POLITSC 1100 CIAG Chapter 3
Approximately what percentage of Congress is female? 51 percent 15 percent 24 percent 33 percent
24 percent
What is the minimum age for serving in the House of Representatives? 18 25 30 21
25
How many members currently serve in the House of Representatives? 65 435 400 345
435
Which of the following is one of the advantages of the U.S. legislative system demonstrated in the video? The complicated process discourages public participation. It's difficult to pass comprehensive reform bills, especially if they need to be passed quickly. Controversial issues, such as comprehensive immigration reform, will be carefully considered and not implemented too quickly. The Senate requires more than a simple majority to be able to consider legislation, which makes controversial bills difficult to pass.
Controversial issues, such as comprehensive immigration reform, will be carefully considered and not implemented too quickly.
Why does Representative Zoe Lofgren's position as chair of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration make her important to the legislative process on immigration reform? Her committee will have primary jurisdiction over consideration and amendment of any bill authorizing immigration reform legislation. Her committee will have primary jurisdiction over consideration and amendment of any bill that appropriates funds for immigration reform legislation. Her committee will have primary jurisdiction over consideration and amendment of any bill that authorizes Justice Department reform legislation. Her committee will have primary jurisdiction over scheduling the final floor vote for any bill authorizing immigration reform legislation.
Her committee will have primary jurisdiction over consideration and amendment of any bill authorizing immigration reform legislation.
Which of the following statements regarding interest groups and lobbyists is MOST accurate? The number of lobbying firms in the Washington area has decreased over the past few years. Lobbyists consistently buy votes in both the House and the Senate. Interest groups have little to no influence over members of Congress. Interest groups supply legislators with position papers and memos.
Interest groups supply legislators with position papers and memos.
How did the state of California attempt to overcome the problem of incumbent gerrymandering? It allowed all new district lines to be approved or rejected by voters in popular referendums. It established an independent redistricting commission composed of regular citizens. It mandated that the redistricting committee in the state legislature be composed of equal numbers of Democrats and Republicans. It appointed the state supreme court to oversee all redistricting.
It established an independent redistricting commission composed of regular citizens.
Which group had the largest percent change from the 115th Congress to the 116th Congress? LGBT Hispanic or Latino Women American Indian
LGBT
According to the video, on what issue do Price, Bilbray, and Lofgren ALL agree? Labor provided by undocumented workers is an integral part of the U.S. economy. Undocumented workers need a chance to earn their citizenship even if they entered the country illegally. Almost all members of the Republican Party are opposed to immigration reform. The majority of Americans would find granting amnesty for undocumented workers to be unacceptable.
Labor provided by undocumented workers is an integral part of the U.S. economy.
According to the text, why was Congress slow to act on President Obama's health care reform proposal? Members faced conflicting pressures when evaluating the proposed reforms. Republican Party leaders spoke out strongly in favor of the proposed reforms. Democratic Party leaders spoke out strongly against the proposed reforms. Members did not feel that the nation's health care system was in need of reform.
Members faced conflicting pressures when evaluating the proposed reforms.
Which of the following is an accurate statement regarding women in Congress? Female membership in the U.S. Congress is far greater in proportion to that of legislatures in Nordic countries. Membership in the U.S. Congress reflects the average membership of women in parliaments around the world. Membership in the U.S. Congress reflects the real population of women in America. Membership in the U.S. Congress is less than 10 percent female.
Membership in the U.S. Congress reflects the average membership of women in parliaments around the world.
What aspect of the legislative process does this video BEST illustrate? Passing a bill is a complicated process that requires consensus, and therefore it's difficult for a bill to become a law. Congress can override a presidential veto by a two-thirds vote. Even when Congress passes a bill, the president can veto it. A bill can be defeated by a filibuster on the Senate floor.
Passing a bill is a complicated process that requires consensus, and therefore it's difficult for a bill to become a law.
How do Rep. Price and Philip Kiko explain the role of partisanship as it relates to passing an immigration reform bill? Rep. Price implies that the issue of immigration can't be clearly sorted along party lines, while Kiko suggests that there is virulent opposition to particular immigration reform proposals on both sides. Rep. Price believes that each side is too firmly entrenched in its position to ever compromise, while Kiko suggests that if the Democrats better articulated the advantages of comprehensive reform, more Republicans would see their side. Rep. Price emphasizes how cleanly this issue divides across party lines, with all Republicans favoring deportation and all Democrats favoring citizenship, while Kiko argues that the partisanship divide is blurrier than it first appears. Both Rep. Price and Kiko discuss the significant partisan divide on this issue, but Rep. Price is far more optimistic about the chances of the bill passing if Democrats are willing to reach across the divide.
