Deck 5: The Legislative Branch: The Centerpiece of Democracy Under Fire

Question 1

Which of the following is a central characteristic of a parliament?

A)formulating bills
B)forming and preserving government
C)a specialized committee system
D)a primary commitment to constituency service

Answer 1

forming and preserving government

Question 2

In congress, the desire to engage in constituency service tends to undermine:

A)the representative function of congress
B)the ability of congress to pass laws
C)party discipline
D)the committee system

Answer 2

party discipline

Question 3

Which is the only country that could currently be considered an exception to presidential government in Latin America?

A)Argentina
B)Guatemala
C)Peru
D)Venezuela

Answer 3

Peru

Question 4

The delegate model holds that representatives:

A)should cooperate with all other representatives, regardless of partisan ties
B)should mirror the interests of their constituents
C)should oppose executive action
D)should not be willing to serve more than one term

Question 5

One distinction between women's and indigenous representation in legislatures is that women have made use of _____, while indigenous groups have made use of ____.

A)caucus groups, political parties
B)committees, political parties
C)political parties, committees
D)political parties, caucus groups

Question 6

Who participates in a plenary session of congress?

A)members of the majority political party
B)members of the minority political party
C)members of a committee
D)all members of a congressional chamber

Question 7

Which of the following is NOT a function of a legislature?

A)lawmaking
B)implementing laws
C)oversight
D)education

Question 8

Which of the following voting restrictions was the last to be removed?

A)property qualifications
B)gender restrictions
C)literacy requirements
D)income qualifications

Question 9

Which of the following groups have relied mainly on caucus groups to promote their representation in congress?

A)women
B)indigenous groups
C)workers
D)business interests

Question 10

A plenary session convenes:

A)members of a specific political party
B)a individual caucus group
C)all members of a legislative chamber
D)both chambers of a legislature in a single session

Question 11

A discharge petition moves a bill _____.

A)from a committee to the audit agency
B)from a committee to the constitutional tribunal
C)from a committee to the plenary
D)from one committee to another

Question 12

A quorum is typically set at what size?

A)one-third of the plenary
B)one-half plus one of the plenary
C)three-quarters of the plenary
D)the entire plenary

Question 13

Vertical accountability describes the relationship between:

A)a government and its people
B)the branches of government
C)political parties
D)national and regional levels of government

Question 14

In what way does interpellation capture aspects of parliamentary government?

A)It allows representatives to question executive officials for political reasons.
B)When successful, it can force a president to resign.
C)It can lead to a call for early elections.
D)It strengthens party discipline.

Question 15

Interpellation refers to:

A)the right of the legislature to question executive branch officials
B)the right of the legislature to put judicial officials on trial
C)the movement of bills from one chamber to another in a bicameral system
D)executive decrees that must be approved by congress

Question 16

Which of the following would be most likely to reduce the number of impeachment proceedings seen in Latin America?

A)congressional term limits
B)more resources devoted to committee hearing and reports
C)bicameralism
D)shorter legislative sessions

Question 17

Audit agencies provide immediate oversight over:

A)the armed forces
B)the courts
C)the budget
D)elections

Question 18

Which of the following independent agencies is most likely to uncover the misuse of funds by government officials?

A)electoral commissions
B)central banks
C)audit agencies
D)cabinets

Question 19

The lack of voting records made available to the public can be associated with:

A)the desires of strong executives
B)the lack of financial resources to collect and publish the data
C)the electoral interests of most politicians
D)the inability to enforce judicial mandates

Question 20

Which of the following countries does NOT have a bicameral system?

A)Argentina
B)Brazil
C)Mexico
D)Colombia

Question 21

What does the suplente do in a Latin American legislature?

A)local constituency service for the representative
B)acts as an intern in the capital office of a representative
C)carries messages between the legislature and executive
D)acts as a ready substitute in the absence of a representative

Question 22

Which of the following characterizes strong bicameralism?

A)symmetrical, congruent chambers
B)asymmetrical, congruent chambers
C)asymmetrical, incongruent chambers
D)symmetrical, incongruent chambers

Question 23

When the navette system is used in a bicameral system, which chamber holds a greater advantage?

A)the initiating chamber
B)the reviewing chamber
C)the chamber of representatives
D)the senate

Question 24

In Chile, the military regime that drafted the Constitution of 1980 attempted to create a democracy with a:

A)strong legislature
B)strong executive
C)balance in strength between the executive and legislature
D)strong judiciary to check legislative and executive power

Question 25

What best explains the failure of the Coalition for Democracy to win the January 2010 elections in Chile?

A)Marco Enríquez-Ominami split the center-left vote.
B)Voters viewed their candidate, Eduardo Frei, as part of the old guard and out of touch with voters.
C)The standing president and member of the Coalition, Michelle Bachelet, was very unpopular.
D)The centrist parties aligned with the right to create a center-right alliance.

Question 26

In Latin America, politicians from both the left and the right have undermined congress.

Question 27

Congresses tend to be involved throughout the lawmaking process, while parliaments tend to be involved only at the very end of the lawmaking process.

Question 28

The politics of patronage refers to the use of state resources to reward supporters and punish opponents.

Question 29

The representation of women in Latin American congresses remains far below the level seen in the U.S. Congress.

Question 30

In Latin America, quotas have had no impact of the representation of women.

Question 31

Congressional committees hold the primary responsibility to initiate legislation.

Question 32

According to Robert's Rules of Order, if 51 members of a 100-member congress attend a session and vote 11 in favor and 10 against, with 31 abstentions, the bill passes.

Question 33

Term limits are associated with a reduction in congressional expertise.

Question 34

Generally, congresses in Latin America are better equipped with punitive than nonpunitive forms of oversight.

Question 35

An ombudsman acts as final court of appeal when citizens charge wrongdoing by government.

Question 36

In presidential systems, impeachment is always initiated by the legislature.

Question 37

In most Latin American countries, the president can compel congress to convene in an emergency session.

Question 38

Under the classic navette system, the reviewing chamber holds greater power than the initiating chamber.

Question 39

The Congress of Chile is located outside the capital, in a different city than the president.

Question 40

Congressional power in Chile has gradually increased since the transition to democracy.

Question 41

Describe the direct and indirect ways in which a legislature exerts oversight.

Question 42

What are the advantages and disadvantages of bicameralism? What unique lawmaking functions must a bicameral legislature address?

Question 43

Discuss recent advances in representation in Latin America. What new challenges have these advances created?

Question 44

How has parliamentary government affected the design of legislatures in Latin America?

Question 45

Discuss how the Congress of Chile has served as a "barometer" of democracy in the
country.