Deck 4: Congress

Question 1

What indication is there that the founders feared legislatures from their experience in the states and sought to limit Congress's power?

A) They placed term limits on Congress.
B) They limited the size of each house of Congress.
C) They began with the phrase "All legislative powers herein granted . . . ".
D) They gave the Speaker of the House of Representatives the veto power.
E) They appointed a special committee to elect members of Congress.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Which of the following is NOT a power of Congress?

A) to appoint federal judges and justices
B) to lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts, and excises
C) to coin money, set its value, and punish counterfeiting
D) to declare war
E) to approve redistricting of states.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

In terms of their relationship to Congress, Presidents

A) can make Congress do whatever they want.
B) can ignore Congress altogether.
C) can get rid of Congress by dissolving it.
D) can call new elections.
E) must recognize Congress has power.

Answer 3

E

Question 4

Which aspect of Congress did Madison fear the most?

A) The Senate.
B) The House.
C) Both the Senate and the House.
D) Madison trusted Congress.
E) The Speaker of the House

Question 5

The framers created a bicameral Congress as a means of

A) forcing each house to consider different types of legislation.
B) permitting each house to check the actions of the other.
C) keeping the Supreme Court in check.
D) assuring equal representation to the states.
E) to encourage a variety of ideas.

Question 6

Which of the following pertains to the House, and NOT the Senate?

A) two-year terms
B) 100 members
C) virtually unlimited debate
D) more prestige
E) filibuster

Question 7

Why does the Constitution provide that each state shall have two senators?

A) so that each state's senator can cancel out the vote of its other senator
B) Two was a more convenient number than three.
C) to compensate the small states for the overrepresentation of the large states in the House of Representatives
D) to compensate the Senate as a body for not having control over money bills
E) there is no real reason behind the provision for two senators.

Question 8

The divided form of the American Congress is called a

A) bivalve legislature.
B) biannual legislature.
C) bi-level legislature.
D) biped legislature.
E) bicameral legislature.

Question 9

What constitutional feature of the initial Senate was designed mainly to make it, in James Madison's words, the "necessary fence" against the "fickleness and passion" of the people?

A) The two-year term of office.
B) The equal number of senators per state.
C) The smaller size of the Senate.
D) The composition of the Senate.
E) The indirect election of the senators.

Question 10

What is the "elastic clause" of Congress?

A) The "necessary and proper clause" of Article I, Section 8.
B) The "take care" clause of Article II.
C) The "interstate commerce clause" of Article I, Section 8.
D) The "supremacy clause" of Article VI.
E) The Articles of Confederation.

Question 11

Congressional districts are reapportioned:

A) every 3 elections.
B) every 5 years.
C) every 10 years.
D) every 20 years.
E) every 25 years.

Question 12

Gerrymandering is the process of:

A) making every Congressional district look like a salamander.
B) balancing a congressional district on the basis of ethnic backgrounds.
C) balancing every congressional district by population.
D) removing people from elected office.
E) shaping congressional districts to benefit one political party over another.

Question 13

Which group is the most underrepresented in Congress?

A) Poor students.
B) Millionaires.
C) Lawyers.
D) Males.
E) Incumbents

Question 14

Prior to 1913, most members of the Senate

A) were chosen by state assemblies.
B) served seven-year terms, with a limit of two terms.
C) were chosen via direct popular vote.
D) were chosen by their state legislature.
E) were chosen by the President.

Question 15

The power to impeach is

A) possessed by the House of Representatives alone.
B) exercised jointly by the House of Representatives and the Senate.
C) not mentioned in the Constitution.
D) rooted in the elastic clause.
E) held by the Supreme Court.

Question 16

Members of the House of Representatives serve __________ terms.

A) two-year
B) four-year
C) six-year
D) eight-year
E) ten-year

Question 17

Which of the following best describes the relationship between Congress and the president?

A) competition and cooperation
B) acerbic and polemical
C) cautious and skeptical
D) affectionate and supportive
E) antagonistic and cooperative

Question 18

The members of Congress are

A) disproportionately rich, white, and male.
B) disproportionately conservative.
C) disproportionately concerned with the poor.
D) a good representation of the diverse American population.
E) disproportionately white and female.

Question 19

Currently, Congress, as a body,

A) contains more lawyers than in the past.
B) is more diverse than ever before.
C) contains more lawyers than in the past.
D) is comprised mostly of small business owners.
E) contains less millionaires than in the past.

Question 20

The Reapportionment Act of 1929

A) fixed the total number of congressional representatives at 435.
B) was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in 1936.
C) fixed the total number of congressional districts at 538.
D) Fixed the total number of members in the Senate at 106.
E) fixed the total number of members in the House of Representatives at 435.

