Ch. 4 Midterm Review Questions

The Agriculture Committee in the House is a permanent committee that develops legislation regarding agriculture, food, and rural development. The Agriculture Committee is an example of which type of committee?

Standing committee

Which body of government has the authority to introduce bills?

The House of Representatives

The house of representatives . . . can make no law which will not have its full operation on themselves and their friends, as well as the great mass of society. This has always been deemed one of the strongest bonds by which human policy can connect the rulers and the people together . . . but without which every government degenerates into tyranny. —James Madison, Federalist No. 57 Which of the following statements best describes the viewpoint in the quote?

The House of Representatives was created to directly represent the citizens.

Suppose you are part of the president's cabinet and advise him on setting the priorities for national spending. Which group are you a part of?

The Office of Management and Budget

How does the position of the Speaker of the House compare to the Senate majority leader?

The Speaker of the House has more power than the Senate majority leader.

Why might the citizens of a certain state choose to elect a new senator in an upcoming election?

The constituents may feel that the senator no longer represents their values or interests.

In 2013, Texas Senator Ted Cruz gave a 21-hour speech that interfered with a planned vote on healthcare reforms, which would be considered

a filibuster.

Partisan polarization manifests itself during the end of a president's term in the form of

a lame duck period.

After a bill has been introduced in either the House or the Senate, what is the next step for the bill?

It will be referred to a committee.

Suppose a new bill has been introduced that would make changes to existing education policies and roll back the federal government's involvement in public education. Which type of committee should be established to work out the different versions of the bill from the House and Senate?

A conference committee

A citizen of California might be frustrated that the citizens of Nebraska have an equal number of representatives in the

Senate

What happens after articles of impeachment have been successfully passed in the House of Representatives?

A trial is held in the Senate to convict or acquit the accused official.

Why are entitlement programs classified as mandatory spending and are locked into the federal budget year after year?

Americans depend upon the receipt of such benefits, and as such, the programs cannot be cut.

Which statement reflects the difference between an incumbent congressional campaign and the campaign of a new congressional candidate?

An incumbent campaign will generally focus on connecting more with individual constituents, whereas a new candidate would spend more time generating name recognition and fundraising.

Which is a responsibility of Congress?

Setting the federal budget

How would an average American citizen get a bill introduced in Congress that would require public schools to provide before- and after-school daycare?

By contacting their representatives and pressuring them to introduce such legislation

Why would efforts to improve substantive representation be more beneficial than efforts to improve descriptive representation?

By focusing on substantive representation, Congress would better reflect the interests of American citizens as a whole.

According to some political scientists, how might a focus on substantive representation help alleviate the negative effects of partisan polarization?

By focusing on the interests and policy preferences of Americans, members of Congress are better able to represent their constituents instead of political parties as a whole.

Which statement might a congressperson make to argue that Social Security benefits should remain classified as mandatory spending?

Changing benefits or the taxes to pay for them would produce a political backlash against lawmakers.

Select the pair of answers that best explains why the incumbency advantage is higher in the House of Representatives than it is in the Senate.

D. Smaller districts - Represents entire state

The following question(s) refer to this excerpt of proposed House Resolution 184 introduced by Representative Hakeem Jeffries in the House Judiciary Committee on March 9, 2017. RESOLVED: That the President is requested, and the Attorney General of the United States is directed, to transmit, respectively (in a manner appropriate to classified information, if the President or Attorney General determines appropriate), to the House of Representatives, not later than 14 days after the date of the adoption of this resolution, copies of any document, record, memo, correspondence, or other communication in their possession, or any portion of any such communication, that refers or relates to the following: (1) Any meeting or communication that occurred between Senator Jeff Sessions and any representative of the Russian government, including his meetings with the Russian Ambassador to the United States, Sergey I. Kislyak, on July 18, 2016, and September 8, 2016. (2) Senator Sessions' testimony before the Senate Committee on the Judiciary on January 10, 2017, including but not limited to his statement that he "did not have communications with the Russians." Select the response that matches the most likely motivation of the resolution's sponsor and the most likely outcome of the resolution, given the fact of a Republican majority on the House Judiciary Committee.

D. To begin impeachment proceedings against the president and his top aides - Support for the resolution to require the president and attorney general to testify before Congress

Assume you are part of the Congressional Budget Office and are responsible for finding areas of the federal budget to cut back on to reduce federal spending. Which area of the budget can you reasonably suggest?

Defense spending

The following question(s) refer to these two graphs: In examining the data found in Graphs 1 and 2, what pattern or trend would you most likely predict for the anticipated budget for fiscal year 2035?

Discretionary expenditures will consume a decreasing share of the federal budget.

Which argument would you make to defend the reinstatement of earmarks in Congress?

Earmarks allow Congress to better advocate for their constituency.

A Republican member of the House of Representatives who is responsible for the opposition strategy and coordinating party activity in a Democrat-controlled House would be known as the

House minority leader.

How does the process of a bill becoming a law differ if it is introduced in the House compared to if it is introduced in the Senate?

If a bill is introduced in the House, it must be presented to the Rules committee before it can move to the floor for consideration.

Which of the following best explains the trend shown in the graph?

Increased partisanship makes it more difficult for Congress to pass spending bills.

