Chapter 12: Congress

Which of the following are reasons why specific members of Congress are chosen for congressional leadership positions?

- Ability to negotiate - Ability to persuade - Ability to guide compromise

which of the following oversight tools ensure that Congress has some say in how the executive branch administers the laws that Congress creates.

- Congressional hearings - Budgetary appropriations - Confirmation hearings

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

- Making majority party committee assignments - Scheduling legislation for floor consideration

Which of the following influence agenda setting in Congress.

- Public discourse - House and Senate leaders' goals

Why is the Senate is more deliberative chamber than the House of Representative.

- Senate electoral terms are longer - The Senate has fewer members

The framers has tax bills start in the House because.

- it had a smaller constituency than the senate - it had a shorter electoral term

An ___ ___ provides a opportunity for executive agencies that would administer a proposed law to comment to the measure.

...

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

1) A member of the House of Representative or the Senate formally proposes the bill. 2) Subgroups within the House and Senate, composed of legislator who has expertise in the bill's subject matter, review the bill. 3) A majority of members in the House and Senate approve the bill. 4) The conference committee reconciles the bill when different versions have passed in the House and the Senate. 5) The president signs the bill

Which of the following contribute to incumbents have an advantage during congressional elections.

1) Easier access to media converge 2) Ease in attracting contributions 3) Stronger name recognition

Some examples of Congress's use of the "elastic clause" include

1) Expanding law enforcement authority in terrorism cases 2) Determining an oil company's authority to drill on federal lands 3) Regulating stem cell research.

Which of the following are members of the House leadership

1) Majority leader 2) Majority Whip

Congress has a number of functions other than lawmaking. This include

1) Representing its constituents 2) Acting on presidential actions 3) Setting the national agenda

Committees are important because

1) They each specialize in a certain types of legislation 2) They help develop passable legislation 3) They facilitate the consideration of a high volume of bills.

The power of taxation, among other powers, was given to Congress.

1) To limit the power of the president 2) Because it is more representative to the people

The most powerful leader in the House of Representatives is the.

Speaker of the House

To balance the desire for representation at different levels, the framers made Congress a ______ institution.

bicamerel

An elderly person deciding to vote to reelect a House of representative after the representative has tracked down the constituent's Social Security check is an example of how _____ can benefit an incumbent.

casework

____ influence the legislative process by ensuring that their representative in Congress work hard to present their perspectives and policy interests.

constituents

Each senator represents his or her state, while House members represent their congressional ______

district

Congressional oversight includes the federal bureaucracy because the bureaucracy is a part of the _____ branch

executive

When a member of the Senate wishes to halt or delay the passage of a bill, a _____ may take place.

filibuster

Creating majority-minority districts is a type of __________.

gerrymandering.

When a committee or subcommittee holds a_______, they are trying to gather information and views from experts about a proposed bill.

hearing

In the House of Representatives, a member of a legislator's staff drafts the proposed legislation and the House member puts the bill into the __________

hopper

Every bill must be approved by both the House and the Senate in _____ form.

identical

Because taxation was such an important power to the framers, they required that all these measures must start.

in the House

The single most important factor in determining the success of a congressional campaign is ______.

incumbency

Two of the most important influences on congressional elections are.

incumbency and redistricting

Redistricting can diminish the advantages of being an _____ because the candidates loses name recognition.

incumbent

besides lawmaking, congress can

lawmaking

Which congressional function involves auditing agency implementation of policy.

oversight

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

party

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

policy making

The reallocation of seats in the House of Representative to each state based on charges in the state's population since the last census is also know as ____

reapportionment

Despite being incumbents and having a high probability of being reelected, members of Congress face challenges due to

redistricting

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

redistricting

After a committee agrees to the wording of a bill, the committee issues a ________ to the full chamber that explains the bill and its intent

report

Because it deals with ___________, the senate focuses more on foreign policy issues.

treaties

For mundane matters about which their constituents are less likely to be aware or hold a strong position, legislators typically rely on the _______ model of representation.

trustee

compared with the overall population of the United States, women and minorities are ____ in Congress.

underrepresented

If a vote in the Senate is tied, the __________ ____________ breaks the tie.

vice, president

The president's opinion concerning a specific bill can influence members of Congress, espeically

when they belong to the same party

Interest groups engage in which of the following activities in order to influence legislators' decisions.

1) lobbying 2) grassroots activism 3) financial contributions

Match the characteristics on the right with the chamber with they describe

House - Taxation policies start in this chamber House - This chamber faces more frequent elections Senate - this chamber is more deliberative Senate - Treaties are considered in this chamber.

Members of congress might make policy decisions that lead to an endorsement from which external source?

Interest groups

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

Majority Leader

Which of the following is a strong aspect of congressional leadership politics.

Partisanship

Legislators us _______ ________ politics and ______ to bring money and jobs back to their home districts to show their constituents that they are working toward their best interests in Congress.

Pork barrel ..... earmarks

Which of the following leadership positions is the least influential in the Senate?

President Pro Tempore

Which of the following occurs every ten years after the US census and determines how many seats a state receivers in the House of Representative.

Reapportionment

______traditionally involves a House or Senate member's articulating and voting for the position that best represents the views of his or her constituents.

Representation

Which committee sets the structure for the debate that ensures in the full House?

Rules Committee

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

The power to use a line-item veto.

The framers divides Congress into two chambers

To balance different levels of representation

Because it deals with ______ , the Senate focuses more on foreign policy issues.

Treaties

During a __, executive agencies provide written comments on a proposed bill that has been assigned to a committee.

agency review

unanimous consent agreements require that ____ agree to the terms of debate on a given piece of legislation .

all senators

Which statement best describes how diligently the average constituent monitors the policy decisions of their congressional representative.

merely a small minority of votes monitor how their representative votes.

In the House of Representatives, debate is limited on the congressional floor by.

the Rules Committees

While the speakers of the House is an elected member of the House, he or she is effectively chosen by

the majority party