Deck 11: The Congress

Question 1

Which of the following statements about the powers of Congress as granted by the U.S. Constitution is most accurate?

A) The founders envisioned members of Congress as having a leading role in the new government because they were elected by the people.
B) Congress is a unitary body because the House of Representatives and Senate convene under one roof.
C) The Connecticut Compromise resulted in Congress becoming a parliamentary body.
D) The principal function of Congress is carrying out laws that have been created by the executive branch.
E) The enumerated powers of Congress as they apply to the United States are found in Article I, Section 2 of the Constitution.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

A majority of the bills on which Congress acts originate where?

A) Among the bureaucracy
B) Among the people
C) In the executive branch
D) From members of Congress
E) From Supreme Court decisions

Answer 2

C

Question 3

When a Congress member intercedes with a regulatory agency because members of the constituency are concerned with regulations that agency is proposing, the Congress member is playing which of the following roles?

A) Executive branch member
B) Instructed delegate
C) Trustee
D) Ombudsperson
E) Parliamentarian

Answer 3

D

Question 4

The power of advice and consent on treaties and presidential nominations was given only to which of the following?

A) The states
B) The House of Representatives
C) The Supreme Court
D) The Senate
E) The people

Question 5

How does a representative who is performing the role of a trustee vote?

A) In the interest of his or her home constituents
B) In support of his or her political party's agenda
C) On the basis of his or her own conscience in the broad interests of society
D) In accordance with opinion polls
E) Based on vote trades

Question 6

Which of the following reinforced the logic of separate constituencies and separate interests underlying the bicameral Congress?

A) State governments
B) Differences in length of tenure
C) The methods of amending the Constitution
D) The Bill of Rights
E) The unique role of the Speaker of the House

Question 7

The founders of the American republic believed that most of the power that would be exercised by a national government should be in the hands of which of the following?

A) The chief executive
B) The judiciary
C) The electoral college
D) The legislature
E) The bureaucracy

Question 8

An important domestic power of Congress includes which of the following?

A) Spending and regulating commerce
B) Establishing post offices and building new monuments
C) Establishing the federal court system and selecting judges
D) Coining money and using the concept of judicial review
E) Establishing rules for selecting judges and borrowing money

Question 9

The people whom a legislator represents and spends considerable time and effort serving are known as which of the following?

A) Delegates
B) Trustees
C) Constituents
D) Representatives
E) Members

Question 10

Which of the following is the committee in the House that proposes time limitations on debate for bills?

A) Debate Committee
B) Rules Committee
C) House Ways and Means Committee
D) Debate and Censure Committee
E) Issues Committee

Question 11

How are enumerated powers specifically granted to the national government?

A) By the citizenry
B) By the Supreme Court
C) By the Bill of Rights
D) By the Emancipation Proclamation
E) By the Constitution

Question 12

A filibuster is which of the following?

A) An attempt to persuade others to vote for a bill in return for a favor at a later date
B) A technique used to get blocks of House members to support a bill
C) A practice used in the House to force a standing committee to release a bill
D) An attempt to prevent the passage of a bill through the use of unlimited debate
E) A method used by the Speaker of the House to promote a majority party's legislation

Question 13

An important foreign policy power given to Congress includes which of the following?

A) Borrowing money from other countries
B) Declaring war
C) Punishing piracy on the high seas
D) Raising an army
E) Summoning and regulating state militias

Question 14

If a senator from Ohio agrees to support a fellow senator's bill in exchange for that member's promise to support the Ohio senator's bill, it is an example of which of the following?

A) Gerrymandering
B) The trustee role
C) A pocket veto
D) Logrolling
E) A filibuster

Question 15

Oversight is the process by which Congress does which of the following?

A) Reviews the actions of subcommittees
B) Chooses its leadership
C) Supervises the activities of the judicial branch
D) Passes legislation
E) Follows up on the laws that it has enacted

Question 16

Which of the following is true of the necessary and proper clause?

