Question 1

Which of the following explains why incumbents can still lose in spite of the incumbency advantage?

Accepted Answer

The importance and popularity of party labels can change, meaning that voters may be less likely to support an incumbent simply because they belong to a particular party. Other factors, such as a significant scandal or a particularly strong challenger, can also undermine the incumbency advantage and lead to an incumbent's defeat.

Question 2

Which term describes the act of redrawing congressional districts to give unfair advantage to the political party in power?

Accepted Answer

Gerrymandering is the act of redrawing congressional districts to give an unfair advantage to the political party in power.

Question 3

Which Senate position is mentioned in the Constitution but currently wields little real power, so it is often held by the most senior member of the majority party?

Accepted Answer

The position mentioned in the Constitution but currently wields little real power and is often held by the most senior member of the majority party is the president pro tempore. The Speaker of the House (A) is a position in the House of Representatives, not the Senate. The majority leader (C) is an important position in the Senate that is responsible for leading the majority party and setting the legislative agenda. The vice president (D) serves as the President of the Senate and can only vote in the event of a tie.

Question 4

What is one of the most important powers of House majority party leaders?

Accepted Answer

One of the most important powers of House majority party leaders is choosing which legislation will be considered by the House chamber. They have significant control over the House agenda and can decide which bills will receive attention and which ones will not. This power allows them to prioritize their party's legislative goals and shape the direction of policy in the House.

Question 5

Legislatures must make collective decisions despite divergent interests among legislators. Which of the following tools inhibits collective action among members of Congress?

Accepted Answer

Bicameralism inhibits collective action among members of Congress because it requires agreement between two separate chambers (the House and the Senate) with potentially different interests and constituencies, making it more difficult to pass legislation.

Question 6

In 2003, the Texas legislature redrew the Texas congressional district boundaries in a way that favored Republicans. This exemplifies the practice known as

Accepted Answer

Gerrymandering is the practice of redrawing electoral district boundaries in a way that favors one political party or group over another. This is often done by manipulating the size, shape, and demographics of the district to dilute the political power of certain groups or to consolidate the political power of others. The redrawing of Texas's congressional district boundaries in 2003 was widely seen as an attempt by the Republican Party to gain an advantage in elections by packing more Republican voters into certain districts and diluting the voting power of Democratic-leaning minority groups.

Question 7

Which of the following helps explain pork-barrel activities in Congress?

Accepted Answer

The collective action principle suggests that legislators must work together and offer support for each other's projects. Pork-barrel activities allow legislators to exchange support for projects that benefit their districts in order to garner support for their own projects.

Question 8

In recent years, how have congressional party leaders sought to augment their formal powers?

Accepted Answer

Congressional party leaders have increasingly used leadership political action committees (PACs) to fundraise for their party members, which allows the leaders to exert more influence over the members and helps to secure their loyalty. This has become a common strategy for augmenting formal powers in recent years.

Question 9

Which of the following is a reason that legislators seek additional information to make intelligent choices?

Accepted Answer

Legislators seek additional information to make intelligent choices because they do not vote for outcomes directly but on policies that produce outcomes, and there is uncertainty about whether a policy will produce the desired effect. They need information to make informed decisions about which policies to support or oppose.

Question 10

The franking privilege is an example of a practice that contributes to

Accepted Answer

The franking privilege, which allows incumbents to send out mailings to their constituents for free or at a reduced cost, contributes to the incumbency advantage. This is because it provides a way for incumbents to keep their name and message in front of voters without having to spend as much money as their challengers.

Question 11

Who is the chief presiding officer in the U.S. House of Representatives?

Accepted Answer

The chief presiding officer in the U.S. House of Representatives is the Speaker of the House.

Question 12

The so-called "bridge to nowhere" project, for which Alaskan legislators secured federal funding to build a bridge to an unpopulated island in Alaska, is an example of a(n)

Accepted Answer

The "bridge to nowhere" project was an earmark, which is a provision in a law or appropriation bill specifying how a particular sum of money is to be spent. In this case, it was federal funding secured by Alaskan legislators for a specific project in their state. This project was widely criticized as a wasteful use of taxpayer money since it was intended to build a bridge to an unpopulated island in Alaska.

Question 13

State legislatures must redraw congressional districts to reflect population changes every __________ years.

Accepted Answer

State legislatures must redraw congressional districts to reflect population changes every 10 years based on the results of the decennial census.

Question 14

The party conference or caucus is a

Accepted Answer

A party conference or caucus is a meeting of a political or legislative group to select leaders and plan strategy. During these meetings, members of the group discuss current issues, set goals, and make decisions on how to achieve them. Examples of party conferences include the Democratic and Republican National Conventions, where delegates from each state come together to nominate their party's presidential candidate and adopt a platform.

Question 15

In recent decades, which areas of the country have gained U.S. House seats due to the reapportionment process following each census?

Accepted Answer

Western and Southern states have gained U.S. House seats due to the reapportionment process, reflecting population growth in these regions.

Question 16

One well-known perk of being a member of Congress is the

Accepted Answer

The franking privilege allows members of Congress to send official mail using their signature rather than paying postage. This can save the member thousands of dollars in mailing expenses over the course of a year.

Question 17

Amendments to the 1965 Voting Rights Act have increased the controversial practice of drawing congressional district boundaries on the basis of the

Accepted Answer

The amendments to the 1965 Voting Rights Act, specifically the 1982 amendments, expanded protections for minority voters and increased the use of race as a factor in redistricting. This has led to the controversial practice of drawing district boundaries on the basis of race, known as racial gerrymandering, which some argue is a form of discrimination.

Question 18

When congressional representatives provide special benefits for their constituents in otherwise unrelated bills, it is called a(n)

Accepted Answer

This practice is called earmarking, where specific projects or programs are designated to receive funding in a bill, often without going through the normal appropriations process. It is a controversial practice that has been criticized for promoting pork-barrel spending and favoritism toward certain constituencies.

Question 19

One of the primary goals of many incumbent legislators is to be reelected. Support for tools such as the franking privilege and the use of earmarks among incumbent legislators is best explained by which principle of politics?

Accepted Answer

The rationality principle explains this behavior, as it suggests that political actors have preferences and they act in accordance with these preferences to achieve their goals. In this case, the goal of incumbent legislators is reelection, and they use tools like the franking privilege and earmarks to help achieve this goal by appealing to their constituents or funding projects that will make them more favorable to voters.

Question 20

What is the term for choosing the chairs of Congressional committees based on which member has served on the committee the longest?

Accepted Answer

The term for choosing the chairs of Congressional committees based on which member has served on the committee the longest is known as the seniority rule. This means that a member of Congress who has served on a particular committee for a longer period of time than others is more likely to be chosen to chair that committee. This tradition has been questioned in recent years, with some arguing that it can lead to less diverse leadership and stifle new ideas and perspectives.

Quiz 6: Congress: The First Branch