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Which of the following accurately describes the composition of congressional committees? A Committees are organized by the executive branch to ensure that both branches can communicate and negotiate policy goals. B The United States Constitution requires that Congress organize itself into committees, with each party having equal access to committee seats. C Committees are organized by the majority party to maintain control of the policy-making process. D Committees are organized by state delegations so that each state has some role in deciding which bills get passed.

Committees are organized by the majority party to maintain control of the policy-making process.

Which of the following is an accurate comparison of the rules for debate used by the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate? A House of Representatives Debate is unlimited. Senate Debate is unlimited. B House of Representatives Members can filibuster Senate Members cannot filibuster. C House of Representatives Debate is limited. Senate Members can filibuster. D House of Representatives Members cannot filibuster. Senate Only the majority leader can filibuster.

House of Representatives Debate is limited. Senate Members can filibuster.

Which of the following is an accurate comparison of the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate? A House of Representatives Led by the president pro tempore Senate Led by the vice president B House of Representatives Initiates revenue bills Senate Nominates cabinet members C House of Representatives Must approve Supreme Court nominees Senate Must approve treaties D House of Representatives Debate on bills is limited Senate Debate on bills can be unlimited

House of Representatives Debate on bills is limited Senate Debate on bills can be unlimited

Which of the following is an accurate comparison of the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate? A House of Representatives The majority and minority parties control legislative scheduling and rules equally. Senate Minority party members can threaten to filibuster a bill the majority party wants to pass. B House of Representatives The Constitution's framers intended it to reflect the will of the people. Senate The Constitution's framers designed it to represent the interests of the states. C House of Representatives Most legislative work takes place in the standing committees. Senate Based on its size, it tends to have stricter rules affecting the legislative process. D House of Representatives Members serve two-year terms with a term limit of up to twelve years. Senate Members serve six-year terms with no term limits.

House of Representatives The Constitution's framers intended it to reflect the will of the people. Senate The Constitution's framers designed it to represent the interests of the states.

Which of the following is an accurate comparison of procedures in the House of Representatives and procedures in the Senate? A House of Representatives The Rules Committee decides how long debate will be on most bills. Senate The minority can use the filibuster to defeat a bill. B House of Representatives The House approves revenue bills passed by the Senate first. Senate The Senate operates with less formality than the House. C House of Representatives The House passes articles of impeachment against a president or member of the federal courts. Senate The Senate initiates all bills that deal with the federal budget. D House of Representatives The Speaker of the House is the most powerful member of the chamber. Senate The minority leader is the most powerful member of the chamber.

House of Representatives The Rules Committee decides how long debate will be on most bills. Senate The minority can use the filibuster to defeat a bill.

Advocates of shifting the task of drawing United States House districts from state legislatures to independent commissions are likely to claim which of the following as an advantage of independent commissions? A House districts drawn by independent commissions are immune from challenges by the United States Department of Justice. B Independent commissions are more likely to create majority-minority districts where they are appropriate. C Independent commissions significantly reduce the influence of partisan gerrymandering in the redistricting process. D Independent commissions are more likely to create districts where minor parties can be victorious. E Independent commissions are more able to draw legislative districts that comply with the one person, one vote standard.

Independent commissions significantly reduce the influence of partisan gerrymandering in the redistricting process.

The Constitution states that all revenue bills must originate in A a White House budget resolution B the Congressional Budget Office C the United States Senate D the United States House of Representatives E the Office of Management and Budget

The House of Representatives

Which of the following statements about rules of procedure in the House and Senate is correct? A Debate by a determined minority in either chamber cannot be halted. B The rules in each chamber are determined by the majority whip. C The rules are specified in Article I of the Constitution. D The rules can be changed by the President during a national emergency. E The House operates more by formal rules, while the Senate operates more on informal understandings.

The House operates more by formal rules, while the Senate operates more on informal understandings.

