Deck 5: State Legislatures

Question 1

Which of the following statements is true about state legislatures?

A)They did not exist prior to the ratification of the U.S.Constitution.
B)They generally had very little power in the 1770s.
C)They no longer play a meaningful role in state politics.
D)They existed well before the creation of the Continental Congress.
E)They are appointed by the U.S.Congress.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Which of the following statements is true of the state legislators?

A)A typical state legislator should not have an origin of birth in another state.
B)The 2012 elections resulted in Democratic control of 27 states and Republic control in 19 states.
C)Lawyers form the largest occupational group in state legislators.
D)The number of women legislators has increased over the last few years.
E)All state legislative elections are contested, especially in smaller, one party states and in the South.

Answer 2

D

Question 3

A meeting of the members of a party in a legislative chamber to select party leaders and develop party policy is known as ________.

A)laissez-faire
B)mandatory referendum
C)malapportionment
D)gerrymandering
E)party caucuses

Answer 3

E

Question 4

Which of the following is NOT a typical role or function of state legislators?

A)fix state tax rates
B)approving state appropriations
C)impeaching and trying state officials
D)proposing amendments to state constitutions
E)administer public policy programs directly

Question 5

Which of the following functions cannot be performed by state legislatures?

A)modifying and approving budgets
B)representing local views at the state level
C)performing constituency service
D)making laws
E)altering the U.S.Constitution

Question 6

Which of the following is true about interest groups in American states?

A)They are a significant and growing source of influence on state legislators.
B)They use bribery as their primary tool to influence legislators.
C)Their influence is small and diminishing.
D)They are illegal in most states.
E)They do not get involved in elections.

Question 7

The New Hampshire legislature has a House of Representatives and a Senate.This is an example of a(n) ________ legislature.

A)aristocratic
B)frontbench
C)unicameral
D)unitary
E)bicameral

Question 8

State legislators can ________.

A)make laws on issues pertaining to the U.S.military
B)modify and approve budgets
C)make policies on foreign affairs
D)make laws on the subject of bankruptcies
E)issue money

Question 9

The right to lobby is secured by the ________.

A)First and Fifth Amendments
B)First and Fourteenth Amendments
C)Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments
D)Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments
E)Fourteenth and Sixteenth Amendments

Question 10

________ refers to engaging in activities aimed at influencing public officials, especially legislators, and the policies they enact.

A)Gerrymandering
B)Gatekeeping
C)Lobbying
D)Redistricting
E)Malapportionment

Question 11

Which of the following statements is true of state legislative committee?

A)They vary in power and influence from state to state.
B)Their influence has decreased in all states in recent years.
C)It is controlled by the minority party in the chamber.
D)They administer public policy directly.
E)They rarely screen legislation before it is considered by the floor of legislative chambers.

Question 12

Gatekeeping power is ________.

A)a statutory or constitutional restriction on the number of terms in office a state legislator may serve
B)the power exercised by committees to prevent proposals from being considered or passed by the entire chamber
C)an attempt to influence the decisions of public officials, especially legislators, and the policies they enact
D)the action of a state legislature or other body in redrawing legislative electoral district lines
E)the authorized power of a president to reject legislation passed by the Congress

Question 13

Every state legislature has committees on ________.

A)rules
B)appropriations
C)taxes
D)education
E)crime

Question 14

Which of the following is a function of state legislators?

A)approval of international treaties
B)administer public policy programs directly
C)confirmation of presidential nominations
D)ratify proposed amendments to the U.S.Constitution
E)originate impeachments against senators

Question 15

Which of the following states has a one-house unicameral legislature?

A)California
B)Idaho
C)Nebraska
D)Florida
E)Virginia

Question 16

One of the major advantages of the committee system is that it ________.

A)brokers power between the governor and the legislature
B)balances the interests of political parties
C)allows members to concentrate their energies on particular areas of governmental activities
D)allows legislators to ignore the preferences of their constituents
E)forces everybody to showcase their expertise in all aspects of state government

Question 17

Which of the following states have the most citizen-based legislatures?

A)California
B)Wyoming
C)New York
D)Pennsylvania
E)Michigan

Question 18

In comparison with the U.S.Congress, the ________.

A)speakers in many state legislatures have more power
B)seniority systems in state legislatures are more closely followed
C)committees in state legislatures have greater power over bills
D)state legislatures have more professional staff
E)state legislatures have almost no role for partisanship

Question 19

In every state EXCEPT ________, candidates for the state legislature are nominated by political parties in primaries or caucuses.

