Unit 2 test Chapter 4 AP Gov

The Agriculture Committee in the House is a permanent committee that develops legislation regarding agriculture, food, and rural development. The Agriculture Committee is an example of which type of committee?

Standing committee

The house of representatives . . . can make no law which will not have its full operation on themselves and their friends, as well as the great mass of society. This has always been deemed one of the strongest bonds by which human policy can connect the rulers and the people together . . . but without which every government degenerates into tyranny.—James Madison, Federalist No. 57

The House of Representatives was created to directly represent the citizens.

Suppose you are part of the president's cabinet and advise him on setting the priorities for national spending. Which group are you a part of? *

The Office of Management and Budget

How does the position of the Speaker of the House compare to the Senate majority leader? *

The Speaker of the House has more power than the Senate majority leader.

Suppose in the year 2018, the United States generated $21.5 trillion and spent $19.5 trillion. In that year, the United States would have *

a budget surplus.

Hold

a delay placed on legislation by a senator who objects to a bill

majority-minority district (a district in which voters of a minority ethnicity constitute an electoral majority within that electoral district

a district in which voters of a minority ethnicity constitute an electoral majority within that electoral district

In 2013, US Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) delivered a 21-hour speech that interfered with a planned vote on healthcare reforms. Senator Cruz's actions would be considered

a filibuster.

Whip

a member of Congress chones by his/her party members, whose job is to ensure party unity and discipline

Discharge Petition

a motion filed by a member of congress to move bill out of committee and onto floor of House of Representatives for a vote

lame duck period

a period at the end of a presidential term when Congress may block presidential initiatives and nominees

House rules committee

a powerful committee that determines when a bill will be subject to debate and vote on the House floor, how long the debate will last, and whether amendments will be allowed on the floor

Cloture

a procedure through which senators can end debate on a bill and proceed to action, provided 60 senators agree to it

entitlement program

a program that provides benefits for those who qualify under the law, regardless of income

gridlock

a slowdown or halt in Congress's ability to legislate and overcome divisions especial those based on partisanship

Filibuster

a tactic through which an individual senator may use the right of unlimited debate to delay a motion or postpone on a piece of legislation

Suppose a new bill has been introduced that would make changes to existing education policies and roll back the federal government's involvement in public education. Which type of committee should be established to work out the different versions of the bill from the House and Senate? *

A conference committee

Why would efforts to improve substantive representation be more beneficial than efforts to improve descriptive representation

By focusing on substantive representation, Congress would better reflect the interests of American citizens as a whole.

Which statement might a congressperson make to argue that Social Security benefits should remain classified as mandatory spending

Changing benefits or the taxes to pay for them would produce a political backlash against lawmakers.

Which argument would you make to defend the reinstatement of earmarks in Congress? *

Earmarks allow Congress to better advocate for their constituency.

Congress: Select the pair of answers that best explains why the incumbency advantage is higher in the House of Representatives than it is in the Senate.

HOR/smaller districts SENATE/represent entire state

A Republican member of the House of Representatives who is responsible for the opposition strategy and coordinating party activity in a Democrat-controlled House would be known as the *

House minority leader.

How does the process of a bill becoming a law differ if it is introduced in the House compared to if it is introduced in the Senate? *

If a bill is introduced in the House, it must be presented to the Rules committee before it can move to the floor for consideration.

Which of the following best explains the trend shown in the graph?

Increase partisanship makes it more difficult for Congress to pass a spending bills

This question refers to this excerpt from a newspaper article.Two conservative Republicans booted from House budget panelBy David LawderTwo of the most conservative Republicans in the House of Representatives have been kicked off the House Budget Committee, a rare move that could make it easier for the panel to advance a deal with Democrats to cut fiscal deficits.Representatives Tim Heulskamp of Kansas and Justin Amash of Michigan—both favorites of the anti-tax Tea Party movement—are among those Republicans voting most often against House Speaker John Boehner. . . .Heulskamp and Amash cast the only House Budget Committee votes against [Chairman Paul] Ryan's budget plan earlier this year.Which of the following inferences can be drawn from the excerpt?

Members of Congress who defy their party's leadership face political consequences

What does the map illustrate?

Partisan gerrymandering

Which measure has been proposed as a way to alleviate the shortfall in paying out Social Security benefits?

