POLS1 - Week 12 Quiz
If a member of the House of Representatives won her first election with 52% of the vote and won her second election with 75%, it would be an example of the "sophomore surge." "second-election surprise." "rich get richer" effect. "incumbency increase."
"sophomore surge."
A U.S. senator has a ________-year term.
6
With regard to the U.S. Senate, what is the "nuclear option"? Impeaching the president Eliminating the filibuster Cutting spending to the military Expelling Senators who support insurrection
Eliminating the filibuster
Which best characterizes the use of oversight powers in Congress in recent years? It is less polarized than in the past. It has a decreasing partisan tone. It has an increasingly partisan tone. It is less used than in the past.
It has an increasingly partisan tone.
Which of the following statements best describes the representation of women and minorities in the U.S. Congress? Women are underrepresented in Congress, but there is a disproportionate representation of minorities in Congress. Representation of women and minorities has increased during the past two decades but is not comparable to their proportions in the general population. Since the mid-1990s, the number of women and minorities in Congress roughly reflects their proportions in the general population. Representation of women and minorities has decreased by one-third in the past two decades.
Representation of women and minorities has increased during the past two decades but is not comparable to their proportions in the general population.
How is the Speaker of the House determined? The elected leader of the majority party in the House is the Speaker. The vice president of the United States is also Speaker of the House. The president selects the Speaker of the House from the majority party in the House. The representative with the longest tenure in the House is the Speaker of the House.
The elected leader of the majority party in the House is the Speaker
A bill's supporters in the House of Representatives generally prefer ________, while opponents generally prefer a(n) ________. cloture; filibuster an open rule; closed rule a closed rule; open rule a committee markup; closed rule
a closed rule; open rule
How can Congress override a president's veto? -a two-thirds vote in both chambers -a simple majority vote in both chambers -a two-thirds vote in either chamber -According to the U.S. Constitution, a president's veto cannot be overridden.
a two-thirds vote in both chambers
Most programs and agencies are subject to some oversight every year during the course of hearings on gerrymandering. filibustering. appropriations. redistricting.
appropriations.
The amount of money approved by Congress in bills that each agency of government can spend is called pork barreling. appropriations. redistricting. oversight.
appropriations.
Congress is a ________ legislature with ________ total members. bicameral; 535 bicameral; 100 unicameral; 342 bicameral; 435
bicameral; 535
In 2019, Democrats impeached President Trump on -All of these answer choices are correct. -charges that his administration was negligent in its response to the militant attack on the American consulate in Benghazi. -charges that he sought to pressure the Ukrainian government into investigating Joe Biden and his son. -charges that his campaign colluded with Russian operatives to help Trump win in 2016.
charges that he sought to pressure the Ukrainian government into investigating Joe Biden and his son.
A provision by the House Rules committee limiting or prohibiting the introduction of amendments during debate is called a markup hearing. cloture. closed rule. conference committee.
closed rule.
When Republicans gather in the House to elect their House leaders every two years, this is called a gerrymander. caucus. constituency. conference.
conference.
If a legislative body was composed of 10% Latinos and 80% males in a state whose residents were 35% Latino and 50% male, the legislative body could be said to lack descriptive representation. substantive representation. trustee representation. delegate representation.
descriptive representation.
What are the four joint committees in Congress? -economic, taxation, library, and printing -globalization, human rights, employment, and citizenship -foreign affairs, welfare, currency, and trade -justice, agriculture, education, and technology
economic, taxation, library, and printing
The filibuster: -cannot be stopped, even by a vote of 99 senators -permits the Vice President to break tie votes -protects the majority from power grabs by the minority -is more of a reactionary tool than a proactive tool for passing legislation
is more of a reactionary tool than a proactive tool for passing legislation
Gerrymandering refers to the -investigations of the executive branch by members of Congress. -tactic used by members of the Senate to prevent action on legislation they oppose by continuously holding the floor and speaking until the majority backs down. -practice whereby legislators trade their support or opposition on one bill to get the support of another legislator on a different bill. -manipulation of electoral districts to serve the interests of a particular group.
manipulation of electoral districts to serve the interests of a particular group.
The 2015 House of Representatives committee that held hearings to investigate Hillary Clinton's use of private email services during her tenure as secretary of state is an example of a standing committee. select committee. joint committee. conference committee.
select committee.
