performance of the economy,the costs of proposed policies,and the economic effects of taxing and spending alternatives.

A) Congressional Budget Office
B) Congressional Research Service
C) House Ways and Means Committee
D) Senate Banking Committee

Question 14

__________ committees exist in both the House and Senate,may be temporary or permanent,and usually have a specific focus.

A) Ways and means
B) Caucus
C) Select
D) Standing

Question 15

Members of the House are apportioned to states based on __________. They serve __________-year terms.

A) equal representation by state; four
B) equal representation by state; six
C) population; two
D) population; four

Question 16

The English politician and philosopher Edmund Burke advocated the concept of legislators as __________ who use their best judgment to make policy in the interests of the people.

A) delegates
B) trustees
C) partisans
D) politicos

Question 17

Which incumbency advantage is more important in the Senate than in the House?

A) advertising
B) position taking
C) lobbying
D) weak opponents

Question 18

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

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

Question 19

Party leaders from the two chambers of Congress sometimes use __________ legislation that addresses numerous and perhaps unrelated issues to create winning coalitions and force members to support the entire bill to obtain the individual parts.

A) ad hoc
B) conference
C) orthodox
D) omnibus

Question 20

Partisan __________ is the difference between the parties.

A) conservatism
B) gridlock
C) ideology
D) polarization

Question 21

A committee created to reconcile differences in versions of a bill passed by the House and Senate is called a(n)__________ committee.

A) arbitration
B) conference
C) standing
D) appropriations

Question 22

Of the following groups,which is most underrepresented in Congress?

A) African Americans
B) Asian Americans
C) Hispanics
D) women

Question 23

How do congressional staffers use information from constituent contacts in a way that helps the member of Congress win reelection?

A) Congressional staffers use the information to tailor their communications to voters based on the issues they care about.
B) Members of Congress conduct additional research about those issues that are most pressing to their constituents.
C) Congressional candidates sell the data to marketing companies and keep the proceeds for their campaign coffers.
D) Members of Congress use this information to conduct congressional business at home, where they can attend various events that help fund their campaign.

Question 24

The __________ is the only House official mandated by the Constitution.

A) majority leader
B) majority whip
C) Sergeant-at-Arms
D) Speaker of the House

Question 25

What is the typical process followed by a bill in the House of Representatives?

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

Question 26

To increase turnover in the membership of Congress,some reformers have proposed __________ for representatives and senators.

A) term limits
B) credit claiming
C) franking privileges
D) incumbency

Question 27

When is lobbying more likely to be successful?

A) when lobbying against change
B) when lobbying for an environmental group
C) immediately before an election
D) immediately after an election

Question 28

Whose job is it to convey the party's position to rank-and-file congresspersons,keep vote counts,pressure waverers,and report the views and complaints of the House to the party leadership?

A) committee chairperson
B) majority leader
C) whip
D) Speaker of the House

Question 29

Congress missed the fact that various agencies with responsibility for supervising the banking industry were negligent in identifying looming financial problems that led to the recession of 2008-2009. This suggests a failure of __________.

A) the seniority system
B) jurisdiction fragmentation
C) oversight
D) the informal organization of Congress

Question 30

In the 2011-2012 election cycle,how much money did the average winning House candidate spend?

A) $1.6 million
B) $23 million
C) $200 million
D) $1 billion

Question 31

Why might incumbents want to deemphasize their policy positions during a reelection campaign?

A) Voters do not like feeling patronized by discussing policies they are already fully aware of.
B) Stressing policy positions can make enemies as well as friends.
C) Stressing policy positions makes voters more uncertain about where the candidate stands on important issues.
D) Having clear policy positions makes it harder to attract campaign contributions from interest groups.

Question 32

Because Congress is __________,it is fairly open to interest group influence.

A) professionalized
B) complex
C) decentralized
D) hierarchical

Question 33

In the House of Representatives,a bill goes to the Rules Committee __________.

A) after it goes to a conference committee
B) after it is approved by its full committee
C) after it is debated in the full House
D) before it is amended or rewritten in its full committee

Question 34

What is substantive representation?

A) representing groups that provide subsistence for their campaign coffers and not for their policy preferences
B) representing the interests of groups of which they themselves are not members
C) representing people and interests that they like personally by voting for legislation that benefits those people
D) representing constituents by mirroring their personal, politically relevant characteristics

Question 35

One thing that helps incumbents win reelection is __________,which might include federal spending projects benefitting state and local governments,businesses,colleges,and other institutions in a congressional district.

A) apportionment
B) casework
C) the pork barrel
D) logrolling

Question 36

Most of the work of Congress goes on in __________.

