Government Ch. 11 Smartbook
in insecure majorities, Frances Lee noted that, in the currently closely matched parties, members of Congress are engaged in _________ rather than "governing"
"messaging"
which of the following are activities that typically take place in a party caucus
- Adopting a single policy message - Developing issues
which of the following oversight tools help Congress to ensure that the executive branch is administering the laws properly
-congressional hearings -budgetary appropriations
which of the following are functions of the Congress
-lawmaking -oversight -representation
which of the following correctly describes protocol for committee membership
-most newly elected members of Congress request committee assignments -Most vaccines occur after elections, either from retirements or incumbent defeats
which of the following statements about midterm elections are generally true
-there is less media coverage of candidates and issues than in a presidential election -voter turnout is lower for presidential elections -the president's party usually loses seats
when does a bill become a law
-when Congress override a presidential veto -when the president signs it
when is congressional oversight exercised vigorously
-when members are intending to modify an agency program -when members are annoyed with an agency
at present there are ______ standing committees in the House of Representatives
20
in order to be a member of the House of Representatives, a person must be ______ years of age
25
The most powerful leader in the House of Representatives is the
Speaker of the House
which of the following is a legislative power the president does not possess
The power to sign only part of a bill into law
why is the rules committee considered one of the most important committees in the house
because it decides the length of debate that will occur on a bill and whether amendments will be allowed
which of the following strongly and positively affects a congressional candidates ability to raise money and win an election
being an incumbent
partisan voting is most apparent when members are voting on major _______ issues
domestic policy
most congressional bills survive committee scrutiny and are voted upon by the house and senate
false
The framers of the constitution granted Congress the power to _______, the greatest of all powers of government
make laws
which of the following is a major reason why incumbents are reelected
many congressional districts and some state's are lopsidedly democratic or republican
The term that describes the minority party's committee and subcommittee leaders is ______ members
ranking
The sole purpose of a conference committee is to
reconcile differences in the house and senate versions of a bill
Congress is an institution in which many interests are represented, which is a strength in a diverse nation; yet Congress is also a place in which narrow interests can block Congress from acting even though there's an important national need, which is a weakness
true
members of the House of representatives typically serve on ________ committees, well members of the Senate serve on _______
two; four
compared with their percentage of the overall population of the United States, women and minorities are _______ in congress
underrepresented
before 1900, service in congress
was not usually a career for most of its members
put in order the following steps that a bill must pass through in order to become a law
-A member of the House of Representatives or the Senate formally proposes the bill -The bill is submitted to a committee for consideration -majority of members in the House and senate approve the bill -The president signs the bill
if congressional representatives find themselves having to choose between angering voters and donors or angering party leadership by refusing to go along with the vote, which will they likely choose
angering leadership by voting they way donors and voters want them to
a(n) ______ is a proposed legislative act that if passed by both chambers of Congress and signed by the president becomes law
bill
congress's structure makes it easier to
block legislation than enact it
The plan strategy and resolve policy issues party members in Congress typically meet behind closed doors and a session called a party ______
caucus
which of the following is not a direct power of the committee chair
changes party affiliation at will
if the president chooses to veto a bill
congress can override the veto by two-thirds vote in each chamber
if the majority of the members of the House of representatives are Republican, then every committee and subcommittee in the house will
have a majority of republican members
when a committee or subcommittee holds a(n) _____, they are trying to gather information about a proposed bill
hearing
every bill must be approved by both the House and the Senate in ________ form before it can be sent to the president
identical, same, like, or exact
in the large majority of cases, the winner of a congressional campaign is the
incumbent
congressional elections usually favor
incumbents
when a bill falls into the area in which a committee is authorized to act, the committee is said to have
jurisdiction
One reason why standing committees are powerful is that they have by law
jurisdiction over bills in their designated policy area
which function of the main responsibility of Congress, to which all other functions of congress are related
lawmaking
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
ensuring that laws are being administered by the executive branch in the way intended by Congress is an important function of Congress and is known as
oversight
which function describes the process by which the legislature checks on the executive branch to make sure it is carrying out the laws in the way Congress intended
oversight
if a "turf war" erupts as different committees vie for jurisdiction over a bill, who or what decides the committee assignment
party leaders
The partisan divide in Congress has grown in recent years and each party engages in ______, which is when party members band together on legislation and oppose the other party
party unity
The increase in party polarization in congress has led to increased
policy deadlock
The trend toward party unity in Congress can clearly be seen in voting records of members of Congress when their votes are officially recorded during a _______ _______ votes
roll call
choosing committee chairs based on which member has the longest continuous tenure on a standing committee is an example of the ______ system
seniority
today, congress and the president
share legislative power
a limit of ______ exists for how long a republican member can chair a particular committee
six years
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
Who helps the Speaker set the party's legislative agenda in the House
the majority leader
in the House of Representatives, debate is limited on the congressional floor by
the rules committee
which of the following methods is most often used to select committee chairs
the seniority system
whether or not Congress takes the lead in the making of laws usually depends on
the types of policy at issue
how do you committees and subcommittees serve to decentralize power in Congress
they allow more members to hold leadership positions
which of the following is true of bills that emerge from committee with the full support of the committee members
they are typically passed by an overwhelming majority
what is it that holds party lawmakers together
they have far more in common with each other than they do with lawmakers of the other party
polls indicate that voters opinion of Donald Trump performance had what effect in the 2018 midterms
those who were discontented with Trump helped Democrats retake control of the house
After clearing the committee stage, floor debate on a bill is usually led by the majority party's leadership in the house
true
positive aspects of party polarization include the fact that
voters can more clearly see and understand party differences