Chapter 12
In the House, the Committee on
Rule
Which of the following events resulted in an increase in partisan voting?
rise of the Tea Party in 2010 Watergate scandal Republican retake of Congress in 1994 Concept Resources
Committee chairs are often chosen using the
seniority Blank 2: system
Congress manages ______ conflict by representing a wide range of views and interests.
societal
Redistricting
sometimes makes incumbency less important.
A subcommittee is a subset of the members of a ______ committee.
standing
The Supreme Court ruled that majority-minority districting is illegal if the
state legislature redraws majority-minority districts at the expense of other concerns.
In the House of Representatives, debate is limited on the congressional floor by
the Rules Committee.
Those who pay careful attention to political issues are sometimes referred to as the
1: attentive
Redistricting can lessen the impact of incumbency, especially in years ending in the number
2
Which of the following is true about the the political advantages of the longer terms in the Senate?
A senator can be insulated from political fallout from things that happen early in his/her term.
How is legislation proposed in the House of Representatives?
A staff member places legislation in a wooden box on a desk at the front of the House chamber.
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 are similarities between the House and the Senate?
Both propose legislation. Both are chambers of Congress. Both are elected by popular vote.
Because taxation was such an important power to the framers, they required that all taxation measures be granted to
Congress
Which of the following statements about Congress and congressional representatives are true as a result of partisan redistricting?
Congress has become more politically polarized. House members are less likely to compromise with the opposition.
True or false: Most congressional bills survive committee scrutiny and are voted upon by the House and Senate.
F
True or false: When asked by their party leaders to "toe the party line" on a legislative vote, members of Congress automatically do so.
F
True or False: The minority leader's job description varies greatly from the majority leader's job description.
False
True or false: In any given election, two-thirds of the members of the House of Representatives are up for reelection.
False
True or false: The vice president presides over the Senate quite often.
False
Which of the following is true of the process of redistricting?
It can be subject to political manipulation.
With whom did the concept of the nuclear option originate?
Richard Nixon
Which of the following are ways new legislation can be introduced in the Senate?
Senators can announce new legislation in a speech on the Senate floor. Senators can submit a written draft of the proposed legislation to the Senate clerk. Senators can propose new legislation by offering it as an amendment to an already pending piece of legislation.
Why might voting against their constituents' will on a particular issue be less significant for a member of the Senate than for a member of the House?
Senators have longer terms of service.
What constitutional amendment shifted the election of senators from state legislators to popular election in the states?
Seventeenth Amendment
Which of these statements characterizes powers that Congress has been given in the Constitution?
Some are very specific, and others are vague.
Which of the following accurately states a difference between the House and Senate?
The House has a more formal legislative structure.
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.
Which of the following are true about markup?
The committee suggests language changes and amendments. The committee may eliminate a component of the bill. All changes are referred to the full chamber.
Which of the following describe ways that the media are a source of congressional power?
The media can sway public opinion. The media can create a favorable climate for the passage of legislation. The media provide congressional members with a forum with which to communicate with constituents.
What does the president do when executing a pocket veto?
The president waits 10 days for the bill to "die."
True or false: The Constitution is far more explicit in defining the responsibilities of Congress than it is in describing the functions of the other branches of government.
True
For which of the following groups can a state's notable differences in constituents' views, ideologies, and policy priorities cause representation difficulties?
U.S. senators
According to analysts, most legislators use ______ of representation.
a combination of trustee and instructed delegate models
Which of the following most accurately describes a congressional subcommittee?
a committee that typically handles specific areas of a standing committee's jurisdiction
Which of the following is required to extract a bill from committee in order to have it considered by the entire House?
a discharge petition
A procedural move in which a member or members of the Senate speak(s) for an unlimited amount of time on the Senate floor in order to prevent a vote on a bill is known as
a filibuster.
Gerrymandering is
a legal redrawing of political districts to benefit a specific political party.
How many signatures does a discharge petition require?
a majority
Members of Congress may experience conflict between their lawmaking responsibility and their responsibility to represent their constituency when
a policy that is good for the nation as a whole does not coincide with the needs of their constituency.
Congress has a number of functions other than lawmaking. These include
acting on presidential actions. setting the national agenda. representing constituents.
During a(n) ______, executive agencies provide written comments on a proposed bill that has been assigned to a committee.
agency review
Congress continuously engages in ______ setting because it relieves the pressure parties face in getting their members to vote with their particular party.
agenda
Unanimous consent agreements require that ______ agree to the terms of debate on a given piece of legislation.
all senators
Standing committees are important because they
allow Congress to consider a high volume of bills. each specialize in a certain area of legislation.
The segment of voters who pay careful attention to political issues are referred to as the
attentive public.
The power of taxation, among other powers, was given to Congress
because it is more representative of the people. to limit the power of the president.
Which of the following strongly and positively affects a congressional candidate's ability to raise money and win an election?
being an incumbent
Which of the following are ways that Congress manages societal conflict?
by compromising and negotiating issues by representing a wide range of views and interests by taking stands on issues
Which of the following are ways that Congress manages societal conflict? by
by taking stands on issues by compromising and negotiating issues by representing a wide range of views and interests
Which of the following are ways that Congress manages societal conflict?
by taking stands on issues by representing a wide range of views and interests by compromising and negotiating issues
One consequence of having a congressional "safe seat" is that a House member
can generally be partisan without an unfavorable political outcome.
