chapter 11

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

Why do Republican and Democratic lawmakers generally have different perspectives on national issues?

Their parties differ politically. Their parties differ philosophically.

How do committees and subcommittees serve to decentralize power in Congress?

They allow more members to hold leadership positions.

Congress's structure makes it easier to

block legislation than enact it.

Which of the following problems is most likely to jeopardize an incumbent's chances of reelection?

getting caught in a scandal

Members of Congress are most indebted to which of the following?

hardcore partisan voters in their state or district the wealthy donors who fund their campaigns

As political scientist James Sundquist noted, "Congress [is] organized to deal with _____ problems but not with _____ ones."

narrow; broad

Going into the 2018 election, the Democratic Party was able to field an unusually strong set of candidates because

polls showed that voters were trending toward the Democrats.

The president is usually better suited to take the lead on national issues because

presidents tend to have a national perspective.

The term that describes the minority party's committee and subcommittee leaders is __________ members.

ranking

Redistricting consists of

redrawing congressional district boundaries within a state.

Members of Congress give various interests a voice in the legislative process as part of Congress's ______ function.

representative

Incumbents have ______ over challengers.

substantial advantages

Whether or not Congress takes the lead in the making of laws usually depends on

the type of policy at issue.

In order to become a member of the Senate, a person must be at least __________ years of age and have been a citizen for at least __________ years.

30 9

In the 1980s, before partisan deadlock, congressional approval ratings were about ______ percent.

60

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.

What is one reason that incumbents have a fundraising advantage over challengers?

Incumbents have a ready list of potential contributors from past campaigns.

Which of the following correctly describes protocol for committee membership?

Most newly elected members of Congress request committee assignments. Most vacancies occur after elections, either from retirements or incumbent defeats.

What shift brought the president to a more central role in the legislative process?

National and international forces combined to place greater policy demands on the federal government.

In 2012, Senator Richard Lugar, a six-term incumbent, was beaten in the GOP primary by conservative Richard Mourdock, who portrayed Lugar as

a moderate Washington insider.

Polls indicate that voters' opinions of Donald Trump's performance had what effect in the 2018 midterms?

Those who were discontented with Trump helped Democrats retake control of the House.

Which of the following are the functions of Congress?

oversight representation lawmaking

Positive aspects of party polarization include the fact that

voters can more clearly see and understand party differences.

At present there are ______ standing committees in the House of Representatives.

20

Today, in the grips of partisan deadlock, congressional approval ratings are about ______ percent.

20

If the president chooses to veto a bill,

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

True or false: It is more common for House incumbents than Senate incumbents to face challengers in the form of prominent local politicians.

False

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

House, amendments must directly relate to a bill's contents.

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

Incumbents

How has the importance of local issues changed in Congress as party polarization has taken hold?

Local issues are less important.

The text uses the immigration issue as an example of a national issue on which Republican and Democratic lawmakers cannot agree. What is the sticking point?

The two parties have different solutions to the same problem.

What is it that holds party lawmakers together?

They have far more in common with each other than they do with lawmakers of the other party.

A procedural move in which a member or members of the Senate speak(s) for an unlimited amount of time on the Senate floor in order to prevent a vote on a bill is known as

a filibuster.

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

act in the spirit of compromise

Partisan divisions have become more ______ as a result of party polarization.

acute

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(n) __________ 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 not a direct power of the committee chair?

changes party affiliation at will

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

congressional hearings budgetary appropriations

Select committees are

designed to address a specific issue or problem.

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.

Which of the following are common threats to incumbency?

disruptive issues strong challengers personal misconduct

How does the public generally feel about Congress?

dissatisfied

Partisan voting is most apparent when members are voting on major ______ issues.

domestic policy

True or False: The Senate majority leader's position is more powerful than that of the House Speaker.

false

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.

Which of the following makes a challenger to a Senate incumbent more likely to be successful?

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

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

incumbent

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

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

jurisdiction over bills in their designated policy area.

When a bill falls into the area in which a committee is authorized to act, that committee is said to have

jurisdiction.

