Congress Review
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
The details of legislation are usually worked out in which of the following settings?
A subcommittee
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 identifies the formal procedure for ending a filibuster?
Cloture
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
A "cloture motion" passed in the Senate does which of the following?
Cuts off debate on a bill.
Which of the following is the most likely consequence of divided government?
Delays in confirmation of federal court nominees
Which of the following actions by a congressional representative is an example of "pork barreling"?
Directing federal funds into the representative's district through legislation
The government depicted above is best described by which of the following terms?
Divided government
Which of the following powers is shared by the House of Representatives and the Senate?
Establishing federal courts
If Congress wanted to effect a change in the Social Security payroll tax, to what congressional committee would the task initially be assigned?
House Ways and Means Committee
To which of the following congressional committees would a proposal to reform the national income-tax system initially be sent?
House Ways and Means Committee
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 Debate is limited. Senate Members can filibuster.
Which of the following is an accurate comparison of the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate?
House of Representatives Debate on bills is limited Senate Debate on bills can be unlimited
Which of the following is an accurate comparison of the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate?
House of Representatives 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 are differences between the legislative process in the House of Representatives and that in the Senate? Debate is more restricted on the House floor than on the Senate floor. The amendment process is more restricted in the House than in the Senate. Bills are more likely to bybass committee consideration in the House than in the Senate. A Rules Committee sets the guidelines for floor debate in the House but not in the Senate.
I, II, and IV only
Advocates of shifting the task of drawing United States House districts from state legislatures to independent commissions are likely to claim which of the following as an advantage of independent commissions?
Independent commissions significantly reduce the influence of partisan gerrymandering in the redistricting process.
Which of the following statements about the Senate is true?
Individual senators can exercise substantial influence over the legislative process.
Which of the following statements about gerrymandering is true?
It can be used by a political party to draw boundary lines to control as many districts as possible.
Which of the following is generally true of the gerrymandering of congressional districts?
It creates districts that favor one political party over another.
Which of the following is true about divided party control of the presidency and Congress?
It reflects a frequent election pattern over the past three decades.
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.
A member of the House of Representatives who wishes to be influential in the House itself would most likely seek a place on which of the following committees?
Rules
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
Which of the following statements about rules of procedure in the House and Senate is correct?
The House operates more by formal rules, while the Senate operates more on informal understandings.
Of the following, which is the most powerful figure in Congress?
The Speaker of the House
Which of the following is a unique power held by members of the Senate?
The ability to filibuster
Which of the following is true of the seniority system of Congress in relation to committee leadership and committee staffing?
The chairs of congressional committees tend to be senior members of the body's majority party.
Which of the following has decreased in Congress over the past twenty years?
The influence of committee chairs
Which of the following statements about Congress is true?
The legislative process is frequently lengthy, decentralized, and characterized by compromise and bargaining.
Which of the following situations best illustrates the meaning of divided government in the United States political system?
The majority of senators and the majority of representatives are from one party, but the president is from another.
Which of the following best describes gerrymandering?
The party in control of the state legislature draws district boundaries in such a way as to favor its own candidates in subsequent elections.
Which of the following enumerated powers would permit Congress to stimulate the economy by hiring unemployed citizens?
The power to pass a federal budget
Members of Congress who have adopted the delegate role of representation normally cast their votes based on which of the following?
The preferences of the majority of their constituents
Which of the following statements about motions for cloture is true?
They are used by senators to end a filibuster and bring a bill to a vote.
Which of the following committees plays a major role in the House in shaping tax policy?
Ways and Means
If legislation passes in both the House of Representatives and the Senate but each version is slightly different, the conflicting bills are sent to
a conference committee for review and compromise
A committee chair in the House of Representatives is always
a member of the majority party in the chamber
Debate of a bill in the House of Representatives under a "closed rule" means that
amendments to the bill cannot be offered
The United States Constitution says that Congress has the power to coin money.This is an example of
an enumerated power
Elections for the House of Representative provide
approximately equal representation for every voter
The committee that resolves differences between House and Senate versions of a bill is called a
conference committee
The House Rules Committee is an important part of the legislative process because it
determines the terms and conditions of debate when a bill goes to the House floor
The term "bicameralism" refers to the
establishment of two legislative chambers that have different structures and rules
The congressional system of standing committees is significant because it
fosters the development of expertise by members
Establishing the boundaries of United States congressional districts to give one party an advantage over another party is referred to as
gerrymandering
"Pork barrel" legislation helps the reelection chances of a member of Congress because such legislation
helps earn the member of Congress a reputation for service to his or her district
The largest source of federal revenue is the
income tax
A difference between the House of Representatives and the Senate is that in the House
legislative activity on the floor is more constrained by rules
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
Congressional legislative powers include all of the following EXCEPT
pardoning felons
Congressional standing committees are best described as
permanent subject-matter committees
The power of the Rules Committee in the House of Representatives rests on its authority to
place a bill on the legislative calendar, limit time for debate and determine the type of amendments allowed
The role of a conference committee in Congress is to
reconcile differences in bills passed by the House and Senate
Most of the bills introduced in the House and the Senate are then
referred to committee but never sent to the full Congress
Enumerated powers of the federal government include all of the following EXCEPT the power to
regulate intrastate commerce
The term "pork barrel" refers to legislation specifically designed to
rovide funding for local projects that are intended to benefit constituents
Nominations to the Supreme Court must be approved by a
simple majority vote in the Senate only
An example of a discretionary item in the federal budget is
spending on national parks
Most of the work of legislating in Congress takes place in
standing committees
Congressional district boundaries are usually redrawn every ten years by the
state legislatures
The boundary lines of congressional districts are drawn by
state legislatures
Fiscal policies refer to the government's power to
tax and spend
The committee system is more important in the House than in the Senate because
the House is so large that more work can be accomplished in committees than on the floor
The Constitution states that all revenue bills must originate in
the United States House of Representatives
The boundaries of United States congressional districts are usually determined by
the state legislatures
The voting patterns of members of Congress correlate most strongly with
their political party affiliation
A major difference between the House of Representatives and the Senate is that
there is unlimited debate in the Senate but not in the House
