GOV 1301 CHPT 11

Which of the following is a major reason why incumbents are reelected?

Many congressional districts and some states are lopsidedly Democratic or Republican.

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

No executive agency or lower court can exist without congressional authorization.

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.

Select committees are

designed to address a specific issue or problem.

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

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

gerrymandering.

As a result of the increased level of party polarization in the United States, which candidates face greater risk of losing the primary election?

incumbent moderates

Congressional elections usually favor

incumbents.

Going into the 2018 election, the Democratic Party was able to field an unusually strong set of candidates because

polls showed that voters were trending toward the Democrats.

The president is usually better suited to take the lead on national issues because

presidents tend to have a national perspective.

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.

Incumbents have ______ over challengers.

substantial advantages

Gerrymandering is

usually legal.

Which of the following are activities that typically take place in a party caucus?

-adopting a single policy message -developing issues

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

If the president chooses to veto a bill,

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

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.

The difference between amendments that can be offered in the House and Senate to a bill under consideration is that in the

House, amendments must directly relate to a bill's contents.

What is one reason that incumbents have a fundraising advantage over challengers?

Incumbents have a ready list of potential contributors from past campaigns.

Polls indicate that voters' opinions of Donald Trump's performance had what effect in the 2018 midterms?

Those who were discontented with Trump helped Democrats retake control of the House.

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 strongly and positively affects a congressional candidate's ability to raise money and win an election?

being an incumbent

Most members of Congress are

career politicians who want to stay in Congress and put themselves in position for reelection.

Members of Congress are attentive to the concerns of constituents because constituents

determine whether or not they stay in office.

Elections held in the years between presidential elections are called ______ elections.

midterm

When major disruptive issues occur incumbents are

more likely to lose

An open-seat election is one in which

no incumbent is running.

In the 2018 midterm elections, how many House and Senate races received money from super PACs?

several dozen

When an incumbent personally helps constituents solve problems with the federal bureaucracy, it is known as

the service strategy.

Before 1900, service in Congress

was not usually a career for most of its members.

Which of the following are duties of the Speaker of the House?

-Choosing leadership of the House Rules Committee -Recognizing members who will be allowed to speak on the floor

Which of the following statements about congressional committees are true?

-They make it possible for Congress to consider a high volume of bills. -They each specialize in a certain area of legislation.

Which of the following are true concerning women and minorities who run for congressional office? (Choose every correct answer.)

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

If a "turf war" erupts as different committees vie for jurisdiction over a bill, who or what decides the committee assignment?

party leader

Redistricting consists of

redrawing congressional district boundaries within a state.

Political scientist John Hibbing advises that the "first thing to being reelected is to stay away from ______."

scandal