Exam 11: Congress

The House of Representatives decided that, beginning in 1910, its upper limit would be __________ members.

A __________ is one tactic to signal the leadership that a Senate member may have objections to a bill.

Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution enumerates the powers of Congress: powers are specific and limited rather than implied.

Contrast the trustee model versus the delegate model of representation, and explain the factors that affect which of the models a representative chooses to follow.

Senators with six-year terms face the electorate less often than members of the House, so they are generally freer than representatives to assume the delegate style of representation.

What is the purpose of a discharge petition?

The path by which a bill becomes a law faces so many obstacles that few bills survive; only about __________ percent of all bills that are introduced are enacted.

Women and racial minorities are __________ in Congress.

Each of the United States elects two senators for six-year terms (though not all at the same time). Discuss the kind of power the Senate is granted by the fact that it gives all states equal representation. What are the implications of the Senate's makeup for politics in the United States, as well as the quality of democratic representation here?

Examine Congress's "power of the purse." How has its constitutional mandate to approve the budget altered over time? Would you change anything about the budget process? Justify your answer. Be sure to describe specific budget acts and controversies in your argument.

A conference committee is comprised of members from the House and Senate committees that originally considered the bill.

Though the Constitution allows states to create their own legislative boundaries, gerrymandering in favor of any partisan or racial group is expressly forbidden by law.

Because the Senate lacks a rules committee, it relies instead on a __________, negotiated by the majority and minority leaders, to govern consideration of a bill.

Describe majority-minority districts and explain their purpose(s).

How might a bill become law if it has been pocket vetoed?

In congressional hearings, testimony taken from government agencies, like the Governmental Accountability Office (GAO), is often used for __________.

What can be inferred from the current demographic composition of the Senate?

Legislators typically eschew casework, as it is burdensome to the staff and emphasizes benefits for individuals over the good of the whole district.

Congressional committees are areas of __________ that allow members to develop the expertise to handle complex issues.

The true leader of the Senate is the __________, elected by the majority party.