PLSC week 4 Ch. 11 & 12
In recent elections, the Internet has greatly increased the ability of presidential candidates to SATA
1. "get out the vote." 2. raise money for their campaigns.
In relation to congress, the president's power SATA
1. Is more effective in setting the national agenda 2. Is limited by the willingness of Congress to act on the president's agenda
Which of the following statements are true of bills that are killed in committee? SATA
1. Most are poorly conceived or of little interest to anyone. 2. Some bills are not supported by the members who introduced them. 3. They can be brought back to life by a vote of the full House or Senate.
Who works together to achieve legislative goals? SATA
1. The President 2. Congress
In his role as chief diplomat, the president SATA
1. appoints ambassadors 2. negotiates treaties with other nations
Which of the following are activities that typically take place in a party caucus? SATA
1. developing issues 2. adopting a single policy message
The Speaker of the House has the right to? SATA
1. select the chairperson of the House Rules Committee. 2. speak first during House debate on legislation. 3. choose who may speak on the House floor.
What legislative powers does the president possess? SATA
1. the power of the veto 2. the power to propose legislation to Congress
Vice President of the United States SATA
1. typically forms part of the presidential team. 2. holds a separate elective office from that of the president. 3. is assigned different roles by the president.
True or false: Today, nearly every foreign policy initiative originates with Congress.
False
Under which of the following presidents did the greatest expansion of presidential authority take place?
Franklin Roosevelt
Which chamber of Congress can vote to impeach the president?
House
Who was the only U.S. president to resign from office?
Richard Nixon
A permanent committee in Congress is known as a(n) ___ committee.
Standing
The framers of the Constitution intended that lawmakers ______, something that has become increasingly difficult in today's partisan Congress.
act in the spirit of compromise
Members of Congress are attentive to the concerns of constituents because constituents
determine whether or not they stay in office.
Since the Truman administration, the number of bureaucratic agencies has
doubled.
When public approval of a presidential administration is at high levels, it is usually
easier for a president to pursue initiatives.
The privilege of incumbents sending mail to their constituencies at the government's expense is known as the ______ privilege.
franking
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 and each party engages in ______, which is when party members band together on legislation and oppose the other party.
party unity
The increase in party polarization in Congress has led to increased
policy deadlock.
In the House of Representatives, debate is limited on the congressional floor by
the Rules Committee.
The scenario in which the president belongs to the same political party that controls the House and Senate is called
unified government.
Who is the next person to succeed the president if the president is unable to complete the term of office?
vice president
At present, there are ______ standing committees in the House of Representatives.
20
What aspect of the system of presidential selection changed in 1972?
A majority of national convention delegates are chosen through primary elections.
The president's top advisers on matters related to foreign policy make up part of the
National Security Council.
What shift brought the president to a more central role in the legislative process?
National and international forces combined to place greater policy demands on the federal government.
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.
How do committees and subcommittees serve to decentralize power in Congress?
They allow more members to hold leadership positions.
What is it that holds party lawmakers together?
They have far more in common with each other than they do with lawmakers of the other party.
True or false: After clearing the committee stage, floor debate on a bill is usually led by the majority party's leadership in the House.
True
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.
In Congress, disagreement over national policy usually occurs
along partisan divisions.
To win the presidency, presidential candidates now need
an electoral majority of votes in the Electoral College.
If congressional representatives find themselves having to choose between angering voters and donors or angering party leadership by refusing to go along with a vote, which will they likely choose?
angering leadership by voting the way their donors and voters want them to
The percentage of survey respondents who say that they support the work the president is doing is known as the president's ______ rating.
approval
Which of the following strongly and positively affects a congressional candidate's ability to raise money and win an election?
being an incumbent
Congress's structure makes it easier to
block legislation than enact it.
The party that controls the rules and has the most powerful leadership position in the House is the ___ party.
majority
A ________ rule allows members to propose amendments that are relevant to any section of the bill.
open
The House and the Senate each elect ______ to lead their party's efforts in the chamber.
party leaders
Today, Congress and the president
share legislative power.