Rep. Price implies that the issue of immigration can't be clearly sorted along party lines, while Kiko suggests that there is virulent opposition to particular immigration reform proposals on both sides.
Which state gained the most seats in the House as a result of congressional reapportionment following the 2010 census? Texas Ohio Florida California
Texas
In the video, why is the House waiting for the Senate to act first on immigration reform legislation? It's not procedurally possible for the House to act on any legislation before the Senate passes it. Homeland security legislation, such as a bill related to immigration reform, must originate in the Senate. The Senate needs at least 60 votes to be able to move forward with a bill, so before investing time to work out the details of their own reform bill, the House leadership needs to see what can pass in the Senate first. The House needs the Senate to act first to allow the House leadership time to engage in public debate in order to gain bipartisan consensus.
The Senate needs at least 60 votes to be able to move forward with a bill, so before investing time to work out the details of their own reform bill, the House leadership needs to see what can pass in the Senate first.
According to Rep. Price, what is the difference between authorization authority and appropriations authority in Congress? The committees that prepare the basic statute have authorization authority; the committees that fund those statutes have appropriations authority. The committees that prepare the basic statute have appropriations authority; the committees that fund those statutes have authorization authority. Senate committees have authorization authority; House committees have appropriations authority. The committees that prepare the basic statute have authorization authority; the committees that provide personnel to pass the bill have appropriations authority.
The committees that prepare the basic statute have authorization authority; the committees that fund those statutes have appropriations authority.
Which of the following is true of congressional committees? They improve Congress's ability to function productively and efficiently. They were invented by political operatives in the late 20th century. They hinder Congress's ability to function productively and efficiently. They are mentioned several times in Article I of the U.S. Constitution.
They improve Congress's ability to function productively and efficiently.
What is the House Immigration Reform Caucus? a coalition of Republican members of the House demanding more secure borders and increased funding for the Department of Homeland Security a bipartisan group of nearly a hundred members of the House that is focused on finding legislative solutions to immigration issues a lobbying group that advocates increasing health care access and employment opportunities for undocumented workers a coalition of Democratic members of the House that works to increase access to U.S. citizenship for undocumented immigrants
a bipartisan group of nearly a hundred members of the House that is focused on finding legislative solutions to immigration issues
Which of the following members of Congress would represent the greatest number of constituents? a senator from California a representative from California a senator from Montana a senator from Rhode Island
a senator from California
Which of the following describes the Committee on Homeland Security? a joint committee that later became a conference committee a standing committee that later became a special committee a special committee that later became a standing committee a conference committee that later became a joint committee
a special committee that later became a standing committee
If a member of Congress voted for the president's federal budget against the will of his constituents, we would say that the congressman was doing what? acting as a delegate using the filibuster acting as a trustee using the nuclear option
acting as a trustee
When might a conference committee form? during a filibuster at the end of the legislative process after a natural disaster before a bill is proposed
at the end of the legislative process
In the traditional legislative process described by Rep. Lofgren, the markup (or amendment) of a bill occurs in which committee? both the committee AND subcommittee with jurisdiction only the committee with jurisdiction only the subcommittee with jurisdiction only a joint House-Senate committee
both the committee AND subcommittee with jurisdiction
How does the majority party exercise more power than the minority party in congressional proceedings? by controlling the referral of legislation to committees by determining which bills become laws by proposing legislation by voting on legislation in the event of a tie
by controlling the referral of legislation to committees
In which of the following ways do congressional committees exercise authority over the workings of the federal bureaucracy? by holding committee oversight hearings by advising the president regarding management of agencies by terminating government programs by hiring and firing department heads
by holding committee oversight
If we consider a member of Congress to be acting as a delegate, what is that person doing? relying on his or her own judgment following the will of his or her constituency acting on personal conviction solving problems based on available information
following the will of his or her constituency
The deliberate manipulation of district lines for electoral advantage is known as what? reapportionment seat allotment gerrymandering redistricting
gerrymandering
What is the term for the representational dynamic that each member of Congress develops to meet the specific expectations of his or her constituents? district rapport keeping it 100 political kinship home style
home style
What competing values must Representative Gaetz weigh when making legislative decisions? support for both higher taxes and spending cuts ideological opposition to government spending, but support for spending in day-to-day governing ideological support for government spending, but opposition to spending in day-to-day governing support for spending cuts and refusal to accept federal government funds
