Khan Academy Chapter 4

The president wants Congress to pass a new tax to help raise funds for a high-speed transcontinental train. Which of the following is the first step in the process of passing the bill?

A member of the House must introduce the bill to the House floor

Which of the following scenarios would be considered logrolling?

A senator agrees to vote on another senator's bill, provided that the senator will support their own legislation

Which of the following is a consequence of holds applied to a bill in the Senate?

A senator can slow down the legislative process

Which of the following statements is most consistent with the cartoon's message?

As entitlement costs grow, discretionary spending has to decrease unless tax revenues increase or Congress permits the budget deficit to increase

Based on the information in the pie charts, which of the following is the most likely implication of entitlement and discretionary spending as a portion of the federal budget?

As entitlement costs grow, discretionary spending opportunities will decrease

Which of the following statements explains how the structural differences between the House and Senate affect the policymaking process?

Because members of the House have shorter term lengths, they are more likely to be influenced by demands from their constituents

"And the closer the 2006 midterm elections got, the more nervous congressional Republicans could be expected to get. Republican leaders in the House of Representatives sought to have the Senate move first, not wanting to have their members go out on a limb with a series of potentially costly party-line roll call votes that would have no policy payoff if Republicans in the Senate decided not to move a bill because they did not have the votes needed to pass it." Martin A. Levin, et. al, Building Coalitions, Making Policy: The Politics of the Clinton, Bush & Obama Presidencies, 2012 How might term-length differences have contributed to the lack of support from House Republicans?

Because members of the House have two-year terms, they are unlikely to support a piece of legislation that may upset their constituents

How do the different chamber sizes in the House of Representatives and the Senate influence the formality of debate in each chamber?

Because there are more members in the House of Representatives, there is a more formal process for debate

Which of the following is an accurate comparison of the enumerated and implied powers of Congress? Enumerated power-Implied power A Establishing post offices -Banning the mailing of dry ice B Maintaining a national bank-Coining money C Regulating immigration-Creating a path to citizenship for immigrants D Maintaining the armed forces-Declaring war

Comparison A

Which of the following is an accurate comparison of the Senate and House of Representatives? House of Representatives-Senate A Elected members are chosen by constituents of an entire state-Elected members are chosen by constituents in a local district based on population B Designed to represent the population-Designed to represent states equally C Confirms Supreme Court appointments-Ratifies treaties D Has flexible floor debate rules that protect the minority-Has rigid floor debate rules that favor the majority

Comparison B

Which of the following is an accurate comparison of the enumerated and implied powers of Congress? Enumerated power-Implied power A Regulating the sale of commodities like alcohol-Outlawing the sale of some drugs like marijuana B Coining money-Maintaining a national bank C Drafting Americans into the military-Maintaining the armed forces D Declaring war-Passing a federal budget

Comparison B

Which of the following is an accurate comparison of the structure and function of the House of Representatives and the Senate? House of Representatives-Senate A Members can delay the policymaking process through the use of a filibuster-Members can delay the policymaking process through the use of holds B Responsible for proposing all tax bills-Responsible for ratifying all treaties C Constituents of an entire state choose elected members-Constituents in a local district choose elected members D Responsible for initiating all articles of impeachment-Responsible for scheduling bills for the floor of the House

Comparison B

Which of the following is an accurate comparison of the two court cases? Baker v. Carr (1961) Shaw v. Reno (1993) A Ruled that Tennessee violated the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment Ruled that North Carolina violated the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment B Led to the "one-person, one-vote" judicial doctrine Prohibited oddly-shaped majority-minority districts C Decided that the Supreme Court can declare a law unconstitutional Decided that federal courts can intervene and decide redistricting cases D Extended the Fourteenth Amendment to apply to the states Led to an increase in power for the national government