Campaigns primarily use which of the following media to persuade undecided voters?
television
Which of the following is the part of the Executive Office of the President that consists of the president's closest direct personal advisers?
the White House Office
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
The number of electoral voters a state has in the Electoral College is determined by what factor?
the number of members it has in the House and the Senate
To what does political scientist Hugh Heclo's term the illusion of presidential government refer?
the public's belief that the president actually runs the entire government in the United States
Which of the following methods is most often used to select committee chairs?
the seniority system
After the presidential primaries and caucuses are finished, the political parties hold
their national party conventions.
The best opportunity presidents have to get Congress to pass policy initiatives is when
their party controls both houses of Congress.
Presidents are likely to be successful and powerful if
they face special circumstances that call for their leadership.
Presidents have more power in foreign policy making in part because
they have close relationships with the intelligence, diplomatic, and military agencies.
Why have modern presidents increasingly relied on the mass media?
to convey their message to the public in a favorable manner
How many votes in the Electoral College does each state have based on its Senate representation?
two
Members of the House of Representatives typically serve on ______ committees, while members of the Senate serve on ______.
two, four
The 2014 North Carolina Senate race (Hagan vs. Tillis) was one of the most extensive campaigns in Senate history, with more than $75 million spent. What portion of that money came from super PACs?
two-thirds
What rough proportion of the nation's voters identify with either the Republican or Democratic party (and disregard third parties)?
two-thirds
Compared with their percentage of the overall population of the United States, women and minorities are ______ in Congress.
underrepresented
Gerrymandering is
usually legal.
Positive aspects of party polarization include the fact that
voters can more clearly see and understand party differences.
Before 1900, service in Congress
was not usually a career for most of its members.
When do potential presidential candidates often begin positioning themselves for presidential office?
years in advance of Election Day
Which of the following are the functions of Congress? SATA
1. representation 2. lawmaking 3. oversight
By which name does the text describe past presidencies?
By which name does the text describe past presidencies? imperial, imperiled, and heroic presidency
Which institution has the power to formally declare war?
Congress
If the president chooses to veto a bill,
Congress can override the veto by a two-thirds vote in each chamber.
As compared to previous presidents, how does Donald Trump use the bully pulpit?
He has taken it to unprecedented levels.
_____ typically benefit from gerrymandering because the majority party ensures that there are enough of the party's voters in the district to ensure reelection.
Incumbents
Imagine that a major event such as the September 11, 2001, attacks again took place on American soil. What would likely happen to the power of the president?
The president's power would grow.
The text uses the immigration issue as an example of a national issue on which Republican and Democratic lawmakers cannot agree. What is the sticking point?
The two parties have different solutions to the same problem.
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.
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.
True or false: The winner in the November general election is nearly certain to be the Republican or the Democratic candidate.
True
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.
The leaders of the top executive departments are collectively known as the president's
cabinet.
Which of the following is not a direct power of the committee chair?
changes party affiliation at will
The president shapes and administers the nation's foreign policy while acting in the role of
chief diplomat.
A constituency is comprised of
citizens from the incumbent's state or district.
Not only is the size of a state's population important, but so too is its ______; candidates will spend more time campaigning in states that are considered "toss-ups" rather than solidly Democrat or Republican.
competitiveness
Which institution has the greatest effect on presidential success?
congress
In the original system of presidential selection, who or what chose party nominees?
congressional caucuses
Which of these presidential appointees are the most difficult for the president to control?
directors of federal departments and agencies
The scenario in which the president belongs to one political party while the opposition party has majority control of at least one chamber of Congress is known as
divided government.
The redrawing of congressional boundaries to benefit a political party is called
gerrymandering.
Which of the following problems is most likely to jeopardize an incumbent's chances of reelection?
getting caught in a scandal
One of the powers that presidents have is that they can appoint
heads of federal agencies.
When a committee or subcommittee holds a(n) _____ , they are trying to gather information about a proposed bill.
hearing
The beginning of a new presidential administration, which is often characterized by higher levels of public approval, is known as a
honeymoon period.