Two conservative Republicans booted from House budget panelBy David Lawder Two of the most conservative Republicans in the House of Representatives have been kicked off the House Budget Committee, a rare move that could make it easier for the panel to advance a deal with Democrats to cut fiscal deficits. Representatives Tim Heulskamp of Kansas and Justin Amash of Michigan—both favorites of the anti-tax Tea Party movement—are among those Republicans voting most often against House Speaker John Boehner. . . Heulskamp and Amash cast the only House Budget Committee votes against [Chairman Paul] Ryan's budget plan earlier this year. Which of the following inferences can be drawn from the excerpt?

Members of Congress who defy their party's leadership face political consequences.

The only leadership position in the House of Representatives is the

Speaker of the House.

Which measure has been proposed as a way to alleviate the shortfall in paying out Social Security benefits?

Reducing the benefits paid to current recipients

Suppose the state of Idaho has just elected a senator who has, so far, demonstrated that she is willing to go above and beyond to advocate for her constituents by proposing legislation that benefits their interests. Which type of role is this senator playing?

The delegate role

Which process acts as a check by the legislative branch on the executive branch?

The process of impeachment

How does the style of representation in the House of Representatives differ from representation in the Senate?

The representation in the Senate is the same for each state regardless of population, while the number of representatives in the House of Representatives depends on a state's population.

What is national debt?

The total amount of money owed by the federal government.

Most of the bills that are introduced in Congress fail. Why did the framers of the Constitution make the legislative process considerably complicated?

They did not want laws to be passed based on the populace's fleeting desires.

What is the main function of a select committee?

To investigate specifics related to a scandal or to handle a crisis within the federal government.

What was the primary purpose of the 1842 Apportionment Act?

To mandate single-member districts in the House of Representatives

What is the main function of a political action committee?

To raise money for candidates running for the House of Representatives.

An incumbent candidate running for Senate, who has a generally positive track record with her constituents and loyal donors contributing to her campaign, has a challenger who is new to politics altogether. How would this incumbent candidate likely fare in the election?

Well, since the senator has the advantage of name recognition and experience.

Suppose in the year 2018, the United States generated $21.5 trillion and spent $19.5 trillion. In that year, the United States would have

a budget surplus.

Suppose a state's legislature has enlisted a commission to redraw its congressional district boundaries, but upon review notices that the districts each have significantly uneven numbers of constituents. Such redistricting would be

a violation of the Fourteenth Amendment.

The process of deciding on the number of representatives each state gets based on most recent census data is known as

apportionment

Suppose evidence has come to light that the president has provided financial assistance to violent non-state actors in foreign countries to assist in a plot to harm the American people. The House of Representatives may issue articles of impeachment on the grounds that the president has committed

treason

A push by activist groups to encourage ethnic minorities, women, and the less-wealthy to run for political office would likely be an effort in favor of

descriptive representation

Suppose Congress presents a bill to the president that would limit the rights of Americans to speak freely. The president vetoes the bill and upon reconsideration, the bill fails in a vote to override the veto. In this case, the bill

dies and does not become law.

A motion that is filed by a member of Congress for a bill to be moved out of a committee and onto the floor for consideration is called a

discharge petition

Defense spending is considered

discretionary spending

Suppose a senator has proposed a budget measure that would direct money to his district for the purpose of improving parks. This would be an example of

earmarks.

Suppose that a Midwestern state has recently redrawn its districts in a way that benefits the interests of agricultural farmers. Such redistricting is known as

gerrymandering

A political scientist who is studying the effects of increased partisan polarization might focus on

gridlock

In order for someone to be considered a candidate for the United States Senate, he or she must

have at least nine years of citizenship.

Which of the following is most likely to lead to the situation shown in the cartoon?

legislative deliberation

The following question(s) refer to this excerpt of proposed House Resolution 184 introduced by Representative Hakeem Jeffries in the House Judiciary Committee on March 9, 2017. RESOLVED: That the President is requested, and the Attorney General of the United States is directed, to transmit, respectively (in a manner appropriate to classified information, if the President or Attorney General determines appropriate), to the House of Representatives, not later than 14 days after the date of the adoption of this resolution, copies of any document, record, memo, correspondence, or other communication in their possession, or any portion of any such communication, that refers or relates to the following: (1) Any meeting or communication that occurred between Senator Jeff Sessions and any representative of the Russian government, including his meetings with the Russian Ambassador to the United States, Sergey I. Kislyak, on July 18, 2016, and September 8, 2016. (2) Senator Sessions' testimony before the Senate Committee on the Judiciary on January 10, 2017, including but not limited to his statement that he "did not have communications with the Russians. "What congressional power was used in passing this resolution?

legislative oversight

Suppose a member of the House of Representatives has spent the past week discussing upcoming legislation with other members of the House and has been working hard to convince members to vote in favor of the legislation. This person would be considered the

majority whip

Attempts to increase descriptive representation in Congress might include trying to increase the

membership of women or minorities.

Suppose a member of Congress is part of a committee that ensures funds are being spent efficiently and elected officials are acting in accordance with the law. This member of Congress is participating in

oversight

What do the maps illustrate?

partisan gerrymandering

The Supreme Court's decision in Baker v. Carr

required congressional districts to have roughly the same number of constituents.

The following question(s) refer to these two graphs: What is the most likely explanation for the pattern or trend described in your answer to Question 7?

the aging of the Baby Boomer generation

Suppose the state of California has elected an incumbent representative to the House of Representatives who has suggested that he knows what is best for the citizens of California in his district and will use his experience and knowledge to achieve his goals. This representative is playing the

trustee role