By the people ch 10
A bill most likely will falter after the conference committee because _____. a. the president will veto it b. the president will cloture the bill c. a Senate member will still filibuster d. it cannot achieve the unanimous vote required
a
A unified government occurs when the House, the Senate, and the presidency are all controlled by _____ party/parties. a. one b. two c. three d. four
a
According to political scientists Mayhew and Krehbiel, a divided government is ______ productive than is a unified government. a. no less b. more c. less d. slightly less
a
According to the textbook, Congress has become more _____. a. partisan b. cooperative c. trustworthy d. effective
a
Co-sponsored legislation demonstrates that _____. a. it is possible for members of different parties to sponsor a bill b. opposing parties eschew the idea of compromise c. legislative acts rarely succeed d. most legislation is dominated by one party
a
If you were a House member, one of your goals would be to secure _____. a. earmarks b. more franking privileges c. greater authority d. more meetings with the Speaker
a
Impeachment proceedings begin in the _____. a. House b. Senate c. Executive Subcommittee d. Senate Ethics Committee
a
Like most other national legislatures, Congress is _____ (comprising "two houses"). a. bicameral b. bilateral c. binary d. bicentenary
a
On noncontroversial issues, legislation will conclude with a _____ vote. a. voice b. conference c. roll call d. cloture
a
Special committees are often referred to as _____ committees. a. select b. standing c. investigative d. social
a
The House is sometimes referred to as _____. a. the lower body b. the lesser body c. the budgetary body d. the Ways and Means body
a
The Senate has sole power to review presidential appointments—the Constitution confers this power through the _____ Clause. a. Advice and Consent b. Support and Maintain c. Necessary and Proper d. Enclave
a
The Ways and Means Committee is a permanent committee located in the _____. a. House b. Senate c. House and Senate d. executive branch
a
The _____ hold(s) a trial and decide(s) whether to remove an impeached officeholder. a. Senate b. House c. Supreme Court d. Senate and then the House
a
The _____ view of representation holds that representatives vote according to their best judgment. a. trustee b. diverse c. substantive d. delegate
a
The conference committee _____. a. allows the House and Senate to work out a compromise on a particular piece of legislation b. is the first step in the bill process c. is where the filibuster occurs d. is a permanent collection of House and Senate members
a
The reason congressional members return frequently to their districts is the need to _____. a. win elections b. take advantage of their franking privileges c. promote the president's agenda d. seek new challengers
a
_____ is the reorganization of the boundaries of House districts, a process that follows the results of the U.S. census, taken every ten years, to ensure rough equality in the number of constituents represented by each House member. a. Reapportionment b. Reallocation c. Reassignment d. Redistribution
a
_____ refers to the proportion of each party's House and Senate members who vote with the party majority. a. Party cohesion b. Bureaucratic politics c. Central decision-making d. Legislative control
a
_____ representation measures the extent to which members of Congress resemble the people they represent in terms of race, ethnicity, gender, age, national origin, and so on. a. Descriptive b. Demographical c. Geographic d. Substantive
a
_____ senators must vote for cloture to stop a filibuster. a. Sixty b. Seventy-five c. Fifty d. Sixty-five
a
A _____ refers to two chambers of Congress and the presidency controlled by different parties. a. divided government b. subdued government c. open government d. bifurcated government
a*
A House Representative's term lasts _____ years. a. four b. two c. three d. six
b
A _____ committee is a permanent committee in Congress. a. select b. standing c. conference d. social
b
A _____ committee is comprised of both House and Senate members. a. reserved b. joint c. ways and means d. investigative
b
A central function of the Speaker of the House is to _____. a. settle all debates b. rule on procedural issues c. compromise on key issues d. make sure all proposed legislation goes to the president
b
A key legislative reform of the 1970s mandated that all _____. a. proposed legislation be passed b. committees keep full records of important votes c. critical legislation be censured d. legislation move to the conference committee
b
A member of Congress who lacks the capacity to promote significant reform would most likely be referred to as a _____. a. bass b. minnow c. goldfish d. shark
b
A presidential treaty made with another country must be approved by a _____ majority vote in the Senate. a. one-third b. two-thirds c. three-fifths d. four-fifths
b
According to political scientist Binder, a divided government _____ stalemate. a. avoids b. leads to c. lessens d. softens
b
All budget measures must begin in the _____. a. conference committee b. House c. Senate d. House or Senate
b
Because of the committee system, Congress winds up with multiple centers of authority, making the legislative process _____. a. faster b. slower c. more efficient d. more transparent
b
Committees are central to Congress because they _____. a. create more jobs for staffers b. allow congressional members to specialize on a particular issue c. are mandated by Congress d. ease the passage of legislation