In the large majority of cases, the winner of a congressional campaign is the
incumbent.
Congressional elections usually favor
incumbents.
One reason why standing committees are powerful is that they have by law
jurisdiction over bills in their designated policy area.
An example of Congress's ______ is when Congress passes legislation that creates incentives for the development of alternative energy sources.
lawmaking function
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
Elections held in the years between presidential elections are called ______ elections.
midterm
A strong showing in early presidential election caucuses and primaries is known as
momentum.
President Ronald Reagan was viewed as
more powerful than President Jimmy Carter
In recent decades, how many presidential candidates have been able to stage a successful comeback from the back of the pack once the state caucuses and primaries are underway?
none
Ensuring that laws are being administered by the executive branch in the way intended by Congress is an important function of Congress and is known as
oversight
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
n whose tangible benefits are targeted solely at a particular legislator's constituency is
pork-barrel legislation
When foreign countries look to the United States for leadership, they direct their attention to the
president.
By tradition, the choice of the vice presidential candidate has mostly been made by the
presidential nominee.
Before any caucuses or primaries even occur, it is crucial for potential presidential candidates to
raise a lot of campaign money.
Members of Congress give various interests a voice in the legislative process as part of Congress's ______ function.
representative
Political scientist John Hibbing advises that the "first thing to being reelected is to stay away from ______."
scandal
What is the title of the person who heads an executive department?
secretary
Choosing committee chairs based on which member has the longest continuous tenure on a standing committee is an example of the
seniority system
In the 2018 midterm elections, how many House and Senate races received money from super PACs?
several dozen
A limit of ______ exists for how long a Republican member can chair a particular committee.
six years
Incumbents have ______ over challengers.
substantial advantages
During which of these major events was there an enormous expansion of presidential authority?
the Great Depression
Which of the following circumstances help to create a powerful president? SATA
1. a major national problem 2. a decisive election victory
In which of the four systems of presidential selection did/do Electoral College members cast their ballots for the popular-vote winner in their respective states? SATA
1. party primary, open caucus system 2. party convention system 3. party convention, primary system
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 function is the main responsibility of Congress, to which all other functions of Congress are related?
lawmaking
Which of the following describe the irony of the presidency? SATA
1. Presidents get too much blame when things go poorly. 2. Presidents get too much credit when things go right.
Which of the following are reasons why the president is better suited to oversee government activity and to develop comprehensive public policy? SATA
1. The president is able to direct the actions of federal agencies. 2. Final authority rests with a single individual.
What presidential control problems exist concerning low-level appointees? SATA
1. The president rarely, if ever, sees them. 2. Many of them are politically inexperienced.
Which of the following are true concerning women and minorities who run for congressional office? SATA
1. There are more women than there are minorities in Congress. 2. Women and minorities are less likely to run for Congress than white males.
Which of the following statements about midterm elections are generally true? SATA
1. There is less media coverage of candidates and issues than in a presidential election. 2. The president's party usually loses seats. 3. Voter turnout is lower than for presidential elections.
Which of the following are common threats to incumbency? SATA
1. strong challengers 2. disruptive issues 3. personal misconduct
During the general election, presidential candidates focus most of their money and attention on which two of the following? SATA
1. the largest states, because they have the most voters 2. states that are competitive enough that either candidate has a chance of winning the state
Among the reasons that presidents are less powerful than many Americans assume is that they SATA
1. ultimately derive their power from the American public itself. 2. face uncontrollable circumstances that can hurt their ability to lead.
Through the use of administrative powers, the president can
decide how laws will be implemented.
A key to understanding the power of the presidency is a recognition that presidential power
depends on the occupant of the office.
Ironically, when are most presidents most powerful?
during their first months in office
In Insecure Majorities, Frances Lee noted that, in the currently closely matched parties, members of Congress are engaged in "______" rather than "governing."
messaging
When major disruptive issues occur, incumbents are
more likely to lose
Multiple Choice Question 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 ______ unity vote.
party
Most members of Congress are
career politicians who want to stay in Congress and put themselves in position for reelection.
