POSI ch.11
Reapportionment takes place every___ years following a census.
10
In order to member of the Senate, a person must be ____ years of age and a citizen for at least ___ years.
30, 9
The cost of running for Senate rose by more than _____ between 1990 and 2010.
300%
Put in order the following steps that a bill must pass through in order to become a law.
A member of the House of Representatives or the Senate formally proposes the bill, The bill is submitted to a committee for consideration, A majority of members in the House and Senate approve the bill, The president signs the bill.
The framers of the Constitution intended that lawmakers ______, something which has become increasingly difficult in today's partisan Congress.
Act in the spirit of compromise
The U.S. Congress is a ____ legislature with two chambers, the House and the Senate.
Bicameral
To plan strategy and resolve policy issues, party members in Congress typically meet behind closed doors in a session called a party _____
Caucus
To end a filibuster, sixty senators must agree to invoke ____ and end the debate.
Cloture
If the president chooses to veto a bill,
Congress can override the veto by a two-thirds vote in each chamber.
Which of the following oversight tools help Congress to ensure that the executive branch is administering the laws properly?
Congressional hearing, Budgetary appropriations
Members of Congress usually serve on congressional committees that concentrate on policy areas that affect the members'
Constituency
Which of the following could be considered personal misconduct that might lead to a Congressional incumbent losing a bid for reelection?
Engaging in bribery, Being involved in a sex scandal.
When members of the Senate wish to halt or delay the passage of a bill, a _____ may take place.
Filibuster
The privilege of incumbents to send mail to their constituencies at the governments expense is known as the ____ privilege.
Franking
The redrawing of congressional boundaries to benefit a political party is called.
Gerrymandering
Every bill must be approved by both the House and the Senate in _____ form before it can be sent to the president.
Identical
In the larger majority of cases, the winner of a congressional campaign is the
Incumbent
When a bill falls into the area in which a committee is authorized to act, that committee is said to have
Jurisdiction
An example of Congress's ____ is when Congress passes legislation that creates incentives for the development of alternative energy sources.
Lawmaking function
The party that controls the rules and has the most powerful leadership position in the House is the_____ party.
Majority
In the House, both the full committee and a subcommittee may ______, or propose changes to, a bill.
Mark up
Among the reasons why Congress has difficulty taking the lead on broad issues are the facts that
Members of Congress come from different districts and often have conflicting views on national policy, Congress has two chambers, and they are not always in agreement on policy issues.
Elections held in the years between presidential elections are called _____ elections.
Midterm
When major disruptive issues occur incumbents are
More likely to lose.
If the Rules Committees places a "closed rule" on a piece of legislation, then ____ amendments are permitted.
No
Which of the following are the functions of Congress?
Oversight, Representation, Lawmaking
A vote where most members of one political party vote one way while most members of the other party vote the other way is categorized as a _____ unity vote.
Party
Historically, which Senate position has been honorary in nature?
President pro tempore
The sole purpose if a conference committee is to
Reconcile differences in the House and Senate versions of a bill.
When congressional district boundaries are redrawn within a state, it is known as
Redistricting
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
The Speaker of the House has the right to
Speak first during House debate on legislation, Select the chairperson of the House Rules Committee, Choose who may speak on the House floor.
Incumbents have _____ over challengers.
Substantial advantages
Which of the following is a legislative power the president does not possess?
The power to sign only part of a bill into law
Which of the following are true of joint committees.
They are composed of members of both houses, They perform advisory functions.
Which of the following statements about congressional committees are true?
They make it possible for Congress to consider a high volume of bills, They each specialize in a certain area of legislation.
If a vote in the Senate is tied, the _____ _______ breaks the tie.
Vice President
Which of the following about midterm elections are true?
Voter turnout is lower than for presidential elections, There is less media coverage of candidates and issues than in a presidential election, The president's party usually loses seats.
When does a bill become a law?
When Congress overrides a presidential veto and when the president signs it
Incumbents to the United States Senate are only defeated in ____ of re-election races.
16%
The framers of the Constitution granted Congress the power to _____, the greatest of all powers of government.
Make laws
When there is no incumbent running in an election it is called an _____ election and usually sparks heavier spending by the two political parties.
Open-seat
Today, Congress and the president
Share legislative power
In the House of Representatives, debate is limited on the congressional floor by
The Rules Committees.
When is congressional oversight exercised vigorously?
When members are intending to modify an agency program, When members are annoyed with an agency
Which of the following are true concerning women and minorities who run for congressional office?
Women and minorities have a winning percentage that is roughly the same as non-incumbent white males, Women and minorities are less likely to run for Congress than white males.
In Congress, disagreement over national policy usually occurs
Along partisan divisions
Which of the following makes a Senate challenger more likely to be successful?
Having access to large sums of money to fund the campaign, Having an existing campaign organization, Having strong public recognition
When a committee or subcommittee holds a _____, they are tying to gather information about a proposed bill.
Hearing
A committee that is composed of members of both chambers of Congress is known as a _____ committee.
Joint
Which of the following is the most powerful leadership position in the Senate?
Majority Leader
Ensuring that laws are being administered by the executive branch in the way intended by Congress is an important function of Congress and is known as
Oversight
Which of the following statements are true of bills that are killed in committee?
Some bills are not supported by the members who introduced the, They can be brought back to life by a vote of the full House or Senate, Most are poorly conceived or of little interest to anyone
A permanent committee in Congress is known as a _____ committee.
Standing
Which of the following methods is most often used to select committee chairs?
The seniority system
Which of the following are activities that typically take place in a party caucus?
Developing issues, Adopting a single policy message.
In terms of the budget to hire office staff,
Senators receive varying amounts of money, depending on the population of their state. House members receive identical amounts of money.
Who helps the Speaker set the party's legislative agenda in the House?
The Majority Leader
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 give various interests a voice in the legislative process as part of Congress's _____ function.
Representative
