Deck 9: Congress

Question 1

Which of the following best describes a way in which the House differs from the Senate?

A) The House is more centralized and organized than the Senate.
B) The House is a looser and more deliberative body than the Senate.
C) The House's representatives are much less specialized than the Senate's members.
D) The House has a much greater level of turnover in its membership than the Senate.
E) Only the House has the authority to approve the president's appointments to the federal judiciary.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Which of the following is the best definition of a congressional caucus?

A) a formal substructure of congressional parties, oriented toward fund-raising
B) unofficial groups of representatives or senators sharing similar interests or opinions
C) informal lobbying groups, organized around similar interests such as agriculture or maritime affairs
D) a formal committee that has the power to propose and write legislation
E) a vote by members of the House in order to determine who the Speaker of the House will be

Answer 2

B

Question 3

In each House district there are approximately ______ people.

A) 200,000
B) 700,000
C) 1,000,000
D) 1,500,000
E) 2,000,000

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Congress is a ______ legislature with ______ members.

A) unicameral; 342
B) bicameral; 535
C) bicameral; 100
D) unicameral; 630
E) unicameral; 750

Question 5

The most common occupation among members of Congress before coming to Congress is:

A) business executive
B) sales representative
C) professor
D) lawyer
E) lobbyist

Question 6

Which of the following statements concerning the representation of women and minorities in the U.S.Congress is true?

A) Representation of women and minorities has decreased by one-third since the 1970s.
B) Representation of women and minorities has increased over the past two decades, but is not comparable to their proportions in the general population.
C) Women are underrepresented in Congress but there is a disproportionate representation of minorities in Congress.
D) Since the mid-1990s, the number of women and minorities in Congress roughly reflects their proportions in the general population.
E) Women and minorities are overrepresented in the House but underrepresented in Senate.

Question 7

The larger,more heterogeneous constituencies and longer terms of senators means that they are:

A) more attuned to the needs of groups and interests organized on a city or county-wide basis
B) more likely to consider "new ideas" and are better able to act as the agents for groups and interests organized on a statewide or national basis
C) more likely to serve existing interests than to bring together new coalitions of interests
D) more likely to spend their time thinking about and running for re-election
E) more concerned about reapportionment than members of the House

Question 8

Three factors related to the American electoral system affect who is elected to office in this country,and what they do once they get there.Those factors are:

A) party affiliation, family connections, and the substance of issues raised during a campaign
B) who decides to run for office, incumbency, and the drawing of district lines
C) incumbency, ranking, and party affiliation
D) military service, professional connections, and religious beliefs
E) race, religious beliefs, and the region of the country the district falls within

Question 9

Which of the following is NOT a service often provided by representatives to their constituents?

A) attempting to influence the decision of a regulatory commission on behalf of a constituent
B) presenting a special bill for constituents
C) offering constituents legal advice regarding new administrative laws
D) writing and mailing out newsletters
E) talking to constituents

Question 10

Which of the following is a key assumption of the sociological model of representation?

A) Because similarity helps promote good representation, the composition of legislative bodies should mirror the composition of society.
B) The composition of legislative bodies need not mirror society because all members of Congress are equally well equipped to represent the views and interests of their constituents.
C) The government that governs least, governs best.
D) The government that governs most, governs best.
E) All representatives should have extensive educations and degrees in the social sciences before taking office in order to ensure the best government.

Question 11

In 2006,______ became the Speaker of the House.

A) Harry Reid
B) Dennis Hastert
C) Kay Bailey Hutchinson
D) Nancy Pelosi
E) Rahm Emanuel

Question 12

The idea of ______ identifies the best representative as the one who shares a similar racial,ethnic,religious,or occupational background with those he or she represents.

A) agency representation
B) sociological representation
C) mirroring representation
D) trustee representation
E) delegate representation

Question 13

Which of the following is the best definition of a constituent?

A) It is another name for a voter.
B) It is the name for a member of Congress running for re-election.
C) It is someone who donates money to a campaign.
D) It is a person who lives in the district represented by a member of the legislature.
E) It is the name for a person who has sued the federal government in court for violating the Constitution.

Question 14

Which of the following statements is most accurate?

