American Government Chapter 4
members of the Senate.
If representatives in the House wish to adjourn a session for more than three days, they must seek approval from
sent to a standing committee.
In both the House and Senate, a bill introduced by a member is next
trade and borrowing.
Read this quotation from the Constitution. "The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States; To borrow Money on the credit of the United States; To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes; . . ." —Article I, Section 8. This section of the Constitution falls under expressed powers related to
the length of service for a representative.
Read this quotation from the Constitution. "The House of Representatives shall be composed of Members chosen every second Year by the People of the several States, and the Electors in each State shall have the Qualifications requisite for Electors of the most numerous Branch of the State Legislature." —Article I, Section 2, Clause 1. This quotation relates to
Both the chairs and most of the Republican committee members would be replaced by Democrats.
Read this quotation from the United States Senate website. "The chair of each committee and a majority of its members represent the majority party. The chair primarily controls a committee's business. Each party assigns its own members to committees, and each committee distributes its members among its subcommittees. The Senate places limits on the number and types of panels any one senator may serve on and chair."—The United States Senate What would most likely happen in the wake of the Democrats taking over the Senate from the Republicans after an election?
Congress often tries to undermine the President's message in a State of the Union address.
This political cartoon shows President George Bush about to give a State of the Union address as Speaker of House Nancy Pelosi sits behind him. What is the cartoon's main message?
is set up to serve a temporary purpose.
Unlike a joint committee, a conference committee
are so rigorous and thorough that the process can be painful.
Use the cartoon to choose the answer that best completes the sentence. This political cartoon suggests that Senate investigations
ethnicity.
Use the chart to choose the answer that BEST completes the sentence. Representation in Congress is closest to the general population in terms of
constituent servant.
Use the photo to select the answer that best completes the sentence below. Members of Congress wear many different hats and play many roles during the course of their work. An important role while spending time in their home districts is that of
They are sensible assumptions that are made based on the expressed powers.
Which statement BEST characterizes the implied powers of the Federal Government?
It is one of the checks the legislative branch holds over the executive branch.
Which statement best explains the oversight function of congressional committees?
The House is so big that long debate is extremely time-consuming.
Why does the House impose severe limits on floor debates?
incumbent
a candidate running for a office they already hold
censure
a formal condemnation of behavior
subpoena
a legal order commanding a person to appear
delegates
agents of the people who elected them
public debt
all of the money borrowed by the federal government over the years and not yet repaid
politicos
attempts to combine the other three roles
only in the Senate, which is almost unrestrained.
A filibuster to block a vote on a bill is possible
the implied powers of the Federal Government.
Choose the answer that BEST completes the sentence. The 2009 government bailout of automotive companies was an example of
gerrymandering
Choose the answer that best completes the sentence. This political cartoon from the past probably comments on problems caused by
about the same.
Compared to the size of the House of Representatives, the Senate is
when the State legislatures question election results
Congress is called upon to exercise its electoral duties under which of the following circumstances?
off-year election
Congressional elections held between Presidential elections
The commerce power relates to trade, both interstate and international, while the currency power relates to providing a stable monetary system.
How does the commerce power differ from the currency power?
a representative, because it could prevent her from supporting bills that would benefit her State.
Read the chart. Then choose the answer that best completes the statement. Based on this chart, a senator's role as a politician might interfere with his or her role as
interpret its expressed powers broadly.
Read this excerpt from the U.S. Constitution. "To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof." —Article I, Section 8, Clause 18 This article of the Constitution allows Congress to
the expressed powers of the legislative branch.
Read this excerpt from the United States Constitution. "To declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water; To raise and support Armies, but no Appropriation of Money to that Use shall be for a longer Term than two Years;" —Article I, Section 8 This section of the Constitution relates to
the fifty States are not sovereign and, therefore, have no standing in international law.
Read this excerpt from the text about foreign policy in the United States. "The Constitution gives the President primary responsibility for the conduct of American foreign policy. As the Supreme Court put that point in a leading case, United States v. Curtiss-Wright Export Corp. in 1936, the Chief Executive is 'the sole organ of the Federal Government in the field of international relations.'" The Constitution provides the President with this power because
It can be moved by Congress whenever it seems politically necessary.
Read this excerpt from the text about the borrowing power of Congress. "Congress has put a statutory ceiling on the public debt, however. The public debt is all of the money borrowed by the Federal Government over the years and not yet repaid, plus the accumulated interest on that money. That legal ceiling has never amounted to much more than a political gesture, however. Congress regularly raises the limit whenever the debt threatens to overtake it. The public debt is approximately $16 trillion." What is the BEST explanation of the debt ceiling?
the second reason.
Read this excerpt from the text about the power of Congress to carry out investigations. "Both houses may choose to conduct investigations for any one or a number of reasons. Most often, those inquiries are held to (1) gather information necessary to the framing of legislation, (2) oversee the operations of various agencies in the executive branch, (3) focus public attention on some particular matter, (4) expose the questionable activities of some public official or private person or group, and/or (5) promote the particular interests of some members of Congress." A recent investigation into the unfair process of reviewing tax exemptions within the IRS by groups called "Patriots" would fall under
A party with even a small majority could control all of the State's seats in the House.
Read this excerpt from the text. ". . . several States used the general ticket system. Under that arrangement, all of the State's seats were filled at-large—that is, elected from the State as a whole, rather than from particular districts. Every voter could vote for a candidate for each one of the State's seats in the House." What is one possible ramification of this system to elect representatives?
The liberal constructionists prevailed and the implied powers of the Federal Government were cemented and have grown ever since.
