Question 1

Which of the following best describes a way in which the House differs from the Senate?

Accepted Answer

A)  The House is more centralized and organized than the Senate. 
B)  The House is a looser and more deliberative body than the Senate. 
C)  The House's representatives are much less specialized than the Senate's members. 
D)  The House has a much greater level of turnover in its membership than the Senate. 
E)  Only the House has the authority to approve the president's appointments to the federal judiciary. 
A)  The House is more centralized and organized than the Senate. 
B)  The House is a looser and more deliberative body than the Senate. 
C)  The House's representatives are much less specialized than the Senate's members. 
D)  The House has a much greater level of turnover in its membership than the Senate. 
E)  Only the House has the authority to approve the president's appointments to the federal judiciary.

Question 2

Congress adjourns during a ten-day period after presenting the president with a bill, and the president takes no action. This is known as a

Accepted Answer

A)  procrastination veto. 
B)  pocket veto. 
C)  line-item veto. 
D)  silent veto. 
E)  expiration veto. 
A)  procrastination veto. 
B)  pocket veto. 
C)  line-item veto. 
D)  silent veto. 
E)  expiration veto.

Question 3

Pork-barrel legislation

Accepted Answer

A)  deals with specific projects and their location within a particular congressional district. 
B)  deals with specific agricultural subsidies. 
C)  funds efforts to increase the levels of America's meat exports. 
D)  grants a special privilege to a person named in the bill. 
E)  orders state governments to implement a program without providing funding for doing so. 
A)  deals with specific projects and their location within a particular congressional district. 
B)  deals with specific agricultural subsidies. 
C)  funds efforts to increase the levels of America's meat exports. 
D)  grants a special privilege to a person named in the bill. 
E)  orders state governments to implement a program without providing funding for doing so.

Question 4

Which of the following is not a resource congressional party leaders have at their disposal to secure the unity and cooperation of their members?

Accepted Answer

A)  committee assignments 
B)  access to the floor 
C)  constituency service 
D)  access to leadership PACs 
E)  the whip system 
A)  committee assignments 
B)  access to the floor 
C)  constituency service 
D)  access to leadership PACs 
E)  the whip system

Question 5

What did the Supreme Court declare in Miller v. Johnson?

Accepted Answer

A)  Districts could not be drawn to favor the incumbent candidate. 
B)  The racial composition of a district could not be the predominant factor when redistricting. 
C)  Incumbents could not begin fund-raising more than nine months before the general election. 
D)  It was not unconstitutional for states to use an unelected, nonpartisan committee to redistrict. 
E)  The use of computer technologies to draw districts that will favor one party over another is unconstitutional. 
A)  Districts could not be drawn to favor the incumbent candidate. 
B)  The racial composition of a district could not be the predominant factor when redistricting. 
C)  Incumbents could not begin fund-raising more than nine months before the general election. 
D)  It was not unconstitutional for states to use an unelected, nonpartisan committee to redistrict. 
E)  The use of computer technologies to draw districts that will favor one party over another is unconstitutional.

Question 6

By the 2008 election, the representation of women and minorities in Congress was roughly comparable to their proportions in the general population.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 7

The House Ways and Means Committee has jurisdiction over which of the following areas?

Accepted Answer

A)  taxes, trade, and entitlement programs 
B)  foreign relations and national security 
C)  rules governing debate on the floor and committee assignments 
D)  highways and waterways 
E)  agricultural and food issues 
A)  taxes, trade, and entitlement programs 
B)  foreign relations and national security 
C)  rules governing debate on the floor and committee assignments 
D)  highways and waterways 
E)  agricultural and food issues

Question 8

How can a president's veto be overridden by Congress?

Accepted Answer

A)  by a two-thirds vote in either house 
B)  by a two-thirds vote in both houses 
C)  by a simple majority vote in both houses 
D)  by a majority vote in the Veto Override Committee in the House and the Senate 
E)  A president's veto cannot be overridden. 
A)  by a two-thirds vote in either house 
B)  by a two-thirds vote in both houses 
C)  by a simple majority vote in both houses 
D)  by a majority vote in the Veto Override Committee in the House and the Senate 
E)  A president's veto cannot be overridden.