Which of the following scenarios is an example of the trustee model of representation? A The NAACP leadership sends representatives to Washington to lobby for changes to the Voting Rights Act. B Congress passes a bill allocating money to clean up nuclear waste sites after a wave of large-scale peaceful protests. C A member of Congress votes to close a popular tax loophole based on the belief that the money would be better spent paying down the national debt. D A presidential candidate advocates using an executive order to increase the minimum wage for federal contractors.

a member of Congress votes to close a popular tax loophole based on the belief that the money would be better spent paying down the national debt

The United States Constitution says that Congress has the power to coin money.This is an example of A an enumerated power B an implied power C an inherent power D a reserved power E a concurrent power

an enumerated power

Based on the data, which of the following is the most likely consequence for the legislative process in Congress? A More competitive races for House seats in the general election B A decrease in party-line voting on important legislation introduced in the House C An increase in gridlock and failure to compromise on legislation D Greater cooperation between Congress and the president on nominations

an increase in gridlock and failure to compromise on legislation

Which of the following identifies the formal procedure for ending a filibuster? A Oversight B Logrolling C Pocket veto D Cloture E Discharge petition

cloture

When a bill passes the House and the Senate in different versions, the bill is resolved by which of the following types of committee? A Conference B Select C Reconciliation D Rules E Standing

conference

The committee that resolves differences between House and Senate versions of a bill is called a A joint committee B select committee C special committee D conference committee E standing committee

conference committee

Which of the following is an example of a power exclusively granted to the Senate in Article II of the Constitution? A Declaring war B Overriding a presidential veto with a two-thirds majority veto C Confirming ambassadors D Creating spending bills

confirming ambassadors

Which of the following is an example of Congress using its implied powers? A Congress changing the tax code so that individuals making more than $350,000 per year have to pay higher taxes B Congress requesting that the Supreme Court review the constitutionality of a state gun-control law C Congress passing occupational safety regulations for the private sector D Congress ratifying a new trade agreement with Mexico and Canada

congress passing occupational safety regulations for the private sector

Which of the following is the most likely consequence of divided government? A Reorganization of the federal bureaucracy B Conflicts between states C Delays in confirmation of federal court nominees D Conflicts between national government and states E Elimination of the seniority rule in Congress

delays in the confirmation of federal court nominees

After extensive polling, a member of the House of Representatives learns that her constituents favor universal background checks for all gun purchases. Based on this information, the representative votes in favor of background checks in a criminal justice bill, although she personally opposes the provision. In doing so, she is acting as a A delegate B trustee C politico D committee chair

delegate

Which of the following powers is shared by the House of Representatives and the Senate? A Holding trials of impeachment B Establishing federal courts C Approving treaties D Holding confirmation hearings E Approving major presidential appointments

establishing federal courts

The term "bicameralism" refers to the A establishment of two legislative chambers that have different structures and rules B members of the House of Representatives having two-year terms C president having veto power over both chambers of Congress D members of the House and Senate having to appease their mutual constituencies E checks that Congress has over the federal bureaucracy

establishment of two legislative chambers that have different structures and rules

Which of the following statements about the Senate is true? A Each state is represented in the Senate according to its population. B The Senate, unlike the House, has a Rules Committee. C Individual senators can exercise substantial influence over the legislative process. D The Senate has a strict time limit on debates. E The Senate is more responsible than the House for initiating appropriations legislation.

individual senators can exercise substantial influence over the legislative process

A difference between the House of Representatives and the Senate is that in the House A legislative activity on the floor is more constrained by rules B committees are less important in the decision-making process C junior members have more influence over legislative decisions D party leaders are less powerful E bills are more likely to be amended on the floor

legislative activity on the floor is more constrained by rules

The practice in Congress whereby Representative A promises to vote for Representative B's legislation, provided that Representative B will support Representative A's legislation, is referred to as A personal casework and services B partisan discipline C logrolling D pork barrel legislation E filibustering

logrolling

congressional legislative powers include all except A legislating federal appropriations B approval of treaties C establishing a lower-court system D passing federal laws E pardoning felons

pardoning felons

Most of the bills introduced in the House and the Senate are then A passed by one chamber but not the other B passed by both chambers but vetoed by the President C referred to committee but never sent to the full Congress D voted down during the amendment stage of the floor debate E killed in the Rules Committee

referred to committee but never sent to the full Congress

Enumerated powers of the federal government include all of the following EXCEPT the power to A coin money B declare war C regulate interstate commerce D regulate intrastate commerce E tax

