Unit 5 Test-Ch. 12

Front 1

Which of the following statements about congressional committees is FALSE?
a. Members of the committee act as cue-givers to whom other members turn for advice
b. Unless a committee gives a bill a favorable report it almost never can be considered by the full House or Senate.
c. The most important output of the committee is the marked up bill
d. Members of the committee usually serve as floor managers of the bill
e. none of the above

Back 1

e

Front 2

Most important congressional activity is done
a. in meetings of standing committees and their subcommittees
b. on the Senate floor
c. on legislators' visits to their home districts
d. in the White House
e. on the House floor

Back 2

a

Front 3

The English politician and philosopher Edmund Burke favored the concept of legislators as ________, using their best judgment to make policy in the interests of the people
a. trustees
b. instructed delegates
c. judges
d. politicos
e. constituent robots

Back 3

a

Front 4

Which of the following offices is responsible for making economic projections about the performance of the economy, the costs of proposed policies, and the economic effects of taxing and spending alternatives?
a. Federal Reserve
b. General Accounting Office
c. Ways and Means Committee
d. Congressional Budget Office
e. Congressional Research Service

Back 4

d

Front 5

The ________ is the list of federal projects, grants, and contracts available to cities, businesses, colleges, and institutions which members of Congress seek to locate in their district to promote the interests of their constituency.
a. casework
b. Treasurer's register
c. frank
d. pork barrel
e. junket

Back 5

d

Front 6

According to the Constitution, revenue bills must originate in the
a. Internal Revenue Service
b. Treasury Department
c. Federal Reserve System
d. Senate
e. House

Back 6

e

Front 7

Reasons that incumbent senators have greater competition than incumbent members of the House include all of the following EXCEPT
a. an entire state is more diverse than a congressional district, providing more of a base for opposition.
b. senators tend to draw more visible challengers.
c. voters are less likely to know the issue positions of their senators than their representatives.
d. senators have less personal contact with their constituencies
e. senate challengers are better funded than House challengers

Back 7

c

Front 8

Members of Congress seek committees that will help them achieve each of the following goals EXCEPT
a. influence Congress
b. opportunity to make policy in areas important to their constituents
c. opportunity to make policy in areas they think are important
d. salary increase
e. reelection

Back 8

d

Front 9

The real differences between the House and the Senate lie in their
a. role in policy
b. organization and centralization of power
c. members' characteristics
d. ideology
e. power relative to each other

Back 9

b

Front 10

Congressional reforms of the 1970s
a. decentralized power and democratized Congress
b. were aimed at rooting out scandal and corruption
c. professionalized the operation of Congress and made it much more efficient
d. ended the two-party monopoly of Congress and brought new parties into Congress
e. all of the above

Back 10

a

Front 11

The minority whip
a. represents African Americans, Hispanic Americans, and Asian Americans in each chamber of Congress
b. assists the majority leader in party-line votes
c. becomes the Speaker automatically if the Speaker resigns
d. is used to punish members who do not vote with the rest of their party
e. keeps a close head count on key votes, and attempts to keep party members in line

Back 11

e

Front 12

Which of the following is NOT one of the three primary activities that members of Congress engage in to increase the probability of their reelection?
a. position-taking
b. advertising
c. oversight
d. credit-claiming
e. none of the above; oversight is a form of position-taking

Back 12

c

Front 13

The income and occupations of members of Congress
a. typically reflect the pluralistic nature of American society
b. would, for the most part, make them members of the elite in American society
c. have no real impact on public policymaking
d. are very close to the average found among their constituency
e. places over 90 percent of them in the millionaire businessperson class

Back 13

b

Front 14

Which of these candidates would most likely get elected?
a. a senator running for reelection
b. an incumbent
c. a representative running for reelection
d. an incumbent representative challenging a senator
e. a challenger

Back 14

c

Front 15

The best way constituents can influence congressional voting on legislation is to
a. fax or call in their opinions
b. elect a representative or senator who agrees with their views
c. write letters or send telegrams
d. sign petitions
e. demonstrate on the steps of the capitol

Back 15

b

Front 16

Constituencies influence policy mostly by
a. influencing congressional leaders
b. empowering the president in his negotiations with Congress
c. lobbying Senators
d. buying votes through election contributions
e. the initial choice of the representative

Back 16

e

Front 17

The House ________ Committee reviews most bills coming from other committees before they go on to the full House, thus performing a traffic cop function.
a. Ways and Means
b. Rules
c. Authorization
d. Review
e. Appropriations

Back 17

b

Front 18

Which of the following is responsible for responding to congressional requests for information and providing non-partisan studies?
a. Ways and Means Committee
b. Office of the Majority Leader
c. Congressional Budget Office
d. General Accounting Office
e. Congressional Research Service

Back 18

e

Front 19

Most bills formally submitted for consideration in Congress
a. are defeated in close final votes on the floors of one chamber
b. pass one house, but are killed in the other house
c. are passed, but vetoed by the president
d. are passed and signed into law
e. are quietly killed off early in the process.