A) It has expanded the role of the national government relative to the states.
B) It has increased the powers of the state governments relative to the federal government.
C) It was in the original Constitution but was eliminated as a consequence of the Twenty-Seventh Amendment.
D) It has served to limit the expansion of national authority.
E) It is located in the Constitution in the text of the Tenth Amendment.

Question 17

The division of Congress into two separate bodies is known as which of the following?

A) Cameralism
B) Bicameralism
C) Unicameralism
D) Checks and balances
E) The separation of powers

Question 18

A representative who is performing the role of trustee could be doing which of the following?

A) Representing only the needs of his or her constituents
B) Supporting all of the president's legislative programs
C) Supporting his or her political party
D) Acting on conscience or representing the broad interests of the entire society
E) Representing other members of Congress

Question 19

One major problem with the role of the instructed delegate is which of the following?

A) The president's program may not have public support.
B) A majority of the constituents may be of a different political party than the representative.
C) The constituents may not actually have well-formed views on many issues.
D) Few members of Congress are knowledgeable about most legislation.
E) Members of Congress find it difficult to cooperate with members of their party.

Question 20

The role in which members of Congress serve as brokers between private citizens and the federal government usually takes which of the following forms?

A) Trusteeship
B) Delegation
C) Lawmaking
D) Earmarking
E) Casework

Question 21

When the winning presidential candidate's party also does well in congressional elections because voters vote for the president's party, that would be known as which of the following?

A) Hurricane effect
B) Coattail effect
C) Franking effect
D) Trustee effect
E) Logrolling

Question 22

Which of the following best identifies the source from which House and Senate elections are funded?

A) Individual donations
B) Money from political action committees (PACs)
C) Money from the political party
D) Money from the candidate themselves
E) All of these are correct.

Question 23

A unanimous consent agreement is used in the Senate to do which of the following?

A) Override legislation created in the House of Representatives
B) Amend legislation that is overturned by the Supreme Court
C) Reject a pocket veto from the president
D) Establish the rules for election to the House of Representatives
E) Agree on the rules of debate for proposed legislation

Question 24

In the Senate, how many votes are necessary to invoke cloture and end debate on a bill?

A) A simple majority
B) 67
C) 75
D) 50
E) 60

Question 25

It is common for a president's party to do which of the following?

A) Gain control of Congress in a presidential election year and lose control of Congress during the midterm election
B) Gain congressional seats during a presidential election year and lose seats during the midterm election
C) Lose control of Congress during a presidential election year and gain control of Congress during midterm elections
D) Lose congressional seats during a presidential election year and gain seats during a midterm election
E) Gain seats in Congress during every election

Question 26

The greater size of the House of Representatives means which of the following?

A) Members will have a greater number of committee assignments.
B) Members will receive greater media exposure.
C) A member must become an expert to attain recognition.
D) The level of prestige is higher than the Senate.
E) Recognition is easily attained.

Question 27

The concept of cloture refers to which of the following?

A) A method used to defeat legislation in Congress
B) A resolution that adjourns Congress
C) A process that attempts to limit debate in the Senate
D) Closed meetings held by both parties to elect their leadership or resolve other important issues
E) An action by the House Rules Committee that must be approved by the Speaker of the House

Question 28

The Seventeenth Amendment allowed which of the following positions to be elected by the people?

A) Senators
B) House of Representatives members
C) Majority leader of the Senate
D) President
E) Speaker of the House

Question 29

Which of the following statements accurately describes the political process for proposed legislation?

A) The House of Representatives and Senate use the exact same rules, procedures, and criteria for debate and argument.
B) Filibusters in the Senate are used to stop bills from coming to a floor vote.
C) Cloture in the Senate is used to send a bill to committee for further discussion and review.
D) The Rules Committee in the House of Representatives can call for a floor vote at any time once a bill is introduced.
E) The House of Representatives and the Senate both allot the same amount of time for party leaders to present their arguments.

Question 30

Techniques like "packing" and "cracking" may be used during redistricting to do which of the following?

A) Maximize a political party's chances of winning seats in the state legislatures and Congress
B) Confuse voters about their polling location or the candidates on their ballot
C) Decrease the voting power of undecided voters in national elections
D) Increase voter turnout
E) Eliminate the opportunity for gerrymandering to occur

Question 31

Which of the following best describes redistricting?