regulate intrastate commerce

The details of legislation are usually worked out in which of the following settings? A a party caucus B The majority leader's office C The floor of the House D Legislative hearings E A subcommittee

subcommittee

Fiscal policies refer to the government's power to A regulate specific industries B tax and spend C reapportion congressional seats D control the supply of money E enforce treaties

tax and spend

A person claiming that the House can pass legislation with a simple majority, but the Senate is unlikely to pass legislation unless a bill has the support of a 60-vote supermajority is most likely to cite which of the following institutional differences as the cause of this trend? A The House has fewer legislative committees than the Senate does. B Members of the House often represent a much narrower constituency than senators do. C Party leadership in the House is highly formalized, while leadership in the Senate is much more informal. D The House has strict limits on debate, while the Senate allows unlimited debate.

the House has strict limits on debate, while the Senate allows unlimited debate

The committee system is more important in the House than in the Senate because A the seniority system plays no role in the House and therefore committees must play a larger role B the Constitution mandates the type of committee structure in the House C committee members are appointed by the President D the House is so large that more work can be accomplished in committees than on the floor E the majority party in the House prefers to give priority to the work of the committees

the House is so large that more work can be accomplished in the committees than on the floor

Which of the following is a unique power held by members of the Senate? A Control of the veto B Control of the appropriations process C The ability to filibuster D The ability to impeach the president E The ability to work with a clearly defined constituency

the ability to filibuster

Which of the following has decreased in Congress over the past twenty years? A The chances of members' reelection B The influence of committee chairs C The power of subcommittees D The total number of congressional staff employees E The cost of congressional elections

the influence of committee chairs

Which of the following situations best illustrates the meaning of divided government in the United States political system? A The majority of Supreme Court justices are from one party, but the president is from another. B The majority of governors are from one party, but the president is from another. C The president and a majority of members of Congress are from one party, but the majority of governors are from another. D The majority of senators and the majority of representatives are from one party, but the president is from another. E The majority of Supreme Court justices are from one party, but the majority of senators and representatives are from another.

the majority of senators and the majority of representatives are from one party, but the president is from another

Which of the following clauses serves as the constitutional basis for the federal Real ID Act of 2005, a law that established uniform standards for state-issued identification cards and provided regulation of a state function? A The due process clause B The establishment clause C The necessary and proper clause D The commerce clause

the necessary and proper clause

Which of the following best describes gerrymandering? A The party in power wins four or five surrounding districts by very small margins. B The Supreme Court requires that state legislatures must adopt the doctrine of one person, one vote. C The party in control of the state legislature draws district boundaries in such a way as to favor its own candidates in subsequent elections. D By polling voters, party officials are able to determine how citizens will vote. E The public decides which issues are most important and tells the elected officials how to vote on specific bills.

the party in control of the state legislature draws district boundaries in such a way as to favor its own candidates in subsequent elections

Which of the following enumerated powers would permit Congress to stimulate the economy by hiring unemployed citizens? A The power to create immigration policies B The power to regulate interstate commerce C The power to pass a federal budget D The power of legislative oversight

the power to pass a federal budget

Members of Congress who have adopted the delegate role of representation normally cast their votes based on which of the following? A The preferences of the majority of their constituents B Their judgment of what is best for their constituency C The instructions of their political party's leadership D Their political party's most recent policy platform E The advice of congressional staffers and political consultants

the preferences of the majority of their constituents

Based on your knowledge and the diagram, which of the following is true regarding the leadership structure of Congress? A The role of the minority leader in both the House of Representatives and the Senate is to coordinate a strategy for the minority party. B The vice president is responsible for creating and setting the legislative agenda for the Senate. C The Speaker of the House has very little power to control members of the majority party in the House of Representatives. D The majority leaders in both chambers work to ensure that a bipartisan agenda is passed in the Congress.

the role of the minority leader in both the House of Representatives and the Senate is to coordinate a strategy for the minority party

Which of the following statements about motions for cloture is true? A They force a bill out of committee so that the full House can vote on it. B They are applied to bills that failed in the previous session of Congress. C They are applied only to appropriation bills. D They are used by senators to end a filibuster and bring a bill to a vote. E They occur whenever a bill is reported out of committee.

they are used by senators to end a filibuster and bring a bill to a vote