A)Montana
B)Massachusetts
C)Nebraska
D)Utah
E)Idaho

Question 20

Which of the following states has the least polarized legislators?

A)Louisiana
B)Washington
C)Texas
D)Minnesota
E)Colorado

Question 21

Which of the following is the primary source of campaign funds for incumbent state legislators?

A)their families
B)national party organizations
C)interest groups
D)public funding
E)governors

Question 22

What is the purpose of the National Conference of State Legislatures?

A)to lobby for state legislatures at the national level
B)to act as a sort of clearinghouse for new ideas to be shared between state legislators
C)to determine which political spin will work best for election strategies
D)to assist in organizing grassroots campaigns
E)to coordinate lobbying efforts between state and federal legislators

Question 23

The redrawing of congressional and other legislative district lines following the census, to accommodate population shifts and keep districts as equal as possible in population, is called ________.

A)reapportionment
B)gerrymandering
C)shifting
D)redistricting
E)lobbying

Question 24

________ is the action of a state legislature or other body in redrawing legislative electoral district lines.

A)Gerrymandering
B)Malapportionment
C)Lobbying
D)Redistricting
E)Remapping

Question 25

A person who is employed by and acts for an organized interest group or corporation to influence policy decisions and positions in the executive and legislative branches is known as a ________.

A)senator
B)legislator
C)lobbyist
D)convener
E)caseworker

Question 26

Jerry Smith is a state legislator who believes that he should mirror the views of his district's constituents even if he holds divergent views.This is an example of a ________.

A)delegate
B)trustee
C)pluralist
D)lobbyist
E)authoritarian

Question 27

What is a pay-to-play law?

A)one that prohibits company representatives from contributing to officials who could influence state contracts that would be important to the company
B)one that limits the value of gifts to legislators to less than $200 per year
C)one that requires lobbyists to pay an annual registration fee to gain access to legislators
D)one that requires lobbyists to disclose who has contributed to their operation (in effect, who "paid" to "play")
E)one that prohibits campaign contributions from the children and spouses of candidates

Question 28

Which of the following does NOT reflect a change in state legislatures in recent decades?

A)Higher salaries
B)More effective committee systems
C)Move toward longer annual sessions
D)Growth of staff support
E)Longer terms in office

Question 29

Usually, the greatest influence on legislators comes from ________.

A)interest groups
B)their constituents
C)political parties
D)governors
E)foreign countries

Question 30

________ refers to whether the job of a state legislator is interesting and involved enough that members of the legislature treat it as a full-time occupation.

A)Malapportionment
B)Gatekeeping
C)Legislative professionalism
D)Legal positivism
E)Gerrymandering

Question 31

How is Nevada unique in its term limits for state legislators?

A)It has a unicameral legislature.
B)Special elections required a change of dates on which term limits were applied to some offices.
C)Its term-limit laws cannot be applied to legislators who were elected in the same year that term limits were passed.
D)It limits only state house members, not state senators.
E)It limits only state senators, not state house members.

Question 32

Which of the following represents redistricting?

A)when a party that has been in power in a particular district for a significant period of time is turned out of office
B)when legislative district lines are redrawn to keep up with population shifts in order to keep them as equal as possible
C)when the federal government orders a state to increase (or decrease) its number of districts to reflect population increases or decreases
D)when a voter moves from one state congressional district to another and must change his or her voter registration
E)when constituents in a particular district are so unhappy with their representatives that they demand a special election (similar to a recall or a referendum)

Question 33

State senator Janet Dempsey votes in favor of allowing casinos in her state.Although a majority of her constituents are against this decision, she argues that it is way to increase state revenues.In this situation, the senator considers herself as a ________.

A)delegate
B)trustee
C)pluralist
D)lobbyist
E)authoritarian

Question 34

Legislators who view themselves as ________ would vote independently based on their judgment of the circumstances.

A)authoritarian
B)delegates
C)lobbyists
D)proletariat
E)trustees

Question 35

In what state did the supreme court strike down term limits only to have the state's voters reinstate them four years later?

A)Massachusetts
B)Nebraska
C)Oregon
D)Washington
E)Wyoming

Question 36

Which of the following represents a rule that lobbyists live by?

A)better to support the loser than the wrong winner
B)misleading information is the best kind
C)always create permanent allies
D)it's easier to kill a bill than to pass it
E)today's opponent is tomorrow's opponent

Question 37

To address shortcomings, state legislatures in recent decades have ________.

