POSI Topic 2

Select all that apply Which of the following statements about midterm elections are generally true? -There is less media coverage of candidates and issues than in a presidential election. -The president's party usually loses seats. -Voter turnout is lower than for presidential elections. -Senators are not elected in midterm elections because their terms coincide with the presidency.

-The president's party usually loses seats. -Voter turnout is lower than for presidential elections. -There is less media coverage of candidates and issues than in a presidential election.

Select all that apply On major bills, it is increasingly typical for the majority party's leaders to -step back and allow committees to take the lead. -direct the floor debate after the bill leaves the committee. -shape the bill's broad content. -prevent the minority party from participating.

-direct the floor debate after the bill leaves the committee. -shape the bill's broad content.

Select all that apply 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 -party leadership -party ideology

-the wealthy donors who fund their campaigns -hardcore partisan voters in their state or district

Select all that apply When is congressional oversight exercised vigorously? -when members are annoyed with an agency -only in the months leading up to a presidential election -all of the time, as it is Congress's main purpose -when members are intending to modify an agency program.

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

In order to be a member of the House of Representatives, a person must be ______ years of age.

25

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.

Which of the following correctly describes how committees and subcommittees serve to decentralize power in Congress?

They allow more members to hold leadership positions.

What holds party lawmakers together?

They have far more in common with each other than they do with lawmakers of the other party.

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.

The U.S. Congress is a(n) _______ legislature with two chambers, the House and the Senate.

bicameral

Which of the following is not a direct power of the committee chair?

changes party affiliation at will

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

The framers of the Constitution granted Congress the power to ______, the greatest of all powers of government.

make laws

In the House, both the full committee and a subcommittee may ______, or propose changes to, a bill.

mark up

Elections held two years after presidential elections are called ______ elections.

midterm

If the Rules Committee places a "closed rule" on a piece of legislation, ______ amendments are permitted.

no

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

open

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, oversight function, congressional oversight, or oversite

The increase in party polarization in Congress has led to increased ______.

policy deadlock

The minority party's committee and subcommittee leaders are its _________ members.

ranking

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

Which of the following terms describes a permanent committee in Congress that has a defined legislative jurisdiction?

standing committee

Incumbents have ______ over challengers.

substantial advantages

Who helps the Speaker set the party's legislative agenda in the House?

the majority leader

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

the seniority system

Whether or not Congress takes the lead in the making of laws usually depends on ______.

the type of policy at issue

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

two, four

Compared with their percentage of the overall population of the United States, women and minorities are ______ in Congress.

underrepresented

Positive aspects of party polarization include the fact that ______.

voters can more clearly see and understand party differences

In terms of their careers, most members of Congress ______.

want to stay in Congress and put themselves in position for reelection

Select all that apply Which of the following are activities that typically take place in a party caucus? -resolving policy differences -roll-call voting -developing issues -filibustering

-resolving policy differences -developing issues

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

1. A member of the house of Reps 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.

If the president chooses to veto a bill, ______.

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

The most powerful leader in the House of Representatives is the ______.

Speaker of the House

One reason standing committees are powerful is that by law they have ______.

jurisdiction over bills in their designated policy area

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 unity

The partisan divide in Congress has grown in recent years, to the point where each party has a high level of ______, which is when party members band together on legislation and oppose the other party.

party unity

Which of the following strongly and positively affects a congressional candidate's ability win an election?

being an incumbent

True or false: Members of Congress are often willing to vote in ways that put their reelection at risk.

false (Because members are preoccupied with their prospects for reelection, they are seldom willing to act in ways that put their reelection at risk.)

Hearings are an effective way for committees to ______.

gather information

Select all that apply Which of the following oversight tools help Congress to ensure that the executive branch is administering the laws properly? -apportionment -congressional hearings -redistricting and reapportionment -budgetary appropriations

congressional hearings budgetary appropriations

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

party leaders

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