A) Party leaders frequently demand that representatives vote in a particular way even if it conflicts with the representative's district and may hurt their re-election efforts.
B) Representatives are always above constituency pressures when they vote on laws in Congress.
C) Many states have strict laws that require representatives to vote in accordance with what their constituents want.
D) On many issues, constituents do not have very strong views and representatives are free to act as they think best without fear of electoral reprisals.
E) On many issues, constituents have very strong views and representatives feel compelled to do exactly what their constituents demand.

Question 15

Constituency service is so important that:

A) representatives spend about three-quarters of their time aiding constituents
B) party leaders will not ask any member to vote in a way that conflicts with the interests or opinions of the member's district
C) the House and Senate have recently created a Committee on Constituency Service
D) the Constitution explicitly lists "constituent service" as the most important responsibility of Congress
E) members of Congress have been impeached for not devoting enough attention to constituency service.

Question 16

The frequency with which they must seek re-election makes members of the House:

A) more responsive to the needs of the elites in the states they represent
B) less responsive to the needs of elites in the states they represent
C) less responsive to the needs of local interest groups in the districts they represent
D) more responsive to the needs of local interest groups in the districts they represent
E) less responsive to the needs of both elites and interest groups in the districts they represent

Question 17

A bicameral legislature is one that has:

A) laws forbidding private hearings or conferences
B) two chambers or houses
C) authority to overrule state governments
D) a prime minister
E) equal representation for each state

Question 18

How long is the term of office for a U.S.Senator?

A) two years
B) four years
C) six years
D) eight years
E) ten years

Question 19

Which idea of representation says that a legislator should be viewed as someone whom voters hire to represent their interests?

A) agency representation
B) sociological representation
C) mirroring representation
D) trustee representation
E) contract representation

Question 20

As of 2012,how many women serve in the U.S.Senate?

A) two
B) seven
C) twenty
D) twenty-one
E) twenty-nine

Question 21

Who has the most real power in the Senate?

A) the Speaker of the Senate
B) the majority and minority leaders
C) the Senate president pro tempore
D) the chair of the Rules Committee.
E) no one; unlike in the House, all Senators are equal in power

Question 22

In recent years,approximately what percentage of House members seeking re-election won their race?

A) 50 percent
B) 60 percent
C) 75 percent
D) 80 percent
E) 95 percent

Question 23

Which of the following best explains the small number of women in Congress?

A) More men than women vote, and men tend not to vote for women candidates.
B) Women do not have organizations or PACs supporting their candidacy.
C) Incumbency is a very powerful resource, and most incumbents have been men.
D) Women do not make very effective representatives.
E) Women do not want to run for Congress.

Question 24

Which of the following would NOT constitute an example of patronage?

A) A Senator from Virginia adding a project for a $3.5 million horse trail in Virginia to a highway bill.
B) A Senator from New York voting in favor of a law to eliminate earmarks.
C) A member of the House helping a senior citizen who lives in their district overcome problems with their Social Security benefit eligibility.
D) A member of the House securing an appointment to one of the military academies for the child of a constituent.
E) A member of the House sponsoring a bill to obtain legal status for an undocumented couple whose son had died as a Marine in Iraq.

Question 25

Over the past several decades,the ______ and the ______ have benefited most from apportionment.

A) Northeast; Midwest
B) Northeast; South
C) Northeast; West
D) South; West
E) South; Midwest

Question 26

Who is the Speaker of the House?

A) The vice president is also the Speaker of the House.
B) The representative with the longest tenure in the House is the Speaker of the House.
C) The elected leader of the majority party in the House is the Speaker.
D) An employee of Congress who formally brings the House into session each day is the Speaker.
E) The president selects the Speaker of the House from the majority party in the House.

Question 27

A senator or representative running for re-election is called the:

A) constituent
B) incumbent
C) elector
D) trustee
E) delegate

Question 28

One reason why redistricting is controversial is:

A) computer technologies allow legislatures to know statistically what kinds of people live where and this can be used to give one party an advantage over the other
B) it is unclear whether state legislatures or the federal government has the authority to redraw districts
C) incumbents never lose when districts are redrawn
D) it is unclear whether districts have to be drawn in such a way that each district includes roughly the same number of people
E) interest groups and PACs exert a great deal of influence over the specific shape of each district

Question 29

In the House of Representatives,the majority leader:

A) is subordinate to the Speaker of the House
B) is the same office as the Speaker of the House
C) is superior in formal powers to the Speaker of the House
D) has the same powers as the Speaker of the House but is a different office
E) does not exist; there is no majority leader in the House of Representatives

Question 30

What did the Supreme Court declare in Miller v.Johnson?

