Topic 2: Congress: Balancing National Goals and Local Interests

The Speaker of the House has the right to do which of the following?

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

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

A limit of ______ exists for how long a Republican member can chair a particular committee.

6 years

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

Changed party affiliation at will

If the president chooses to veto a bill,

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

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

False

In the majority of members of the House of Representatives are Republican, then every committee and subcommittee in the House will

Have a majority of Republican memberz

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

Make laws

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

Many congressional districts and some states are lopsidedly Democratic or Republican.

Which of the following correctly describe protocol for committee membership?

Most newly elected members of Congress request committee assignments. Most vacancies occur after elections, either from retirements or incumbent defeats.

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.

In the House of Representatives, debate is limited on the congressional floor by

Rules Committee

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: after clearing the committee stage, floor debate on a bill is usually led by the majority party's leadership in the House

True

True or false: house committees have the power to make suggestions for changing a bill in a process known as mark up.

True

mid-term election

an election that takes place in the middle of a presidential term

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

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

being an incumbent

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

caucus

Hearings are an effective way for committees to

gather information

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

When a bill falls into the area in which a committee is authorized to act, that committee is said to have

jurisdiction

An example of Congress's _____ occurs when congress passes legislation that creates incentives for the development of alternative energy sources.

lawmaking function

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 increase in party polarization in Congress has led to increased

policy deadlock

The minority party's committee and subcommittee leaders are its

ranking members

Choosing committee chairs based on which member has the longest continuous tenure on a standing committee is an example of the

seniority

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

seniority system

A limit of __ exists for how long a republican member can chair a particular committee

six years

A permanent committee in Congress is known as a

standing committee

What occurs after a conference committee reconciled difference in the House and Senate versions of a bill?

the bill back to both chambers for a vote

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

the majority leader

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

Which of the following correctly describe protocol for committee membership?

-most newly elected members of Congress request committee assignments -most vacancies occur after elections, either from retirements or incumbent defeats

Which of the following are functions of Congress?

lawmaking, representation, oversight

What has been one result of the decreasing number of moderates in Congress?

legislating deadlock

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

party leaders

Whether or not congress takes the lead in the making of laws usually depends on

the type of policy at issue

When is congressional oversight exercised vigorously?

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

Which two of the following are aspects of the dual nature of Congress?

-It has the responsibility to make laws for the country as a whole. -Its members have a duty to serve people in their states or individual districts.

Which of the following statements about midterm elections are generally true?

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

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 is true of bills that emerge from committee with the full support of the committee members?

They are typically passed by an overwhelming majority.

Why is the Rules Committee considered one of the most important committees in the House?

because it decides the length of debate that will occur on a bill and whether amendments will be allowed

On major bills, it is increasingly typical for the majority party's leaders to

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

In the large majority of cases, the winner of a congressional campaign is the

incumbent

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

jurisdiction over bills in their designated policy area

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

standing committee

Incumbents have ______ over challengers.

substantial advantages