Exam 2 Quiz Questions

A multiple referral in the US legislative process involves several A) committees B) sponsors C) caucuses D) parties E) rules

A

Which of the following countries use the single member district plurality electoral systems for national legislative elections? A) United States B) United Kingdom C) Canada D) India E) All of the above

E

A committee with fixed membership and jurisdiction that persists from one congress to the next is called a _________ committee. A) standing B) permanent C) select D) conference E) joint

A

Before proposed legislation may be referred to a committee for hearings and debate, it must be A) introduced by a sponsor in congress B) voted on by the full House C) given the President's stamp of approval D) approved by the Rules Committee E) agreed to by the states

A

Bills are formally introduced in Congress by A) members of congress only B) executive agencies C) interest groups D) the Supreme Court E) All of the above can introduce bills

A

Congressional Whips are A) Officers in the House and Senate B) Guards at the Capitol building C) those who used to guide the horses that were housed in a Stable outside of the Capitol building D) no longer part of the congressional leadership E) ceremonial positions in Britain

A

How many American presidents have been removed from office after the impeachment process? A) 0 B) 1 C) 2 D) 3 E) 4

A

The House of Representatives and Senate have A) roughly equal powers B) inherently unequal powers C) mostly ceremonial duties D) powers that have become irrelevant over time E) no powers

A

The War Powers Act of 1973 requires that A) the president formally notify congress any time he orders US troops into action B) troops must be immediately withdrawn from war zones unless they have the consent of congress C) Congress gives prior approval of any troop deployment D) the president request congressional approval prior to troop deployment E) the president withdraw troops within 30 days

A

The basic structure of congress is established in which portion of the Constitution? A) Article I B) Article II C) Article III D) Article IV E) The Ninth Amendment

A

This House committee controls the flow of legislation to the floor and conditions of debate A) Rules Committee B) Appropriations Committee C) Ways and Means Committee D) Commerce Committee E) Agriculture Committee

A

This is a group of representatives from both the House and the Senate who iron out the differences between the two chambers' versions of a bill or resolution A) conference committee B) select committee C) standing committee D) joint committee E) caucus

A

This is a motion to end debate in the Senate A) cloture B) finale C) non-germane rider D) technical amendment E) none of the above

A

What is the difference between an executive order and a law? A) An executive order is issued by the president and not issued by congress B) An executive order does not carry the weight of a law C) Executive orders may not be overturned by parliament D) Executive orders do not have the support of the Supreme Court E) Executive orders are issued by the supreme court

A

What is the most common criticism of the legislative process? A) It is slow and inefficient B) It is corrupt C) It is a tool of the President D) It is dominated by the leadership E) It is dominated by the majority party

A

Which of the following factors is most important to the presidents success in congress? A) party makeup of Congress B) the presidents leadership skills C) the presidents job approval ratings D) whether or not it is a reelection year E) the presidents foreign policy

A

A filibuster is A) a type of congressional mascot B) a delaying tactic to prevent legislation from being voted on C) an officer of the Senate D) an officer in the house E) another term for the majority whip

B

A legislature such as congress containing two chambers is called what? A) Unicameral B) Bicameral C) A house divided D) Unified government E) Divided government

B

In the absence of the Vice President, the presiding officer of the Senate is the A) majority leader B) president pro tempore C) minority whip D) secretary of the Senate E) none of the above

B

Temporary committees designed to deal with specific issues are called __________ committees. A) standing B) select C) conference D) short term E) joint

B

The presidency was created by Article _____ of the Constitution. A) I B) II C) III D) IV E) VII

B

When the presidency is controlled by one party and congress is controlled by another, it is called A) bicameralism B) divided government C) multiparty government D) gridlock E) dictatorship

B

Which of the following is NOT true of the British Legislative process? A) The Queen must sign all acts of Parliament in order for them to become law B) Like the US Congress, British can terminate/end legislation C) Like the US congress, legislation must pass both Houses of Parliament D) The House of Lords cannot reject legislation passed by the House of Commons E) There are three readings of the bill in the House of Commons

B

Which of the following is not true of countries that use proportional representation electoral systems? A) Voter turnout is generally higher than in countries that use plurality systems B) Voters tend to vote strategically l, selecting their second as opposed to first choices C) There are generally more political parties that gain representation than in countries that use plurality systems D) Extremist parties often gain representation E) Many of these systems employ minimum thresholds for parties to gain representation

B

While democrats have a party caucus, Republicans have a A) formal gathering B) party conference C) meeting of the minds D) majority composite E) none of the above

B

If a president vetoes a law A) the law dies B) the House may override with a simple majority C) Congress may override with a two thirds vote in both Chambers D) the Senate may override with a simple majority E) the law passes anyway

C

If a president vetoes a law A) the law dies B) the House may override with a simple majority C) Congress may override with a two thirds vote in both chambers D) the Senate may override with a simple majority E) the law passes anyway

C

One must be _______ years of age to serve in the US House of Representatives, and ______ years of age to serve in the Senate. A) 18;21 B) 21;25 C) 25;30 D) 33;45 E) 40;50

C

Presidents have the best chance of initiating new policies during the honeymoon period A) immediately after midterm elections B) in the middle of their term of office after they have a track record C) in the first few months of their first term of office D) towards the end of their terms E) there is no better or worse time to initiate new policies

C

The House of Representatives currently has how many members? A) 200 B) 150 C) 435 D) 500 E) 325

C

The trading of votes between members of congress so that each gets the legislation he or she wants is called A) gerrymandering B) pandering C) logrolling D) pork barreling E) cloturing

C

What proportion of each chamber of congress must approve a bill to override a presidential veto? A) one half B) three fifths C) two thirds D) three fourths E) presidential vetoes cannot be overridden

C

Which of the following positions is the only one elected by a national constituency/national election? A) Speaker of the House B) Senate Majority Leader C) President D) Chief Justice of the U.S. E) President Pro Tempore

C

Who is the presiding officer of the House of Representatives? A) The President B) The leading Representative C) The Speaker of the House D) The Caucus leader E) The party chairman

C

The only major state-executive position appointed by the governor of Texas is the A) Attorney General B) Lieutenant Governor C) Comptroller of Public Accounts D) Secretary of State E) Commissioner of the General Land Office

D