PS 1 Chapter 11: Congress

Incumbents to the United States Senate are only defeated in _____ of re-election races.

16%

In order to be a member of the House of Representatives, a person must be _____ years of age.

25

The cost of running for Senate rose by more than __________ between 1990 and 2010.

300%

compared to the 1980s, the cost of running for the house of representatives has risen by more than _____ in 2010

600%

Which of the following strongly and positively affects a congressional candidate's ability to raise money and win an election?

Being an incumbent

__________ is a proposed legislative act that if passed by both chambers of Congress and signed by the president becomes law.

Bill

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

Cloture

Which of the following is a procedural move in the Senate that can end a filibuster?

Cloture

If the president chooses to veto a bill,

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

How does the public generally feel about Congress?

Dissatisfied

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

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

Every bill must be approved by both the House and the Senate in __________ form before it can be sent to the president.

Identical

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

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

Incumbents

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

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

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

Joint committee

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

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

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

Majority leader

Elections held in the years between presidential elections are called __________ elections

Midterm

Which of the following describes the power of Congress relative to the other branches of government?

No executive agency or lower court can exist without congressional authorization.

An __________ rule allows members to propose amendments that are relevant to any action of the bill.

Open

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 Election

Historically, which Senate position has been honorary in nature?

President pro tempore

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

Seniority System

__________ __________ refers to a practice where members of Congress respond to constituents individual requests for information or a help with a federal benefit or service.

Service strategy

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

The Rules Committees

What occurs after a conference committee reconciles differences in the House and Senate versions of a bill?

The bill goes back to both chambers for a vote.

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

The majority leader

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.

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

They allow more members to hold leadership positions.

True or False: House and Senate 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

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

Which of the following could be considered personal misconduct that might lead to a Congressional Incumbent losing a bid for reelection? a) Being involved in a sex scandal b) Firing a campaign manager c) Divorcing a spouse d) Engaging in bribery

a) Being involved in a sex scandal d) Engaging in bribery

Which of the following are common threats to incumbency? a) Disruptive issues b) Personal misconduct c) Strong challengers d) Campaign endorsement

a) Disruptive issues b) Personal misconduct c) Strong challengers

Which of the following are the functions of Congress? a) Oversight b) Watchdogging c) Lawmaking d) Representation

a) Oversight b) Lawmaking d) Representation

In Congress, disagreement over national policy usually occurs

along partisan divisions.

Which of the following statements are true of bills that are killed in committee? a) They can be resurrected by the president if they are for the greater good. b) Most are poorly conceived or of little interest to anyone. c) They can be brought back to life by a vote of the full House or Senate. d) Some bills are not supported by the members who introduced them.

b) Most are poorly conceived or of little interest to anyone. c) They can be brought back to life by a vote of the full House or Senate. d) Some bills are not supported by the members who introduced them.

Which of the following are duties of the Speaker of the House? a) Making minority party committee assignments b) Recognizing members who will be allowed to speak on the floor c) Scheduling legislation for floor consideration d) Ending filibusters in the House

b) Recognizing members who will be allowed to speak on the floor c) Scheduling legislation for floor consideration

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.

The U.S. Congress is a __________ legislature with two chambers, the House and the Senate.

bicameral

Which of the following oversight tools help Congress to ensure that the executive branch is administering the laws properly? a) Apportionment b) Redistricting and reapportionment c) Congressional hearings d) Budgetary appropriations

c) Congressional hearings d) Budgetary appropriations

Most members of Congress are

career politicians who want to stay in Congress and put themselves in position for reelection

A constituency is comprised of

citizens from the incumbent's state or district.

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

constituency

Select committees are

designed to address a specific issue or problem.

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

The privilege of incumbents to send mail to their constituencies at the governments expense is known as the __________ privilege.

franking

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

gerrymandering

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.

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

hearing

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

jurisdiction

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

majority

When major disruptive issues occur incumbents are

more likely to lose.

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.

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

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

Incumbents have __________ over challengers.

substantial advantages

The emergence of __________ __________, groups that can pour money into a political campaign with few limits, has given challengers a better opportunity to unseat congressional incumbents.

super PACs

Reapportionment takes place every __________ years following a census.

ten

Compared with their percentage of the overall population of the United States, women and minorities are __________ in Congress.

underrepresented

Gerrymandering is

usually legal.

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

vice president

Partisan voting occurs more often when members are voting on __________ issues that involve intense partisan differences.

domestic policy

Which of the following best explain why a member of Congress is chosen to a party leadership position? a) Ability to successfully promote the party's goals within Congress b) Extensive schooling in law or political science c) Demonstrated leadership ability d) Ability to work with the other party

a) Ability to successfully promote the party's goals within Congress c) Demonstrated leadership ability d) Ability to work with the other party

To plan strategy and resolve policy issues, party members in Congress typically meet behind closed doors in a session called party __________

caucus

Which of the following statements about congressional committees are true? a) They make it possible for Congress to consider a high volume of bills b) They are only necessary during presidential election years c) They each specialize in a certain area of legislation d) They are key to getting presidential initiatives through Congress

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

When is congressional oversight exercised vigorously? a) When members are annoyed with an agency b) All of the time as it is Congress's main purpose c) When members are intending to modify an agency program d) Only in the months leading up to a presidential election

a) When members are annoyed with an agency c) When members are intending to modify an agency program

On major bills, it is increasingly typical for the majority party's leaders to a) direct the floor debate after the bill leaves the committee. b) step back and allow committees to take the lead. c) shape the bill's broad content d) prevent the minority party from participating

a) direct the floor debate after the bill leaves the committee c) shape the bill's broad content

The Speaker of the House has the right to a) speak first during House debate on legislation. b) choose who may speak on the House floor. c) select the chairperson of the House Rules Committee. d) force members of the party to vote for or against a bill.

a) speak first during House debate on legislation. b) choose who may speak on the House floor. c) select the chairperson of the House Rules Committee.

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

act in the spirit of compromise

Which of the following about midterm elections are true? a) Senators are not elected in midterm elections because their terms coincide with the presidency. b) There is less media coverage of candidates and issues than in a presidential election. c) The president's party usually loses seats. d) Voter turnout is lower than for presidential elections.

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

Which of the following are true concerning women and minorities who run for congressional office? a) Women and minorities are more likely to run for congressional office than for local or state legislative positions. b) Women and minorities have a winning percentage that is roughly the same as non-incumbent white males. c) Women and minorities are less likely to run for Congress than white males. d) Women and minorities account for approximately half of the membership of Congress.

b) Women and minorities have a winning percentage that is roughly the same as non-incumbent white males. c) Women and minorities are less likely to run for Congress than white males.