Chapter 4 AP Government Test 😵💫 😵💫 😵💫
Which of the following statements accurately summarizes the reasoning for the decision in Baker v. Carr (1962) ? Responses A) Because rural districts had fewer people, representation was unevenly distributed; thus, Baker was denied equal protection under the law. B) To ensure equal protection under the law, there should be an equal number of rural and urban districts in a state. C) There should be redistricting every ten years at the federal level, but the state can choose not to redistrict at the state and local levels. D) Congressional redistricting must involve traditionally excluded groups in the process or it violates the equal protection clause.
A) Because rural districts had fewer people, representation was unevenly distributed; thus, Baker was denied equal protection under the law.
When a bill passes the House and the Senate in different versions, the bill is resolved by which of the following types of committee? Responses A) Conference B) Select C) Reconciliation D) Rules E) Standing
A) Conference
If a bill reaches the floor for debate and a member of the minority party opposes the bill, which of the following provides greater leverage to a senator than to a member of the House to block passage of the bill? Responses A) The Senate allows for unlimited floor debate that can hold up a vote, while the House has strict limits on debate. B) The Senate is more collegial than the House, so members can easily gain support from the opposing party. C) The Senate allows for discharge petitions that force the bill out of committee, while the House does not. D) The Senate is much less likely than the House to have party-line votes, so nonpartisan coalitions are more likely to form.
A) The Senate allows for unlimited floor debate that can hold up a vote, while the House has strict limits on debate.
Members of Congress who have adopted the delegate role of representation normally cast their votes based on which of the following? Responses A) The preferences of the majority of their constituents B) Their judgment of what is best for their constituency C) The instructions of their political party's leadership D) Their political party's most recent policy platform E) The advice of congressional staffers and political consultants
A) The preferences of the majority of their constituents
The largest portion of "uncontrollable spending" in the federal budget is designated for which of the following? Responses A) Interest on the national debt B) Entitlement spending C) Defense spending D) Environmental programs E) Salaries of federal bureaucrats
B) Entitlement spending
Which of the following statements about Congress is true? Responses A) Members of Congress only occasionally are interested in and pay attention to constituents. B) The legislative process is frequently lengthy, decentralized, and characterized by compromise and bargaining. C) Lobbyists and political action committees (PAC's) successfully induce most members of Congress to trade their votes for campaign contributions. D) The growth in the size of Congress as an organization is the principal cause of growth in the federal budget deficit. E) Debate in both houses is structured by elaborate rules enacted by leaders of the majority party.
B) The legislative process is frequently lengthy, decentralized, and characterized by compromise and bargaining.
Which of the following is NOT a presidential role authorized by the Constitution? Responses A) To be commander in chief of the armed forces B) To lead the political party of the President C) To negotiate treaties with foreign nations D) To be chief executive E) To present the State of the Union address
B) To lead the political party of the President
Which of the following is an example of a power exclusively granted to the Senate in Article II of the Constitution? Responses A) Declaring war B) Overriding a presidential veto with a two-thirds majority veto C) Confirming ambassadors D) Creating spending bills
C) Confirming ambassadors
Which of the following statements about gerrymandering is true? Responses A) It has been banned by United States Supreme Court decisions beginning with Baker v.Carr. B) It was used traditionally to maintain urban control of the House of Representatives. C) It can be used by a political party to draw boundary lines to control as many districts as possible. D) It guarantees greater constituency control over elected representatives. E) It ensures liberal control of the House of Representatives.
C) It can be used by a political party to draw boundary lines to control as many districts as possible.
All of the following statements pertaining to the presidential veto are true EXCEPT: Responses A) Congress overrides fewer than ten percent of presidential vetoes. B) A vetoed bill is often revised and passed in another form. C) Presidents often threaten to veto bills to increase their leverage with Congress. D) A President may veto part of a bill. E) Congress often places provisions the President wants into a bill the President dislikes to make a veto less likely.
D) A President may veto part of a bill.
Which of the following identifies the formal procedure for ending a filibuster? Responses A) Oversight B) Logrolling C) Pocket veto D) Cloture E) Discharge petition
D) Cloture
Which of the following is an accurate comparison of the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate? Responses A) House of Representatives: represents the states equally Senate: Designed to represent the people B) House of Representatives: Initiates revenue bills Senate: Nominates cabinet members C) House of Representatives: Must approve Supreme Court nominees Senate: Must approve treaties D) House of Representatives: Debate on bills is limited Senate: Debate on bills can be unlimited
D) House of Representatives: Debate on bills is limited Senate: Debate on bills can be unlimited
Which of the following best describes pork barrel politics? Responses A) The Office of Management and Budget negotiates with Congress to get the president's budget proposal passed. B) Senators from states with agricultural economies promote farm price supports. C) Voters in rural areas support different issue positions than do voters in metropolitan areas. D) Members of Congress negotiate bills so that individual districts get money for projects that do not benefit the nation as a whole. E) Members of the Senate Judiciary Committee refuse to endorse the president's nominees to the federal courts.
D) Members of Congress negotiate bills so that individual districts get money for projects that do not benefit the nation as a whole.
A person claiming that the House can pass legislation with a simple majority, but the Senate is unlikely to pass legislation unless a bill has the support of a 60-vote supermajority is most likely to cite which of the following institutional differences as the cause of this trend? Responses A) The House has fewer legislative committees than the Senate does. B) Members of the House often represent a much narrower constituency than senators do. C) Party leadership in the House is highly formalized, while leadership in the Senate is much more informal. D) The House has strict limits on debate, while the Senate allows unlimited debate.
D) The House has strict limits on debate, while the Senate allows unlimited debate.
Which of the following statements about motions for cloture is true? Responses A) They force a bill out of committee so that the full House can vote on it. B) They are applied to bills that failed in the previous session of Congress. C) They are applied only to appropriation bills. D) They are used by senators to end a filibuster and bring a bill to a vote. E) They occur whenever a bill is reported out of committee.
D) They are used by senators to end a filibuster and bring a bill to a vote.
A committee chair in the House of Representatives is always Responses A) the member with the longest service on the committee B) the member with the longest service in the House C) a representative of the Speaker D) a member of the majority party in the chamber E) a trusted ally of the President
D) a member of the majority party in the chamber
The Constitution states that all revenue bills must originate in Responses A) a White House budget resolution B) the Congressional Budget Office C) the United States Senate D) the United States House of Representatives E) the Office of Management and Budget
D) the United States House of Representatives
The role of a conference committee in Congress is to Responses A) hold hearings on proposed legislation B) oversee the actions of the executive branch of the government C) decide which bills should be considered by the full Senate D) conduct hearings that make information available to the public E) reconcile differences in bills passed by the House and Senate
E) reconcile differences in bills passed by the House and Senate
