Chapter 12 Congress
Match the institutional action to the number of senators necessary to carry it out.
67 overturn presidential veto 60 invoke cloture 51 pass a bill 1 submit a hold
Party unity votes reached a 60-year high in 2010 in the -. The years after 1990 were characterized by a much greater degree of -than were the years prior to 1970. The year 1970 was marked by relatively weak -.
Senate partisan polarization party leadership
Study the graph, and complete the statements below.
Senate partisan polarization party leadership
Match each of the following procedural steps to its appropriate chamber, indicating whether it occurs exclusively in the House, the Senate, or both.
Senate Only: cloture vote filibuster House only: debate time located by bill sponsor processing by rules committee Both: undergoes debate in subcommittee bill dies in committee
Why is party unity voting in the House typically higher than party unity voting in the Senate?
Senate party leadership does not have as much influence over tis members as does house leadership the house party leadership has control over access to the floor, but senate party leadership does not
Match the characteristic to its appropriate type of representative, House or Senate.
Senate: length of term is six years at least nine years of citizenship is required both local and statewide constituency House: minimum age of member is 25 years variable number representing each state
Which of the following statements regarding conference committees is accurate?
Successful conference committee reports are generally true compromises
Which of the following statements about what congressional staff do is accurate?
develop negotiate organize draft
Which of the following, according to the new rules of 2013, are free from the threat of filibuster?
executive branch nominees federal court nominees
Which of the following statements about the nature of party unity in voting are accurate?
Party unity is generally based on members ... by 2005, party unity
Choose all of the following ways in which party unity in the House differs from party unity in the Senate.
Party unity is typically greater in the house senate leadership has fewer formal tools to gain loyalty from members than does house leadership whip action in the house plays a more crucial role than in the senate
What is the difference between a public bill and a private bill?
Public bills apply to everyone in a jurisdiction.
Political polarization in Congress seemed to reach a new high-water mark with the 113th Congress. Which of the following are consequences of this polarization?
an impasse over the affordable care act government shutdown over budget battles a new record for the single least productive congressional year lowest recorded level of public confidence in congress
How does the presidential veto influence legislation?
members of congress may adjust the bill to suit the president's preferences members of congress are less likely to pass bills the president objects to
Which statement best describes the relationship between how members of Congress vote and the preferences of their constituencies?
most members try to anticipate their constituents' policy views.
Match the type of constituent service to the type of constituency for which it is most likely undertaken.
organized interests: helping secure favorable tax status making promotional speeches individual constituents: answering complaints solving problems with government agencies district as a whole: obtaining federal projects
Match the hypothetical instance of patronage to the appropriate category.
private bill: a member of congress writes a bill that exempts a constituent from medicaid limits for one year a representative introduces a bill that grants citizenship to an immigrant so that she can attend a state university.
How does the leadership's control of floor debate in the House differ from the leadership's control of floor debate in the Senate?
the house minority leader on a committee grants a member 30 minutes to speak on the bill.
Which statements about the power to provide "advice and consent" are accurate?
the senate rarely the president's treaties and appointments the rejection rate is lower when the same party controls the senate and white house
Why might earmarks be a useful thing for Congress?
they help promote compromise among members of congress they often support legitimate district projects
Executive agreements are often used by presidents as an alternative to -, which require Senate approval. However, perceived presidential abuse of this tactic led to the -, which requires that the president inform Congress of an executive agreement within - of its creation.
treaties Case Act 60 days
Match the following actions to whether a legislator is following a trustee or delegate model of representation.
trustee: a rep pays fairly little attention although she knows it will be very unpopular delegate: a rep is petitioned by a vocal minority of her constituents a rep is aware that most of his constituents support rules
Identify which demographic group is presented in each of the four trend lines in the figure by dragging the group name to the line label in the figure.
women African Americans Latinos Asian Pacific Islander
Most programs are subject to oversight at least once every - during hearings on -.
year appropriations
What makes the House Rules Committee so unique?
- The Rules Committee does not process proposed legislation into official bills - The Rules Committee focuses on procedural, rather than substantive, matters - There is no Senate counterpart committee
Which of the following statements best describes a case of sociological representation?
An African-American woman votes
Which of the following presidents have been impeached?
Bill clinton andrew johnson
Choose all of the following ways in which the House Ways and Means Committee, a standing committee, is comparable to the joint committee that deals with taxation.
