POS2041: Chapter 11 - Questions - Congress: Balancing National Goals and Local Interests Assignment
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.
at present there are more than __________ standing committees in the House of Representatives
20
In order to be a member of the House, a person must be __ years of age and a citizen for at least __ years.
25; 7
In order to be a member of the Senate, a person must be __ years of age and a citizen for at least __ years.
30; 9
compared to the 1980s, the cost of running for the house of representatives has risen by more than ____ in 2010
600%
members of the US House of Representatives are re-elected in _____ of races
92%
True or False: Most congressional bills survive committee scrutiny and are voted upon the House of Senate
False
in terms of the budget to hire office staff,
House members receive identical amounts of money; senators receive varying amounts of money, depending on the population of their state
Which of the following describes the power of Congress relative to the other branches of government
No executive agency or lower court can exist unless authorized by Congress
when does a bill become a law
When the President signs it; when Congress overrides a presidential veto
Put in order the following steps that a bill must pass through in order to become law (place the items from first to last)
a member of the House of Representatives or the Senate formally proposes the bill; the bill is submitted to a committee for consideration; a majority of members in the House and Senate approve the bill; the president signs the bill
which of the following are true concerning women and minorities who run for Congressional office
a. women and minorities are less likely to run for Congress than white males; b. women and minorities have a winning percentage that is roughly the same as non-incumbent white males
Which of the following best explain why a member of Congress is chosen to a party leadership position
ability to work with the other party; ability to successfully promote the party's goals within Congress; demonstrated leadership ability
In congress, disagreement over national policy usually occurs
along partisan divisions
Why is the Rules Committee 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
which of the following could be considered personal misconduct that might lead to a congressional incumbent losing a bid for reelection
being involved in a sex scandal; engaging in bribery
the U.S. Congress is a __________ legislature with two Chambers, the house and the Senate
bicameral
____ is a proposed legislative act that if passed by both chambers of congress and signed by the president
bill
to plan strategy and resolve policy issues, party members in Congress typically meet behind closed doors in a session called a party _____________
caucus
To end a filibuster, sixty senators must agree to invoke __________ and end the debate
cloture
members of congress are attentive to the concerns of the constituents because constituents
determine whether or not they stay in office
most of the bills congress passes are ______ in nature which means they provide benefits to a particular group in society while spreading the costs across the taxpaying public as a whole
distributive
true or false: it is more common for house incumbents than Senate incumbents to face challengers in the form of prominent local politicians
false
When members of the Senate wish to halt or delay the passage of a bill, a __________ may take place
filibuster
Hearings are an effective way for committees to
gather information
the redrawing of congressional boundaries to benefit a political party is called
gerrymandering
every bill must be approved by both the House and the Senate in __________ form before it can be sent to the president
identical
donors are more willing to make campaign contributions to
incumbents
one reason why standing committees are powerful is that they have by law
jurisdiction over bills in their designated policy area
which function is the main responsibility of congress, which all other functions of congress are related to
lawmaking
which of the following are the functions of congress
lawmaking, representation, oversight
the increase in party polarization in congress has led to increased
legislative gridlock
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 a major reason why incumbents are reelected
many congressional districts and some states are lopsidedly democratic or republican
In the House, both the full committee and a subcommittee may ________________, or propose changes, to a bill
mark up
elections held in the Years between presidential elections are called _______________ elections
midterm
If the Rules Committee places a "closed rule" on a piece of legislation, then __________ amendments are permitted
no
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
when there is no incumbent running in an election it is called an _______-______ election and usually sparks heavier spending by the two political parties
open-seat
when there is no incumbent running in an election it is called an __________ election and usually sparks heavier spending by the two political parties
open-seat
the process of determining how many house seats each state is allowed as a result of population change since the last census is known as
reapportionment
the sole purpose of a conference committee is to
reconcile differences in the House and Senate versions of a bill.
when congressional district boundaries are redrawn within a state, it is known as
redistricting
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
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.
choosing committee chairs based on which member has the longest continuous tenure on a standing committee is an example of the ___________________ ____________________
seniority system
on major bills, it is increasingly typical for the majority party's leaders to
shape the bill's broad content; direct the floor debate after the bill leaves the committee
which of the following is a legislative power the president does NOT possess
the power to sign only part of a bill into law
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
which of the following methods is most often used to select committee chairs
the seniority system
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
Which of the following is a right of the president pro tempore
to preside over the Senate in the absence of the vice president
true or false: congress is an institution where many interests are represented, which is a strength in a diverse nation, yet congress is also a place where narrow interests can block congress from acting even when there's an important national need, which is a weakness
true
compared with their percentage of 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
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
When is congressional oversight exercised vigorously
when members are annoyed with an agency; when members are intending to modify an agency program; have discovered that a legislative authorization is being abused
put in order the following steps that a bill must pass through in order to become law. (Place the items from first to last)
1. a member of the House of Representatives or the Senate formerly proposes to Bill. 2. the bill is submitted to a committee for consideration. C. A majority of members in the House and Senate approve the bill. For. The president signs the bill
which of the following is the most powerful leadership position in the senate
majority leader
which function describes the process by which the legislature checks on the executive branch to make sure it is carrying out the laws in the way congress intended
oversight
redistricting consists of
redrawing of 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
which of the following are duties of the speaker of the house
scheduling legislation for floor consideration; recognizing members who will be allowed to speak on the floor