Reducing the benefits paid to current recipients

Which process acts as a check by the legislative branch on the executive branch? *

The process of impeachment

Malapportionment

The uneven distribution of the population among legislative districts

What was the primary purpose of the 1842 Apportionment Act? *

To mandate single-member districts in the House of Representatives

An incumbent candidate running for Senate, who has a generally positive track record with her constituents and loyal donors contributing to her campaign, has a challenger who is new to politics altogether. How would this incumbent candidate likely fare in the election? * 5/5

Well, since the senator has the advantage of name recognition and experience.

constituency

a body of voters in a given area who elect a representative or senator

Suppose a state's legislature has enlisted a commission to redraw its congressional district boundaries, but upon review notices that the districts each have significantly uneven numbers of constituents. Such redistricting would be * 0/5

a violation of the Fourteenth Amendment.

bipartisanship

agreement between the parties to work together in Congress to pass legislation

Unanimous consent agreements

an agreement in the Senate that sets the terms for consideration of a bill

Political action committee (PAC)

an organization that raises money for candidates and campaigns

Incumbency

being already in office as opposed to running for the first time

Which is NOT a formal constitutional requirement for members of the United States Senate *

born in the United States

Committee of the Whole

consists of all members of the house and meets in the house chamber but is governed by different rules making it easier to consider complex and controversial legislation

divided government

control of the presidency and one or both chambers of Congress split between the two major parties

Suppose Congress presents a bill to the president that would limit the rights of Americans to speak freely. The president vetoes the bill and upon reconsideration, the bill fails in a vote to override the veto. In this case, the bil

dies and does not become law.

Defense spending is considered *

discretionary spending.

partisan gerrymandering

drawing of district boundaries into strange shapes to benefit a political party

oversight

efforts by Congress to ensure that executive branch agencies, bureaus, and cabinet departments, as well as their officials, are acting legally and in accordance with congressional goals

Suppose that a Midwestern state has recently redrawn its districts in a way that benefits the interests of agricultural farmers. Such redistricting is known as *

gerrymandering.

A political scientist who is studying the effects of increased partisan polarization might focus on

gridlock.

In order for someone to be considered a candidate for the United States Senate, he or she must

have at least nine years of citizenship.

Incumbency advantage

institutional advantage held by those already in office who are rying to fend off challengers in an election

Speaker of the house

leader of House of Representatives chosen by an election of its members

Committee chair

leader of a congressional committee who has authority over the committee's agenda

Pork barrel spending

legislation that directs specific funds to projects within district states

This question refers to this excerpt of proposed House Resolution 184 introduced by Representative Hakeem Jeffries in the House Judiciary Committee on March 9, 2017.RESOLVED: That the President is requested, and the Attorney General of the United States is directed, to transmit, respectively (in a manner appropriate to classified information, if the President or Attorney General determines appropriate), to the House of Representatives, not later than 14 days after the date of the adoption of this resolution, copies of any document, record, memo, correspondence, or other communication in their possession, or any portion of any such communication, that refers or relates to the following:(1) Any meeting or communication that occurred between Senator Jeff Sessions and any representative of the Russian government, including his meetings with the Russian Ambassador to the United States, Sergey I. Kislyak, on July 18, 2016, and September 8, 2016.(2) Senator Sessions' testimony before the Senate Committee on the Judiciary on January 10, 2017, including but not limited to his statement that he "did not have communications with the Russians."What congressional power was used in passing this resolution?

legislative oversight

What congressional power was used in passing this resolution?

legislative oversight

One of the most controversial issues surrounding Congressional redistricting is so-called majority-minority districts. Explain these districts and describe the controversy surrounding them. *

principal that minority groups racially or ethnically try to create a district mostly holds people within the group so their group can give a vote in Congress.

politico role

representation where members of Congress balance their choices with the interests of their constituents and parties making decisions

The Supreme Court's decision in Baker v. Carr *

required congressional districts to have roughly the same number of constituents.

discretionary spending

spending for programs and policies at the discretion of Congress and the president

mandatory spending

spending required by existing laws that is "locked in" the budget

redistricting

states' redrawing of boundaries of electoral districts following each census

budget surplus

the amount of money remaining when the government takes in more than it spends

Office of Management and Budget (OMB)

the executive branch office that assists the president in setting national spending priorities

Minority Leader

the head of the party with the 2nd highest number of seats in Congress, chosen by the party's members

trustee role

the idea that members of Congress should act as trustees, making decisions based on their knowledge and judgement

delegate role

the idea that the main duty of a member on Congress is to carry out constituents' wishes

gerrymandering

the international use of redistricting to benefit a specific interest group of voters

Senate majority leader

the person who has the most power in the Senate and is the head of the party with the most seats

House majority leader

the person who is the second in command of the House of Representatives

Veto

the power of a president to reject a bill passed by Congress, sending it back to the originating branch with objections

apportionment

the process of determining the number of representatives for each state using census date

budget deficit

the shortfall when a government takes in less money than it spends

national debt

the total amount of money owed by federal government

log rolling

trading of votes on legislation by members of Congress to get their earmarks passed into legislation

Suppose evidence has come to light that the president has provided financial assistance to violent non-state actors in foreign countries to assist in a plot to harm the American people. The House of Representatives may issue articles of impeachment on the grounds that the president has committed * 5/5

treason.

Suppose the state of California has elected an incumbent representative to the House of Representatives who has suggested that he knows what is best for the citizens of California in his district and will use his experience and knowledge to achieve his goals. This representative is playing the *

trustee role.