chap 11 sb

What has been one result of the decreasing number of moderates in Congress?

legislative deadlock

Members of the House of Representatives typically serve on ______ committees, while members of the Senate serve on ______.

2-4

At present there are ______ standing committees in the House of Representatives.

20

A limit of ______ exists for how long a Republican member can chair a particular committee.

6 years

If the president chooses to veto a bill, ______.

Congress can override the veto by a two-thirds vote in each chamber.

Which two of the following are aspects of the dual nature of Congress?

Its members have a duty to serve people in their states or individual districts It has the responsibility to make laws for the country as a whole

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 of Representatives, debate is limited on the congressional floor by ______.

Rules Committee

The most powerful leader in the House of Representatives is the ______

Speaker of the House

Which of the following correctly describes how 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.

Which of the following statements about midterm elections are generally true?

Voter turnout is lower than for presidential elections. There is less media coverage of candidates and issues than in a presidential election. The president's party usually loses seats.

Which of the following are true concerning women and minorities who run for congressional office?

Women and minorities are less likely to run for Congress than white males. There are more women than there are minorities in Congress.

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

The U.S. Congress is a(n) legislature with two chambers, the House and the Senate.

bicameral

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

budgetary appropriations congressional hearings

To plan strategy and resolve policy issues, party members in Congress typically meet behind closed doors in a session called a party _____.

caucus

Which of the following is not a direct power of the committee chair?

changes party affiliation at will

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

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

Hearings are an effective way for committees to

gather information

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.

_______ 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

n the large majority of cases, the winner of a congressional campaign is the ______.

imcumbent

When a bill falls into the area in which a committee is authorized to act, that committee is said to have ______.

jurisdiction

Which function is the main responsibility of Congress, to which all other functions of Congress are related?

lawmaking

An example of Congress's ______ occurs when Congress passes legislation that creates incentives for the development of alternative energy sources.

lawmaking function

Which of the following are the functions of Congress?

lawmaking, representation, oversight

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

majority leader

The framers of the Constitution granted Congress the power to ______, the greatest of all powers of government.

make laws

In the House, both the full committee and a subcommittee may ______, or propose changes to, a bill.

mark up

In Insecure Majorities, Frances Lee noted that, in the currently closely matched parties, members of Congress are engaged in "______" rather than "governing."

messaging

Elections held two years after presidential elections are called ______ elections.

midterm

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

no

A(n) rule allows members to propose amendments that are relevant to any section of the bill.

open

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, to the point where each party has a high level of ______, which is when party members band together on legislation and oppose the other party.

party unity

Members of Congress give various interests to a voice in the legislative process as part of Congress's ______ function.

representative

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

seniority system

Today, Congress and the president ______

share legislative power.

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

standing committee

Incumbents have ______ over challengers

substantial advantages

Members of Congress are most indebted to which of the following?

the wealthy donors who fund their campaigns hardcore partisan voters in their state or district

True or false: House committees have the power to make suggestions for changing a bill in a process known as mark up.

true

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

underrepresented

Positive aspects of party polarization include the fact that ______.

voters can more clearly see and understand party differences

In terms of their careers, most members of Congress ______.

want to stay in Congress and put themselves in position for reelection

What holds party lawmakers together?

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