Chapter 11 (Congress: Balancing National Goals & Local Interests)

Which of the following are true of joint committees?

-They are composed of members of both houses. -They perform advisory functions

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.

Which of the following about midterm elections are true?

-Voter turnout is lower than for presidential elections. -The president's party usually loses seats. -There is less media coverage of candidates and issues than in a presidential election.

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

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

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

-recognizing members who will be allowed to speak on the floor -scheduling legislation for floor consideration

The Speaker of the House has the right to

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

When does a bill become a law?

-when the president signs it -when Congress overrides a presidential veto

Redistricting

When congressional district boundaries are redrawn within a state

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

bicameral

The privilege of incumbents to send mall to their constituencies at the government's expense is known as the _____ privilege.

franking

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

incumbent

The party that controls the rules and has the most powerful leadership position in the House is the _____ party.

majority

The Speaker of the House is effectively chosen by the

majority party.

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

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.

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