A) recess
B) committees
C) conferences
D) hearings

Question 37

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

A) A legislator considers public opinion before using his or her best judgment.
B) A legislator does whatever is best for his or her reelection.
C) A legislator follows the public opinion of his or her constituency.
D) A legislator does what is in the best interest of his or her party.

Question 38

What is the vice president's only constitutionally defined job?

A) to look after the "Good and the Welfare of We the People"
B) to represent the president at official state functions
C) to preside over the Electoral College
D) to serve as president of the Senate

Question 39

__________ is defined as the activities of members of Congress that help individual constituents,particularly by cutting through bureaucratic red tape.

A) Gains from trade
B) Casework
C) Logrolling
D) The pork barrel

Question 40

Which statement about incumbency is most accurate?

A) Incumbents have a significant reelection advantage.
B) Incumbents are prohibited from accepting campaign contributions from interest group members.
C) Incumbents only leave office when pressured by party leadership.
D) Incumbents only leave office when they are involved in a scandal.

Question 41

Power is more centralized in the House than it is in the Senate.

Question 42

The House tends to be more influential in foreign affairs,while the Senate tends to be more influential in budget matters.

Question 43

How are Senate committee chairs generally selected?

A) by voters
B) according to seniority
C) according to age
D) according to tact and decorum

Question 44

Why did the government shut down in 2013?

A) Congressional Democrats and Republicans could not agree on a budget.
B) The government shut down because each party wanted to take credit for addressing the ensuing crisis.
C) The government shut down in order to save money.
D) Members of Congress forgot to pass the budget.

Question 45

The House of Representatives must confirm many presidential nominations.

Question 46

The Constitution specifies that members of the House must be at least __________ years old and American citizens for at least __________ years.

A) 25; 7
B) 25; 10
C) 30; 9
D) 35; 10

Question 47

For a bill to become law,it must be passed by both the House and the Senate. This gives each chamber the power to veto the policies of the other.

Question 48

A conference committee is comprised of members from the House and Senate committees that originally considered the bill.

Question 49

Strict limits are placed on the amount of debate that a bill can receive in the Senate.

Question 50

Members of Congress earn an annual salary of more than $150,000.

Question 51

Casework and pork barrel spending can influence the outcomes of congressional elections.

Question 52

Open seat races tend to be competitive.

Question 53

Caucuses are groups of like-minded interest groups that join forces to lobby Congress.

Question 54

A new bill that is sent to a committee typically goes to a subcommittee,which can hold hearings on the bill.

Question 55

Conference committees are formed when the Senate and the House pass different versions of the same bill.

Question 56

New rules in Congress have increased the power of committee chairs.

Question 57

Most states have a bicameral legislature.

Question 58

The House currently has 200 members.

Question 59

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

A) The parties have become less polarized because more and more voters are opting to become independents.
B) Both Republicans and Democrats have become more liberal.
C) While members of Congress have not become more extreme, ordinary citizens have.
D) Each congressional party has become more homogeneous, and the distance between parties has increased.

Question 60

In the House of Representatives,a sizeable majority of incumbents seeking reelection usually win.

Question 61

In the House of Representatives,not only do more than 90 percent of incumbents seeking reelection usually win,but most of them win with more than 60 percent of the vote. Discuss why the rate at which incumbents are reelected to the Senate is lower than at which House members are reelected.

Question 62

The Speaker's principal partisan ally in the House is the __________.

Question 63

Explain how the decentralized nature of the committee system in Congress affects the ability of interest groups to influence its decisions.

Question 64

Position taking is more likely to affect the outcome of a House race than a Senate race.

Question 65

What is the House Rules Committee? What are its functions?

Question 66

Explain the selection and responsibilities of committee chairs.

Question 67

There are nearly 500 __________,which are informal groups of members of Congress who share an interest.

Question 68

Cloture is the only way other senators can end a(n)__________.

Question 69

The full House and full Senate generally only consider bills that have a favorable report from one of the __________ committees.

Question 70

__________ are individuals who already hold office.

Question 71

The __________ is second in line (after the vice president)to succeed a president should that office become vacant.

Question 72

Discuss the formal responsibilities and informal powers held today by the Speaker of the House.

Question 73

Logrolling is when at least sixty senators vote to halt a filibuster.

Question 74

Outline the main steps a bill takes to become a law,noting the differences between the House and Senate.

Question 75

In either chamber of Congress,the __________ is the highest-ranking leader in the minority party.

Question 76

The __________ presides over the House when it is in session and plays a major role in making committee assignments.

Question 77

Representing constituents by mirroring their personal,politically relevant characteristics is known as __________ representation.

Question 78

Explain how often Congress reapportions its membership and how such reapportionment can affect the reelection of incumbent members of Congress.

Question 79

Explain the specific responsibilities associated with legislative oversight.

Question 80

Contrast the responsibilities and power structures of the House and the Senate.