Government Ch. 11 Smartbook

in insecure majorities, Frances Lee noted that, in the currently closely matched parties, members of Congress are engaged in _________ rather than "governing"

"messaging"

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

- Adopting a single policy message - Developing issues

which of the following oversight tools help Congress to ensure that the executive branch is administering the laws properly

-congressional hearings -budgetary appropriations

which of the following are functions of the Congress

-lawmaking -oversight -representation

which of the following correctly describes protocol for committee membership

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

which of the following statements about midterm elections are generally true

-there is less media coverage of candidates and issues than in a presidential election -voter turnout is lower for presidential elections -the president's party usually loses seats

when does a bill become a law

-when Congress override a presidential veto -when the president signs it

when is congressional oversight exercised vigorously

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

at present there are ______ standing committees in the House of Representatives

20

in order to be a member of the House of Representatives, a person must be ______ years of age

25

The most powerful leader in the House of Representatives is the

Speaker of the House

which of the following is a legislative power the president does not possess

The power to sign only part of a bill into law

why is the rules committee considered one of the most important committees in the house

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

which of the following strongly and positively affects a congressional candidates ability to raise money and win an election

being an incumbent

partisan voting is most apparent when members are voting on major _______ issues

domestic policy

most congressional bills survive committee scrutiny and are voted upon by the house and senate

false

The framers of the constitution granted Congress the power to _______, the greatest of all powers of government

make laws

which of the following is a major reason why incumbents are reelected

many congressional districts and some state's are lopsidedly democratic or republican

The term that describes the minority party's committee and subcommittee leaders is ______ members

ranking

The sole purpose of a conference committee is to

reconcile differences in the house and senate versions of a bill

Congress is an institution in which many interests are represented, which is a strength in a diverse nation; yet Congress is also a place in which narrow interests can block Congress from acting even though there's an important national need, which is a weakness

true

members of the House of representatives typically serve on ________ committees, well members of the Senate serve on _______

two; four

compared with their percentage of the overall population of the United States, women and minorities are _______ in congress

underrepresented

before 1900, service in congress

was not usually a career for most of its members

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 -majority of members in the House and senate approve the bill -The president signs the bill

if congressional representatives find themselves having to choose between angering voters and donors or angering party leadership by refusing to go along with the vote, which will they likely choose

angering leadership by voting they way donors and voters want them to

a(n) ______ is a proposed legislative act that if passed by both chambers of Congress and signed by the president becomes law

bill

congress's structure makes it easier to

block legislation than enact it

The plan strategy and resolve policy issues party members in Congress typically meet behind closed doors and a session called a party ______

caucus

which of the following is not a direct power of the committee chair

changes party affiliation at will

if the president chooses to veto a bill

congress can override the veto by two-thirds vote in each chamber

if the majority of the members of the House of representatives are Republican, then every committee and subcommittee in the house will

have a majority of republican members

when a committee or subcommittee holds a(n) _____, they are trying to gather information about a proposed bill

hearing

every bill must be approved by both the House and the Senate in ________ form before it can be sent to the president

identical, same, like, or exact

in the large majority of cases, the winner of a congressional campaign is the

incumbent

congressional elections usually favor

incumbents

when a bill falls into the area in which a committee is authorized to act, the committee is said to have

jurisdiction

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

jurisdiction over bills in their designated policy area

which function of the main responsibility of Congress, to which all other functions of congress are related

lawmaking

in the house, both the full committee and a subcommittee may ________, or propose changes to, a bill

mark up

elections held in the years between presidential elections are called _____ elections

midterm

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 function describes the process by which the legislature checks on the executive branch to make sure it is carrying out the laws in the way Congress intended

oversight

if a "turf war" erupts as different committees vie for jurisdiction over a bill, who or what decides the committee assignment

party leaders

The partisan divide in Congress has grown in recent years and each party engages in ______, which is when party members band together on legislation and oppose the other party

party unity

The increase in party polarization in congress has led to increased

policy deadlock

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

roll call

choosing committee chairs based on which member has the longest continuous tenure on a standing committee is an example of the ______ system

seniority

today, congress and the president

share legislative power

a limit of ______ exists for how long a republican member can chair a particular committee

six years

which of the following terms describes a permanent committee in Congress that has a defined legislative jurisdiction

standing committee

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

Who helps the Speaker set the party's legislative agenda in the House

the majority leader

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

the rules committee

which of the following methods is most often used to select committee chairs

the seniority system

whether or not Congress takes the lead in the making of laws usually depends on

the types of policy at issue

how do you committees and subcommittees serve to decentralize power in Congress

they allow more members to hold leadership positions

which of the following is true of bills that emerge from committee with the full support of the committee members

they are typically passed by an overwhelming majority

what is it that holds party lawmakers together

they have far more in common with each other than they do with lawmakers of the other party

polls indicate that voters opinion of Donald Trump performance had what effect in the 2018 midterms

those who were discontented with Trump helped Democrats retake control of the house

After clearing the committee stage, floor debate on a bill is usually led by the majority party's leadership in the house

true

positive aspects of party polarization include the fact that

voters can more clearly see and understand party differences