Gov 2305 Test Review 1
Article 5
Amendment process
__________ was/were most likely to support a strong state government and a weak national government
Anti-federalists
Where are the powers of Congress located?
Article 1 Section 8
The United States' first written constitution was called the______?
Articles of Confederation
What events led to the Revolutionary War (shot heard around the world)?
Battles of Lexington and Concord
Many of the Founders believed that government legitimacy is derived from __________, which holds that governments exist based on the consent of the governed
A social contract
Senate whip
Richard Durbin
Who orchestrated the Boston Tea Party?
Samuel Adams
Which of the following imposed a tax on paper items such as sheet music, cards and books?
Stamp Act
Under the Articles of Confederation, it was left to the ________ to execute laws passed by the Continental Congress.
States
House Majority Leader
Steve Scalise
Which of the following imposed a tax on sugar items such as wine, molasses, sugar?
Sugar Act
What is a pocket veto?
an indirect veto of a legislative bill by the president or a governor by retaining the bill unsigned until it is too late for it to be dealt with during the legislative session.
What was Shays Rebellion?
an uprising by farmers in western Massachusetts protesting mortgage foreclosures
What does the Government Accountability Office do?
audits the financial expenditures of the executive branch
What are the two most common methods of ratifying constitutional amendments?
three-fourths of the state legislatures must approve them, or ratifying conventions in three-fourths of the states must approve them.
Which individual keeps close contact with all members of his or her party, counts votes for key legislation, prepares summaries of bills, and acts as a communications link within the party?
whip
The Virginia Plan called for a national system that would include ______.
legislative, executive, and judicial branches
In the House of Representatives, who is second in authority to the Speaker of the House?
majority leader
What is the most important power of Congress?
make new laws or change existing laws
What is the job of the whip?
- take attendance - count votes - regulate how many votes can be taken
The Bill of Rights comprises how many amendments?
10
How many member of the house and senate?
100 serve in the U.S. Senate and 435 serve in the U.S. House of Representatives.
In what year was the Declaration of Independence signed?
1776
In what year was the U.S. Constitution ratified?
1788
In what year was the Bill of Rights added to the Constitution?
1791
The only constitutional amendment to be repealed was the ______.
18th (prohibition)
How many constitutions has the United States operated under?
2
The executive branch of government is found in what article?
2
Each state has __________ senators, each of whom serves a __________-year term.
2, 6
How many of the thirteen colonies voted for independence?
9
The Constitution required consent from __________states for ratification.
9
What is a Constituent?
A person who is represented politically by a designated government official or officeholder
What are the advantages of incumbency?
A political leader running for reelection benefits from name recognition, the ability to claim credit for projects and money brought to the district or state, casework for constituents, visibility to constituents, free media exposure, better fundraising abilities, more campaigning experience and an established voting record.
In the United States, the national government derives its power from where?
The people
What was the Boston Massacre?
British troops fired on an angry crowd of Boston colonists, killing five and wounding six
Prior to ratification of the Seventeenth Amendment, how were senators selected?
By state legislatures
Senate Majority Leader
Charles Schumer
Prior to ratification of the Seventeenth Amendment, how were senators selected?
Citizens would vote for their state legislators, and those legislators would vote a man into the U.S. Senate.
The "Intolerable Acts" was the colonists' name for the ________ Acts of 1774.
Coercive
Article I, section 8, of the Constitution lists the powers associated with which part of the government
Congress (legislative)
What problems occurred with the Articles of Confederation?
Congress commanded little respect and no support from state governments anxious to maintain their power. Congress could not raise funds, regulate trade, or conduct foreign policy without the voluntary agreement of the states.
select/special committee
Congressional committees appointed for a specific purpose, such as the Watergate investigation.
A representative of the Cherokee Nation serves in the U.S. House of Representatives in what capacity?
Delegate-designate
What was the 3/5 compromise?
Determined 3/5 slaves would count towards population for representation in Congress - favored the South.
Under the Constitution, the president is elected by who?
Electoral College
Article 2
Executive powers
Which of the following people favored a strong national government they also supported the proposed U.S. Constitution?
Federalists
__________ was/were most likely to support a weak state government and a strong national government
Federalists
House Minority Leader
Hakeem Jeffries
What ideas best summarizes philosopher John Locke's arguments about the social contract?
He uses a theory of natural rights to argue that governments have obligations to their citizens, have only limited powers over their citizens, and can ultimately be overthrown by citizens under certain circumstances.
Where do all revenue bills begin?
House of Representatives
What are the requirements to become a member of the House of Representatives and the Senate
House of Reps: at least 25 years old, 7 years of US citizenship, and an inhabitant of the state they represent Senate: at least 30 years of age, 9 years of US citizenship, and residency in the state a senator represents
Where do the articles of impeachment come from
House of representatives
Article 3
Judicial powers
President of the Senate : Vice President
Kamala Harris
Speaker of the house
Kevin McCarthy
Who is the House minority leader and who is he elected by?
Kevin McCarthy. The minority party in the House chooses the minority leader in a caucus
One way the Constitution can be altered without a constitutional amendment is through ______.
Legislation enacted by Congress. Actions of the President of the United States. Decisions of the federal courts. (idk)
What branch/branches of government was part of both the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution?
Legislative (congress)
Article 1
Legislative powers
Article 4
Matters of states, full faith and credit, privileges and immunities, guarantee clause.
Senate Minority Leader
Mitch McConnell
Colonial protesters of the Stamp Act and the Sugar Act rallied around which slogan?