Question 9

Describe the process by which a bill becomes a law. What are some of the major steps and hurdles over which a bill must pass? What are the main differences in the legislative process between the two houses of Congress?

Accepted Answer

The process by which a bill becomes a la

Question 10

Who is the Speaker of the House?

Accepted Answer

A)  The vice president is also the Speaker of the House. 
B)  The representative with the longest tenure in the House is the Speaker of the House. 
C)  The elected leader of the majority party in the House is the Speaker. 
D)  An employee of Congress who formally brings the House into session each day is the Speaker. 
E)  The president selects the Speaker of the House from the majority party in the House. 
A)  The vice president is also the Speaker of the House. 
B)  The representative with the longest tenure in the House is the Speaker of the House. 
C)  The elected leader of the majority party in the House is the Speaker. 
D)  An employee of Congress who formally brings the House into session each day is the Speaker. 
E)  The president selects the Speaker of the House from the majority party in the House.

Question 11

Which idea of representation says that a legislator should be viewed as someone whom voters hire to represent their interests?

Accepted Answer

A)  agency representation 
B)  sociological representation 
C)  mirroring representation 
D)  trustee representation 
E)  contract representation 
A)  agency representation 
B)  sociological representation 
C)  mirroring representation 
D)  trustee representation 
E)  contract representation

Question 12

The need to divide the labor of legislation is best exemplified in what formal structure of Congress?

Accepted Answer

A)  the establishment of party whips 
B)  the establishment of standing committees 
C)  the strict control over floor time in Congress 
D)  the use of conference committees 
E)  the establishment of minority and majority leaders 
A)  the establishment of party whips 
B)  the establishment of standing committees 
C)  the strict control over floor time in Congress 
D)  the use of conference committees 
E)  the establishment of minority and majority leaders

Question 13

A proposed piece of legislation is called a

Accepted Answer

A)  bill. 
B)  referendum. 
C)  proposal. 
D)  cloture. 
E)  filibuster. 
A)  bill. 
B)  referendum. 
C)  proposal. 
D)  cloture. 
E)  filibuster.

Question 14

Describe how Congress exercises its checks and balances over the executive branch. Which house of Congress has more authority over the executive branch? Give examples. How might partisanship help to diminish the exercise of congressional power over the presidency?

Accepted Answer

Congress exercises its checks and balanc

Question 15

Constituency service and private bills are common forms of patronage.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 16

Under the original Constitution, senators

Accepted Answer

A)  served four-year terms. 
B)  had the authority to choose the president's cabinet ministers. 
C)  were appointed by state legislatures. 
D)  were selected by the federal judiciary. 
E)  could serve only two terms. 
A)  served four-year terms. 
B)  had the authority to choose the president's cabinet ministers. 
C)  were appointed by state legislatures. 
D)  were selected by the federal judiciary. 
E)  could serve only two terms.

Question 17

What are the greatest dangers associated with a trustee model of representation?

Accepted Answer

A)  Members of the Congress may not bring back enough pork-barrel projects to their districts. 
B)  Representatives may become inattentive to the wishes and opinions of their constituents. 
C)  Members of Congress may give inadequate deference to the executive branch in the area of national security. 
D)  The representatives who adopt this model are too influenced by special interest groups. 
E)  Members of Congress may become too polarized, and bipartisanship will decrease significantly. 
A)  Members of the Congress may not bring back enough pork-barrel projects to their districts. 
B)  Representatives may become inattentive to the wishes and opinions of their constituents. 
C)  Members of Congress may give inadequate deference to the executive branch in the area of national security. 
D)  The representatives who adopt this model are too influenced by special interest groups. 
E)  Members of Congress may become too polarized, and bipartisanship will decrease significantly.

Question 18

Which of the following is not a task of congressional staff members?

Accepted Answer

A)  dealing with administrative agencies 
B)  drafting legislative proposals 
C)  organizing hearings 
D)  debating and voting in subcommittee meetings 
E)  negotiating with lobbyists 
A)  dealing with administrative agencies 
B)  drafting legislative proposals 
C)  organizing hearings 
D)  debating and voting in subcommittee meetings 
E)  negotiating with lobbyists

Question 19

As of 2012, how many women serve in the U.S. Senate?