Comparison B

Which of the following is an accurate comparison of the two court cases? Baker v. Carr (1961)-Shaw v. Reno (1993) A Declared that Tennessee violated the First Amendment-Declared that North Carolina violated the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment B Led to the "one-person, one-vote" judicial doctrine-Ended gerrymandering across the United States C Decided that federal courts could intervene and decide redistricting cases-Decided that redistricting plans based on race must be held to a strict standard of scrutiny D Led to an increase in power for the national government-Led to an increase in power for state governments on matters of redistricting

Comparison C

Which of the following is an accurate comparison of the roles of President of the Senate and Speaker of the House? President of the Senate-Speaker of the House A Manages the Rules Committee-Oversees day-to-day operation of the legislative process B Persuades members to support the majority party's position-Serves as national spokesperson for the party C Elected by the minority party of the Senate-Elected by the majority party of the House D Casts a vote only if there is a tie-Assigns legislation to committees

Comparison D

Which of the following is an intended consequence of ideological divisions within Congress?

Compromise between the two parties on congressional legislation

Which of the following is an enumerated power Congress has in making foreign policy?

Confirming ambassadors to foreign countries

Which of the following programs would fall under the discretionary spending portion of the pie chart?

Defense spending

"Size explains much about why the two chambers differ. Because it is larger, the 435-member House . . . is a more structured body than the 100-member Senate. Indeed, the restraints imposed on representatives by rules and precedents are more severe than those affecting senators . . . The Senate is more involved than the House in cultivating national constituencies, forming questions for national debate, and gaining general public support for policy proposals." -Walter J. Oleszek, Congressional Procedures and the Policy Process Which of the following statements is most consistent with the author's argument in the passage?

Different chamber sizes and constituencies influence the formality of debate in each chamber

"Senators have increasingly used holds, their ability to block consideration of a nominee indefinitely, as a broader partisan weapon to keep presidents from filling key positions, including many qualified and usually noncontroversial nominees . . . . The confirmation rate of presidential circuit court appointments has plummeted from above 90 percent in the late 1970s and early 1980s to around 50 percent in recent years." Thomas E. Mann and Norman J. Ornstein, It's Even Worse than it Looks, 2012 Based on the text, which of the following statements would the authors most likely agree with?

Divided government has led to an increase in congressional refusal to confirm appointments of presidents of the opposite party

Use the excerpt to answer the question below. "Senators have increasingly used holds, their ability to block consideration of a nominee indefinitely, as a broader partisan weapon to keep presidents from filling key positions, including many qualified and usually noncontroversial nominees . . . . The confirmation rate of presidential circuit court appointments has plummeted from above 90 percent in the late 1970s and early 1980s to around 50 percent in recent years." Thomas E. Mann and Norman J. Ornstein, It's Even Worse than it Looks, 2012 Based on the text, which of the following statements would the authors most likely agree with?

Divided government has led to an increase in congressional refusal to confirm appointments of presidents of the opposite party

Which of the following statements describes a difficulty the federal government faces in policymaking when there is a divided government?

Divided government may result in the delay or death of major policy because of ideological clashes between parties

Which of the following actions by a state government would most likely violate the precedent established by Shaw v. Reno (1993)?

Drawing new congressional district lines in a city that grouped people based on race

Which of the following accurately summarizes the information presented in the pie charts?

Entitlement spending has steadily become a larger portion of the federal budget

Which of the following statements best explains how rule differences in the House of Representatives and the Senate can affect the policymaking process?

Even though the House may pass a bill, the Senate can kill the bill with a filibuster

Which of the following is an enumerated power of Congress?

Generating a budget that addresses both discretionary and mandatory spending

Which of the following statements best explains an advantage the majority party in the House of Representatives has in lawmaking?

It can assign bills to committees

Which statement accurately summarizes the impact of the Shaw v. Reno (1993) decision?

It created a strict standard of scrutiny when creating new legislative districts, ruling that race cannot be the predominant factor

Which of the following statements best explains the impact the necessary and proper clause has had on congressional power?

It has broadened the power of Congress to enact legislation addressing a wide range of economic, environmental, and social issues

Pork barrel legislation is best defined as which of the following?