A) Districts could not be drawn to favor the incumbent candidate.
B) The racial composition of a district could not be the predominant factor when redistricting.
C) Incumbents could not begin fundraising more than nine months before the general election.
D) It was not unconstitutional for states to use an unelected, nonpartisan committee to redistrict.
E) The use of computer technologies to draw districts that will favor one party over another is unconstitutional.

Question 31

Pork-barrel legislation:

A) deals with specific projects and their location within a particular congressional district
B) deals with specific agricultural subsidies
C) funds efforts to increase the levels of America's meat exports
D) grants a special privilege to a person named in the bill
E) orders state governments to implement a program without providing funding for doing so

Question 32

In general,members of the House seek committee assignments that will:

A) bring them the largest number of campaign donations
B) give them greater media exposure
C) allow them to influence decisions that are of special importance to voters in their districts
D) allow them more personal contact with the president
E) allow them to avoid issues that are important and controversial to voters in their districts

Question 33

What are the most common private bills proposed in Congress?

A) bills giving individuals or corporations tax relief
B) bills for permanent visas or citizenship for foreign nationals
C) bills for defense contracts in a representative's district
D) bills that declare certain foreign nationals enemies of the United States
E) There are no private bills in Congress; all bills must be public

Question 34

The powers and resources available to government officials that are used to favor supporters are called:

A) trusteeships
B) expenditures
C) patronage
D) clotures
E) filibusters

Question 35

Which of the following statements concerning the process of reapportionment is correct?

A) In order for one state to gain a seat, another state must lose a seat.
B) States that grow in size may gain extra seats, but the Constitution forbids reducing the number of representatives for any state.
C) States that fall below a minimum number of inhabitants are represented in the House by a nonvoting delegate.
D) States that grow in size may gain extra seats, but the Constitution forbids any state from having more than 35 representatives.
E) States that grow in population can refuse to accept further seats and, instead, give them to another state.

Question 36

Gerrymandering refers to:

A) the resources that elected officials use to reward their supporters
B) the manipulation of electoral districts to serve the interests of a particular group
C) the practice where legislators trade their support or opposition on one bill to get the support of another legislator on a different bill
D) the investigations of the executive branch that Congress frequently engages in
E) the tactic used by members of the Senate to prevent action on legislation they oppose by continuously holding the floor and speaking until the majority backs down

Question 37

The "sophomore surge" refers to:

A) the fact that many members of Congress lose their re-election campaigns after their second term in office
B) the tendency for college students to intern with their local members of Congress during the summer between their sophomore and junior years in college
C) the fact that most members of Congress leave office after only two years in office
D) the fact that many college sophomores choose to vote in midterm congressional elections but not in presidential elections
E) the tendency for candidates to win a higher percentage of the vote when seeking future terms in office

Question 38

Which of the following does NOT typically affect an individual's decision to run for elected office?

A) The strength of the individual's connections with interest groups and the national party organization.
B) The way state legislative districts overlap with congressional districts.
C) The individual's ability to meet the extensive list of educational requirements defined by local, state, and federal laws.
D) The individual's level of personal ambition.
E) The individual's ability to raise money for their campaign.

Question 39

One reason some people support the instatement of term limits in the House and Senate is:

A) that it will decrease the power and influence of interest groups
B) that it will decrease turnover in Congress and lead to more experienced legislators
C) that it will increase turnover and get new faces into Congress
D) that it will limit the power and influence of the judiciary
E) that it will limit the use of patronage by representatives

Question 40

Congressional organization is influenced by all of the following except:

A) parliamentary rules of the House and Senate
B) presidential directives
C) political parties
D) the committee system
E) congressional staff

Question 41

In addition to pressuring members of Congress to vote a certain way on a bill,interest groups also have substantial influence in:

A) setting the legislative agenda
B) getting senators to filibuster debates on bills that they oppose
C) determining whether a member of Congress will run for re-election
D) deciding committee assignments for members of Congress
E) determining whether a bill will receive an open rule or a closed rule

Question 42

Approximately what percentage of proposed bills die in committee?

