POS2041: Chapter 11 - Questions - Congress: Balancing National Goals and Local Interests Assignment

which of the following are true of joint committees

-They are composed of members of both houses. -They perform advisory functions

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.

at present there are more than __________ standing committees in the House of Representatives

20

In order to be a member of the House, a person must be __ years of age and a citizen for at least __ years.

25; 7

In order to be a member of the Senate, a person must be __ years of age and a citizen for at least __ years.

30; 9

compared to the 1980s, the cost of running for the house of representatives has risen by more than ____ in 2010

600%

members of the US House of Representatives are re-elected in _____ of races

92%

True or False: Most congressional bills survive committee scrutiny and are voted upon the House of Senate

False

in terms of the budget to hire office staff,

House members receive identical amounts of money; senators receive varying amounts of money, depending on the population of their state

Which of the following describes the power of Congress relative to the other branches of government

No executive agency or lower court can exist unless authorized by Congress

when does a bill become a law

When the President signs it; when Congress overrides a presidential veto

Put in order the following steps that a bill must pass through in order to become law (place the items from first to last)

a member of the House of Representatives or the Senate formally proposes the bill; the bill is submitted to a committee for consideration; a majority of members in the House and Senate approve the bill; the president signs the bill

which of the following are true concerning women and minorities who run for Congressional office

a. women and minorities are less likely to run for Congress than white males; b. women and minorities have a winning percentage that is roughly the same as non-incumbent white males

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 successfully promote the party's goals within Congress; demonstrated leadership ability

In congress, disagreement over national policy usually occurs

along partisan divisions

Why is the Rules Committee 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 could be considered personal misconduct that might lead to a congressional incumbent losing a bid for reelection

being involved in a sex scandal; engaging in bribery

the U.S. Congress is a __________ legislature with two Chambers, the house and the Senate

bicameral

____ is a proposed legislative act that if passed by both chambers of congress and signed by the president

bill

to plan strategy and resolve policy issues, party members in Congress typically meet behind closed doors in a session called a party _____________

caucus

To end a filibuster, sixty senators must agree to invoke __________ and end the debate

cloture

members of congress are attentive to the concerns of the constituents because constituents

determine whether or not they stay in office

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

true or false: it is more common for house incumbents than Senate incumbents to face challengers in the form of prominent local politicians

false

When members of the Senate wish to halt or delay the passage of a bill, a __________ may take place

filibuster

Hearings are an effective way for committees to

gather information

the redrawing of congressional boundaries to benefit a political party is called

gerrymandering

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

identical

donors are more willing to make campaign contributions to

incumbents

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

jurisdiction over bills in their designated policy area

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

lawmaking

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

the practice in which members of congress agree to vote for a bill in exchange for their colleague's vote on another bill is called ______

logrolling

the party that controls the rules and has the most powerful leadership position in the house is the _____________ party

majority

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

many congressional districts and some states are lopsidedly democratic or republican

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

If the Rules Committee places a "closed rule" on a piece of legislation, then __________ amendments are permitted

no

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

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

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

the process of determining how many house seats each state is allowed as a result of population change since the last census is known as

reapportionment

the sole purpose of a conference committee is to

reconcile differences in the House and Senate versions of a bill.

when congressional district boundaries are redrawn within a state, it is known as

redistricting

the trend toward party unity in Congress can clearly be seen in voting records of members Congress when their votes are officially recorded during a __________-________________ vote

roll-call

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

on major bills, it is increasingly typical for the majority party's leaders to

shape the bill's broad content; direct the floor debate after the bill leaves the committee

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 president usually better suited than congress to taking the lead on broad national issues

the president has sole executive authority and thus can decide a course of action without needing the consent of other top executives

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

the seniority system

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

Which of the following is a right of the president pro tempore

to preside over the Senate in the absence of the vice president

true or false: congress is an institution where many interests are represented, which is a strength in a diverse nation, yet congress is also a place where narrow interests can block congress from acting even when there's an important national need, which is a weakness

true

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

underrepresented

If a vote in the Senate is tied, the __________ __________ breaks the tie

vice president

why are incumbents at risk when elections are being waged in the context of disruptive issues

voters are more likely to believe those in power should be removed from office

When is congressional oversight exercised vigorously

when members are annoyed with an agency; when members are intending to modify an agency program; have discovered that a legislative authorization is being abused

put in order the following steps that a bill must pass through in order to become law. (Place the items from first to last)

1. a member of the House of Representatives or the Senate formerly proposes to Bill. 2. the bill is submitted to a committee for consideration. C. A majority of members in the House and Senate approve the bill. For. The president signs the bill

which of the following is the most powerful leadership position in the senate

majority leader

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

redistricting consists of

redrawing of congressional district boundaries within a state

members of congress give various interests a voice in the legislative process as part of congress's __________ function

representative

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