American Federal Government: Chapter 11

Which of the following best explain why a member of congress is closed to a party leadership position?

ability to work with the other party demonstrated leadership ability ability to successfully promote the party's goals within Congress

Which of the following are activities that typically take place in a party caucus?

adopting a single policy message developing issues

In Congress, disagreement over national policy usually occurs

along partisan divisions

When an incumbent personally helps constituents solve problems with the federal bureaucracy it is known as...

casework

The speaker of the House has the right to...

choose who may speak first on the House floor speak first during House debate on legislation select the chairperson of the House Rules Committee

To end a filibuster, sixty senators must agree to invoke ___________ and end the debate.

cloture

Which of the following oversight tools help congress to ensure that the executive branch is administering the laws properly?

congressional hearings budgetary appropriations

How does the public generally feel about Congress?

dissatisfied

Most of the bills congress passes are ________ in nature which means they provide benefits to a particular group in society while spreading the costs across the tax paying public as a whole.

distributive

Partisan voting occurs more often when members are voting on ________ issues that involve intense partisan differences.

domestic policy

The privilege of incumbents to send mail to their constituents at the government's expense is known as the ________ privilege.

franking

The redrawing of congressional boundaries to benefit a political party is called...

gerrymandering

Redistricting can diminish the advantages of being an ____________ because the candidate will have a lower name recognition among the districts voters than before the redistricting.

incumbent

Pork barrel projects show constituents that their representative...

is actively working for them in congress

Which of the following is the most powerful leadership position in the Senate?

majority leader

Historically, which Senate position has been honorary in nature?

president pro tempore

Redistricting consists of

redrawing congressional district boundaries within a state

In the House of Representatives, debate is limited on the congressional floor by...

the Rules Committees.

When an incumbent personally helps constituents solve problems with the federal bureaucracy, it is known as...

the service strategy.

Which of the following statements about Congressional Committees are true?

they each specialize in a certain area of legislation they make it possible for for Congress to consider a high volume of bills

Which of the following are true of joint committees?

they perform advisory functions they are composed of members of both houses

Gerrymandering is

usually legal

If the vote in the Senate is tied, the _____ ______ breaks the tie.

vice president

If the president chooses to veto a bill...

Congress can override the veto by a two-thirds vote in each chamber.

How do committees and subcommittees serve to decentralize power in Congress?

They allow more members to hold leadership positions.

The difference between amendments that can be offered in the House and Senate to a bill under construction is that in the

House amendments must directly relate to a bill's contents.

In terms of the budget to hire office staff...

House members receive identical amounts of money senators receive varying amounts of money, depending on the population of their state.

Among the reasons why congress has difficulty taking the lead on broad issues are the facts that...

Congress has two chambers, and they are not always in agreement on policy issues members in congress come from different districts and often have conflicting views on national policy

The difference between amendments that can be offered in the House and Senate to a bill under consideration is that in the...

House amendments must directly relate to a bill's contents.

To plan a strategy and resolve policy issues, party members in Congress typically meet behind closed doors in a session called a party...

caucus

Members of Congress usually serve on congressional committees that concentrate on policy areas that affect the members'

constituency

On major bills, it is increasingly typical for the majority party's leaders to...

direct the floor debate after the bill leaves the committee shape the bill's broad content

The practice in which members of Congress agree to vote for a bill in exchange for their colleague's vote on another bill is called...

loglrolling

Which of the following positions in the Senate schedules debate on legislature?

majority leader

Which of the following are common threats to incumbency?

personal misconduct disruptive issues strong challengers

The trend toward party unity in Congress can clearly be seen in voting records of members Congress when their votes are officially recorded during a ______-_______ vote.

roll-call

Which of the following are duties of the Speaker of the House?

scheduling legislation for floor consideration recognizing members who will be allowed to speak on the floor

A permanent committee in Congress is known as a _________________ committee.

standing

Who has the power to preside over the Senate and vote in case of a tie but otherwise has little authority in the Senate?

vice president of the United States

Why are incumbents at risk when elections are being waged in the context of disruptive issues?

voters are more likely to believe those in power should be removed from office

Both political parties in the House have a ______ who acts as a go-between with the leadership and the party members in the house.

whip