A) 40 percent
B) 50 percent
C) 60 percent
D) 75 percent
E) 95 percent

Question 43

A proposed piece of legislation is called a:

A) bill
B) referendum
C) proposal
D) cloture
E) filibuster

Question 44

Which of the following is NOT a task of congressional staff members?

A) dealing with administrative agencies
B) drafting legislative proposals
C) organizing hearings
D) debating and voting in subcommittee meetings
E) negotiating with lobbyists

Question 45

The House Ways and Means Committee has jurisdiction over which of the following areas?

A) taxes, trade, and entitlement programs
B) foreign relations and national security
C) rules governing debate on the floor and committee assignments
D) highways and waterways
E) agricultural and food issues

Question 46

A filibuster allows members of the Senate to:

A) refer a bill to multiple committees
B) avoid a conference committee
C) prevent a vote on a bill by speaking continuously on the floor
D) call into question any action of the executive branch
E) add amendments to any bill at any time

Question 47

Cloture is:

A) the ability of a senator to speak for as long as he or she wishes to prevent action being taken on legislation that he or she opposes
B) the process by which three-fifths of the Senate can end a filibuster
C) the rule which allows one house of Congress to circumvent the other during the legislative process
D) the process by which the president can end a filibuster
E) a lawsuit filed by a member of the Senate against a member of the House, or vice versa

Question 48

The jurisdiction of standing committees:

A) is related to a specific geographic region
B) is defined by the subject matter of legislation, which often parallels the major cabinet departments or agencies
C) is determined by the different political parties
D) is determined by the U.S. Supreme Court
E) often overlaps with the jurisdiction of select committees

Question 49

The need to divide the labor of legislation is best exemplified in what formal structure of Congress?

A) the establishment of party whips
B) the establishment of standing committees
C) the strict control over floor time in Congress
D) the use of conference committees
E) the establishment of minority and majority leaders

Question 50

The filibuster is likely to remain a feature of legislative politics in the United States because:

A) the House, the Senate, and the President all must agree to eliminate it
B) it makes majority rule in the Senate much easier
C) a sixty-seven vote majority is required to eliminate it
D) a Constitutional amendment is required to eliminate it
E) it is universally regarded as an essential part of every legislative assembly

Question 51

The House Ways and Means Committee is one of the most important because:

A) it decides the order in which specific bills come up for a vote on the House floor and the specific rules that govern the length of debate
B) it determines which representatives are assigned to which committees within the House
C) it has the final vote on all foreign policy legislation moving through the House
D) it has jurisdiction over taxes, trade, and entitlement programs such as Social Security and Medicare
E) it is placed in charge of voting on impeachment charges

Question 52

According to the text,which of the following is NOT an important influence on the legislative agenda of Congress?

A) constituents
B) lobbyists
C) the president
D) the federal courts
E) party leadership

Question 53

The determination of the time and structure of floor debate on a bill,in the House of Representatives,is up to the:

A) bill's authors
B) Rules Committee
C) Ways and Means Committee
D) majority leader
E) congressional staff

Question 54

Who decides which committee assignments members of House of Representatives receive?

A) the Speaker of the House
B) each party's own "steering and policy" committee
C) the president selects for members of his own party, and either the House majority or minority leader selects for opposition members
D) each party's National Committee
E) each party's whip

Question 55

The four joint committees in Congress are:

A) budget, veteran's affairs, labor, and health
B) economic, taxation, library, and printing
C) foreign affairs, welfare, currency, and trade
D) globalization, human rights, employment, and citizenship
E) justice, agriculture, education, and technology

Question 56

Conference committees are:

A) permanent and involve members from both the House and the Senate, but they do not have the power to report legislation
B) temporary and are created to take up an issue that falls between the jurisdiction of existing committees, to highlight an issue, or to investigate a particular problem
C) permanent and have the power to write and propose legislation
D) temporary, involve members from both houses of Congress, and are charged with reaching a compromise on legislation once it has been passed by both the House and the Senate
E) informal committees composed of members from both political parties and both houses of Congress that are designed to promote bipartisanship

Question 57

When Congress adjourns during a ten-day period after presenting the president with a bill,and the president takes no action,this is known as a:

A) procrastination veto
B) pocket veto
C) line-item veto
D) silent veto
E) expiration veto

Question 58

When the House and the Senate coordinate two versions of the same bill,they will often use a ______ to obtain a single unified bill.