Question 21

The process of adjusting the number of House members allotted to each state is called

A) readjustment.
B) reapportionment.
C) congressional apportionment.
D) congressional construction.
E) majority-minority districting

Question 22

The process of redrawing congressional district maps is called

A) smothering.
B) devolution.
C) reapportionment.
D) deconstruction.
E) redistricting.

Question 23

Reapportionment of each state's delegation to the US Congress is based on

A) The size of each state
B) Population census numbers collected every ten years
C) Gerrymandering
D) Shaw v. Reno
E) The number of states divided by the number of seats

Question 24

A majority-minority district is

A) a congressional district designed to include enough members of minority groups so that the opportunity for a minority candidate to be elected is greatly improved.
B) a congressional district designed to include so many members of majority groups so that the opportunity for a majority candidate to be elected is greatly improved.
C) a congressional district designed to make it very difficult for a minority candidate to avoid a run-off election.
D) a congressional district designed to make it very difficult for a majority candidate to avoid a run-off election.
E) a process of redrawing voting district lines from time to time and adjusting the number of representatives allotted each state.

Question 25

In the case of Shaw v. Reno (1993), the Supreme Court ruled that

A) majority-minority districts were not a violation of the Thirteenth Amendment.
B) majority-minority districts were unconstitutional.
C) minority-dominated congressional districts were a violation of the Tenth Amendment.
D) minority-dominated congressional districts were not a violation of the Tenth Amendment.
E) redrawing voting district lines from time to time is constitutional.

Question 26

Majority-minority congressional districts may be constitutional if

A) the majority of the residents identify as Democrats.
B) only a small minority are registered voters.
C) race is not the overriding consideration.
D) race is the only consideration.
E) the majority of residents identify as Republicans.

Question 27

A representative who substitutes his or her own judgment for that of his or her constituents acts as a(n)

A) delegate.
B) trustee.
C) politico.
D) authoritarian.
E) incumbent

Question 28

Term limits

A) are yet to be passed by either house of Congress.
B) exist only in the House.
C) exist only in the Senate.
D) exist in both the House and the Senate.
E) exist only in the Supreme Court.

Question 29

On average, incumbency re-election rates since World War II are

A) 60 percent in the House of Representatives, and 15 percent in the Senate.
B) 70 percent in the House of Representatives, and 75 percent in the Senate.
C) 92 percent in the House of Representatives, and 80 percent in the Senate.
D) 80 percent in the House of Representatives, and 50 percent in the Senate.
E) 50 percent in the House of Representatives, and 50 percent in the Senate.

Question 30

The greatest advantage incumbents hold is

A) franking privileges.
B) casework responsibilities.
C) name recognition.
D) financial backing.
E) term limits.

Question 31

Edmund Burke's theory of how members of a legislature should represent a district is:

A) the legislator must act as a delegate, only doing what the people want.
B) the legislator must act as a trustee, doing what he/she believes to be correct.
C) the legislator must act as a politico, doing a combination of a and b.
D) the legislator must do as little as possible, so as not to cause harm.
E) the legislator must always do what his or her party wants.

Question 32

The Speaker of the House

A) is a purely partisan actor.
B) is usually the greatest orator.
C) is the leader of the majority party.
D) cannot vote a pending legislation.
E) is a position not mentioned in the Constitution.

Question 33

The House majority leader

A) must support the policies of the opposition party.
B) is elected by the conference of federal judges.
C) is elected by the party caucus.
D) has the same constitutional authority as the vice president.
E) cannot vote on pending legislation

Question 34

The minority leader is

A) chosen by the largest racial minority in the Senate.
B) chosen by the smallest racial minority in the House of Representatives.
C) by default, a conservative Democrat.
D) the leading official in the majority party.
E) the head of the minority political party.

Question 35

Congressional whips

A) are called so because of the rods they carry about the chamber.
B) are responsible for making certain that party members support the party's policies.
C) are mandated by the Constitution to be bipartisan.
D) are mandated by the Constitution to be partisan.
E) are responsible for trying to get the opposing party to support legislation.

Question 36

The day-to-day business of the Senate is controlled by

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

Question 37

The Speaker of the House

A) is not mentioned in the Constitution.
B) has no relation to the majority party in Congress.
C) is third in line for the presidency.
D) is appointed by the president.
E) is next in line for the vice presidency

Question 38

The Senate majority leader

A) is also the vice president of the United States.
B) also serves as the president pro tempore.
C) is selected by the majority party.
D) is third in line for the presidency.
E) is next in line for the vice presidency.

