POSI2
Which of the following statements about congressional committees are true
-They each specialize in a certain area of legislation -They make it possible for congress to consider a high volume of bills
When does a bill become law
-When congress overrides a presidential veto -when the president signs it
which of the following are true of joint committees
-they perform advisory functions -they are composed of members of both houses
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. -women and minorities have a winning percentage that is roughly the same as non incumbent white males
Put in order the following steps that a bill must pass through in order to become 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 members in the House and Senate approve the bill. 4. The president signs the bill.
The speaker of the house is effectively chosen by the
Majority Party
Elections held in the years between presidential elections are called ___ elections
Midterm
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
The most powerful leader in the house of Representatives is the?
Speaker of the house
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
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
which of the following strongly and positively affects a congressional candidate's ability to raise money and win an election
being an incumbent
The U.S. congress is a ___ legislature with two chambers, the house and the senate
bicameral
To plan strategy and resolve policy issues, party members in congress typically meet behind closed doors In a session called a party
caucus
Which of the following is a procedural move in the senate than can end a filibuster?
cloture
If the president chooses to veto a bill
congress can override the veto by a two-thirds vote in each chamber
members of congress usually serve on congressional committees that concentrate on policy areas that effect the members
constituency
most of the bills congress passes are ____ in nature which means they provide benefits to a particular group in society while spreading the costs accross the taxpaying public as a whole
distributive
The privilege of incumbents to send mail to their constituencies at the governments expense is known as the ___ privilege
franking
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
When a committee or subcommittee holds a ___, they are trying to gather information about a proposed bill.
hearing
Redistricting can diminish the advantages of being an ____ because the candidate will have a lower name recognition among the district's voters than before redistricting.
incumbent
what is one reason why incumbents have a fundraising advantage over challengers
incumbents have a ready list of potential contributors from past campaigns
A committee that is composed of members of both chambers is known as a ___ committee
joint
the increase in party polarization in congress has led to increased
legislative gridlock
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
Which of the following is the most powerful leadership position in the Senate?
majority leader
the framers of the constitution granted congress the power to ___, the greatest of all powers of government
make laws
Members of Congress may experience conflict between their lawmaking responsibility and their responsibility to represent their constituency because
not all policies that are good for the nation as a whole coincide with the needs of their constituency
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
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
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
the trend toward party unity in congress can clearly be seen in voting records of members congress when their votes are officially recorded during a ___ vote
roll-call
Choosing committee chairs based on which member has the longest continuous tenure on a standing committee is an example of the
seniority system
which of the following terms describes a permanent committee in congress that has a defined legislative jurisdiction
standing committee
which of the following methods is most often used to select committee chairs?
the seniority system
Compared with their percentage of the overall population of the United States, women and minorities are
underrepresented
If a vote in the Senate is tied, the ______ _____ breaks the tie.
vice president
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
Among the reasons why Congress has difficulty taking the lead on broad issues are the facts that
-congress has two chambers, and they are not always in agreement on policy issues -members of Congress come from different districts and often have conflicting views on national policy
which of the following oversight tools help congress to ensure that the executive branch is administering the laws properly?
-congressional hearings -budgetary appropriations
Which of the following are functions of Congress
-lawmaking -respresentation -oversight
on major bills, it is increasingly typical for the majority party's leaders to
-shape the bills broad content -direct the floor debate after the bill leaves the committee
which of the following statements are true of bills that are killed in committee
-some bills are not supported by the members who introduced them -they can be brought back to life by a vote of the full house of senate -most are poorly conceived or of little interest to anyone
the speaker of the house has the right to
-speak first during house debate on legislation -select the chairperson of the House Rules Committee -choose who may speak on the house floor
Which of the following about midterm elections are true
-voter turnout is lower than for presidential elections -the presidents party usually loses seats -there is less media coverage of candidates and issues than in a presidential election
When is congressional oversight exercised vigorously
-when members are intending to modify an agency program -when members are annoyed with an agency