PoliSci

The term that describes the minority party's committee and subcommittee leader is ___________ members.

ranking

When congressional district boundaries are redrawn within a state, it is known as ___________.

redistricting

Political scientist John Hibbing advises that the "first thing to being reelected is to stay away from ______"

scandal

Which of the following statements about midterm elections are generally true?

Less media coverage than presidential election President's party looses seats Voter turnout is lower than for Presidential election

The speaker of the house has the right to

Speak fist during the House debate on legislation Select the chairperson of the House Rules Committee Choose who may speak on the house floor

The 2014 North Carolina Senate race (Hagan vs. Tillis) was one of the most extensive campaigns i Senate history, with more than $75 million spent. What portion of that money came from super PACs?

2/3

Most members of Congress are

Career politicians who want to stay in Congress and put themselves in position for reelection

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

Caucus

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

Congressional hearings Budgetary appropriations

True or false: it is more common for House incumbents than Senate incumbents to face challengers in the form of prominent local politicians.

False

If the majority of the members of the House of Representatives are Republican, then every committee and subcommittee in the House will

Have majority Republican members

What is one of the reason that incumbents have a fundraising advantage over challengers?

Incumbents have a ready list of potential contributors from past campaigns

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

Majority Leader

In which of the four systems of presidential selection did/do Electoral College members cast their ballots for the popular-vote winner in their respective states?

Party convention system, party convention: primary system, party primary: open caucus system

Which of the following statements are true of bills that are killed in committee?

They can be brought back to life by a vote of the full house or Senate Some bills are not supported by the members who introduce them Most are poorly conceived of of little interest to anyone

Which of the following statements about congressional committees are true?

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

What is a distributive policy?

a bill in which the cost is spread across the taxpaying public

Which of the following strongly and positively affect a congressional candidates ability to raise money and win an election?

being an incumbent

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

cloture

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

Members of Congress are most indebted to which of the following?

hardcore partisan voters the wealthy donors who fund their campaign

Who established the standard for the proper approach to Congress's representative function?

has been debated since the nation's founding

When a committee or subcommittee holds a ____________, they are trying to gather information about a proposed bill.

hearing

As a result of the increased level of party polarization in the United States, which candidates face greater risk of losing the primary?

incumbent moderates

Congressional elections usually favor

incumbents

One reason why standing committees are powerful is that they have by law

jurisdiction over bills in their designated policy area

In "Insecure Majorities," Frances Lee noted that, in the currently closely matched parties, members of Congress are engaged in "________" rather than "governing"

messaging

When major disruptive issues occur, incumbents are

more likely to loose

Which of the following correctly describes protocol for committee membership?

most vacancies occur after elections, either from retirements or incumbent defeats. Most newly elected members of Congress request committee assignments.

A(n) __________ rule allows members to propose amendments that are relevant to any section of the bill

open

Ensuring that laws are being administered by the executive branch in the way intended by congress is an important function of Congress known as _______________.

oversight function

Which of the following are the functions of Congress?

oversight, lawmaking and representation

The president is usually better suited to take the lead on national issues because

presidents tend to have a national perspective

A permanent committee in Congress is known as a(n) _______ committee

standing

Wether or not congress takes the lead in the making of laws usually depends on

the type of policy at issue

Gerrymandering is

usually legal

In the 1980's before partisan deadlock congressional approval ratings were about _________ percent.

60

Put in order the steps a bill must pass through in order to become a law

Member of the House or Senate proposes bill Bill is submitted for consideration Majority members in the House and Senate approve the bill The President signs

The emergence of "________ ________," groups that can pour money into a political campaign with few limits, has given challengers a better opportunity to unseat congressional incumbents.

Super PACS

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

The rules committee

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

The service strategy

Why do republican and democratic lawmakers generally have different perspectives on national issues?

Their parties differ philosophically Their partied differ politically

Which of the following are true of joint committees?

They are composed of members of both houses They preform advisory functions

Polls indicate that voters' opinions of Donald Trump's performance had what effect in the midterms?

Those who were discontented with Trump helped Democrats retake control of the House.

When is congressional oversight exercised vigorously?

When members are annoyed with an agency when members are intending to modify an agency program

Which of the following are true concerning women and minorities who run for congressional office?

Women and minorities are less likely to run for congress than white males There are more women than there are minorities in Congress

The framers of the constitution intended that lawmakers _________, something that has become increasingly difficult in today's partisan Congress.

act in the spirit of compromise

Partisan divisions have become more __________ as a result of party polarization

acute

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

adopting a single policy message developing issues

Why is the Rules Committee considered one of the most important committees in the House?

because it decides the length of the debate that will occur on a bill and weather amendements will be allowed

The U.S. Congress is a(n) ______________ legislature with two chambers, the House and the Senate.

bicameral

Which of the following could be considered personal personal misconduct that might lead to a congressional incumbent losing a bid for reelection?

engaging in bribery being involved with a sex scandal

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

logrolling

The party that controls the rules and has the most powerful leadership position in the House is the _______ party.

majority

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

role-call

Choosing committee chairs based on which members has the longest continuous tenure on a standing committee is an example of the _____ system.

seniority

Which of the following statements about congressional committees are true?

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