POSI2

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

When does a bill become law

-When congress overrides a presidential veto -when the president signs it

which of the following are true of joint committees

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

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

-women and minorities are less likely to run for congress than white males. -women and minorities have a winning percentage that is roughly the same as non incumbent white males

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

1. A member of the House of Representatives or the Senate formally proposes the bill.\ 2.The bill is submitted to a committee for consideration. 3.A majority of members in the House and Senate approve the bill. 4. The president signs the bill.

The speaker of the house is effectively chosen by the

Majority Party

Elections held in the years between presidential elections are called ___ elections

Midterm

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

The most powerful leader in the house of Representatives is the?

Speaker of the house

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

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

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

being an incumbent

The U.S. congress is a ___ legislature with two chambers, the house and the senate

bicameral

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

caucus

Which of the following is a procedural move in the senate than can end a filibuster?

cloture

If the president chooses to veto a bill

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

members of congress usually serve on congressional committees that concentrate on policy areas that effect the members

constituency

most of the bills congress passes are ____ in nature which means they provide benefits to a particular group in society while spreading the costs accross the taxpaying public as a whole

distributive

The privilege of incumbents to send mail to their constituencies at the governments expense is known as the ___ privilege

franking

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

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

hearing

Redistricting can diminish the advantages of being an ____ because the candidate will have a lower name recognition among the district's voters than before redistricting.

incumbent

what is one reason why incumbents have a fundraising advantage over challengers

incumbents have a ready list of potential contributors from past campaigns

A committee that is composed of members of both chambers is known as a ___ committee

joint

the increase in party polarization in congress has led to increased

legislative gridlock

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

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

majority leader

the framers of the constitution granted congress the power to ___, the greatest of all powers of government

make laws

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

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

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 ____ vote.

party

The process of determining how many house seats each state is allowed as a result of population change since the last census is known as

reapportionment

the trend toward party unity in congress can clearly be seen in voting records of members congress when their votes are officially recorded during a ___ vote

roll-call

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

seniority system

which of the following terms describes a permanent committee in congress that has a defined legislative jurisdiction

standing committee

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

the seniority system

Compared with their percentage of the overall population of the United States, women and minorities are

underrepresented

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

vice president

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

Among the reasons why Congress has difficulty taking the lead on broad issues are the facts that

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

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 Congress

-lawmaking -respresentation -oversight

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

-shape the bills broad content -direct the floor debate after the bill leaves the committee

which of the following statements are true of bills that are killed in committee

-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 of senate -most are poorly conceived or of little interest to anyone

the speaker of the house has the right to

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

Which of the following about midterm elections are true

-voter turnout is lower than for presidential elections -the presidents party usually loses seats -there is less media coverage of candidates and issues than in a presidential election

When is congressional oversight exercised vigorously

-when members are intending to modify an agency program -when members are annoyed with an agency