Chapter 10 Government

What is the total number of full-fledged members of Congress?

535

Which of the following is one of the qualifications for membership in the House of Representatives?

Candidates must live in the state from which they are elected.

What determines the total number of seats in the House of Representatives?

Congress

Which of the following statements about members of Congress is true?

The average Congress member is over the age of 50.

What was the goal of the Framers of the Constitution when they created a bicameral Congress?

The two houses would check one another.

Which correctly describes most senators and members of the House of Representatives?

They are mostly upper-middle class Americans

The Senate is called a "continuous body" because, unlike the House,

all of its seats are never up for election at the same time.

When members of Congress vote based on what the majority of their constituents think about an issue, they are voting as

delegates

The most important limit on congressional pay raises is the threat of

voter backlash.

The House of Representatives has 435 members. Why does the Constitution allow only two senators from each state?

In the Senate, every state is equally represented.

Which is true about a senator's term in office?

It is three times longer than the term of a member of the House.

Which is true about most members of the Senate?

Most are lawyers.

Which of the following comparisons of the House and Senate is true?

The House is larger than the Senate.

Each State's representation in the Senate is

equal to that of every other State

How many senators does each state have?

two

How many senators are serving in the Senate today?

100

A member of the House must be at least

25 years old and a citizen of the United States for at least seven years.

Which is one of the requirements for election to the U.S. Senate?

A candidate must be a citizen of the United States for at least nine years.

How do members of the Senate and House of Representatives represent the people of their state differently?

A senator always represents the entire state

When does each new term of Congress begin?

January of every odd-numbered year

How is each state's representation in the Senate determined?

Representation is equal to that of every other state

What must occur before the full Senate can act upon a bill?

The Senate committee considering the bill decides whether to move it to floor consideration

If the shape of a congressional district resembles a squiggly piece of spaghetti, what is the most likely explanation?

The district was drawn to the advantage of the party in control of the State legislature

What is the most likely explanation for a congressional district to change shape?

The district was drawn to the advantage of the party in control of the state legislature.

According to the Constitution, a senator must have been

a citizen of the United States for at least nine years.

Which is longer, a term or a session of Congress?

a term

The Constitution requires that a member of the House must

be an inhabitant of the State from which he or she is elected

What determines the number of representatives for each state?

by the population of the state

Which can the President do when a serious problem arises but Congress has adjourned for the session?

call a special session of Congress

The Framers of the Constitution diffused the power of Congress by

dividing Congress into two houses.

Based on Supreme Court cases, which of the following practices is permissible?

drawing district lines using race as one of a mix of factors.

How often does the Constitution require Congress to reapportion seats in the House of Representatives?

every ten years

How often are elections held for the House of Representatives?

every two years

Since 1842, all seats in the House of Representatives have been filled

from single-member districts

Rather than raise their own salaries, members of Congress often

give themselves more fringe benefits.

More than half of the members of the Senate are

lawyers

Due to the length of their terms, House members may be more likely to

listen to constituents views

The Framers hoped that ___ would help make the Senate a more responsible body than the house

longer terms

Who elects the Speaker of the House of Representatives?

majority party members

How many terms of Congress are there in a year?

one-half

What proportion of senate terms expires every two years?

one-third

Which part of the Senate is up for election at any one time?

one-third

If the two houses of Congress cannot agree on a date for adjournment, the President may

prorogue the session.

Congress must reapportion seats in the House of Representatives every

ten years.

Besides screening bills, what is another major function that members of Congress perform as committee members?

the oversight function

Senators are elected by

the voters in each State

What is the minimum number of representatives in Congress (both senators and members of the House) that a State can have?

three

The term of office for senators is

three times as long as for members of the House.

When may the President ask Congress to hold a special session?

to deal with an emergency situation

What is the goal of the Speech or Debate Clause of Article 1, Section 6 of the Constitution?

to protect the freedom of legislative debate

How many sessions are there within each term of Congress?

two

Members of the House of Representatives are elected for _____ terms.

two-year

When would a State elect two senators in the same election?

when one of the Senate seats for that State has been vacated by death, resignation, or expulsion