Deck 7: Congress

Question 1

According to Article II,

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Which of the following accurately describes partisan control of the 112th Congress?

A)The Democrats control the House; the Republicans control the Senate.
B)The Republicans control the House; the Democrats control the Senate.
C)The Democrats control both the House and the Senate.
D)The Republicans control both the House and the Senate.
E)The Republicans control the House and neither party controls the Senate.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Which statement is true with respect to the "necessary and proper" clause?

A)It has given presidents broader power to conduct war.
B)It has decreased the amount of time members of Congress devote to casework.
C)It has added significantly to the authority of Congress.
D)It has had little effect on legislative powers of Congress.
E)It expands the president's power in the area of federal spending.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

The first committee to review a tax bill is the

A)House Rules Committee.
B)House Budget Committee.
C)Ways and Means Committee of the House of Representatives.
D)Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives.
E)Select Committee on Taxation and Finance.

Question 5

The staff agency charged with helping the president prepare the budget is the

A)Office of Management and Budget.
B)Department of the Treasury.
C)Office of Fiscal Accountability.
D)Department of the Interior.
E)Internal Revenue Service.

Question 6

Which of the following accurately describes the representation of women in Congress?

A)There are no women currently serving in the Senate.
B)Fewer than two dozen women currently serve in the House.
C)House and Senate rules require equal representation by gender,although this seldom happens in practice.
D)The number of women has increased in recent years,although women are still considerably underrepresented.
E)Because the number of women serving in Congress has increased,women are no longer underrepresented.

Question 7

The two major functions of Congress are

A)taxing and spending.
B)overseeing and reporting.
C)legislating and representing.
D)bickering and brokering.
E)being elected and being reelected.

Question 8

The committees that do most of the work drafting legislation are known as

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

Question 9

Which one of the following correctly describes the impeachment process?

A)The House decides whether to levy formal charges against a government official; the Senate conducts a trial on the House charges.
B)The Senate decides whether to levy formal charges against a government official; the House conducts a trial on the Senate charges.
C)The House and the Senate jointly consider charges; the Supreme Court conducts a trial on the charges.
D)A high-ranking government official is removed from office as soon as the official is impeached by the House.
E)The power of impeachment can be used against any federal employee within any government branch or agency.

Question 10

Which of the following statements describes a difference between the House of Representatives and the Senate?

A)The House is less formal than the Senate.
B)Senators are more concerned with local issues.
C)Senate rules are short and relatively simple.
D)Most senators are campaigning all of the time.
E)There are strict limits on the length of time a senator may speak.

Question 11

The results of the 2010 census are most likely to benefit

A)states who lost population since 2000.
B)midwestern states.
C)northeastern states.
D)Republicans.
E)Democrats.

Question 12

The Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974

A)required all tax bills to originate in the Senate.
B)required authorization bills to originate in the Senate.
C)expanded the president's authority to impound funds.
D)synched the fiscal year with the calendar year.
E)established a schedule for enacting taxing and spending legislation.

Question 13

The 2002 investigation into terrorist threats to the United States by the joint intelligence committees of Congress is an example of what constitutional function?

A)Oversight
B)Appointment
C)Impeachment
D)Electoral
E)Casework

Question 14

Which one of the following is true with respect to federal budget deficits?

A)The deficit has been the same from year to year.
B)Budget deficits are lower during presidential election years.
C)The federal government has rarely run a budget deficit.
D)Deficits were common in the 1930s but disappeared with World War II.
E)Deficits have increased to more than $1 trillion in recent years.

Question 15

The presiding officer of the House of Representatives is called the

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

Question 16

In recent years,the practice of gerrymandering

A)has made elections more competitive.
B)has protected incumbents from both parties.
C)is nearly always unconstitutional due to several Supreme Court decisions.
D)has had little impact on the outcomes of elections.
E)had favored congressional challengers as they try to unseat incumbents.

Question 17

The idea that legislators need to pass laws that are in the best interests of their constituents is referred to as

A)casework.
B)service.
C)policy representation.
D)constituent apportionment.
E)redistricting.

Question 18

Decisions regarding the spending of tax revenue go through a two-step process involving authorizations and appropriations.In this context,an authorization

A)provides money for existing government programs.
B)establishes a specific program and provides the money for that program.
C)establishes a specific program and sets limits on the amount that may be spent on that program.
D)extends permission to the Senate for purposes of limiting spending on government programs.
E)permits the Congressional Budget Office to create a new program.

Question 19

Why did Presidents Bush and Obama increase government spending in the late 2000s?

A)To reduce the budget deficit
B)To reduce taxes
C)Because authorizations increased while appropriations decreased
D)To stimulate the economy and calm the financial and housing industries
E)Because the Supreme Court issued an opinion ordering them to

Question 20

How many members of Congress are there?

