Federal Gov. Chapter 11

True of False: Most congressional bills survive committee scrutiny and are voted upon by the House of Senate.

False

When a committee or subcommittee holds a _______, they are trying to gather information about a proposed bill.

Hearing

Donors are more willing to make campaign contributions to

Incumbents

A vote where most members of one political vote one way while most members of the other party vote the other way is categorized as a _______ unity vote.

Party

When congressional district boundaries are redrawn within a state, it is known as

Redistricting

The framers of the constitution intended that lawmakers ________, something which has become increasingly difficult in today's partisan congress.

act in the spirit of compromise

As a result of the increase level of party polarization in the United States, which candidates face greater risk of losing the primary election.

incumbent moderates

When major disruptive issues occur incumbent's are

more likely to lose.

An _______ rule allows members to propose amendments that are relevant to any section of the bill.

open

Who helps the speaker set the party's legislative agenda in the House?

the majority leader

Compared with their percentage of the overall population of the United States, women and minorities are _______ in Congress.

underrepresented

Which of the following makes a Senate challenger more likely to be successful?

- Having an existing campaign organization - Having strong public recognition - Having access to large sums of money to fund the campaign

In order to member of the senate, a person must be ____ years of age and a citizen for at least ____ years.

- 30 -9

Put in order the following steps that a bill must pass through in order become law. (first to last)

- A member of the house of representatives or the senate formally proposes the bill - The bill is submitted to a committee for consideration. - A majority of members in the House and senate approve the bill. - The president signs the bill.

Which of the following are activities that typically take place in a party caucus?

- Adopting single party message - Developing issues

Which of the following best explain why a member of congress is chosen to a party leadership position?

- demonstrated leadership ability - ability to work with other party - ability to successfully promote the party's goals within congress

Which of the following are the functions of congress?

- lawmaking - representation - oversight

Which of the following are true about joint committees?

- they perform advisory functions - they are composed of members of both houses

Members of the house of representatives typically serve on ___________ committees, while members of the senate serve on _______.

- two - four

Reapportionment takes place every ______ years following a census.

10

Compared to the 1980's, the cost of running for the house of representatives has risen than _______ in 2010.

600%

______ is a proposed legislative act that if passed by both chambers of congress and signed by the president becomes law.

Bill

The redrawing of congressional boundaries to benefit a political party is called

Gerrymandering

Which of the following problems is most likely to jeopardize an incumbent's chances of reelection?

Getting caught in a scandal

______ typically benefit from gerrymandering because the majority party ensures that there are enough of the party's votes in the incumbents district to ensure their reelection.

Incumbents

When a bill falls into the area in which a committee is authorized to act, that committee is said to have

Jurisdiction

Which of the following is the most powerful leadership position in the Senate?

Majority leader

The tread towards party unity in Congress can clearly be seen in voting records of members Congress when their voters are officially recorded during a _______ vote.

Roll-call

Gerrymandering is

Usually legal

Why are incumbent's at risk when elections are being waged in the context of disruptive issues?

Voters are more likely to believe those in power should be removed from office.

Why is the Rules Committee considered one of the most important committees in the House?

because it decided the length of debate that will occur on a bill and whether amendments will be allowed.

To plan strategy and resolve policy issues, party members in congress typically must meet behind closed doors in a session called a party ________.

caucus

To end a filibuster, sixty senators must agree to invoke ________ and end the debate.

cloture

If the president chooses to veto a bill,

congress can override the veto by a two-thirds vote in each chamber.

How does the public generally feel about Congress?

dissatisfied

Most of the bills Congress passes are _______ in nature which means they provide benefits to a particular group in society while spreading the cost across that taxpaying public as a whole.

distributive

The increase in party polarization in congress has led to increase

legislative gridlock.

