Question 1

The major source of power for the Senate majority leader is ______.

Accepted Answer

A)  control over the choice of committee chairs 
B)  the strict party discipline expected of members in floor voting 
C)  the ability to put holds on legislation favored by individual members 
D)  the control of filibusters 
E)  influence over the scheduling of legislation for floor consideration 
A)  control over the choice of committee chairs 
B)  the strict party discipline expected of members in floor voting 
C)  the ability to put holds on legislation favored by individual members 
D)  the control of filibusters 
E)  influence over the scheduling of legislation for floor consideration

Question 2

The reallocation of congressional seats among the states every ten years,following the census,is known as ______.

Accepted Answer

A)  malapportionment 
B)  reapportionment 
C)  gerrymandering 
D)  franking 
E)  redistricting 
A)  malapportionment 
B)  reapportionment 
C)  gerrymandering 
D)  franking 
E)  redistricting

Question 3

The influence of interest groups on roll-call voting decisions by members of Congress is ______.

Accepted Answer

A)  much less than is usually thought 
B)  greater than any other factor 
C)  more important than party affiliation 
D)  more important than constituency influences 
E)  more important than the cues of other members 
A)  much less than is usually thought 
B)  greater than any other factor 
C)  more important than party affiliation 
D)  more important than constituency influences 
E)  more important than the cues of other members

Question 4

It has been increasingly difficult for the parties to work together in Congress in recent years because of ______.

Accepted Answer

A)  the decreasing willingness of members to follow their party leaders 
B)  an increasing number of members who refuse to identify with either party 
C)  increasing hostility toward presidential leadership 
D)  the public's decreasing attention to the actions of Congress 
E)  increasing party polarization and hyperpartisanship 
A)  the decreasing willingness of members to follow their party leaders 
B)  an increasing number of members who refuse to identify with either party 
C)  increasing hostility toward presidential leadership 
D)  the public's decreasing attention to the actions of Congress 
E)  increasing party polarization and hyperpartisanship

Question 5

Redrawing congressional district boundaries to favor a particular group or party is known as jerry-rigging.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 6

The founders created the congressional decision-making process to be ______.

Accepted Answer

A)  speedy 
B)  responsive to the president 
C)  slow and deliberative 
D)  strictly controlled by elites 
E)  totally responsive to public opinion 
A)  speedy 
B)  responsive to the president 
C)  slow and deliberative 
D)  strictly controlled by elites 
E)  totally responsive to public opinion

Question 7

Most of the hard work of considering legislative alternatives and drafting legislation occurs ______.

Accepted Answer

A)  at the discretion of the executive branch 
B)  within congressional standing committees 
C)  only after the Supreme Court reviews it 
D)  on the floor of both chambers 
E)  strictly among the parties' leadership 
A)  at the discretion of the executive branch 
B)  within congressional standing committees 
C)  only after the Supreme Court reviews it 
D)  on the floor of both chambers 
E)  strictly among the parties' leadership

Question 8

It is hard to get rid of the filibuster because ______.

Accepted Answer

A)  it would require a constitutional amendment 
B)  both Republicans and Democrats want the opportunity to use it when they are in the minority 
C)  the president would veto legislation eliminating the filibuster 
D)  the public favors keeping it 
E)  the Supreme Court has ruled that the parliamentary procedure to eliminate it is unconstitutional 
A)  it would require a constitutional amendment 
B)  both Republicans and Democrats want the opportunity to use it when they are in the minority 
C)  the president would veto legislation eliminating the filibuster 
D)  the public favors keeping it 
E)  the Supreme Court has ruled that the parliamentary procedure to eliminate it is unconstitutional

Question 9

The textbook suggests that weak congressional oversight was a factor in the ______.

Accepted Answer

A)  attacks of September 11, 2001 
B)  decision to begin the war in Iraq 
C)  slow response of the government to Hurricane Katrina 
D)  increasing budget deficit 
E)  BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico 
A)  attacks of September 11, 2001 
B)  decision to begin the war in Iraq 
C)  slow response of the government to Hurricane Katrina 
D)  increasing budget deficit 
E)  BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico

Question 10

If Americans wanted Congress to quit creating pork barrel projects (also known as earmarks),they would have to ______.

