APUS Government Unit Exam: Congress
The United States Senate has members
100
The United States House of Representatives has members The Constitution specifies that members of the House must be years of age ; senators must be years of age .
25 ; 30
The United States House of Representatives has members
435
Which of the following statements about PACs is TRUE
A ) PACs seek access to policymakers B ) PAC expenditures are limited to $ 5,000 per candidate C ) Most PAC money is given to incumbents . D ) All of the above
Personal staff help members of Congress with
A ) negotiating agreements B ) constituent problems C ) drafting legislation D ) All of the above
Oversight is
A ) one of the checks Congress can exercise on the executive branch D ) gives Congress the power to pressure agencies to comply with congressional wishes E ) both A and D.
What would it take to change the terms of members of Congress
A constitutional amendment
Which of the following is permitted to draft a bill ?
All of the above ; anyone can draft a bill
A myth about members of Congress is that they
Are overpaid , underworked , corrupt and ineffective
Individuals already holding office are called
Dincumbents
The real differences between the House and the Senate lie in their
Eorganization and centralization of power
privileges refer to the free use of the mail system enjoyed by Congress
Franking
According to the Constitution , revenue bills must originate in the
House
In most congressional elections , challengers
Lose
The 115th Congress ' current Speaker of the US House of Representatives is
Nancy Pelosi
Which of the following is NOT one of the three primary activities that members of Congress engage in to increase the probability of their reelection ?
Oversight
What is the vice president's only constitutionally defined job
President of the Senate
Which of the following statements regarding members of Congress is FALSE
Proportionately , women are well represented in Congress today
What is descriptive representation
Representing constituents by mirroring their personal , politically relevant characteristics
The House Committee reviews most bills coming from other committees before they go on to the full House , thus performing a traffic cop function
Rules
According to the Constitution , once impeached , federal officials are then tried in the
Senate
Which of the following statements about the filibuster is FALSE
The filibuster is used in both houses
House seats are up for election every
Two years
Members of Congress seek committees that will help them achieve each of the following goals EXCEPT
a salary increase
House and Senate committees
all have a majority of members from the majority party in that chamber .
Most bills formally submitted for consideration in Congress
are quietly killed off early in the process
A legislature divided into two houses is called a legislature
bicameral
Activities of members of Congress that help constituents as individuals are known as
casework
The procedure used to cut off debate and end a filibuster is known as
cloture
Members of Congress use their virtually unlimited franking privileges to
communicate with constituents
When the House and the Senate pass different versions of the same bill
conference committee is appointed to resolve differences
A group of members of Congress sharing some interest or characteristic is known as
congressional caucus
Within the last few years , power in Congress has become more
decentralized with the proliferation of subcommittees and caucuses
The best way constituents can influence congressional voting on legislation is to
elect a representative or senator who agrees with their views
Most of the business of Congress takes place
in committees and subcommittees
The Constitution gives the House of Representatives the power to
initiate all revenue bills
The framers of the Constitution conceived of the branch of government to be the center of policymaking in America
legislative
Only can formally submit a bill for congressional consideration
members of the House or senators
The pork barrel and casework are examples of
opportunities for credit claiming by members of Congress
Legislative is the process of monitoring the bureaucracy and its administration of policy
oversight
Federal grants and contracts that members of Congress try to obtain for their constituents are collectively referred to as
pork barrel
Substantive representation refers to
representing the interests of groups
The seniority system gives a decisive edge to House members from_ districts
safe
A committee is one appointed for a limited , specific purpose , such as that set up to investigate the Watergate scandal
select
To increase turnover in Congress , some reformers have proposed
term limits
Articles of impeachment must be passed by
the House
Nominees to the United States Supreme Court must be confirmed by
the Senate
After each federal census ,
the membership of the House is reapportioned
The has the job of presiding over the Senate , breaking ties when necessary
vice president
Party leaders who work with the majority or minority leader to count votes beforehand and lean on waverers whose votes are crucial to a bill favored by the party are called
whips