A)104
B)161
C)270
D)435
E)535

Question 21

When a bill comes up for debate in the House,how many members need to be present for the Committee of the Whole to have a quorum?

A)50
B)100
C)218
D)398
E)535

Question 22

Congress's oversight function is carried out by the Department of Justice.

Question 23

How has the seniority system been altered when choosing chairs of congressional committees?

A)The most senior member is no longer automatically made the chair.
B)Chairs now automatically assume their position by being the longest-serving party member.
C)The oldest member of each committee now becomes the chair.
D)Chairs are no longer appointed by the leader of the majority party.
E)Chairs are appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate.

Question 24

What major committee in the House can report a bill directly to the floor without going through the Rules Committee?

A)Budget
B)Finance
C)Ways and Means
D)Appropriations
E)Resolutions

Question 25

Terminating debate in the Senate takes a vote for cloture adopted by

A)the majority party.
B)the minority party.
C)three-fifths of the entire Senate.
D)a simple majority of those present.
E)two-thirds of the total membership.

Question 26

The elected official who is the presiding officer of the Senate is the

A)president of the United States.
B)vice president of the United States.
C)president pro tempore of the Senate.
D)Senate majority leader.
E)Speaker of the Senate.

Question 27

A special order issued by the House Rules Committee,determining when a bill will come up for debate and setting time limits on debate,is called a(n)

A)rule.
B)writ.
C)appropriation.
D)discharge petition.
E)cloture.

Question 28

Authorizations establish specific programs and set limits on the amounts that may be spent on them.

Question 29

Bills must pass both houses in exactly the same form before they can be sent to the president.When different versions of a bill have been passed by the House and the Senate,the bill may be sent to a

A)joint committee.
B)standing committee.
C)select committee.
D)conference committee.
E)special committee.

Question 30

Which type of temporary congressional committee is formed to examine a particular issue?

A)Standing
B)Joint
C)Conference
D)Select
E)Casework

Question 31

A discharge petition is a crucial part of the procedure to

A)initiate proceedings in either house to expel a member.
B)remove a bill from the jurisdiction of its committee.
C)initiate impeachment proceedings.
D)remove a chairperson from a standing committee.
E)vote on conviction in impeachment proceedings.

Question 32

Who is typically the most powerful member of Congress?

A)The Speaker of the House
B)The House majority leader
C)The president of the Senate
D)The president pro tempore of the Senate
E)The Senate majority leader

Question 33

When do public hearings about proposed legislation take place?

A)During the floor procedure
B)During the conference committee
C)At the committee stage
D)In front of the Rules Committee
E)At the time the bill is introduced

Question 34

Tax bills can originate in either the House or the Senate.

Question 35

The Senate has rejected only about twenty treaties since the nation's founding.

Question 36

Assistant floor leaders are called

A)whips.
B)chairs.
C)liaisons.
D)minority leaders.
E)sergeants-at-arms.

Question 37

Budget deficits have been eliminated in recent years.

Question 38

The Senate device in which one or more senators speak continuously in an effort to prevent a bill from coming to a vote is called a

A)floor debate.
B)filibuster.
C)cloture.
D)unanimous consent agreement.
E)floor conference.

Question 39

Who is primarily responsible for rounding up the votes of party members and persuading them to be present when their votes are needed?

A)Speaker of the House
B)Clerk of the House
C)Majority leader
D)Senate president
E)Whips

Question 40

Which House calendar is used for bills that require little or no debate?

A)House
B)Union
C)Private
D)Consent
E)Casework

Question 41

Senate rules are many and complex; House rules are short and relatively simple.

Question 42

The House majority leader and the Speaker of the House have equal power and authority.

Question 43

Although Congress is a partisan body,the procedure for getting a bill proposal to a floor vote is remarkably nonpartisan.

Question 44

Under the Constitution,presidential appointments must receive the consent of the House of Representatives.

Question 45

A discharge petition can be used to take a bill out of the jurisdiction of a committee.

Question 46

Trade union members,scientists,and members of the clergy are overrepresented in Congress.

Question 47

The president of the Senate may vote in order to break a tie.

Question 48

Reapportionment is performed every ten years after the population of the United States is counted by the Census Bureau.

Question 49

Conference committees are formed to work out a compromise when different versions of a bill have been passed by the House and the Senate.

Question 50

Policy representation is concerned mainly with passing legislation that is in the best interest of a representative's district.

Question 51

Members of the House can introduced a bill,while senators can only consider bills that have first been introduced into the House.

Question 52

The Senate often uses unanimous consent agreements to establish the conditions under which a bill be considered.

Question 53

The president has the authority to introduce bills into the House or the Senate.

Question 54

Redistricting that is primarily political is likely to pass constitutional muster.

Question 55

Congress may override the presidential veto by a two-thirds vote in each house.