APUS Government Unit Exam: Congress

The United States Senate has members

100

The United States House of Representatives has members The Constitution specifies that members of the House must be years of age ; senators must be years of age .

25 ; 30

The United States House of Representatives has members

435

Which of the following statements about PACs is TRUE

A ) PACs seek access to policymakers B ) PAC expenditures are limited to $ 5,000 per candidate C ) Most PAC money is given to incumbents . D ) All of the above

Personal staff help members of Congress with

A ) negotiating agreements B ) constituent problems C ) drafting legislation D ) All of the above

Oversight is

A ) one of the checks Congress can exercise on the executive branch D ) gives Congress the power to pressure agencies to comply with congressional wishes E ) both A and D.

What would it take to change the terms of members of Congress

A constitutional amendment

Which of the following is permitted to draft a bill ?

All of the above ; anyone can draft a bill

A myth about members of Congress is that they

Are overpaid , underworked , corrupt and ineffective

Individuals already holding office are called

Dincumbents

The real differences between the House and the Senate lie in their

Eorganization and centralization of power

privileges refer to the free use of the mail system enjoyed by Congress

Franking

According to the Constitution , revenue bills must originate in the

House

In most congressional elections , challengers

Lose

The 115th Congress ' current Speaker of the US House of Representatives is

Nancy Pelosi

Which of the following is NOT one of the three primary activities that members of Congress engage in to increase the probability of their reelection ?

Oversight

What is the vice president's only constitutionally defined job

President of the Senate

Which of the following statements regarding members of Congress is FALSE

Proportionately , women are well represented in Congress today

What is descriptive representation

Representing constituents by mirroring their personal , politically relevant characteristics

The House Committee reviews most bills coming from other committees before they go on to the full House , thus performing a traffic cop function

Rules

According to the Constitution , once impeached , federal officials are then tried in the

Senate

Which of the following statements about the filibuster is FALSE

The filibuster is used in both houses

House seats are up for election every

Two years

Members of Congress seek committees that will help them achieve each of the following goals EXCEPT

a salary increase

House and Senate committees

all have a majority of members from the majority party in that chamber .

Most bills formally submitted for consideration in Congress

are quietly killed off early in the process

A legislature divided into two houses is called a legislature

bicameral

Activities of members of Congress that help constituents as individuals are known as

casework

The procedure used to cut off debate and end a filibuster is known as

cloture

Members of Congress use their virtually unlimited franking privileges to

communicate with constituents

When the House and the Senate pass different versions of the same bill

conference committee is appointed to resolve differences

A group of members of Congress sharing some interest or characteristic is known as

congressional caucus

Within the last few years , power in Congress has become more

decentralized with the proliferation of subcommittees and caucuses

The best way constituents can influence congressional voting on legislation is to

elect a representative or senator who agrees with their views

Most of the business of Congress takes place

in committees and subcommittees

The Constitution gives the House of Representatives the power to

initiate all revenue bills

The framers of the Constitution conceived of the branch of government to be the center of policymaking in America

legislative

Only can formally submit a bill for congressional consideration

members of the House or senators

The pork barrel and casework are examples of

opportunities for credit claiming by members of Congress

Legislative is the process of monitoring the bureaucracy and its administration of policy

oversight

Federal grants and contracts that members of Congress try to obtain for their constituents are collectively referred to as

pork barrel

Substantive representation refers to

representing the interests of groups

The seniority system gives a decisive edge to House members from_ districts

safe

A committee is one appointed for a limited , specific purpose , such as that set up to investigate the Watergate scandal

select

To increase turnover in Congress , some reformers have proposed

term limits

Articles of impeachment must be passed by

the House

Nominees to the United States Supreme Court must be confirmed by

the Senate

After each federal census ,

the membership of the House is reapportioned

The has the job of presiding over the Senate , breaking ties when necessary

vice president

Party leaders who work with the majority or minority leader to count votes beforehand and lean on waverers whose votes are crucial to a bill favored by the party are called

whips