POSI 2310: Topic 2.1 Congress

Which of the following could be considered personal misconduct that might lead to a congressional incumbent losing a bid for reelection?

-being involved in a sex scandal -engaging in bribery

Which of the following makes a challenger to a Senate incumbent more likely to be successful?

-having an existing campaign organization -having access to large sums of money to fund the campaign -having strong public recognition

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

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

In terms of the budget to hire staff,

-senators receive varying amounts of money, depending on the population of their state. -house members receive identical amounts of money.

The Speaker of the House has the right to

-speak first during House debate on legislation -select the chairperson of the House of Rules Committee -choose who may speak on the House floor

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

Which of the following are true of joint committees?

-they are composed of members of both houses -they perform advisory functions

When is congressional oversight exercised vigorously?

-when members are annoyed with an agency -when members are intending to modify an agency program

Which of the following are true concerning women and minorities who run for congressional office?

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

What are the steps that a bill must pass through in order to become a 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 the members in the House and Senate approve the bill 4. the president signs the bill

Today, in the grips of partisan deadlock, congressional approval ratings are about _____ percent.

20

In order to become a member of the Senate, a person must be at least _____ years of age and have been a citizen for at least _____ years.

30, 9

True or False: It is more common for House incumbents than Senate incumbents to face challengers in the form of prominent local politicians.

False

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.

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 if known as _____.

a filibuster

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

What is a bill?

a proposed legislative act that if passed by both chambers of Congress and signed by the president becomes a law.

Partisan divisions have become more _____ as a result of party polarization.

acute

In Congress, disagreement over national policy usually occurs _____.

along partisan divisions

The plan strategy and resolve policy issues party members in Congress typically meet behind closed doors and a session called a party ______

caucus

Members of Congress usually serve on congressional committees that concentrate on policy areas that affect the members' _____.

constituency

Partisan voting is most apparent when members are voting on major _____ issues.

domestic policy

Which of the following problems is most likely to jeopardize an incumbent's chances of reelection?

getting caught in a scandal

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

incumbent moderates

An example of Congress's ______ is when Congress passes legislation that creates incentives for the development of alternative energy sources.

lawmaking function

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

majority leader

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

many congressional districts and some states are lopsidedly Democratic or Republican

In "Insecure Majorities," Frances Lee noted that, in the currently closed matched parties, members of Congress are engaged in _____ rather than "governing."

messaging

When major disruptive issues occur incumbents are

more likely to lose

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

A(n) _____ rule allows members to propose amendments that are relevant to any section of the bill.

open

When there is no incumbent running in an election it is called a(n) _______ election and usually sparks heavier spending by the two political parties.

open-seat

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

party leaders

the increase in party polarization in congress has led to increased

policy deadlock

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 towards the Democrats

Redistricting consists of _____

redrawing congressional district boundaries within a state.

The trend toward party unity in Congress can clearly be seen in voting records of members of Congress when their votes are officially recorded during a _____ vote.

roll-call

Today, Congress and the president

share legislative power.

A permanent committee in Congress is known as a(n) _____ committee.

standing

Incumbents have _____ over challengers.

substantial advantages

The emergence of _____, groups that can pour money into a political campaign with few limits, has given challengers a better opportunity to unseat Congressional incumbents.

super PACs

Which of the following methods is most often used to select committee chairs?

the seniority system

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

the service strategy

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: Congress is an institution in which many interests are represented, which is a strength in a diverse nation; yet Congress is also a place in which narrow interests can block Congress from acting even when there's an important national need, which is a weakness.

true

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

Before 1900, service in Congress...

was not usually a career for most of its members.

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

presidents tend to have a national perspective

Members of the House of Representatives typically serve on _____ committees, while members of the Senate serve on _____.

two, four

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

What is the term that describes the minority party's committee and subcommittee leaders?

ranking members

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