No taxation without representation
The 1787 convention to draft a new constitution was held in what state_________?
Philadelphia
What does the Congressional Research Service do?
Provides members with nonpartisan studies and also tracks the progress of major bills, prepares summaries of bills, and makes information available electronically.
Article 7
Ratification
What is redistricting/ Gerrymandering
Redrawing legislative boundaries every 10 years based on census numbers. Redrawing districts to the advantage of one party.
What did supporters of the New Jersey Plan want to do to the Articles of Confederation?
Supporters of the New Jersey Plan advocated for states to retain power over the national government while strengthening the powers of Congress..
Article 6
Supremacy Clause
Which clause provides that the Constitution shall be the supreme law of the land?
Supremacy Clause
Which government entity has the power to settle disputes between the states?
Supreme Court
Which of the following imposed a tax on tea?
Tea Act
The U.S. Constitution was adopted in response to the weaknesses of which document?
The Articles of Confederation
The First Continental Congress was called partially in response to what? (what did the king do)
The Coercive Acts
__________ was/were used by colonists to keep each other abreast of developments with the British and helped to ferment public opposition to Britain.
The Committees of Correspondence
The Second Continental Congress debated and drafted the _____________from 1775 to 1776?
The Declaration of Independence
The Boston Tea Party was largely a response to what action from the British?
The Tea Act
What are checks and balances?
The system in which it is made sure that no branch has more power than the other.
Why did the colonists rebel against the British government?
They had to pay high taxes to the king. They felt that they were paying taxes to a government where they had no representation. They were also angry because the colonists were forced to let British soldiers sleep and eat in their homes.
Who was the primary author of the Declaration of Independence?
Thomas Jefferson
Article I, section 8 of the Constitution contains the_________ powers
To declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water
What are the reasons for the separation of powers?
To prevent one branch of government from becoming too powerful, and to create a system of checks and balances
House of Reps whip
Tom Emmer
An elected official who votes using their own judgment is a __________.
Trustee
What type of legislature did the United States have under the Articles of Confederation?
Unicameral (one house)
The _____ is the presiding officer of the Senate.
Vice President
What is logrolling?
Vote trading (you vote for my pet projects, I'll vote for yours)
What is impeachment?
a charge of misconduct made against the holder of a public office.
What is a conference committee?
a committee that meets to work out differences between House and Senate versions of a bill
What is Senatorial courtesy?
a custom whereby presidential appointments are confirmed only if there is no objection to them by the senators from the appointee's state, especially from the senior senator of the president's party from that state.
What is the War Powers Resolution?
a federal law intended to check the president's power to commit the United States to an armed conflict without the consent of the U.S. Congress.
Standing committee
a permanent committee that meets regularly.
What is cloture?
a procedure for ending a debate and taking a vote
The Constitutional Convention created which form of legislature?
bicameral national legislature
joint committee
legislative committee composed of members of both houses
What is the principle that each branch of the federal government has some ability to oversee and influence actions by other branches of government?
checks and balances
The formal method for ending a filibuster is __________; it requires the approval of how many senators.
cloture, 60
What does Congress do during the appropriations process?
congress must pass laws to appropriate money for the federal government. congress follows a two step process- an authorization bill & appropriations bill.
The Judicial branch of government is responsible for doing what according to the constitution?
decides the constitutionality of federal laws and resolves other disputes about federal laws
An elected official who votes the way his or her constituents would want is a __________.
delegate
Called_________, or __________ in the case of Puerto Rico, seven representatives have floor privileges but no voting rights
delegates or resident commissioner
What is apportionment ?
dividing the 435 memberships, or seats, in the U.S. House of Representatives among the 50 states.
The executive branch is in charge of doing what in accordance to the constitution?
execution and enforcement of the laws created by Congress.
What is a discharge petition?
forces a bill out of committee
During post-Civil War Reconstruction, passage of the Tenure of Office Act led to the ______.
impeachment of President Andrew Johnson
The typical path a bill follows through the House of Representatives
introduction, committee referral, subcommittee, full committee report, Committee on Rules, full Chamber vote, conference committee, full chamber vote, send to president
The typical path a bill follows through the Senate
introduction, committee referral, subcommittee, full committee report, full chamber debate and vote, conference committee, full chamber vote, send to president.
What is Pork barrel politics?
legislation that gives tangible benefits to constituents in several districts or states in the hope of winning their votes in return
Congress is in charge of doing what in accordance to the constitution?
organizing the executive and judicial branches, raising revenue, declaring war, and making all laws necessary for executing these powers.
Members of the House are apportioned to states based on __________. They serve __________-year terms.
population, 2
What is the job of the president pro tempore?
presides over the Senate when the Vice President is absent
What are the reasons for the separation of powers?
prevent one branch of government from becoming too powerful, and to create a system of checks and balances
What was the Great Compromise?
proposed a bicameral legislature with proportional representation in the lower house and equal representation of the states in the upper house
An elected official who votes according to issues is a__________.
referendum
When was the Declaration of Independence debated and drafted the ___________continental congress
second
The __________ presides over the House of Representatives and is expected to smooth the passage of majority-backed bills.
speaker
conference committee
special joint committee created to reconcile differences in bills passed by the House and Senate
U.S. senators were originally chosen by ______.
state legislatures
There are currently 435 members in the House of Representatives because _____.
state populations
How are committee chairs chosen in the House?
the longest-serving Members of the committee from the majority and minority parties become the chair and ranking member