Question 39

Which of the following committees is the most important committee in both houses of Congress?

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

Question 40

Which of the following is a standing committee in BOTH the House and the Senate?

A) Ways and Means
B) Education and the Workforce
C) Environment and Public Works
D) Appropriations
E) Health and Welfare

Question 41

Why does Congress use committees?

A) a. to enable Congress to do its work effectively.
B) to enable citizens to have better control over Members of Congress.
C) to ensure Congressman don't have too much work to do.
D) to ensure the House and Senate don't compete with each other.
E) none of the above.

Question 42

Legislation is scheduled for discussion in the House by:

A) the schedule committee.
B) the Rules Committee.
C) the Rules Committee in name, but in reality, by the Speaker.
D) the Operations Committee.
E) the President of the United States.

Question 43

Because of their visibility and campaign advantages, incumbents are usually reelected to Congress; however:

A) they are more often reelected in the House than the Senate.
B) they are more often reelected in the Senate.
C) they are reelected at about the same rate.
D) the power of incumbency has been dropping.
E) citizens always complain about their reelections despite voting them back into power.

Question 44

In the Senate, the schedule for considering legislation is usually set by:

A) the Senate Rules Committee.
B) the majority leader.
C) the minority leader.
D) the majority and minority leaders consulting with each other.
E) the President.

Question 45

How much power does the majority leader of the Senate have to influence the vote of a Senator from his/her party?

A) None.
B) Absolute.
C) Some power on small issues, but none on major issues.
D) Some power on major issues, but none on small issues.
E) Only the power of personal persuasion.

Question 46

The vice president's role in the Senate is to:

A) lead the Senate from behind-the-scenes.
B) help the Senate set their policy direction.
C) cast the tie-breaking vote in tie votes.
D) help to draft legislation on major issues.
E) sit in the background and have not role in the decision making process.

Question 47

A conference committee does the following:

A) allows members of Congress to hold fact-finding hearings.
B) allows members of Congress to confer with the public.
C) allows members from both houses of Congress to resolve differences in legislation that has been passed in different forms in each house.
D) allows members of Congress to meet with the press.
E) allows members of Congress to meet with the President.

Question 48

Unanimous consent agreements

A) are also used in the House of Representatives.
B) must be signed by the president.
C) are subject to review by the Supreme Court.
D) are used in the Senate to schedule and structure debate.
E) are initiated by the president and then moved to the Senate.

Question 49

An amendment added to a bill in the House of Representatives

A) must be short.
B) must be germane.
C) must have the signature of the president.
D) must be agreed to by the entire Senate.
E) must pass the standards test.

Question 50

The line item veto

A) is still possessed by Congress.
B) was struck down as unconstitutional in 1998.
C) is a clear violation of the national supremacy clause.
D) is a restriction on the Ninth Amendment.
E) is a violation of the commerce clause.

Question 51

Amendments to Senate bills are called

A) riders.
B) chasers.
C) line items.
D) ornaments.
E) pet projects.

Question 52

A filibuster is

A) a measure used in the House of Representatives to speed up debate.
B) a measure used in the Senate to stop the passage of a bill or stop a vote on presidential appointments.
C) used to nullify a hold.
D) stopped by a line item veto.
E) a provision in legislation, often an appropriation bill, directing spending for a specific program, agency, or region.

Question 53

A request by a senator not to bring a measure up for consideration is called a(n)

A) rider.
B) filibuster.
C) unanimous consent agreement.
D) earmark.
E) hold.

Question 54

An informal, unwritten rule of Congress that more senior members are appointed to committees and as chairpersons of committees is referred to as

A) mandatory promotion.
B) compulsory improvement.
C) positive reinforcement.
D) seniority.
E) logrolling.

Question 55

A line item veto is the power given to the ????_______ to veto a specific provision of a bill involving taxing and spending.

A) President
B) Speaker of the House
C) Senate Majority Leader
D) President of the Senate
E) President pro tempore

Question 56

The free mailing of newsletters and political brochures to constituents is called

A) an incumbent.
B) b. a franking privilege.
C) casework.
D) term limit.
E) corruption.

Question 57

A member's rank in both the House and the Senate depends on

A) how they have voted on crucial legislation.
B) the size of the state they represent.
C) their margin of victory in the election.
D) how long they have served in that chamber.
E) the recommendation of the President.

Question 58

In reality, how many votes does it take in the Senate to pass important legislation?

A) 51.
B) A majority of those present and voting.
C) 60, for cloture to end a filibuster to be able to vote on the issue.
D) A constitutional plurality of the Senate.
E) the unanimous vote of members of one party.

