US CH 11

Reapportionment takes place every __ years following a census.

10

In order to be a member of the Senate, a person must be __ years of age and a citizen

30 9

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

Act in the spirit of compromise

In Congress, disagreement over national policy usually occurs

Along partisan divides

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.

What strongly and positively affects a congressional candidate's ability to raise money and win an election?

Being an incumbent

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

Budgetary appropriations Congressional hearings

The speaker of the House has the right to

Choose who may speak on the House floor Speak first during House debate on legislation Select the chairperson of the House Rules Committee

What is procedural move in the Senate that can end a filibuster?

Cloture

What best explains why a member of Congress is chosen to a party leadership position?

Demonstrated leadership ability Ability to work with the other party Ability to successfully promote the party's goals within Congress

Select committees

Designed to address a specific issue or problem

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

Determine whether or not they stay in office

What are activities that typically take place in a party caucus?

Developing issues Adopting a single policy message

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

Direct the floor debate after the bill leaves the committee Shape the bill's broad content

What could be considered personal misconduct that might lead to a Congressional incumbent losing a bid for reelection?

Engaging in bribery Being involved in a sex scandal

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 expense is known as the _____ privilege.

Franking

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

Gerrymandering

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

What makes a Senate challenger more likely to be successful?

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

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

Hearing

The difference between amendments that can be offered in the House and the Senate to a bill under consideration is that in the

House amendments must directly relate to a bill's contents

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

Incumbent moderates

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

Incumbents

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

Incumbents

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 of Congress is known as a _____ committee.

Joint

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

Jurisdiction over bills in their designated policy area

What function Is the main responsibility of Congress, which all other functions of Congress are related to?

Lawmaking

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

Logrolling

What is a major reason why incumbents are reelected?

Many congressional districts and some states are lopsidedly democratic or republican

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

Mark up

An ____ rule allows members to propose amendments that are relevant to an section of the bill.

Open

Bill

Proposed legislative act that if passed by both chambers of Congress and signed by the president becomes law.

What are duties of the Speaker of the house

Recognizing members who will be allowed to speak on the floor Scheduling legislation for floor consideration

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

Redistricting

What are the functions of Congress?

Representation Oversight Lawmaking

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

Practice where members of Congress respond to constituents' individual requests for information or a help with a federal benefit or service

Service strategy

What is 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 or Senate Most are poorly conceived or of little interest to anyone

What are common threats to incumbency?

Strong challengers Personal misconduct Disruptive issues

What is a legislative power the president does not possess?

The power to sign only part of a bill into law

Why is the president usually better suited than congress to taking the lead on broad national issues?

The president has sole executive authority and thus can decide a course of action without needing the consent of other top executives

What is true of 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

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

Underrepresented

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

When is congressional oversight exercised vigorously?

When members are intending to modify an agency program When members are annoyed with an agency

When does a bill become a law?

When the president signs it When Congress overrides a presidential veto

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

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

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

Open seat

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 function

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

Party

Historically, which Senate position has been honorary in nature?

President pro tempore