A)become appointed rather than elected bodies
B)adopted internal reforms
C)significantly decreased staff support
D)increased their reliance on campaign funding from lobbyists
E)increased the duration of terms in office

Question 38

The two sources of influence for lobbyists are ________.

A)information and campaign resources
B)financing meals and trips
C)veto and logrolling
D)bribery and diplomacy
E)free riding and gerrymandering

Question 39

State representative Jane Doe personally believes that cigarette taxes should be increased.However, she votes against such an increase because the constituents of her tobacco-growing district oppose it.This is an example of a ________.

A)corporation
B)delegate
C)lobbyist
D)gerrymandered
E)trustee

Question 40

Which of the following states was among the earliest to enact term limits for state legislators?

A)Oklahoma
B)Louisiana
C)Nebraska
D)Nevada
E)Maine

Question 41

The Supreme Court has held that redistricting ________.

A)must avoid diluting the voting strength of minorities
B)must create majority-minority districts whenever possible
C)cannot be based on any partisan considerations
D)need only consider the one person, one vote principle
E)can utilize minority status as an overriding motive

Question 42

Which of the following is NOT among the criticisms of direct democracy?

A)The Progressives were overly idealistic that these mechanisms would be free from manipulations.
B)It leaves voters with insufficient information to make informed choices.
C)The wording of direct legislation can often be confusing and written in such a way as to affect a specific result.
D)The initiative process can be used to target minorities.
E)It is used when citizens feel their legislature is unresponsive.

Question 43

________ is a procedure whereby a certain number of voters may, by petition, propose a law or constitutional amendment and have it submitted to the voters.

A)Referendum
B)Grassroots campaign
C)Gatekeeping
D)Lobbying
E)Initiative

Question 44

The underlying principle espoused by the Supreme Court in the Wesberry v.Sanders (1964) and Reynolds v.Sims (1964) rulings was ________.

A)that term limits undermine voter authority
B)that political parties are private organizations
C)that rural areas are inherently disadvantaged
D)one person, one vote
E)pay-as-you-go

Question 45

Some states give their state legislatures an opportunity to act on measures proposed by voters.If the legislature approves, the law goes into effect, and, if not, the measure gets placed on the ballot for a public vote.This is an example of ________.

A)indirect initiative
B)gatekeeping
C)redistricting
D)gerrymandering
E)lobbying

Question 46

In1962, a U.S.Supreme Court case determined that voters did have grounds to challenge legislative apportionment and that federal courts should consider such questions.Which of the following cases is applicable here?

A)Swann v.Charlotte-Mecklenberg
B)Baker v.Carr
C)Wesberry v.Sanders
D)Reynolds v.Sims
E)Brown v.Board of Education of Topeka

Question 47

________ calls for a waiting period before legislation goes into effect and allows voters to sign a petition requesting that the act be referred to the voters prior to going into effect.

A)Optional referendum
B)Malapportionment
C)Direct initiative
D)Indirect initiative
E)Mandatory referendum

Question 48

The "direct democracy" movement began ________.

A)in the South during the Civil War
B)with populist reformers in Utah in 1900
C)in California when proposed by Governor Ronald Reagan
D)in Maine and Michigan in 1908,
E)in Massachusetts in the 1990s

Question 49

In Reynolds v.Sims (1964) the Supreme Court ruled that ________.

A)districts for the U.S.House of Representatives were permitted to be malapportioned
B)malapportionment was allowed if states did so to increase the likelihood of minorities getting elected to the legislature
C)redistricting had to be conducted by independent commissions
D)poll taxes could not be imposed for state legislative elections
E)even state senates were subject to equal population requirements for their districts

Question 50

What is malapportionment?

A)when legislative districts are unhappy with their representatives
B)when legislative districts have unequal populations
C)when legislative districts have been redistricted to give greater power to urban voters
D)when legislative districts have no term limits
E)when legislative districts have no representative for a short time (such as when a representative dies in office or is removed for criminal behavior)

Question 51

With the exception to Wyoming, when states draw their districts, they may allow ________ percent deviation between legislative districts.

A)no more than 4
B)no more than 5
C)no more than 10
D)no more than 12
E)no more than 15

Question 52

When legislative districts have unequal populations it is known as ________.

A)logrolling
B)gatekeeping
C)malapportionment
D)redistricting
E)gerrymandering

Question 53

In ________, the Supreme Court announced that "as nearly as practicable one man's vote in a congressional election is to be worth as much as another's."

A)Wesberry v.Sanders
B)Brown v.Board of Education
C)Jones v.Georgia
D)Davis v.California Secretary of State's Office
E)Smith v.Allwright

Question 54

The Supreme Court has held that redistricting ________.