Question 59

At which of the following stages will private citizens have the greatest influence on the passage of legislation?

A) introduction
B) hearings
C) mark up
D) floor debate
E) nullification

Question 60

Specialization and reciprocity are both forms of

A) seniority.
B) logrolling.
C) cloture.
D) riders.
E) holds

Question 61

Military installations are a form of

A) logrolling.
B) seniority.
C) pork barrel legislation.
D) inherent powers.
E) holds.

Question 62

Congressional voting decisions

A) are rarely based on personal views.
B) can be influenced by interest groups.
C) are seldom determined by party affiliation.
D) are rarely made with voters in mind.
E) are never influenced by the president.

Question 63

The people who make up the committee members in Congress are:

A) staffers hired by the Congress.
B) elected members of the Congress.
C) federal employees hired by the Executive Branch.
D) state employees sent to Washington by their respective states.
E) college students who are working as unpaid interns.

Question 64

The process of adding a specific spending provision from a piece of legislation being passed for a certain project or district is called:

A) an earmark.
B) a line item.
C) a categorical grant.
D) a project grant.
E) a hold.

Question 65

Members of Congress vote based on the following:

A) cues from similar legislators.
B) the wishes of their party.
C) the wishes of their constituents.
D) all of the above.
E) none of the above

Question 66

The process of legislators trading votes on pieces of legislation of unconcern to them in order to get votes from those legislators on issues that matter to their district is called

A) trade-offs.
B) logrolling.
C) log-splitting.
D) scratching-the-back.
E) gerrymandering.

Question 67

Congressional subcommittees

A) encourage interest group activities.
B) are rarely responsive to interest groups.
C) are less powerful than they were in the 1970s.
D) are comprised of appointed, not elected, officials.
E) rarely accomplish any meaningful work.

Question 68

In Congress, seniority

A) means nothing.
B) is the only thing that lets a member vote against his or her party.
C) plays a major role in selecting chairs of committees.
D) is only significant in the House.
E) allows members to serve more than two terms.

Question 69

The rules issued by the House Rules Committee

A) may be open, closed, or restrictive.
B) are determined by a two-thirds majority in the House.
C) have little bearing on a bill's chance of passage.
D) are never restrictive.
E) meets in order to prevent the passage of legislation

Question 70

A method by which senators can vote to limit debate and stop a filibuster is referred to as

A) cloture.
B) stallment.
C) censure.
D) limitation.
E) resolution.

Question 71

After a bill becomes an enrolled act, it may still require

A) an appropriations bill.
B) a cloture vote.
C) a rider.
D) a concurrent resolution.
E) a hold.

Question 72

The majority required to override a presidential veto is

A) three-fifths.
B) four-fifths.
C) two-thirds.
D) three-fourths.
E) seven-eights.

Question 73

The president has exercised the pocket veto when

A) ten days have passed and the bill is still in the hopper.
B) ten days have passed and Congress has adjourned.
C) ten days have passed and Congress is still in session.
D) ten days have passed and Congress is in special session.
E) ten days have passed and the Supreme Court has approved it.

Question 74

Omnibus legislation

A) allows Congress to exercise a veto over the Supreme Court.
B) allows Congress to both propose and ratify constitutional amendments.
C) allows Congress to hide controversial legislation among bills that have a greater chance of being passed.
D) allows Congress to override a presidential veto with a 51 percent majority.
E) allows Congress to veto constitutional amendments.

Question 75

Which of the following is an example of omnibus legislation?

A) the Welfare Reform Bill of 1996
B) the Civil Rights Act of 1964
C) the Clean Air Act of 1983
D) the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1994
E) the Economic Stimulus Bills of 2009

Question 76

Continuing resolutions

A) do not kick in automatically.
B) are bills designed to keep the government running until the new budget is approved.
C) do not require the president's signature.
D) are prohibited by House and Senate rules.
E) are bills that never seem to get passed in Congress.

Question 77

An enrolled act is

A) a separate bill that must be passed by Congress to fund spending measures.
B) a bill that has been successfully vetoed by the President.
C) a large bill that combines several pieces of legislation.
D) a bill designed to keep the government running until the new budget is approved.
E) a final version of a bill, approved by both chambers of Congress.

Question 78

How many votes does it take in the House of Representatives to pass legislation?

A) 200.
B) 215.
C) 218.
D) 235.
E) 285

Question 79

The U.S. Congress is a major power within the American constitutional system, but it is also a democratic body.

Question 80

The bicameral structure of Congress serves as evidence that legislative power is elitist and centralized.