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

Question 59

Congressional leaders form ______ committees when they want to take up an issue that falls between the jurisdiction of existing committees,to highlight an issue,or to investigate a particular problem.

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

Question 60

How can a president's veto be overridden by Congress?

A) by a two-thirds vote in either house
B) by a two-thirds vote in both houses
C) by a simple majority vote in both houses
D) by a majority vote in the Veto Override Committee in the House and the Senate
E) a president's veto cannot be overridden

Question 61

The two presidents to be impeached by the House of Representatives were Bill Clinton and:

A) Andrew Jackson
B) Andrew Johnson
C) Herbert Hoover
D) Richard Nixon
E) Warren Harding

Question 62

The vice president also serves as Speaker of the House of Representatives and breaks tie votes.

Question 63

The number of seats in Congress changes as the population of the United States changes.

Question 64

When two members of Congress who share no common interests agree to support each other's bills,the practice is called:

A) filibustering
B) delegating
C) logrolling
D) bargaining
E) pork barreling

Question 65

Why does the House have greater party unity than the Senate?

A) Representatives have more partisan constituents than senators.
B) House leaders have more organizational control over the actions of representatives than Senate leaders.
C) Political parties donate more money to re-elect representatives than senators, who are more independent fund-raisers.
D) There is, in fact, no real difference in levels of party unity between the House and the Senate.
E) Interest groups are less influential in the House than in the Senate.

Question 66

The House of Representatives has 335 members and the Senate has 100 members.

Question 67

The Supreme Court has ruled that race could not be the predominant factor in creating electoral districts.

Question 68

Responsibility for communicating the party leader's wishes to members in Congress lies with the:

A) Speaker of the House and the Senate president pro tempore
B) whip system
C) party's national committee
D) party caucuses
E) the Ways and Means Committee

Question 69

Oversight can best be described as:

A) the efforts of Congress to supervise the manner in which its laws are implemented by the executive branch
B) the organizational control exercised by party whips over members of Congress
C) the authority of committee chairs over the hearings and investigations conducted by the subcommittees
D) the informal power of the president to set the legislative agenda for Congress
E) the approval that the Senate must give to all presidential appointments to the federal judiciary

Question 70

The role the House of Representatives plays in impeachments can best be compared with that of a:

A) judge
B) grand jury
C) prosecuting attorney
D) defense attorney
E) defense witness

Question 71

Constituency service and private bills are common forms of patronage.

Question 72

The Senate's constitutional power of advice and consent extends to which of the following?

A) the president's power to make treaties with foreign nations
B) the president's power to make executive agreements
C) the president's power to issue executive orders
D) the president's power to issue pardons
E) all federal court decisions regarding the separation of powers

Question 73

By the 2008 election,the representation of women and minorities in Congress was roughly comparable to their proportions in the general population.

Question 74

Most members of the House attempt to stay on good terms with the Speaker of the House because:

A) the Speaker has the authority to call all party unity votes
B) the Speaker possesses the power of recognition
C) the Speaker controls all committee assignments
D) the Speaker approves all requests for logrolling
E) the Speaker makes all decisions regarding how leadership PACs will distribute their funds

Question 75

A vote on which 50 percent or more of the members of one party take one position while at least 50 percent of the members of the other party take the opposing position is called:

A) an ideological split
B) congressional gridlock
C) a party unity vote
D) a pocket veto
E) cloture

Question 76

Which statement about a party unity vote is true?

A) In 2005, party unity voting was close to an all-time high.
B) Party unity voting was disallowed by the organizational reforms of the 1970s.
C) The decline of party unity voting reflects the increasing strength of party discipline.
D) Party unity voting has been increasingly rare since the 1970s.
E) Party unity voting is usually higher in the Senate than in the House.

Question 77

Congressional leaders charged with lining up party members on important votes are known as sergeants-at-arms.

Question 78

Constituency service is a key aspect of agency representation.

Question 79

About 50 percent of incumbents win re-election.

Question 80

Which of the following is NOT a resource congressional party leaders have at their disposal to secure the unity and cooperation of their members?

A) committee assignments
B) access to the floor
C) constituency service
D) access to leadership PACs
E) the whip system