AP Classroom Questions Unit 3
Which of the following scenarios best illustrates a member of Congress supporting pork-barrel legislation?
A senator from an agricultural state amending legislation to establish a potato research institute in his or her state
A first term member of the House of Representatives from North Dakota who wished to maximize opportunities for constituent service would be most likely to seek placement on which of the following committees?
Agriculture
Which of the following is true of the relationship between Congress and executive agencies?
Because the agencies have bureaucratic expertise, Congress delegates "rule-making authority" to them
Which of the following is a primary function of the Senate Judiciary Committee?
Conducting hearings on judicial appointments made by the president
When a bill passes the House and the Senate in different versions, the bill is resolved by which of the following types of committee?
Conference
Which of the following accurately compares the powers of Congress and the president?
Congress Has Greater Control Budgetary policy President Has Greater Control Cabinet appointment
Which of the following explains how Congress would most likely respond if it were concerned about the slight increase in spending over time, as indicated by the bar chart?
Congress could vote to reduce spending on the Department of Homeland Security in the next year's budget.
Which of the following best reflects the holding in the case Baker v. Carr (1962) ?
Created a one-person, one-vote standard for reviewing congressional districts.
After extensive polling, a member of the House of Representatives learns that her constituents favor universal background checks for all gun purchases. Based on this information, the representative votes in favor of background checks in a criminal justice bill, although she personally opposes the provision. In doing so, she is acting as a
Delegate
Which of the following is the most accurate comparison of the processes that generally facilitate gridlock and those that facilitate governmental action?
Facilitates Gridlock Facilitates Action Checks and balances Executive orders
Which of the following is an accurate comparison of the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate?
House of Representative The Constitution's framers intended it to reflect the will of the people. Senate The Constitution's framers designed it to represent the interests of the states.
Which of the following is an accurate comparison of the rules for debate used by the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate?
House of Representatives Senate Debate is limited. Members can filibuster.
In 2013 a parliamentary procedure was implemented in the Senate that allowed a simple majority vote to end debate on Cabinet member confirmations. Which of the following best explains how the procedural change relates to the information in the graphic?
If the procedural change had not occurred, the nomination of Tom Price would have been approved without delay.
Federal benefits that must be funded by Congress and must be paid to all citizens who meet eligibility criteria are called
Individual entitlements - federal benefits that must be funded by congress and must be paid to all citizens who meet eligibility criteria.
Which of the following is generally true of the gerrymandering of congressional districts?
It creates districts that favor one political party over another.
The role Congress plays in ensuring that executive branch agencies are carrying out their legislated responsibilities is known as
Legislative oversight
Which of the following best describes pork barrel politics?
Members of Congress negotiate bills so that individual districts get money for projects that do not benefit the nation as a whole.
Which of the following is responsible for the preparation of executive spending proposals submitted to Congress?
Office of Management and Budget
The Web site healthcare.gov was launched on October 1, 2013, to help citizens purchase health insurance for themselves in accordance with the Affordable Care Act. Within two hours of launch the site crashed. Once it was restored, problems continued, leading to difficulty for users. The following year, Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius was called to testify before the House Energy and Commerce Committee to discuss the issue. The committee held this hearing as part of which of the following functions?
Oversight this is an example of Congress exercising its power of oversight by holding hearings regarding the implementation of policy.
Which of the following explains President Johnson's motivation for the speech in relation to his role as the head of the executive branch?
President Johnson is seeking to use the bully pulpit as a means of promoting his agenda on public education.
In November 2014, President Obama announced an expansion of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program through an executive order. The policy would protect over 700,000 more children of undocumented immigrants from deportation. Republican members of Congress denounced the order as an abuse of executive power. Previously, members of the House of Representatives had voted to defund the program. This scenario best illustrates which of the following?
Presidents exert informal powers when their policy agenda conflicts with that of Congress.
Which of the following is a difference between the power of nineteenth-century presidents and that of the modern president according to the passage?
Presidents in the nineteenth century had to contend with congressional committees, which had significant powers in foreign affairs.
Congress has exerted the greats influence on the operation of a federal agency by doing which of the following?
Reviewing the annual budget appropriations for the agency.
Which of the following committees of the House of Representatives sets the conditions for debate and amendment of most legislation?
Rules
Which of the following types of committee deals with broad areas of public policy and can be found in both houses of Congress?
Standing
Fiscal policies refer to the government's power to
Tax and spend
Which of the following is likely to occur as a result of new legislation regarding automobile safety?
The Department of Transportation will be given discretionary authority to create auto regulations.
A person claiming that the House can pass legislation with a simple majority, but the Senate is unlikely to pass legislation unless a bill has the support of a 60-vote supermajority is most likely to cite which of the following institutional differences as the cause of this trend?
The House has strict limits on debate, while the Senate allows unlimited debate.
Which of the following is a unique power held by members of the Senate?
The ability to filibuster
Which of the following clauses serves as the constitutional basis for the federal Real ID Act of 2005, a law that established uniform standards for state-issued identification cards and provided regulation of a state function?
The necessary and proper clause
Which of the following enumerated powers would permit Congress to stimulate the economy by hiring unemployed citizens?
The power to pass a federal budget
Which of the following is the best predictor of the Department of Education's annual budget?
The size of the previous year's budget
In which of the following scenarios would a presidential veto most likely be upheld?
Two-thirds of the representatives and senators are members of the same party as the president.
Debate of a bill in the House of Representatives under a "closed rule" means that
amendments to the bill cannot be offered
The War Powers Resolution (1973) was designed to
assure congressional involvement in decisions committing military forces in hostile situations overseas
The President can do which of the following without seeking the consent of either the House or the Senate?
deploy troops
In 2012, after negotiations on a bill in Congress failed, President Obama issued an executive order that protected from deportation individuals illegally brought to the United States as children by their parents. The president took this action because
disagreement between congressional leaders and the president on the issue meant that a compromise on a bill was not likely
The congressional system of standing committees is significant because it
fosters the development of expertise by members
The practice in Congress whereby Representative A promises to vote for Representative B's legislation, provided that Representative B will support Representative A's legislation, is referred to as
logrolling
Executive agreements have been cited as evidence that
modern presidents often try to avoid legislative checks and balances on their authority
The Constitution states that all revenue bills must originate in
the United States House of Representatives
