Chapter 11
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 duties of the speaker of the house
-Scheduling legislation for floor consideration -Recognizing members who will be allowed to speak on the floor
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.
Which function is the main responsibility of congress which all other functions of congress are related to
Lawmaking
Redistricting consists of
Redrawing congressional district boundaries within a state
When does a bill become a law?
When the President signs it When congress overrides a presidential veto
Redrawing congressional district boundaries to favor a particular group or party is known as
gerrymandering
Pork barrel projects show constituents that their representative
is actively working for them in congress
Members of the House of Representatives typically serve on ___ committees, while members of senate serve on ___.
two, four
Which of the following makes a senate challenger more likely to be successful
•having strong public recognition •having an existing campaign organization • having access to large sums of money to fund the campaign
Which of the following are true about joint committees
•they perform advisory functions •they are composed of members of both houses
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 •women and minorities have a winning percentage that roughly the same as the non incumbent white males
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 of Congress come from different districts and often have conflicting views on national policy
On major bills, it is increasingly typical for the majority party's leaders to
-direct floor debate after bill leaves committee -shape bill's broad content
Reapportionment takes place every ___ years following census
10
Incumbents to the United States senate are only defeated in ____ of re-election races
16%
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%
Which of the following best explain why a member of congress is chosen to a party leadership position
Ability to work with the other party Ability to successful promote the party's goals within congress Demonstrated leadership. Ability
Which of the following could be considered personal misconduct that might lead to a congressional incumbent losing a bid for re-election
Being involved in a sex scandal Engaging in bribery
___ is a proposed legislative act that if passed by both chambers of congress and signed by the president becomes a law
Bill
When an incumbent personally helps constituents solve problems with the federal bureaucracy it is known as
Casework
Which of the following is a procedural move in the senate that can end a filibuster
Cloture
Which of the following are common threats to incumbency
Disruptive issues Strong challengers Personal misconduct
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 taxpaying public as a whole.
Distributive
Most congressional bills survive committee scrutiny and are voted upon by the house and senate
False
The privilege of incumbents to send mail to their constituencies at the governments expense is known as the ___ privilege
Franking
If the majority of the members of the House of Representatives are rupublican, then every committee and subcommittee in the house will
Have a majority of republican members
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 string public recognition
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.
___ typically benefit from gerrymander because the majority party ensures that there are enough of the party's voters in the incumbents district to ensure their reelection
Incumbents
The practice in which meme era of congress agree to vote for a bill in exchange for their colleagues vote on another bill is called
Logrolling
Elections held in the years between presidential elections are called ______ elections
Midterm
The trend toward part unity in congress can clearly be seen in voting records of members congress when their votes are officially recorded during a ___-___ vote
Roll-call
In the House of Representatives, debate is limited on the congressional floor by
Rules committees
_____ ___ refers to a practice where members of congress respond to constituents individual requests for information or a help with a federal benefit or service
Service strategy
The most powerful leader in the House of Representatives is the
Speaker of the House
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
How do committees and subcommittees serve to decentralize lower in congress
They allow more members to hold leadership positions
Gerrymandering is
Usually legal
If a vote in the Senate is tied, the __________ ____________ breaks the tie.
Vice President
Both political parties in the house have a ___, who act as a go-between with the leadership and the party member in the house.
Whip
Which of the following strongly and positively affects a congressional candidates ability to raise money and win an election
being an incumbent
The U.S congress is a ___ legislature with two chambers, the house and the senate.
bicameral
Most members of Congress are
career politicians who want to stay in Congress and put themselves in position for reelection
The plan strategy and resolve policy issues party members in Congress typically meet behind closed doors and a session called a party ______
caucus
Members of congress usually serve on congressional committees that concentrate on policy areas that affect the members
constituency
Select committees are
designed to address a specific issue or problem
How does the public generally feel about congress
dissatisfied
When members of the Senate wish to halt or delay the passage of a bill, a _____ may take place.
filibuster
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 election
incumbent moderates
What is one reason why incumbents have a fundraising advantage over challengers
incumbents have a ready list of potential contributors from past campaigns
One reason why standing committees are powerful is that they have by law
jurisdiction over bills in their designated policy area
Which of the following are the functions of congress
lawmaking, representation, oversight
the increase in party polarization in congress has led to increased
legislative gridlock
Which of the following positions in the senate schedules debates on legislation
majority leader
The framers of the constitution granted congress the power to ___, the greatest of all powers of government
make laws
In the House, both the full committee and a subcommittee may ___, or propose changes to, a bill.
mark up
When major disruptive issues occur incumbents are
more likely to lose
Members of congress may experience conflict between their lawmaking responsibility and their responsibility to represent their constituency because
not all policies that are good for the nation as a whole coincide with the needs of their constituency
An _____ rule allows members to propose amendments that are relevant to any section of the bill.
open
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
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
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
Which of the following is a right of the president pro tempore
preside over the Senate in the absence of the vice president
The speaker of the house has the right to
select the chairperson of the House Rules Committee. speak first during House debate on legislation. choose who may speak on the House floor.
Choosing committee chairs based on which member has the longest continuous tenure on a standing committee is an example of the
seniority system
Which of the following terms describes a permanent committee in congress that has a defined legislative jurisdiction
standing committee
Incumbents have ___ over challengers
substantial advantages
What occurs after a conference committee reconciles differences in the house and senate versions of a bill
the bill goes back to both chambers for a vote
Put in order the following steps that a bill must pass through in order to become law.
•a member of the House of Representatives or the senate formally propose the bill •the bill is submitted to a committee for consideration •a majority of members in the house and senate approve the bill •president signs the bill