Back 19

e

Front 20

Presidential leadership of Congress in promoting the chief executive's programs is
a. dominant, with a heavy hand usually convincing wavering members
b. nonexistent.
c. at the margins, as a facilitator
d. proactive, substantive, and adversarial
e. a smooth, generally successful enterprise

Back 20

c

Front 21

The single most important advantage to someone trying to get elected to Congress is
a. a. being an incumbent
b. being charismatic and photogenic
c. winning the endorsement of the top leaders of their party.
d. having more money to spend on campaigning.
e. having a clean record.

Back 21

a

Front 22

When the House and the Senate pass different versions of the same bill
a. a conference committee is appointed to resolve differences.
b. a joint committee is appointed to resolve differences.
c. the Senate bill is changed to conform with the House bill.
d. the House bill is changed to conform with the Senate bill.
e. the president may select which bill to enact into law.

Back 22

a

Front 23

In the relationship between lobbyists and members of Congress,
a. lobbyists hold the greater power.
b. lobbyists spend most of their efforts on converting opponents to their cause.
c. members of Congress can ignore and embarrass lobbyists.
d. members of Congress depend on lobbyists for reelection.
e. lobbyists pay members of Congress to pass or defeat bills.

Back 23

c

Front 24

The president's most common method of attempting to influence Congress is to
a. invite members of Congress to the White House.
b. use the veto power.
c. call up wavering members.
d. offer to campaign for members.
e. hold regular meetings with the party's leaders in Congress.

Back 24

e

Front 25

The pork barrel and casework are examples of
a. descriptive representation
b. opportunities for credit-claiming by members of Congress.
c. congressional continuity.
d. advertising techniques
e. position-taking.

Back 25

b

Front 26

One of the key differences between the House and Senate is that the Senate
a. is less dependent on seniority for determining power.
b. has more anarchy.
c. has stronger leadership.
d. is more centralized.
e. has a lower turnover rate.

Back 26

a

Front 27

Millionaire Senator Edward Kennedy sponsoring a bill to help the poor and disadvantaged would be an example of
a. franking privileges.
b. elite representation.
c. descriptive representation.
d. substantive representation.
e. constituent representation.

Back 27

d

Front 28

After each federal census,
a. the Senate reapportions its membership.
b. the office of the Speaker of the House changes hands.
c. the membership of the House is reapportioned
d. the size of Congress increases.
e. all of the above

Back 28

c

Front 29

Which of the following statements about Congress is FALSE?
a. Congress is a collection of generalists trying to make policy on specialized topics.
b. Members of Congress are often unsure of what is being voted on when a roll-call vote is called.
c. Members of Congress are surrounded by people who know (or claim to know) more than they do.
d. Members frequently ask their colleagues how to vote.
e. none of the above

Back 29

e

Front 30

Which of the following does the Speaker NOT play a role in?
a. assigning most bills to committees
b. making committee assignments
c. presiding over the House when it is in session
d. recommending which members should be expelled from the House for failure to support the party's positions on bills
e. appointing the party's legislative leaders

Back 30

d

Front 31

Members of Congress engage in each of the following activities that increase the probability of their reelections EXCEPT
a. party voting.
b. credit-claiming.
c. advertising.
d. spend much of their time away from Congress and in their home districts.
e. position taking.

Back 31

a

Front 32

One of the key differences between the House and Senate is that the House
a. has more policy specialization.
b. is less centralized.
c. is less institutionalized.
d. is more influential on foreign affairs.
e. has weaker leadership.

Back 32

a

Front 33

Which of the following statements about the majority leader of the House of Representatives is FALSE?
a. The majority leader is the main steppingstone to the job of Speaker of the House.
b. The majority leader exercises substantial control over which bills get assigned to which committees.
c. The majority leader is responsible for rounding up votes on behalf of the party's position on legislation.
d. The majority leader is responsible for scheduling bills in the House.
e. He or she is the principal ally of the Speaker.

Back 33

b

Front 34

Which of the following statements about the role of money in congressional elections is FALSE?
a. Incumbents benefit less from campaign spending than challengers.
b. The more challengers spend, the more votes they receive.
c. Challengers usually outspend incumbents.
d. Outspending your opponent by a large margin is no guarantee of success.
e. In open seats, the candidate who spends the most usually wins.

Back 34

c

Front 35

Republican congressional reforms in the 1990s included all of the following EXCEPT
a. both committee and subcommittee chairs were limited to three consecutive two-year terms as chair.
b. committee chairs were given complete control over the timing of bills under consideration.
c. committee chairs were allowed to choose the chairs of subcommittees on their committees.
d. some subcommittees were eliminated.
e. none of the above

Back 35

b