Accepted Answer

A)  insist that their individual representatives be more responsive to local needs 
B)  pay closer attention to what their representatives are doing in Congress 
C)  reward their representatives more for engaging in national lawmaking and less for acts of representation 
D)  give more money to congressional campaigns 
E)  give more support to incumbents 
A)  insist that their individual representatives be more responsive to local needs 
B)  pay closer attention to what their representatives are doing in Congress 
C)  reward their representatives more for engaging in national lawmaking and less for acts of representation 
D)  give more money to congressional campaigns 
E)  give more support to incumbents

Question 11

Congress is ______.

Accepted Answer

A)  more likely to engage in vigorous oversight when the presidency and Congress are controlled by the same party 
B)  more likely to engage in oversight when the public is not interested in the work of an agency 
C)  less likely to engage in oversight when the presidency and Congress are controlled by the same party 
D)  less likely to engage in oversight in an election year 
E)  more likely to engage in oversight in an election year 
A)  more likely to engage in vigorous oversight when the presidency and Congress are controlled by the same party 
B)  more likely to engage in oversight when the public is not interested in the work of an agency 
C)  less likely to engage in oversight when the presidency and Congress are controlled by the same party 
D)  less likely to engage in oversight in an election year 
E)  more likely to engage in oversight in an election year

Question 12

The reallocation of congressional seats among the states every ten years,following the census,is known as ______.

Accepted Answer

A)  reapportionment 
B)  proportioning 
C)  gerrymandering 
D)  elections 
A)  reapportionment 
B)  proportioning 
C)  gerrymandering 
D)  elections

Question 13

Partisan gerrymandering is the process in a particular state legislature whereby the majority party draws districts to maximize the number of House seats the party can win.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 14

How do the House and the Senate differ in terms of how they consider bills?

Accepted Answer

The House has tighter organization becau

Question 15

All of the following statements concerning political parties in Congress are true EXCEPT this one:

Accepted Answer

A)  Parties are important because Congress is organized along party lines. 
B)  Parties are important because they are the mechanism for member advancement. 
C)  Parties punish members who do not vote with the party position on important issues. 
D)  The parties stand for very different positions on major issues. 
E)  The tendency for a majority of Democrats to vote on the opposite side of a majority of Republicans has been increasing for many years. 
A)  Parties are important because Congress is organized along party lines. 
B)  Parties are important because they are the mechanism for member advancement. 
C)  Parties punish members who do not vote with the party position on important issues. 
D)  The parties stand for very different positions on major issues. 
E)  The tendency for a majority of Democrats to vote on the opposite side of a majority of Republicans has been increasing for many years.

Question 16

All of the following conclusions concerning the effects of descriptive representation are true EXCEPT this one:

Accepted Answer

A)  The poor suffer in the distribution of goods and services because they are badly underrepresented. 
B)  African Americans and women have gained symbolically from greater representation in Congress. 
C)  African Americans and women have clearly gained substantively from greater representation in Congress. 
D)  The primary effect of descriptive representation appears to be to bring neglected perspectives to the legislative process. 
E)  Partisan identification is often more important than race or gender in determining the policy positions a representative will support. 
A)  The poor suffer in the distribution of goods and services because they are badly underrepresented. 
B)  African Americans and women have gained symbolically from greater representation in Congress. 
C)  African Americans and women have clearly gained substantively from greater representation in Congress. 
D)  The primary effect of descriptive representation appears to be to bring neglected perspectives to the legislative process. 
E)  Partisan identification is often more important than race or gender in determining the policy positions a representative will support.

Question 17

It is generally more difficult to win the nomination of your party but easier to win the general election when ______.

Accepted Answer

A)  the seat is open 
B)  an incumbent of your party is running for reelection 
C)  an incumbent of the other party is running for reelection 
D)  a president of your party is very unpopular 
E)  a president of the opposition party is very popular 
A)  the seat is open 
B)  an incumbent of your party is running for reelection 
C)  an incumbent of the other party is running for reelection 
D)  a president of your party is very unpopular 
E)  a president of the opposition party is very popular

Question 18

The number of representatives with voting privileges in the House of Representatives ______.

Accepted Answer

A)  is currently set at 435 members 
B)  will expand to 500 members in the future 
C)  changes every ten years following the census 
D)  was frozen by the Twenty-Sixth Amendment 
E)  remained at 325 members until 2000 
A)  is currently set at 435 members 
B)  will expand to 500 members in the future 
C)  changes every ten years following the census 
D)  was frozen by the Twenty-Sixth Amendment 
E)  remained at 325 members until 2000

Question 19

Define the term hyperpartisanship,and discuss why it has become more prevalent in modern American politics.

