Pol2761 Chapter

Which of the following are common threats to incumbency?

personal misconduct strong challengers disruptive issues

Which of the following are duties of the Speaker of the House?

1. Choosing leadership of the House Rules Committee 2. Recognizing members who will be allowed to speak on the floor

Why do Republican and Democratic lawmakers generally have different perspectives on national issues?

1. Their parties differ politically. 2. Their parties differ philosophically.

A(n) rule allows members to propose amendments that are relevant to any section of the bill.

Blank 1: open

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

Blank 1: seniority or senority

In Congress, disagreement over national policy usually occurs

along partisan divisions.

Which of the following strongly and positively affects a congressional candidate's ability to raise money and win an election?

being an incumbent

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

jurisdiction.

In the 2018 midterm elections, how many House and Senate races received money from super PACs?

several dozen

In the House of Representatives, debate is limited on the congressional floor by

the Rules Committee.

Whether or not Congress takes the lead in the making of laws usually depends on

the type of policy at issue.

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

underrepresented

Which of the following are true concerning women and minorities who run for congressional office?

1. Women and minorities are less likely to run for Congress than white males. 2. There are more women than there are minorities in Congress.

On major bills, it is increasingly typical for the majority party's leaders to

1. direct the floor debate after the bill leaves the committee. 2. shape the bill's broad content.

The Speaker of the House has the right to

1. select the chairperson of the House Rules Committee. 2. speak first during House debate on legislation. 3. choose who may speak on the House floor.

Members of Congress are most indebted to which of the following?

1. the wealthy donors who fund their campaigns 2. hardcore partisan voters in their state or district

When is congressional oversight exercised vigorously?

1. when members are annoyed with an agency 2. when members are intending to modify an agency program

When does a bill become a law?

1. when the president signs it 2. when Congress overrides a presidential veto

In order to become a member of the Senate, a person must be at least years of age and have been a citizen for at least years.

Blank 1: 30 or thirty Blank 2: 9 or nine

A(n) is a proposed legislative act that if passed by both chambers of Congress and signed by the president becomes law.

Blank 1: Bill or bill

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

Blank 1: distributive

Every bill must be approved by both the House and the Senate in form before it can be sent to the president.

Blank 1: identical, same, like, or exact

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 .

Blank 1: logrolling

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

Blank 1: oversight, oversight function, congressional oversight, or oversite

The term that describes the minority party's committee and subcommittee leaders is members.

Blank 1: ranking

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 - vote.

Blank 1: roll Blank 2: call

A permanent committee in Congress is known as a(n) committee.

Blank 1: standing

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

Blank 1: super or super pacs Blank 2: PACs, pac, pacs, PAC, or PAC's

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.

Which of the following correctly describes protocol for committee membership?

1. Most vacancies occur after elections, either from retirements or incumbent defeats. 2. Most newly elected members of Congress request committee assignments.

In order to be a member of the House of Representatives, a person must be ______ years of age.

25

The U.S. Congress is a(n) legislature with two chambers, the House and the Senate.

Blank 1: bicameral, bi-cameral, bi cameral, bicarmel, or bicaramel

If the president chooses to veto a bill,

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

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

Incumbents

Which of the following describes the power of Congress relative to the other branches of government?

No executive agency or lower court can exist without congressional authorization.

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.

In Insecure Majorities, Frances Lee noted that, in the currently closely matched parties, members of Congress are engaged in "______" rather than "governing.

messaging

How do 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.

Polls indicate that voters' opinions of Donald Trump's performance had what effect in the 2018 midterms?

Those who were discontented with Trump helped Democrats retake control of the House.

True or false: After clearing the committee stage, floor debate on a bill is usually led by the majority party's leadership in the House.

True

True or false: House committees have the power to make suggestions for changing a bill in a process known as mark up.

True

Why are incumbents 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.

If congressional representatives finds themselves having to choose between angering voters and donors or angering party leadership by refusing to go along with a vote, which will they likely choose?

angering leadership by voting the way their donors and voters want them to

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

Congress's structure makes it easier to

block legislation than enact it.

Most members of Congress are

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

Which of the following is not a direct power of the committee chair?

changes party affiliation at will

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

determine whether or not they stay in office.

Partisan voting is most apparent when members are voting on major ______ issues.

domestic policy

Hearings are an effective way for committees to

gather information.

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

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

incumbent.

Congressional elections usually favor

incumbents.

One reason why standing committees are powerful is that they have by law

jurisdiction over bills in their designated policy area.

The framers of the Constitution granted Congress the power to ______, the greatest of all powers of government.

make laws

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

midterm

When major disruptive issues occur, incumbents are

more likely to lose.

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 sole purpose of a conference committee is to

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

Which of the following are the functions of Congress?

representation oversight lawmaking

Members of Congress give various interests a voice in the legislative process as part of Congress's ______ function.

representative

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

standing committee

Incumbents have ______ over challengers.

substantial advantages

Which of the following is a legislative power the president does NOT possess?

the power to sign only part of a bill into law

Members of the House of Representatives typically serve on ______ committees, while members of the Senate serve on ______.

two, four

The 2014 North Carolina Senate race (Hagan vs. Tillis) was one of the most extensive campaigns in Senate history, with more than $75 million spent. What portion of that money came from super PACs?

two-thirds

Gerrymandering is

usually legal.

Positive aspects of party polarization include the fact that

voters can more clearly see and understand party differences.

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 law. (Place the first step at the top and the last step at the bottom.)

1. a member of the house of representative or the senate formally 2. the bill is submitted to a committe for consideration. 3. a majority of members in the house and senate approve the bill 4. the president signs the bill

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

1. developing issues 2. adopting a single policy message

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

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

What shift brought the president to a more central role in the legislative process?

National and international forces combined to place greater policy demands on the federal governmen

Who established the standard for the proper approach to Congress's representative function?

No one; it has been debated since the founding.

The most powerful leader in the House of Representatives is the

Speaker of the House.

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

congressional hearings budgetary appropriations

Members of Congress usually serve on congressional committees that concentrate on policy areas that affect the members'

constituency.

Which function is the main responsibility of Congress, to which all other functions of Congress are related?

lawmaking

An example of Congress's ______ is when Congress passes legislation that creates incentives for the development of alternative energy sources.

lawmaking function

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

mark up

If the Rules Committee places a "closed rule" on a piece of legislation, ______ amendments are permitted.

no

The increase in party polarization in Congress has led to increased

policy deadlock.

Today, Congress and the president

share legislative power.

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

the majority leader

Both political parties in the House have a ______, who acts as a go-between with the leadership and the party members in the House.

whip

Which of the following could be considered personal misconduct that might lead to a congressional incumbent losing a bid for reelection?

being involved in a sex scandal engaging in bribery

At present there are ______ standing committees in the House of Representatives.

20

True or false: 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 when there's an important national need, which is a weakness.

True

Members of Congress may experience conflict between their lawmaking responsibility and their responsibility to represent their constituency when

a policy that is good for the nation as a whole does not coincide with the needs of their constituency.

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

party

The House and the Senate each elect ______ to lead their party's efforts in the chamber.

party leaders

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

the seniority system

The framers of the Constitution intended that lawmakers ______, something that has become increasingly difficult in today's partisan Congress.

act in the spirit of compromise

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.

The text uses the immigration issue as an example of a national issue on which Republican and Democratic lawmakers cannot agree. What is the sticking point?

The two parties have different solutions to the same problem.

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

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

1. Some bills are not supported by the members who introduced them. 2. Most are poorly conceived or of little interest to anyone. 3. They can be brought back to life by a vote of the full House or Senate.