Read this excerpt from the text. "The Framers of the Constitution intended to create a new and stronger National Government. The ratification of their plan was opposed by many, and that opposition was not stilled by the adoption of the Constitution. Rather, the conflict between the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists continued into the early years of the Republic." What was the ultimate resolution of this conflict in the McCulloch v. Maryland case?
opening day in the House.
Read this excerpt from the text. "The clerk calls the chamber to order and checks the roll of representatives elect. Those members-to-be then choose a Speaker, who will be their permanent presiding officer. By custom, the Speaker is a longstanding member of the majority party, and election on the floor is only a formality. The majority party's members in the House have settled the matter beforehand." This excerpt describes
The Senate should be more measured in its thinking than the House.
Read this quotation from President Wilson and then answer the question. "'It is indispensable that besides the House of Representatives which runs on all fours with popular sentiment, we should have a body like the Senate which may refuse to run with it at all when it seems to be wrong—a body which has time and security enough to keep its head, if only now and then and but for a little while, till other people have had time to think."—Woodrow Wilson, Congressional Government According to President Wilson, how should the Senate function?
Sometimes, a Speaker has to use his or her influence to reach a compromise between both chambers.
Read this quote from a speech given by Speaker of the House John Boehner about a bill on the floor. "Now, the bill before us still isn't perfect. No member would argue that it is. It's imperfect because it reflects an honest and sincere effort to end this crisis by sending a bill over to the Senate that at one time was agreed to by the bipartisan leadership of the United States Senate. And to my colleagues in the Senate, if they were here, I would say this: if this bill passes, this House has sent you not one, but two different bills to cut spending by trillions of dollars over the next decade while providing an immediate increase in the debt ceiling. And to the American people, I would say: we've tried our level best. We've done everything we can to find a common-sense solution that could pass both houses of Congress and end this crisis. . . ." —Speaker John Boehner What does this suggest about the Speaker's influence?
read a description of the powers in the Constitution.
The BEST way to understand the expressed powers of Congress is to
The bill will become a new law to be implemented.
This photo shows President Obama presenting a piece of legislation to the public. Based on the image, what action will most likely happen next?
outlining policies in a State of the Union address.
This photo shows the President speaking before a joint session of Congress. At such a meeting, the President is most likely
giving Congress the power to call forth the National Guard.
The War Powers Resolution impacted the power-sharing arrangement between Congress and the President on the issues of war and national defense by
It allows for settling any differences over the bill.
This chart shows the final steps to a bill becoming a law. Why is step 11 an important part of the process?
The subcommittee in the other chamber now begins to process the bill.
This diagram shows the first steps to a bill becoming a law. What happens immediately after the sixth step?
The number of senators rose from 1900 to 2012 as several States were added to the Union.
This graph compares the number of congressional members from the first Congress to 2012. Which statement is most likely supported by the graph?
the passage of the Reapportionment Act of 1929.
Use the quotation to answer the question. "The Number of Representatives shall not exceed one for every thirty Thousand, but each State shall have at Least one Representative; and until such enumeration shall be made, the State of New Hampshire shall be entitled to [choose] three, Massachusetts eight, Rhode-Island and Providence Plantations one, Connecticut five, New-York six, New Jersey four, Pennsylvania eight, Delaware one, Maryland six, Virginia ten, North Carolina five, South Carolina five, and Georgia three." —Article I, Section 2, Clause 3. The number of seats later became redistributed automatically by
The South, both west and east, has experienced a slight rise in population.
Use this map of congressional seats across the United States in 2010 to answer the question. What does this map suggest about regional population change?
Both are measures introduced by Congress, but public bills apply to the nation as a whole, while private bills only apply to certain people or certain places.
What are the similarities and differences of public bills and private bills?
a congressional committee meeting
What does this image most likely show?
Candidates mostly tell the public whatever they think constituents want to hear.
What does this political cartoon suggest about congressional elections in the United States?
Tax Power
What expressed power did the Supreme Court cite when it upheld the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act?
The Speaker of the House is voted into the position by colleagues, while the Vice President of the United States serves as president of the Senate.
What is one way the Speaker of the House differs from the president of the Senate?
Members of Congress must balance the interests of their constituencies along with national concerns.
What is the best summary of this quotation? "Congress has a split personality. On the one hand, it is a lawmaking institution and makes policy for the entire nation. In this capacity, all the members are expected to set aside their personal ambitions and perhaps even the concerns of their constituencies. Yet Congress is also a representative assembly, made up of 535 elected officials who serve as links between their constituents and the National Government. The dual roles of making laws and responding to constituents' demands forces members to balance national concerns against the specific interests of their States or districts."—James M. Burns, et al., Government by the People
It resulted in an expansive interpretation of the Commerce Clause.
What is the significance of the Supreme Court's decision in the Gibbons v. Ogden case?
put to a vote.
When a bill is engrossed, it is
partisans
believe they owe their allegiance to their party
gerrymander
districts drawn to the advantage of one political party
reapportion
dividing the seats in the Hose after a census has been held.
trustees
each issue should be decided on its merits'
liberal constructionist
favored a broad interpretation of the Constitution
strict constructionist
favored a narrow interpretation of the Constitution
implied powers
powers drawn from the expressed powers
expressed powers
powers stated in the constitution
patent
grants a person the sole right to manufacture, use or sell any new or useful process or machine
inherent powers
powers that belong to the national government because it is the national government
reserved powers
powers that belong to the state
copyright
the exclusive right of an author to reproduce, publish and sell his or her creative work
bankruptcy
legal proceeding in which the bankrupt's assets are distributed among those to which a debt is owed
prejury
lying under oath
Necessary and Proper Clause
the basis for implied powers