ideological opposition to government spending, but support for spending in day-to-day governing
Where do we find the roots of political parties? in 20th-century gerrymandering in Civil War divisions between the North and South in the debate between the Federalists and the anti-Federalists in 19th-century populist movements
in the debate between the Federalists and the anti-Federalists
When does the vice president vote? in the absence of the president in the event of a tie in the Senate in the absence of the Speaker in the event of a tie in the House
in the event of a tie in the Senate
Membership in Congress can be generally described as which of the following? "looks like" the U.S. population mostly "old white guys" comprised of members that have rarely held political office about the same median age as the U.S. population
mostly "old white guys"
Which of the following powers is unique to the House? ratification of treaties approval of major presidential appointments trial of impeachment cases origination of revenue bills
origination of revenue bills
Which of the following is MOST likely to influence whether a member is selected for a committee assignment? gender party loyalty age ethnic background
party loyalty
What term is used to describe a situation in which the president does not sign a bill before Congress adjourns? cloture filibuster pocket veto markup
pocket veto
Which of the following is unique to the Senate bill review process? review by subcommittees review by committees ability to override a presidential veto potential for filibuster
potential for filibuster
Which of the following would be considered an institutional norm developed in Congress? cloture success reciprocity regulation
reciprocity
In which of the following categories is Congress MOST representative of the U.S. population at large? gender age professional background religious affiliation
religious affiliation
What are the term lengths for the members of each house of Congress? six years for senators and two years for representatives six years for representatives and two years for senators ten years for representatives and five years for senators ten years for senators and five years for representatives
six years for senators and two years for representatives
What was Representative Barbara Lee's main criticism of the 2001 resolution authorizing the use of military force? that it gave the president unlimited power regarding U.S. foreign policy that it didn't allow the president enough authority to act on behalf of national security interests that it unfairly increased the war powers of Congress that it was unpatriotic and perpetrated injustice across the international community
that it gave the president unlimited power regarding U.S. foreign policy
Which of the following is the first to see a bill after it is proposed? the full chamber of the House the Clerk of the House a committee chair the Rules Committee
the Clerk of the House
What is another name for the Necessary and Proper Clause? the Supremacy Clause the Elastic Clause the Establishment Clause the Commerce Clause
the Elastic Clause
Which of the following can initiate impeachment proceedings? the Senate the House the president the chief justice
the House
Which of the following is considered a standing committee? the Rules Committee an ad hoc committee the Select Committee on Benghazi a special committee
the Rules Committee
Which congressional chamber failed to pass the initial version of the immigration reform bill (H.R. 4437), and what was the primary reason for its failure, according to Philip Kiko in the video? the Senate, because of an unwillingness to compromise over citizenship issues the House, because the bill was too expensive the House, because debate on the bill was rushed the Senate, because of inadequate enforcement provisions
the Senate, because of an unwillingness to compromise over citizenship issues
Who is the institutional leader of the House? the vice president the Speaker the majority whip the majority leader
the Speaker
What provides the basis for proportional representation in the House of Representatives? unlimited congressional growth capacity the decennial census presidential decree the legislative process
the decennial census
According to Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano, what is the only branch of government that is able to initiate a reform bill? the legislative branch both the executive AND legislative branches the judicial branch the executive branch
the legislative branch
The anti-Federalists worried about which of the following? the age of members of Congress the process of making laws the rights of the wealthy the size of Congress
the size of Congress
A state can have no fewer than how many members of Congress? three two five four
three
Once a bill has been introduced, where does the Speaker of the House send it? to the president to a committee to the party leader to the majority whip
to a committee
What is a primary function of whips within Congress? to propose amendments to bills to act as liaisons with the executive branch to act as majority leaders to enforce party discipline
to enforce party discipline
The passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act occurred during what type of government? divided government unitary government unified government a government shutdown
unified government
At which point is a bill sent to the Senate for approval? after being reported to the full chamber of the House after being dropped in the Hopper once it has passed through a markup session when it has been passed by the full House following debate and amendment
when it has been passed by the full House following debate and amendment
Which of the following would generally be considered the PRIMARY personal goal of most members of Congress? achieving power and prestige being assigned to chair their desired committee passing certain legislation winning reelection
winning reelection