Both have chairpersons usually chosen based on seniority. they are both permanent commitees
Study the diagram, and identify which of the following positions are elected by the members of the majority party in the House of Representatives.
Budget Committee members Speaker of the House Majority leader
Which of the following statements about Congress's oversight capacity is accurate?
Congressional committees may investigate a program and choose to change or eliminate it.
On which of the following issues is the average senator or House member most likely to operate as a trustee rather than as a delegate?
Foreign policy
Choose all of the following ways in which the operation of the House differs from the operation of the Senate.
House leadership has more power over its members than does the senate leadership house members are more likely to specialize in specific legislative fields local interest groups have greater influence with house members
Match the following statements to the appropriate congressional chamber.
House: encourages specialization gives leadership control over process organized body Senate: deliberative body
Study the infographic, and match the name of the committee to its congressional chamber.
House: ethics ways and means senate: commerce, science, & transportation environment & public works
Contrast the roles that the House and Senate play in the impeachment and conviction process by matching the action to the proper chamber.
House: involves a vote requiring a simple majority initiates the impeachment process charges an individual with "treason ... senate: involves a vote requiring a two-thirds majority convicts or acquits the individual charged
Why is it so rare for a bill to be defeated in the floor vote in the House or Senate?
Leadership makes sure that they have enough votes for passage before bringing it to a vote.
Which of the following are accurate regarding the leadership positions in the Senate and House?
The house has more party leadership the majority leader in the senate holds a higher position
Which of the following was a new restriction on lobbying, enacted in 2007?
The individual contributors to a "bundled" donation by lobbyists will now have to be disclosed.
Which of the following is a power granted to the Senate but not to the House?
The power to approve treaties.
How has impeachment been influenced by constitutional language in U.S. history?
The vague :high Crimes and Misdemeanors" clause has allowed the process to be used for political reasons
How are each congressional party's leaders chosen?
They are selected by the party's members.
Why are positions on the Senate and House Appropriations Committees so desirable to members of Congress?
They provide the opportunity for credit claiming as members bring projects to their own districts positions on these committees give control over major entitlement programs such as social security.
In Shelby County v. Holder, the - was weakened when it was decided that the - no longer had to validate a state's redistricting plan if that state had a history of racial discrimination.
Voting rights act department of justice
Which type of bills can be introduced only in the House of Representatives?
bills involving the spending or raising of revenues
Which of the following statements best characterizes Senator Kaine's comments on Congress's handling of the war against ISIS?
by avoiding responsibility for the war, congress is failing to act according to its constitutional role
How can interest groups influence Congress?
by placing by keeping by providing
How is a chair chosen for each of the committees in Congress?
by seniority, with occasional exceptions based on new policies
Which of the following statements about the committee deliberation of a bill is accurate?
full committees may use the recommendations resulting from subcommittee hearings or hold their own hearings.
Choose all of the major reasons for why Congress has become more politically polarized in recent years.
gerrymandering population clustering mobilization of conservative interest groups
When House Republicans summoned former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to testify about Benghazi in 2015, they were using Congress's oversight power to do which of the following?
helping in their own reelection goals ensuring that government procedures are properly implemented embarrasing clinton and/or obama
Which of the following are external sources of influence on Congressional policies?
interest-group coalitions presidential proposals
Congressional - committees were tasked with investigating Watergate, the Iran-Contra affair, and the Whitewater scandal.
select
The - alone has the right to approve or deny the president's appointments of -. Approval for these nominees requires -.
senate federal judges a simple majority
Rank the House leadership positions in level of power, starting with most powerful.
speaker of the house house majority leader majority whip chief deputy majority whip
Match the characteristic to its appropriate committee type.
standing committee: source of most important typically match issue focus of an joint committee: contains four permanent committees that cannot report select committee: temporary conference committee: members appointed by the speaker of the house
Review the process of passing a bill, and complete the statements below.
subcommittee rules committee majority leader speaker of the house
If a member of Congress chooses to vote against his or her party, what can the party do to sanction that member?
take away access to leadership take away access to speak
The process of apportionment occurs every - years and may grant additional seats to those states with -. The process of redistricting is controlled by the majority party in the -. The process of - occurs as part of redistricting and may intentionally give power to a specific political or demographic group.
ten population growth state legislature gerrymandering
Which of the following statements about the congressional electorate and the U.S. population are accurate?
the female share of the electorate the wealthy turned out at a higher