A) The allocation of the seats in the House to each state after each census
B) The redrawing of district boundaries within each state to ensure equal district populations
C) A court order to hold new elections because of voting irregularities
D) Altering a legislative formula that apportions spending among the states
E) Normally a bipartisan exercise

Question 32

What usually happens to members of Congress who run for reelection?

A) They are defeated in primary elections.
B) They are defeated in general elections.
C) They quit during the campaign.
D) They successfully run for reelection.
E) They are term-limited and cannot run for reelection.

Question 33

In most states, who draws congressional district lines?

A) A small group of party leaders in the state legislature
B) A nonpartisan state panel of commissioners
C) A nonpartisan panel elected in special elections
D) A group of retired judges selected by party leaders
E) A forum chaired by the state's U.S. senators

Question 34

One difference between the House and Senate is the number of members. Because of this, which of the following is true?

A) The House will spend much more time on a bill on the floor than the Senate.
B) The Senate has more rules in order to limit discussion of possible legislation.
C) A greater number of formal rules are needed to govern activity in the House.
D) House members must sit on more committees than senators.
E) A constitutional amendment has been introduced to increase the size of the Senate and reduce the size of the House.

Question 35

Why do U.S. House districts have to be as equal in population as possible?

A) To make it easier to determine the winners of the district
B) To follow the principle of one person, one vote
C) In order for each representative to have equal legislative power
D) In order for each representative to have an equal chance of serving on House committees
E) In order for each representative to have equal legislative power, and for each representative to have an equal chance of serving on House committees

Question 36

Following the 1990 census, the Justice Department directed states to create congressional districts that would do which of the following?

A) Balance the gender gap
B) Help increase the tax base for each state
C) Favor congressional incumbents
D) Prioritize federal programs over local programs
E) Maximize the voting power of minority groups

Question 37

Research has shown that what kind of districts are more competitive because they have not been drawn to favor one party over another?

A) Gerrymandered
B) Malapportioned
C) Majority-minority
D) Nonpartisan
E) Packed

Question 38

The drawing of legislative district boundaries in order to give one side an advantage is known as which of the following?

A) The coattail effect
B) The incumbency advantage
C) Redistricting
D) Reapportionment
E) Gerrymandering

Question 39

In 1962, the Supreme Court made the apportionment of state legislative districts a justiciable question. This means it could be which of the following?

A) Considered illegal to alter the makeup of Congress
B) Practiced at both the state and national levels
C) Raised and reviewed in court
D) Practiced multiple times in a single year
E) Rejected by the voters

Question 40

Every two years, what fraction of seats in the U.S. Senate are up for election?

A) All 100
B) One-half
C) One-third
D) One-quarter
E) Two-thirds

Question 41

What has happened to the cost of the franking privilege in recent years?

A) The cost is about the same.
B) The cost has increased slightly.
C) The cost has increased a great deal.
D) The cost has declined slightly.
E) The cost has decreased a great deal.

Question 42

House office staffs are limited to how many employees?

A) 12
B) 15
C) 18
D) 21
E) 24

Question 43

Which of the following is a characteristic of a standing committee?

A) It deliberates only on rules and procedures.
B) It is only found in the House of Representatives.
C) It is only found in the Senate.
D) It continues from session to session.
E) It is a temporary group.

Question 44

Members of Congress traveling to a session of Congress cannot get a speeding ticket thanks to what part of the Constitution?

A) Article I, Section 6
B) Article I, Section 2
C) Article I, Section 9
D) Article II, Section 4
E) Article III, Section 6

Question 45

The seniority system provides which of the following?

A) Members are awarded additional committee assignments in line with their seniority.
B) The committee member of the majority party with the longest continuous service normally becomes the committee chairperson.
C) Members become party whips in order of seniority.
D) Members of the House can be appointed to the Senate to fill vacancies.
E) The Speaker of the House is the member of the majority party with the longest continuous service.

Question 46

Compared to leaders in the Senate, which of the following is true of leaders in the House of Representatives?