Which function is the main responsibility of Congress, to which all other functions of Congress are related?

lawmaking

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

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

majority

Which of the following is the most powerful party 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

In Insecure Majorities, Frances Lee noted that, in the currently closely matched parties, members of Congress are engaged in "______" rather than "governing."

messaging

What term describes the situation in which Republican and Democratic lawmakers vote in the same way as their fellow partisans, regardless of constituency differences?

nationalization

If the Rules Committee places a "closed rule" on a piece of legislation, ______ amendments are permitted.

no

An open-seat election is one in which

no incumbent is running.

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 ______ unity vote.

party

The partisan divide in Congress has grown in recent years and each party engages in ______, which is when party members band together on legislation and oppose the other party.

party unity

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

redistricting

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

seniority

In the 2018 midterm elections, how many House and Senate races received money from super PACs?

several dozen

Which of the following terms describes a permanent committee in Congress that has a defined legislative jurisdiction?

standing committee

What are conference committees?

temporary joint committees that are formed to work out differences

Who helps the Speaker set the party's legislative agenda in the House?

the majority leader

Which of the following is a legislative power the president does NOT possess?

the power to sign only part of a bill into law

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

the seniority system

True or false: Congress is an institution in which many interests are represented, which is a strength in a diverse nation; yet Congress is also a place in which narrow interests can block Congress from acting even when there's an important national need, which is a weakness.

true

True or false: House committees have the power to make suggestions for changing a bill in a process known as mark up.

true

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 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.

Members of Congress usually serve on congressional committees that concentrate on policy areas that affect the members'

constituency.

Hearings are an effective way for committees to

gather information.

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

gerrymandering.

An example of Congress's ______ is when Congress passes legislation that creates incentives for the development of alternative energy sources.

lawmaking function

Which of the following positions in the Senate schedules debates on legislation?

majority leader

Elections held in the years between presidential elections are called ______ elections.

midterm

When there is no incumbent running in an election it is called a(n) __________ __________ election and usually sparks heavier spending by the two political parties.

open seat

The increase in party polarization in Congress has led to increased

policy deadlock.

The sole purpose of a conference committee is to

reconcile differences in the House and Senate versions of a bill.

Today, Congress and the president

share legislative power.

A limit of ______ exists for how long a Republican member can chair a particular committee.

six years

When is congressional oversight exercised vigorously?

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

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

There are more women than there are minorities in Congress. Women and minorities are less likely to run for Congress than white males.

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

A committee that is composed of members of both chambers of Congress is known as a ______ committee.

joint

If a "turf war" erupts as different committees vie for jurisdiction over a bill, who or what decides the committee assignment?

party leaders

The trend toward party unity in Congress can clearly be seen in voting records of members of Congress when their votes are officially recorded during a __________ __________ vote.

roll call

Political scientist John Hibbing advises that the "first thing to being reelected is to stay away from ______."

scandal

Before 1900, service in Congress

was not usually a career for most of its members.

Who established the standard for the proper approach to Congress's representative function?

No one; it has been debated since the founding.

Which of the following statements about midterm elections are generally true?

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

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.

Congressional elections usually favor

incumbents

Which of the following are true of joint committees?

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

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.

A constituency is comprised of

citizens from the incumbent's state or district.

To end a filibuster, sixty senators must agree to invoke __________ and end the debate.

cloture

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

determine whether or not they stay in office.

The privilege of incumbents sending mail to their constituencies at the government's expense is known as the __________ privilege.

franking

When a committee or subcommittee holds a(n) __________, they are trying to gather information about a proposed bill.

hearing

True or false: After clearing the committee stage, floor debate on a bill is usually led by the majority party's leadership in the House.

true

The 2014 North Carolina Senate race (Hagan vs. Tillis) was one of the most extensive campaigns in Senate history, with more than $75 million spent. What portion of that money came from super PACs?

two-thirds

Which of the following statements about congressional committees are true?

They make it possible for Congress to consider a high volume of bills. They each specialize in a certain area of legislation.