Chapter 5

An election results in a Senate with 55 Democrats and 45 Republicans. On a committee of 24 senators, how many would be Republicans?

11

To virtually eliminate the threat of a filibuster, the Senate would have to have a minimum of how many members from one party?

60

Which of these is likely to occur during a congressional session?

Both the House and the Senate are in operation at the same time.

A legislative director who wanted advice on the legality of a provision in an educational reform bill would contact which of these congressional support agencies?

GAO (Government Accountability Office

Counterterrorism and Intelligence is most likely a subcommittee of which of these standing committees in the House?

Homeland Security

Which is a key difference between the Senate and the House?

In the Senate, each state has an equal voice during debate.

Which of these is one reason that the number of personal staff members has become five times larger in the past 70 years?

Individuals now ask for more help with government matters.

What is most likely to happen to a Senate bill that is opposed by the leadership of the minority party?

It is likely to have holds placed on it before it reaches the Senate floor.

Which of these statements is true for both the House of Representatives and the Senate?

Members get allowances to visit their states.

How can political parties influence policy through congressional staff?

Personal staff are likely to be in the same party as the member they work for.

Which statement describes a difference between the roles of personal and subcommittee staff?

Personal staff support one member; subcommittee staff support members from all parties.

A Florida House member representing Cape Canaveral and other areas where NASA is active is most likely to request membership on which of these standing committees?

Science, Space, and Technology

Which of these actions might result in the expulsion of a member of the House?

The member violates House rules by improperly using campaign donations.

one reason for increasing staff for the last 30 years

advanced technology

The House rule that limits the amount of time a member can speak during a debate is meant to

allow many bills to be heard.

closed meeting used by members of a party to make decisions

caucus

administrative assistant who supervises staff and runs a lawmaker's office

chief of staff

If a member wishes to have power over a bill after it has been passed, the member should request a position on which type of committee?

conference committee

An amendment based on an idea proposed by James Madison in 1789 was enacted in 1992. This amendment relates to which of the following?

congressional pay raises

can effect a member's choice on which committees to serve

constituent

One political party has consistently won a House seat within a particular district with 75-80% of the vote. Then, one year, the other party wins the seat with 85% of the vote. This result could be evidence of which of the following?

gerrymandering

Which of these would MOST likely be a result of increasing the concentration of power within the office of the Speaker of the House?

increase in unity within a party

personal staffer who provides information to lawmaker about legislative issues

legislative director

assists the Speaker in planning the legislative program of the party

majority leader

Which of these is one duty of a standing committee chair?

manage floor debates on bills from their committees

To maintain uniformity in democratic proceedings, Thomas Jefferson wrote the first rules manual for Congress when he was vice president. Which of the following behaviors would not be tolerated, based on this rules manual?

one member directly debating another on the House floor

When a bill comes to a vote on the House floor, you know that it has

passed through the House Rules Committee.

number of members needed to take an official legislative action

quorum

studies issues and writes memos related to bills for a variety of members

subcommittee staff

Which of these committee types has the greatest powers over the movement of a bill through Congress?

the House Rules Committee

Which of these Senate procedures requires cooperation between the parties?

unanimous consent

Which two individuals share the duty of presiding over the Senate?

vice president and president pro tempore

persuades members of their party to vote a certain way on bills

whip

Staff for the Conservation, Forestry and Natural Resources subcommittee of the Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee in the Senate would be experts in which of the following?

wood products