Which of the following are set up by Congress to provide the legislative branch with resources and expertise independent of the executive branch? select committees whips staff agencies caucuses
staff agencies
A legislative "hold" is a -way for bills to pass without approval by the Senate. -way for bills to pass without approval by the House of Representatives. -stalling tactic used in the U.S. Senate to delay debate on a bill. -stalling tactic used in the U.S. House of Representatives to delay debate on a bill.
stalling tactic used in the U.S. Senate to delay debate on a bill.
The kind of representation that takes place when constituents have the power to hire and fire their representatives is called delegate representation. substantive representation. trustee representation. descriptive representation.
substantive representation.
Race became a major factor in drawing congressional district lines as a result of -Title IX of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. -the Supreme Court's decision in Shelby County v. Holder. -Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. -the 1982 amendments to the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
the 1982 amendments to the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
Which congressional staff agency assesses the economic implications and likely costs of proposed federal programs? the Office of Management and Budget the Government Accountability Office the Congressional Research Service the Congressional Budget Office
the Congressional Budget Office
Who elects the minority leader? the minority party the entire membership of the House of Representatives the majority party the Democratic caucus only
the minority party
The role that the U.S. Senate plays in impeachments can best be compared with that of a grand jury. prosecuting attorney. defense attorney. trial jury.
trial jury.
A Senator who votes based on what she thinks is best for her constituency is called a whip. trustee. constituency. delegate.
trustee
Which of the following are the most salient three factors related to the American electoral system that affect who is elected to office? -incumbency, franking, and party affiliation p-arty affiliation, family connections, and the substance of issues raised during a campaign -who decides to run for office, incumbency, and the drawing of district lines -military service, professional connections, and religious beliefs
who decides to run for office, incumbency, and the drawing of district lines
One advantage of seniority in Congress is that it makes it -less likely to participate in committee work. -more likely to get leadership in a committee. -less likely to have to participate in subcommittees. -less likely to have to serve as president pro tempore.
more likely to get leadership in a committee.
Conference committees are -permanent and have the power to write and propose legislation. -temporary and are created to take up an issue that falls between the jurisdiction of existing committees, to highlight an issue, or to investigate a particular problem. -permanent and involve members from both the House and the Senate. -temporary, involve members from both houses of Congress, and are charged with reaching a compromise on legislation once it has been passed by both the House and the Senate.
temporary, involve members from both houses of Congress, and are charged with reaching a compromise on legislation once it has been passed by both the House and the Senate.
The frequency with which they must seek re-election makes members of the U.S. House of Representatives -more responsive to the needs of local interest groups in the districts they represent. -less responsive to the needs of the elites in the states they represent. -more responsive to the needs of the elites in the states they represent. -less responsive to the needs of local interest groups in the districts they represent.
more responsive to the needs of local interest groups in the districts they represent.
The 2014 Select Committee on Benghazi is an example of Congress's advice and consent powers. oversight powers. executive agreement powers. impeachment powers.
oversight powers.
Which is an important factor in organizing the work of Congress? apportionment. pork gerrymandering parties
parties
A ________ veto occurs when Congress adjourns during a 10-day period after presenting the president with a bill on which he or she takes no action. procrastination line-item pocket silent
When Senator Robert Byrd steered brought federal money to build highways, dams, and government facilities to his state of West Virginia, he was doing which of the following? pork barreling redistricting gerrymandering apportioning
pork barreling
Which of the following statements best describes the representation of women in the U.S. Congress? Women are underrepresented in Congress, but representation is higher in the United States than the rest of the world Representation of women has increased over time but still lags behind the rest of the world. Since the mid-1990s, the number of women in Congress has roughly reflected their proportions in the general population. Representation of women has decreased over time.
Representation of women has increased over time but still lags behind the rest of the world.
In the House of Representatives, what is the relationship between the majority leader and the Speaker of the House? The majority leader is subordinate to the Speaker of the House. The majority leader is superior in formal powers to the Speaker of the House. They are the same office. The majority leader has the same powers as the Speaker of the House but is a different office.
The majority leader is subordinate to the Speaker of the House.
Conference committees -All of these answer choices are correct. -reconcile differences between a bill passed by the House and Senate. -consider a bill before it goes up for the vote in the House. -consider a bill before it goes up for a vote in the Senate.
reconcile differences between a bill passed by the House and Senate.
The Senate's constitutional power of advice and consent extends to which of the following? -the president's power to make treaties with foreign nations -the president's power to issue pardons -the president's power to engage in executive oversight -the president's power to issue executive orders
the president's power to make treaties with foreign nations
