Chapter 12-Government

Congress has a number of functions other than lawmaking. These include...

-Representing its constituents -acting on presidential actions -setting the national agenda

Why is the Senate a more deliberative chamber than the House of Representatives?

-Senate electoral terms are longer -The Senate has fewer members

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

Standing committees are important because they

-allow congress to consider a high volume of bills -each specialize in a certain area of legislation

Among the reasons why Congress has difficulty taking the lead on broad issues are the facts that

-congress has two chambers, and they are not always in agreement on policy issues -members of Congress come from different districts and often have conflicting views on national policy

Which of the following are members of the House leadership?

-the majority whip -the majority leader -the minority leader

The power of taxation, among other powers, was given to Congress

-to limit the power of the president -because it is more representative of the people

An elderly person deciding to vote to reelect a House representative after the representative has tracked down the constituent's Social Security check is an example of how ____ can benefit an incumbent.

Casework

Because of their great importance, tax bills started in the

House of representatives

Which of the following is the most powerful leadership position in the Senate?

Majority leader

Which statement best describes how diligently the average constituent monitors the policy decisions of their congressional representative?

Merely a small minority of voters monitor their representative votes.

Which congressional function involves auditing agency implementation of policy?

Oversight

_____ traditionally involves a House or Senate member's articulating and voting for the position that best represents the views of his or her constituents.

Representation

House

This chamber faces more frequent elections

Senate

This chamber is more deliberative

Senate

Treaties are considered in this chamber

For mundane matters about which their constituents are less likely to be aware or hold a strong position, legislators typically rely on the _____ model of representation.

Trustee

If a vote in the Senate is tied, the ______ _____ breaks the tie.

Vice President

Which of the following explains a bill and its intent to the full legislative chamber?

a report

Congress continuously engage in ____ setting because it relies the pressure parties face in getting their members to vote with their particular party.

agenda

By ensuring that their representatives in Congress work hard to present their perspectives and policy interests, _____ influence the legislative process.

constituents

Each senator represents his or her state, while House members represent their congressional ____.

district

Congressional oversight includes the federal bureaucracy because the bureaucracy is a part of the ____ branch.

executive

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

filibuster

Creating majority-minority districts is a type of ____.

gerrymandering

When a committee or subcommittee holds a ___, 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

Because taxation was such an important power to the framers, they required that all these measures must start....

in the House

Two of the most important influences on congressional elections are

incumbency and redistricting

Redistricting can diminish the advantages of being an ____ because the candidate will have a lower name recognition among the district's voters than before redistricting.

incumbent

Pork barrel projects show constituents that their representative

is actively working for them in Congress

The "necessary and proper" clause was also called the elastic clause because

it increased the powers of Congress beyond the language of the constituition

The Speaker of the House is effectively chosen by the

majority party

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

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

The year 2008 saw the election of the first African American to the office of

president

Which of the following leadership positions is the least influential in the Senate?

president pro tempore

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

When congressional district boundaries are redrawn within a state, it is known as ____.

redistricting

House

taxation policies start in this chamber

In the House of Representatives, debate is limited on the congressional floor by

the Rules Committees

Because it deals with _____, the Senate focuses more on foreign policy issues.

treaties

Which of the following influence agenda setting in Congress?

-public discourse -House and Senate leaders' goals

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

Some examples of Congress's use of the "elastic clause" include

-determining an oil company;s authority to drill on federal lands -regulating stem cell research -expanding law enforcement authority in terrorism cases

Interest groups engage in which of the following activities in order to influence legislators' decisions?

-financial contributions -grassroots activism -lobbying

The framers had tax bills start in the House because it,,,

-has a smaller constituency than the Senate -had a shorter electoral term

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

Put in order the following steps that a bill must pass through in order to become law.

1. A member of the House of Representatives or the Senate formally proposes the bill.\ 2.The bill is submitted to a committee for consideration. 3.A majority of members in the House and Senate approve the bill. 4. The president signs the bill.