b
Congress usually remains in session from the beginning of _____. a. January through mid-October b. January through early August c. January through early November d. January through early June and September through November
b
Congressional committees both aid and _____ the legislative process. a. improve b. fragment c. redirect d. enhance
b
Most proposed legislation _____. a. becomes law b. does not become law c. is debated endlessly in the House d. is debated endlessly in the Senate
b
On more controversial issues, a _____ vote is required. a. voice b. roll call c. committee d. conference
b
Reapportionment occurs because of _____. a. age b. population change c. income change d. defense concerns
b
Someone hoping to enact landmark legislation would most likely be referred to as a _____. a. demagogue b. whale c. minnow d. shark
b
The House-Senate conference committee bill must be _____ before it goes to the president. a. similar b. identical c. different d. complex
b
The Senate is made up of _____ members. a. 50 b. 100 c. 150 d. 200
b
The _____ is the majority-party senator with the longest Senate service. a. the vice president b. the president pro tempore c. the majority leader d. the minority leader
b
The _____ is the second in command in the House. a. minority leader b. majority leader c. majority whip d. minority whip
b
The idea that Congress can override a presidential veto illustrates the concept of _____. a. power b. checks and balances c. abuse of power d. separation of powers
b
When we hear the term City on the Hill, it most likely refers to the idea that _____. a. Congress is built on a hill b. many constituent interests are located around the Capitol c. legislation is difficult to pass d. congressional salaries are equal to most CEO salaries
b
Major rewrites of a bill occur in the _____. a. conference committee b. subcommittee c. markup sessions d. Judiciary Committee
c
Members of Congress must live in the same state or district—which is known as _____ representation. a. descriptive b. demographical c. geographic d. substantive
c
Party discipline in the House would most likely be achieved by the ______. a. Speaker of the House b. majority leader c. majority party whip d. minority leader
c
Since 1990, congressional members have voted _____ along party lines. a. 75 percent b. 65 percent c. 90 percent d. 100 percent
c
The "People's Branch" is otherwise referred to as _____. a. the House b. the Senate c. Congress d. the courts
c
The House of Representatives has _____ members. a. 421 b. 431 c. 441 d. 451
c
The _____ Committee in the U.S. House of Representatives guides the floor action on all legislation. a. Procedures b. Ways c. Rules d. Proofing
c
The _____ is a rule unique to the U.S. Senate that allows any senator to hold the floor indefinitely and thereby delay a vote on a bill to which he or she objects. a. cloture b. logrolling hold c. filibuster d. franking hold
c
Through the process of reapportionment, district lines can be redrawn every _____ years. a. eight b. six c. ten d. five
c
To overcome a presidential veto, Congress needs _____. a. two-thirds approval of the House b. three-quarters approval of the Senate c. two-thirds approval of the House and Senate d. four-fifths approval of the House and Senate
c
You are a Muslim woman who is pro-choice. For your House representative, you vote for an African-American man who is pro-choice rather than his opponent, a woman who is pro-life. Your decision reflects _____ representation. a. diverse b. trustee c. substantive d. delegate
c
_____ can introduce legislation. a. Only House members b. Only Senate members c. Both House and Senate members d. Only senior House and Senate members
c
A House member represents a district of about _____ people. a. 300,000 b. 100,000 c. 1 million d.700,000
d
A Senator's term lasts _____ years. a. four b. two c. three d. six
d
A _____ is an informal way for a senator to object to a bill or other measure reaching the Senate floor. The action effectively halts Senate proceedings on that issue, sometimes for weeks or longer. a. cloture b. franking hold c. motion to hold d. legislative hold
d
A bill can have _____ co-sponsors. a. a maximum of five b. a maximum of ten c. a maximum of twenty, if two are from the home state of the primary sponsor d. unlimited
d
A legislator, according to the _____ view of representation, should take voting instructions directly from his or her constituents. a. trustee b. diverse c. substantive d. delegate
d
Besides enacting legislation, one would expect members of Congress to spend a significant amount of time _____. a. meeting with constituents b. attending ceremonial events c. attending conventions d. both a and b
d
Congress is like a small city because there are _____. a. 535 Congress members b. 25,000 congressional staffers c. thousands of lobbyists d. all of the above
d
Members of Congress share views about political issues—which is known as _____ representation. a. descriptive b. demographical c. geographic d. substantive
d
The _____ hold(s) the power to impeach public officials—including the president—for "high crimes and misdemeanors." a. Senate b. Senate and House c. Senate, House, and Supreme Court d. House
d
The _____ is the chief administrative officer in the House of Representatives. a. majority leader b. minority whip c. majority whip d. Speaker of the House
d
Today, a congressional salary is _____ per year. a. $94,000 b. $325,000 c. $209,000 d.$174,000
d