POSI: Congress: Balancing National goals and Local Interest

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

20

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

Choosing leadership of the House Rules Committee Recognizing members who will be allowed to speak on the floor

Which of the following are true concerning women and minorities who run for congressional office? (Choose every correct answer.)`

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

Which of the following correctly describes how committees and subcommittees serve to decentralize power in Congress?

They allow more members to hold leadership positions.

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.

What holds party lawmakers together?

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

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

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

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

Which of the following is not a direct power of the committee chair?

changes party affiliation at will

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

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

incumbent

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

jurisdiction

Which of the following are the functions of Congress? (Choose every correct answer.)

lawmaking representation oversight

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

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

party leaders

The House and the Senate each elect ______ to direct their party's efforts in the chamber.

party leaders

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 ______ vote.

party unity

The increase in party polarization in Congress has led to increased ______.

policy deadlock

The minority party's committee and subcommittee leaders are its

ranking members

Today, Congress and the president ______.

share legislative power

The Speaker of the House has the right to do which of the following? (Choose every correct answer.)

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

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

standing committee

Incumbents have ______ over challengers.

substantial advantages

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

the rules committee

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

the type of policy at issue

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

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

Members of the House of Representatives typically serve on ______ committees, while members of the Senate serve on ______.

two, four

Positive aspects of party polarization include the fact that ______.

voters can more clearly see and understand party differences

When does a bill become a law?

when the president signs it when Congress overrides a presidential veto

Both political parties in the House have a ______, who acts as a go-between with the leadership and the party members in the House.

whip

If congressional representatives find themselves having to choose between angering voters and donors or angering party leadership by refusing to go along with a vote, which will they likely choose?

angering leadership by voting the way their donors and voters want them to

Which of the following oversight tools help Congress to ensure that the executive branch is administering the laws properly? (Choose every correct answer.)

congressional hearings budgetary appropriations

In the House, both the full committee and a subcommittee may ______, or propose changes to, a bill.

mark up

The sole purpose of a conference committee is to ______.

reconcile differences in the House and Senate versions of a bill

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

seniority system