AP Government Legislative Quiz (MOCO 2019)
Which example best demonstrates a legislator acting as a trustee of his or her constituency?
A legislator follows the public opinion of his or her constituency
What is the national debt?
All of the money the federal government has borrowed and has not yet repaid
In this court case it was ruled that Congressional Districts were in the purview of Court action. Having now entered into the political thicket, the Court soon would rule the "one man one vote" standard. That is, each Congressional District must have the same population. This case advanced the civil rights movement.
Baker v. Carr (1962)
To be sent to the President, a bill must be passed by
Both the House and the Senate
How can a filibuster can be ended?
Cloture approved by sixty senators
Where does most of Congress's work happen?
Committees
This type of committee reconciles differences between House and Senate bills before they are sent to the president for signing
Conference committee
The ultimate power to determine how much the government will tax and spend; and what will it spend taxes for lies with
Congress
According to the Constitution, how can a bill become a law without the president's signature?
Congress can override the veto with a 2/3 vote in both houses
Which of the following is NOT true of the Congress
Congress is unicameral in nature
Which of the following makes economic projections about the performance of the economy, the costs of proposed policies, and the economic effects of taxing and spending alternatives?
Congressional Budget Office
Members of Congress have many different duties and responsibilities. When Tom takes time during his days in Congress to help someone back home that is struggling with his or her Passport application he is performing this duty
Constituent service (case work)
In order of decreasing amounts, federal expenditures include
Direct payments to individuals, national defense, interest on the national debt, and state and local grants
Social Security payments are an example of a (n)
Entitlement
The 16th Amendment, ratified in 1913
Explicitly permitted Congress to levy an income tax
In the House of Representatives, the ______ controls the scheduling of bills for debate.
House Rules Committee
Has more rules of procedure to guide its lawmaking process
House of Representatives
Members are elected by constituents in a local district based on population
House of Representatives
Members must be at least 25 years of age to serve in the chamber
House of Representatives
Speaker of the House is the presiding officer
House of representatives
How might the pork barrel aid a congressional member's district?
Increasing jobs and revenue with federally funded projects
Based on the graph, which statement about incumbency is most accurate?
Incumbents have a significant reelection advantage
Using the image above, which of the following is the cartoonist's main argument?
Interest groups only represent controversial issues
Approximately what percentage of the federal budget is uncontrollable?
It is a document that announces how much the government expects to collect in taxes and how expenditures will be allocated on various programs
In recent years, according to public opinion polls, Congressional approval ratings have tended to be
Lower than 25%
After years of serving in the House Frank was given the responsibility of informally vote counting in the House of Representatives. This duty also involved attempting to sway votes in favor of Frank's party position. What title is given to Frank's work?
Majority Whip
Who is second in authority to the Speaker of the House in the House of Representative?
Majority leader
Which of the following determines who holds the leadership positions in Congress?
Majority party
What is true of all REVENUE bills in Congress?
Must be introduced in the House
How does Article I, Section 7 exemplify the concept of checks and balances?
No one branch is single handedly in control of making laws for the country
Enumerated powers given to Congress in the Constitution include all of the following EXCEPT
Override Supreme Court opinions
Legislative _____ is the process of monitoring the bureaucracy and its administration of policy.
Oversight
In Shaw v. Reno (1993) the U.S. Supreme Court held that ______________
Racial gerrymanders were constitutional only if they were narrowly tailored to serve compelling ends, such as compliance with the Voting Rights Act
When the House of Representatives reapportions it
Re-calculates the number of Districts each state receives
All of the following are responsibilities of the Federal Reserve Board EXCEPT
Reviewing the federal budget and making recommendations to prevent deficits
A member of the House of Representatives who wishes to be influential in the House itself would most likely seek a place on which of the following committees?
Rules
Temporary committees appointed for the specific purpose of investigating a particular issue are called
Select committees
All of the following is true about the House of Representatives EXCEPT
Serve for six-year terms
What have reformers proposed to increase turnover in the membership of Congress?
Term limits
Articles of Impeachment must be passed by
The House
Which of the following situations might have contributed to the situation pictured?
The Office of Management and Budget neglected to give money to the parks
According to the Constitution, once impeached, federal officials are then tried in the
The Senate
Has authority over the ratification of treaties with other nations
The Senate
Members are elected by constituents of an entire state
The Senate
Members must be at least 30 years of age to serve in the chamber
The Senate
Nominees to the US Supreme Court must be confirmed by
The Senate
The Majority leader is the most influential leader and party spokesman
The Senate
Which of the following is not a step that a proposed bill would encounter on its journey through Congress?
The bill is introduced by a member of the executive department
Based on the graph, what is a budget deficit?
The difference when expenditures exceed revenues
Which of the following, which might include federal spending projects, might contribute to the trend indicated in the graph?
The pork barre
What is the relationship between voting behavior and economic conditions?
There is a strong correlation between economic conditions and voting behavior, where people are less likely to vote for incumbents in poor economic times
When does a balanced budget occur?
There is no budget deficit
What is the vice president's only constitutionally defined job?
To serve as president of the Senate
Nancy takes every vote in Congress seriously. She also worries about her reelection. Most of her votes are cast to represent as best as she can her constituents back home. What type of Congressional voter is she?
Trustees
Which of the following best describes Keynesian economic theory?
Using deficit spending to combat an economic slump
When does a surplus occur?
When revenues in a given year exceed expenditures
Of the following groups, which is most underrepresented in Congress?
Women