Accepted Answer

Hyperpartisanship is defined as a commit

Question 20

The textbook identifies all of the following as types of representation EXCEPT this:

Accepted Answer

A)  policy representation 
B)  allocative representation 
C)  casework 
D)  symbolic representation 
E)  authoritative representation 
A)  policy representation 
B)  allocative representation 
C)  casework 
D)  symbolic representation 
E)  authoritative representation

The major source of power for the Senate majority leader is ______.

The reallocation of congressional seats among the states every ten years,following the census,is known as ______.

The influence of interest groups on roll-call voting decisions by members of Congress is ______.

It has been increasingly difficult for the parties to work together in Congress in recent years because of ______.

Redrawing congressional district boundaries to favor a particular group or party is known as jerry-rigging.

The founders created the congressional decision-making process to be ______.

Most of the hard work of considering legislative alternatives and drafting legislation occurs ______.

It is hard to get rid of the filibuster because ______.

The textbook suggests that weak congressional oversight was a factor in the ______.

If Americans wanted Congress to quit creating pork barrel projects (also known as earmarks),they would have to ______.

Congress is ______.

The reallocation of congressional seats among the states every ten years,following the census,is known as ______.

Partisan gerrymandering is the process in a particular state legislature whereby the majority party draws districts to maximize the number of House seats the party can win.

How do the House and the Senate differ in terms of how they consider bills?

All of the following statements concerning political parties in Congress are true EXCEPT this one:

All of the following conclusions concerning the effects of descriptive representation are true EXCEPT this one:

It is generally more difficult to win the nomination of your party but easier to win the general election when ______.

The number of representatives with voting privileges in the House of Representatives ______.

Define the term hyperpartisanship,and discuss why it has become more prevalent in modern American politics.

The textbook identifies all of the following as types of representation EXCEPT this:

Politics: Who Gets What, and How?

American Citizens and Political Culture

Politics of the American Founding

Federalism and the U.S.Constitution

Fundamental American Liberties

The Struggle for Equal Rights

The Presidency

The Bureaucracy

The American Legal System and the Courts

Public Opinion

Political Parties

Interest Groups

Voting, Campaigns, and Elections

The Media

Social and Environmental Policy

Economic Policy

Foreign Policy

Filters

Exam 7: Congress

The major source of power for the Senate majority leader is ______.

The reallocation of congressional seats among the states every ten years,following the census,is known as ______.

The influence of interest groups on roll-call voting decisions by members of Congress is ______.

It has been increasingly difficult for the parties to work together in Congress in recent years because of ______.

Redrawing congressional district boundaries to favor a particular group or party is known as jerry-rigging.

The founders created the congressional decision-making process to be ______.

Most of the hard work of considering legislative alternatives and drafting legislation occurs ______.

It is hard to get rid of the filibuster because ______.

The textbook suggests that weak congressional oversight was a factor in the ______.

If Americans wanted Congress to quit creating pork barrel projects (also known as earmarks),they would have to ______.

Congress is ______.

The reallocation of congressional seats among the states every ten years,following the census,is known as ______.

Partisan gerrymandering is the process in a particular state legislature whereby the majority party draws districts to maximize the number of House seats the party can win.

How do the House and the Senate differ in terms of how they consider bills?

All of the following statements concerning political parties in Congress are true EXCEPT this one:

All of the following conclusions concerning the effects of descriptive representation are true EXCEPT this one:

It is generally more difficult to win the nomination of your party but easier to win the general election when ______.

The number of representatives with voting privileges in the House of Representatives ______.

Define the term hyperpartisanship,and discuss why it has become more prevalent in modern American politics.

The textbook identifies all of the following as types of representation EXCEPT this:

Politics: Who Gets What, and How?

American Citizens and Political Culture

Politics of the American Founding

Federalism and the U.S.Constitution

Fundamental American Liberties

The Struggle for Equal Rights

The Presidency

The Bureaucracy

The American Legal System and the Courts

Public Opinion

Political Parties

Interest Groups

Voting, Campaigns, and Elections

The Media

Social and Environmental Policy

Economic Policy

Foreign Policy

Filters