A) They have more control over the agenda of the body than do the leaders of the Senate.
B) They must work closely with the other party's leaders to ensure success.
C) They are considered weak compared to other party leaders.
D) They hold more power than leaders in true "party government" legislatures.
E) They need to overcome the unusual power of individual members.

Question 47

A temporary legislative committee established for a limited time period and for a special purpose is known as which of the following?

A) Joint committee
B) Conference committee
C) Standing committee
D) Rules committee
E) Select committee

Question 48

Selection of committee chairpersons in each chamber of Congress is most often based on which of the following?

A) The party of the president
B) Which party holds the majority in the chamber
C) Seniority
D) Balancing power between the two parties
E) Longstanding traditions of assigning certain positions to members from certain districts or states

Question 49

Referring bills and resolutions to the appropriate standing committees of the House is part of the job of whom?

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

Question 50

Compared to the leadership structure in the House of Representatives, the leadership structure in the Senate is which of the following?

A) Not necessary
B) Totally centralized
C) More complex
D) Basically the same
E) Not as formal

Question 51

The purpose of a conference committee is to do which of the following?

A) Originate appropriations bills
B) Set the rules of debate for a bill
C) Determine the committee path of a bill
D) Reconcile House and Senate versions of a bill
E) Override a presidential veto

Question 52

Republican Party legislative strategy is devised in which of the following caucuses?

A) Rust Belt Caucus
B) Republican Study Group
C) House Republican Caucus
D) Congressional Women's Caucus
E) Red Dog Caucus

Question 53

Which of the following best explains who are included in congressional office staff?

A) Media experts
B) Staff who draft legislation
C) Those who do casework for the congressperson
D) Those who work in the congressperson's district offices
E) All of these are correct.

Question 54

After being reported by a committee, but before being sent to the House floor, bills are sent to which committee, which defines the conditions under which the bill is to be considered by the House?

A) The Appropriations Committee
B) The Joint Committee
C) The Select Committee
D) The Ways and Means Committee
E) The Rules Committee

Question 55

In the Senate, a tie vote is broken by whom?

A) The president pro tempore
B) The Senate majority leader
C) The vice president
D) The president
E) The Senate minority leader

Question 56

The most important committees in Congress are permanent bodies that possess an expertise resulting from their jurisdiction over certain policy areas.  These are known as what kind of committees?

A) Select committees
B) Joint committees
C) Conference committees
D) Standing committees
E) Legislative committees

Question 57

In the absence of the president of the Senate, who presides over the Senate?

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

Question 58

Which of the following best describes the duties of the U.S. vice president?

A) Serving as president of the Senate
B) Making committee assignments in the Senate
C) Casting tiebreaking votes in the Senate
D) Serving as president of the Senate and making committee assignments in the Senate
E) Serving as president of the Senate and casting tiebreaking votes in the Senate

Question 59

Which of the following is not one of the congressional agencies created to produce information for members?

A) Office of Technology Assessment
B) Congressional Research Service
C) General Accountability Office
D) Congressional Bureau of Investigation
E) Congressional Budget Office

Question 60

If a member of Congress makes any allegations or other statements he or she wishes in connection with their official duties, they can't be sued for libel or slander thanks to what section of the U.S. Constitution?

A) Article I, Section 4
B) Article I, Section 6
C) Article I, Section 8
D) Article II, Section 6
E) Article IV, Section 2

Question 61

When the Office of Management and Budget conducts its fall review, what usually happens to an agency's budget request?

A) It is usually approved.
B) More money is rewarded to the agency.
C) Agency requests are cut.
D) Agency requests are sent to the Supreme Court for verification.
E) Agency requests are published in the Washington Post.

Question 62

Democrat members of Congress from moderate districts who sometimes vote with Republicans and are frequently pursued by Republican leaders are known as which of the following?

A) Blue Dog Democrats
B) Fence sitters
C) Logrolling Democrats
D) Pork barrelers
E) Swing voters

Question 63

The conservative coalition was introduced into politics during which time period, when there was a split between Northern liberals and Southern conservatives?