In the House, both the full committee and a subcommittee may _________, or propose changes to, a bill.

mark up

Elections held in the years between presidential elections are called _______ elections.

midterm

If the rules committees places a "closed rule" on a piece of legislation, then _________ amendments are permitted.

no

Members of congress may experience conflict between their lawmaking responsibility and their responsibility to represent their constituency because

not all policies that are good for the nation as a whole coincide with the needs of their constituency.

When their is no incumbent running in the election it is called an ______ election and usually sparks heavier spending by the two political parties.

open-seat

The sole purpose of a conference committee is to

reconcile differences in the House and Senate versions of a bill.

Choosing committee chairs based on which member has the longest continuous tenure on a standing committee is an example of the

seniority system

Incumbents have _________ over challengers.

substantial advantages

The emergence of ____________, groups that can pour money into political campaign with few limits, has given challenges a better opportunity to unseat congressional incumbents.

super PACs

Which of the following methods is most often used to select committee chairs?

the seniority system

Among the reasons why congress has difficulty taking the lead on board issues are the facts that

- Congress has two chambers, and they are not always in agreement on policy issues. - members of congress came from different districts and often have conflicting views on national policy.

Which of the following are common threats to incumbents?

- Disruptive issues - Strong challenges - Personal misconduct

Which of the following is a right of the president pro tempore?

to preside over the senate in the absence of the vice president

True or False: It is more common for House incumbent's than Senate incumbent's to face challenges in the form of prominent local politicians.

False

Which of the following is a major reason why incumbents are reelected?

Many congressional districts and some states are lopsidedly Democratic or Republican.

Which of the following terms describes a permanent committee in Congress that has a defined legislative jurisdiction?

Standing committee

What occurs after a conference committee reconciles differences in the House and Senate versions of a bill?

The bill goes back to both chambers for a vote.

Most members of congress are

career politicians who want to stay in Congress and put themselves in position for reelection.

Members of congress usually serve on congressional committees that concentrates on policy areas that affect the members'

constituency.

Members of Congress are attentive to the concerns of the constituents because constituents

determine whether or not they stay in office

When members of the senate wish to halt or delay the passage of a bill, a ______ may take place.

filibuster

The privilege of incumbents to send mail to their constituencies at the government's expose is known as the _______ privilege.

franking

An example of congress ___________ is when congress passes legislation that creates incentives for the development of alternative energy sources.

lawmaking function

The house and the Senate each elect ________ to lead party's efforts in the chamber.

party leaders

If a vote in the Senate is tied, the _______ breaks the tie.

vice president

Which of the following about midterm elections are true?

- The president's party usually loses seats. - Voter turnout is lower than for presidential elections. - There is less media coverage of candidates and issues than in a presidential election.

One major bills, it is increasingly typical for the majority party leaders to?

-shape the bill's boards board content. -direct the floor debate after the bill leaves the committee.

In the large majority of cases, the winner of a congressional campaign is the

incumbent

In terms of the budget to hire office staff,

- House members receive identical amounts of money - senators receive varying amounts of money, depending on the population of their senate.

Which of the following statements are true of bills that are killed in committee?

- Most are poorly conceived or of little interest to anyone. - Some bills are not supported by the members who introduced them. - They can be brought back to life by a vote of the full House or Senate.

The speaker of the house has the right to

- Speak first during House debate on legislation - choose who may speak on the House floor. - select the chairperson of the House Rules Committee.

Which of the following statements about congressional committees are true?

- They each specialize in a certain area of legislation. - They make it possible for congress to consider a high volume of bills.

Which of the following oversight tools helps Congress to ensure that the executive branch is administering the laws properly?

- congress hearings - budgetary appropriations

The cost of running for Senate rose by more than _____ between 1990 and 2010

300%

Members of the US House of Representatives are re-elected in _________ of races.

92%

The practice in which members of congress agree to vote for a bill in exchange for their colleague's vote on another bill is called

logrolling

The party that controls the rules and has the most powerful leadership position in the House is the

majority

The framers of the constitution granted congress the power to______, the greatest of all power of government.

make laws