A)can consider the underrepresentation of race
B)can consider the underrepresentation of ethnicity and race
C)cannot be based primarily on race
D)cannot be based primarily on gender
E)can never permit the creation of majority-minority districts

Question 55

On what basis has the U.S.Supreme Court put restraints on the implementation of majority-minority districts?

A)The resulting districts would become so geographically odd that representatives would not be able to easily travel through them.
B)The resulting districts would favor Republican more than Democratic candidates.
C)The resulting districts would favor Democratic more than Republican candidates.
D)State legislatures would effectively remove independent or other third-party candidates from competition.
E)Though state legislatures may take race into account, if it becomes the overriding motive in drawing districts then white voters' constitutional rights would be violated.

Question 56

What is the etymology of the word "gerrymandering"?

A)It comes from an odd-shaped district (that resembled a salamander) in Massachusetts, redrawn when the governor's name was Gerry.
B)It comes from a Creole word (from Louisiana) that means pandering to a particular group of people.
C)It comes from an eighteenth-century slang term for an unpopular mandate, pioneered by an unscrupulous politician in South Carolina, named Gerry Sartain.
D)It comes from an old British sailors' term that meant being unfairly treated by a ship's captain.
E)It comes from the Greek word meaning mystery and was used in military oaths of pagans.

Question 57

State legislators have drawn a district in the city of Everytown such that 54% of the district residents are African-Americans, this is an example of a(n) ________.

A)majority-minority district
B)bicameral legislature
C)referendum
D)initiative
E)unicameral legislature

Question 58

In Baker v.Carr (1962), the Supreme Court ruled that ________.

A)state legislatures could be malapportioned as long as the most populous district had no more than twice as many residents as the least populous district
B)voters have standing to challenge legislative apportionment
C)majority-minority districts were unconstitutional
D)apportionment cannot be on the basis of regions or geography in state legislatures
E)it is legal to take race and ethnicity into consideration when redistricting

Question 59

Which of the following is true about direct initiative?

A)It gives state legislatures an opportunity to pass laws without gubernatorial approval.
B)It can only be used for constitutional amendments.
C)It does not require any signatures on a petition to have a measure put on a ballot.
D)It allows any individual or interest group to draft a proposed law and file it with a designated state official.
E)It cannot be used for constitutional amendments.

Question 60

________ is a procedure for submitting to popular vote measures passed by the legislature or proposed amendments to a state constitution.

A)Coercion
B)Gerrymandering
C)Referendum
D)Malapportionment
E)Redistricting

Question 61

A legislature with two chambers is called a unicameral legislature.

Question 62

The U.S.Constitution does not protect lobbying.

Question 63

Nebraska is the only state with a unicameral legislature.

Question 64

The committee system in state legislatures generally allows members to concentrate their energies on specific areas of governmental operations.

Question 65

The redrawing of congressional and other legislative district lines following the census, to accommodate population shifts and keep districts as equal as possible in population is called reapportionment.

Question 66

If legislators consider themselves to be trustees of their constituents, they will tend to adhere closely to their constituents' instructions.

Question 67

A bill does not need the signature of the governor to become a law.

Question 68

A meeting of the members of a party in a legislative chamber to select party leaders and develop party policy is called a party caucuses.

Question 69

Though they perform generally the same functions, state legislative committees vary in power and influence from state to state.

Question 70

In all states, lobbyists must register with the state and sometimes, pay an annual fee.

Question 71

State legislative committees generally have more power than their national counterparts.

Question 72

The larger chamber of state legislatures is called the senate.

Question 73

Lobbyists live by the rule that have neither permanent enemies, not permanent friends.

Question 74

Gerrymandering is the drawing of legislative district boundaries to benefit a party, group, or incumbent.

Question 75

Committees serve as the major access point for state legislatures for citizens, interest groups, and lobbyists.

Question 76

Drawing legislative district boundaries has always been controversial, in large part because redistricting decisions are made by partisan majorities in legislatures.

Question 77

A person who is employed by and acts for an organized interest group or corporation to influence policy decisions and positions in the executive and legislative branches is known as a lobbyist.

Question 78

In 1992, ________ passed an initiative that repealed local ordinances that prohibited discrimination against gays and lesbians.

A)Colorado
B)Georgia
C)Mississippi
D)California
E)Nebraska

Question 79

Part time legislation allowed people to go back to their original occupations after serving the term.

Question 80

Constituents tend to have the greatest influence on the voting decisions of state legislators.