A) 1890s
B) 1920s
C) 1950s and 1960s
D) 1980s and 1990s
E) 2010s

Question 64

The first step toward positions of higher leadership in the House is usually which of the following?

A) Committee chairman
B) Minority leader
C) Majority leader
D) President pro tempore of the House
E) Whip

Question 65

Which of the following is one of the most powerful agencies in Washington, D.C., and assists in the preparation of the federal budget and monitors federal agencies throughout the year?

A) Office of Management and Budget
B) Council of Economic Advisors
C) Department of Budget and Commerce
D) House Ways and Means Committee
E) Senate Budget Committee

Question 66

How far before the fiscal year starts does the executive branch begin preparing the budget?

A) 24 months
B) 18 months
C) 15 months
D) 12 months
E) 6 months

Question 67

In order to actually fund programs established by authorization bills, Congress must pass which of the following?

A) A budget resolution
B) An appropriations bill
C) A budget reconciliation
D) Authorization vouchers
E) A continuing resolution

Question 68

A congressional earmark allows which of the following?

A) Deficit spending rather than balancing the federal budget
B) More discretionary funds that can be channeled to where the money is most needed
C) The government to spend money on a specific project
D) A tax loophole for a specific corporation
E) The funding required for entitlement programs

Question 69

According to the Constitution, all bills for raising revenue must originate where?

A) From the president
B) From the Senate
C) From the House of Representatives
D) From the conference committee
E) From the Senate Ways and Means Committee

Question 70

A temporary law that Congress passes when an appropriations bill has not been decided by the beginning of the fiscal year is which of the following?

A) An emergency revenue generation
B) An emergency fall review
C) A continuing resolution
D) A second temporary budget resolution
E) A spring review

Question 71

All taxing and spending bills must originate where?

A) In the Senate
B) In the House of Representatives
C) In the Rules Committee
D) In the conference committee
E) From the president

Question 72

Who conducts polls among party members in the House as to members' views on legislation, informs the leaders of doubtful votes, and pressures members to support the leaders' position?

A) The Speaker of the House
B) The party whips
C) The House majority leader
D) Various committee chairmen
E) The vice president

Question 73

How can Congress pass a bill over a presidential veto?

A) A two-thirds vote in the House and a majority in the Senate
B) Majority approval in the Supreme Court
C) Two-thirds vote in each house
D) Three-fourths vote in each house
E) Majority vote in the House and 60 votes in the Senate

Question 74

Polarization in Congress refers to which of the following?

A) The agreement among both houses to veto a bill
B) Delay tactics used to prevent voting on legislation
C) Crossing over and voting with the opposing party
D) The strong division between the two political parties
E) The decision to switch political parties to match the president's party

Question 75

When the president is a Republican and the Senate is also controlled by Republicans, but the House of Representatives is controlled by Democrats, it demonstrates which of the following ideas?

A) Agenda setting
B) Divided government
C) A joint resolution
D) A gerrymander
E) A markup

Question 76

Congress passes a second budget resolution by September that does which of the following?

A) Sets limits on expenditures based on revenue projections
B) Revises program authorizations to achieve required savings
C) Establishes a discretionary government program or an entitlement
D) Funds programs established by authorization bills
E) Resolves differences between the House and Senate versions of a budget

Question 77

The Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 requires which of the following?

A) Members of Congress to inform their constituents of their votes on appropriations measures
B) The president to spend the funds that Congress has appropriated
C) A balanced budget to be created by the 1993 fiscal year
D) The president to present the executive budget
E) Budgets to receive the approval of the American people before they go into effect

Question 78

When does the federal government's fiscal year run?

A) January through December
B) April through March
C) July through June
D) August through July
E) October through September

Question 79

If Congress passes a spending bill that provides $2 million to the Department of Transportation, it is an example of which of the following?

A) Appropriation
B) Reapportionment
C) Alignment
D) Earmark
E) Cloture

Question 80

Ordinarily, the member of the majority party with the longest continuous term of service in the Senate serves in what position?

A) Senate majority leader
B) Speaker of the Senate
C) Vice president
D) Senate majority whip
E) President pro tempore of the Senate