Which of the following activities can benefit an incumbent during reelection by building loyalty with a particular voter by performing a task that the voter cannot complete alone?
casework
To end a filibuster, sixty senators must agree to invoke
cloture
Who do House and Senate members often rely upon to inform decision making on legislation due to their policy expertise?
colleagues staff members
Who do House and Senate members often rely upon to inform decision making on legislation due to their policy expertise? judges
colleagues staff members
If the House and Senate pass different versions of a bill, it must first go to a
conference
If the House and Senate pass different versions of a bill, it must first go to a ______ committee to have any differences reconciled before it can be sent to the president.
conference
Members of Congress are attentive to the concerns of constituents because constituents
determine whether or not they stay in office.
Partisan voting is most apparent when members are voting on major ______ issues.
domestic policy
Constituents influence the legislative process by
ensuring that their representatives in Congress work hard to present their perspectives and policy
When members of the Senate wish to halt or delay the passage of a bill, a(n
filibuster
When members of the Senate wish to halt or delay the passage of a bill, a(n)
filibuster
The ability to use ______ to communicate with voters free of charge is a benefit exclusive to incumbents.
franking
Interest groups engage in which of the following activities in order to influence legislators' decisions?
grassroots activism lobbying financial contributions
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.
Which of the following contribute to incumbents having an advantage over their challengers during congressional elections?
having easier access to media coverage being able to raise money more easily having greater name recognition
In the House of Representatives, a member of a legislator's staff drafts the proposed legislation and the House member puts the bill into the
hopper
Which of the following has most hampered the ability of Congress to manage social conflict in recent years?
increased polarization caused by partisan redistricting
Donors are more willing to make campaign contributions to
incumbents
Which of the following have a significant influence on the decisions of legislators?
interest groups constituents political parties
The "necessary and proper" clause was also called the elastic clause because
it increased the powers of Congress beyond the language of the Constitution.
The framers' vision of the Senate was as the
legislative body that safeguards the rights of states and minorities against mass opinion.
If Congressperson A agrees to vote for a defense bill that has funding for a project in Congressperson B's district in exchange for Congressperson B's vote in favor of farming subsidies that benefit Congressperson A's district, the action is referred to as
logrolling
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 Speaker of the House is effectively chosen by the
majority party.
Which of the following are duties of the Speaker of the House?
make majority party committee assignments guide legislation through the chamber
A legislative committee recommends changes to the full chamber concerning a particular bill during
markup
With regard to representation, members of Congress
may speak for several constituencies.
If Democrats hold a majority of the seats in the Senate, each committee and subcommittee will have a(n) ______ of Republicans as members.
minority
Political polarization in the Senate is ______ when compared to the House.
not as apparent
Which of the following describe a maneuver exercised by the presiding officer of the Senate that eliminates the possibility of filibusters by subjecting votes on certain matters to a simple majority vote?
nuclear option
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
Congress has a number of functions other than lawmaking, including
oversight and agenda setting.
A vote where most members of one political party vote one way while most members of the other party vote the other way is categorized as a ______ vote.
party
Members of Congress frequently use ______ as a means of appropriating funds for projects within their districts.
pork barrel politics
Historically, which Senate position has been honorary in nature?
president pro tempore
Which of the following influence agenda setting in Congress?
public discourse House and Senate leaders' goals
Which of the following occurs every ten years after the U.S. census and determines how many seats a state receives in the House of Representatives?
reapportionment
The main purpose of a conference committee is to
reconcile differences in the House and Senate versions of a bill.
Besides lawmaking, Congress can
regulate currency. limit the power of the president. administer post offices.
Which of the following explains a bill and its intent to the full legislative chamber?
report
Which of the following describes the process by which members of Congress articulate and vote for the position that best reflects the views of their constituents?
representation
Which of the following policy-making functions are explicitly granted to Congress by the Constitution?
tax and spend declare war establish courts regulate the armed forces
In the original version of the Constitution, members of the House were to be elected by the ______, while senators were to elected by ______.
the citizenry; state legislatures
Which model of representation insists that legislators vote in line with their constituents' views even when this contradicts their personal views?
the instructed delegate model
Who schedules debates on legislation in the Senate?
the majority leader
With the widespread use of computer-driven mapmaking technology, congressional seats can be configured to ensure that
the majority of a district's population identifies with one party.
Congress gets its powers from sources other than the Constitution, including
the media. American citizens. Supreme Court decisions.
Who chairs the Senate in the vice president's absence?
the president pro tempore
Which model of representation means that a legislator may act in opposition to the clear wishes of constituents, such as in cases where an action is for the good of society?
the trustee model
Who has the power to preside over the Senate and vote in case of a tie but otherwise has little real authority in the Senate?
the vice president of the United States
The president's opinion concerning a specific bill can influence members of Congress, especially when
they belong to the same party as the president.
How do congressional committees and subcommittees gather information on issues related to proposed laws?
through hearings
If a vote in the Senate is tied, the
vice Blank 2: president
Both political parties in the House have a ______, who acts as a go-between with the leadership and the party members in the House.
whip