Accepted Answer

A)  two 
B)  seven 
C)  twenty 
D)  twenty-one 
E)  twenty-nine 
A)  two 
B)  seven 
C)  twenty 
D)  twenty-one 
E)  twenty-nine

Question 20

Responsibility for communicating the leader's wishes to members in Congress lies with the

Accepted Answer

A)  Speaker of the House and the Senate president pro tempore. 
B)  whip system. 
C)  party's national committee. 
D)  party caucuses. 
E)  the Ways and Means Committee. 
A)  Speaker of the House and the Senate president pro tempore. 
B)  whip system. 
C)  party's national committee. 
D)  party caucuses. 
E)  the Ways and Means Committee.

Which of the following best describes a way in which the House differs from the Senate?

Congress adjourns during a ten-day period after presenting the president with a bill, and the president takes no action. This is known as a

Pork-barrel legislation

Which of the following is not a resource congressional party leaders have at their disposal to secure the unity and cooperation of their members?

What did the Supreme Court declare in Miller v. Johnson?

By the 2008 election, the representation of women and minorities in Congress was roughly comparable to their proportions in the general population.

The House Ways and Means Committee has jurisdiction over which of the following areas?

How can a president's veto be overridden by Congress?

Describe the process by which a bill becomes a law. What are some of the major steps and hurdles over which a bill must pass? What are the main differences in the legislative process between the two houses of Congress?

Who is the Speaker of the House?

Which idea of representation says that a legislator should be viewed as someone whom voters hire to represent their interests?

The need to divide the labor of legislation is best exemplified in what formal structure of Congress?

A proposed piece of legislation is called a

Describe how Congress exercises its checks and balances over the executive branch. Which house of Congress has more authority over the executive branch? Give examples. How might partisanship help to diminish the exercise of congressional power over the presidency?

Constituency service and private bills are common forms of patronage.

Under the original Constitution, senators

What are the greatest dangers associated with a trustee model of representation?

Which of the following is not a task of congressional staff members?

As of 2012, how many women serve in the U.S. Senate?

Responsibility for communicating the leader's wishes to members in Congress lies with the

American Political Culture

The Founding and the Constitution

Federalism

Civil Liberties

Civil Rights

Public Opinion

The Media

Political Participation and Voting

Political Parties

Campaigns and Elections

Groups and Interests

The Presidency

Bureaucracy in a Democracy

The Federal Courts

Filters

Exam 12: Congress

Which of the following best describes a way in which the House differs from the Senate?

Congress adjourns during a ten-day period after presenting the president with a bill, and the president takes no action. This is known as a

Pork-barrel legislation

Which of the following is not a resource congressional party leaders have at their disposal to secure the unity and cooperation of their members?

What did the Supreme Court declare in Miller v. Johnson?

By the 2008 election, the representation of women and minorities in Congress was roughly comparable to their proportions in the general population.

The House Ways and Means Committee has jurisdiction over which of the following areas?

How can a president's veto be overridden by Congress?

Describe the process by which a bill becomes a law. What are some of the major steps and hurdles over which a bill must pass? What are the main differences in the legislative process between the two houses of Congress?

Who is the Speaker of the House?

Which idea of representation says that a legislator should be viewed as someone whom voters hire to represent their interests?

The need to divide the labor of legislation is best exemplified in what formal structure of Congress?

A proposed piece of legislation is called a

Describe how Congress exercises its checks and balances over the executive branch. Which house of Congress has more authority over the executive branch? Give examples. How might partisanship help to diminish the exercise of congressional power over the presidency?

Constituency service and private bills are common forms of patronage.

Under the original Constitution, senators

What are the greatest dangers associated with a trustee model of representation?

Which of the following is not a task of congressional staff members?

As of 2012, how many women serve in the U.S. Senate?

Responsibility for communicating the leader's wishes to members in Congress lies with the

American Political Culture

The Founding and the Constitution

Federalism

Civil Liberties

Civil Rights

Public Opinion

The Media

Political Participation and Voting

Political Parties

Campaigns and Elections

Groups and Interests

The Presidency

Bureaucracy in a Democracy

The Federal Courts

Filters