Laws that include federally-funded local projects that benefit a specific district

Senator Jon Snow has proposed a bill to increase funds to the military to fight the White Walkers threatening to invade the North. He hasn't received enough support to get the bill to pass, so he reaches out to Senator Daenerys Targaryen for her support. She agrees to support his bill as long as Senator Snow supports her legislation that allows public schools to teach High Valyrian as an elective language. This is an example of which of the following?

Logrolling

In 1972, Congress passed the Clean Water Act, which regulates the amount of pollutants there can be in waters of the United States and the quality standards for surface waters. Which of the following constitutional provisions granted Congress the power to pass environmental protection laws like the Clean Water Act?

Necessary and proper clause in Article I

What role do coalitions play in the policymaking process?

Politicians create coalitions to enact policy that has broad support from the public

Congress member Chidi Anagonye has proposed an Agriculture Appropriations bill that would fund important agricultural food programs and food services. While the bill was in committee, Congress member Eleanor Shellstrop added an amendment to the bill that would send $250,000 to her district in Arizona for an Arizona Fried Shrimp Institute. She says she will only vote for the bill if it includes the funds for her district. This is an example of which of the following?

Pork barrel legislation

The majority party in the Senate wants to vote on a bill that would change requirements for granting citizenship, but a member of the minority party has the floor and continues to debate the bill. Which of the following may a senator of the majority party do to stop debate on the bill?

Propose a cloture vote

Which of the following describes the role of the House Rules Committee?

Schedules and manages the flow of legislation on the floor

Ohio has 16 representatives in the House of Representatives, but only two representatives in the Senate. Which of the following statements best explains the reason for this difference in representation?

The House represents states according to the size of their population, while the Senate represents the states equally

Representative Siddiqui introduces a bill that would reform campaign finance in the House of Representatives. After the bill is assigned a number, which of the following describes the next step of the lawmaking process?

The Speaker of the House assigns the bill to a relevant committee

15 percent of Congress member Seaborn's constituents have reached out to him urging him to support a new bill expanding Medicaid coverage to people who make $20,000 a year. Even though he disagrees with this position on the bill, he does as his constituents wish. He tries to follow his constituents' wishes on every bill, regardless of how many calls he gets. Which model of representation do his actions embody?

The delegate model

Junior Congress member Ben Wyatt is deciding whether or not to support a bill that would guarantee free wifi for his district in Pawnee, Indiana. He thinks that free wifi would be a great improvement to his community, but waits for feedback from his constituents before he casts his vote. A majority of citizens in Pawnee support the bill, so Congress member Wyatt decides to vote in favor of it. Which model of representation do his actions embody?

The delegate model

Congress member Amy Santiago votes her conscience on bills that her constituents care little about, but she votes according to the wishes of her constituents on bills they care about a lot. Which model of representation do her actions embody?

The politico model

Senator Leslie Knope plans to vote in favor of two major bills. The first bill is about buying some land in Indiana and turning it into a national park. The second bill will ban any fast food restaurant from serving a 128-ounce soft drink. 21,000 constituents have called her asking her to vote against the second bill, but no constituents have called her about the national park bill. Senator Knope decides to vote in favor of the first bill, but listens to her constituents and votes against the second bill. Which model of representation do her actions embody?

The politico model

Senator Ramirez listens to her constituents' wishes on every piece of legislation, but always votes her conscience, even if it goes against her constituents' wishes on pieces of legislation they care about. Which model of representation do her actions embody?

The trustee model

The Republican Party in the House of Representatives has recently proposed a new tax bill that would cut corporate taxes for the top 1% of Americans. Representative Ron Swanson, a libertarian, has decided to vote for the bill even though a recent poll of his district shows that 56% of his constituents do not support the new tax bill. Which model of representation do his actions embody?

The trustee model

Every ten years congressional redistricting occurs for which of the following reasons?

To divide a state into new political districts after changes in population