Chapter 12 Quiz

Front 1

1. Congress may overturn a presidential veto with a two-thirds vote by each house.

Back 1

True

Front 2

2. The Supreme Court has ruled that race could not be the predominant factor in creating electoral districts.

Back 2

True

Front 3

3. A filibuster is a parliamentary device found in the Senate but not the House.

Back 3

True

Front 4

4. A standing committee usually has a parallel department or agency within the executive branch.

Back 4

True

Front 5

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

Back 5

False

Front 6

6. As of 2010, how many women serve in the U.S. Senate?

Back 6

C. SEVENTEEN

Front 7

7. A senator or representative running for re-election is called the

Back 7

B. INCUMBENT

Front 8

9. How long is the term of office for a U.S. Senator?

Back 8

C. SIX YEARS

Front 9

13. Approximately what percentage of proposed bills die in committee?

Back 9

e. 95 percent

Front 10

14. The process of allocating congressional seats among the fifty states is called

Back 10

d. apportionment.

Front 11

8. A bicameral legislature is one that has

Back 11

B.TWO CHAMBERS OR HOUSES

Front 12

15. “Closed rule” and “open rule” refer to congressional provisions regarding

Back 12

d. floor debate on a bill.

Front 13

17. The two presidents to be impeached by the House of Representatives were Bill Clinton and

Back 13

b. Andrew Johnson

Front 14

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

Back 14

c. constituency service

Front 15

19. Which of the following is not an important influence on the legislative agenda of Congress?

Back 15

d. the federal courts

Front 16

10. What unusual action did Texas take after the 2000 census?

Back 16

B. TEXAS REDISTRICTED TWICE, IN 2001 AND 2003.

Front 17

11. Which of the following is not a task for which congressional party leaders are responsible?

Back 17

D. THE ORGANIZATION OF THE RE-ELECTION STRATEGIES FOR INCUMBENTS

Front 18

12. Three factors related to the American electoral system affect who is elected to office in this country, and what they do once they get there. Those factors are

Back 18

B. WHO DECIDES TO RUN FOR OFFICE, INCUMBENCY, AND THE DRAWING OF DISTRICT LINES.

Front 19

18. What are the most common private bills proposed in Congress?

Back 19

b. bills for permanent visas for foreign nationals

Front 20

20. Members of Congress can represent the people in two ways: as a ______, a member of Congress acts on the express preferences of his or her constituency; as a ______, a member is more loosely tied to constituents and makes the decisions he or she thinks are best.

Back 20

WRONG
b. trustee; delegate
C. REPRESENTATIVE; SENATOR
d. senator; representative

Front 21

21. Under the original Constitution, senators

Back 21

WRONG:
e. could serve only two terms.

Front 22

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

Back 22

WRONG:
d. trustee representation

Front 23

23. Why does the House have greater party unity than the Senate?

Back 23

b. House leaders have more organizational control over the actions of representatives than Senate leaders.

Front 24

24. Which of the following is not a service often provided by representatives to their constituents?

Back 24

WRONG:
d. writing and mailing out newsletters

Front 25

25. Which of the following statements concerning the process of reapportionment is correct?

Back 25

WRONG:
c. States that fall below a minimum number of inhabitants are represented in the House by a nonvoting delegate.

Front 26

26. The most common occupation among members of Congress before coming to Congress is

Back 26

WRONG:
a. business executive.
b. sales representative.

Front 27

27. Who has the most real power in the Senate?

Back 27

WRONG:
a. the Speaker of the Senate

Front 28

28. In the House of Representatives, the majority leader

Back 28

WRONG:
b. is the same office as the Speaker of the House.
d. has the same powers as the Speaker of the House but is a different office.

Front 29

29. Which is the best description of the K Street Project?

Back 29

a. It was an attempt to place former Republican staffers in key lobbying positions to help ensure a large flow of corporate donations to the Republican Party.

Front 30

30. One problem with the delegate model of representation is

Back 30

WRONG:
b. that members of Congress may not bring back enough pork-barrel projects.

Front 31

31. The idea of ______ identifies the best representative as the one who shares a similar racial, ethnic, religious, or occupational background with those he or she represents.

Back 31

WRONG:
d. trustee representation

Front 32

32. 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

Back 32

WRONG:
a. procrastination veto.

Front 33

33. The Senate’s constitutional power of advice and consent extends to which of the following?

Back 33

WRONG:
d. the president’s power to issue pardons

Front 34

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

Back 34

WRONG:
a. Members of the Congress may not bring back enough pork-barrel projects to their districts.

Front 35

35. A vote on which 50 percent or more of the members of one party take one position while at least 50 percent of the members of the other party take the opposing position is called

Back 35

WRONG:
d. a pocket veto.

Front 36

36. Which of the following statements concerning the process of reapportionment is correct?

Back 36

WRONG:
d. States that grow in size may gain extra seats, but the Constitution forbids any state from having more than 35 representatives.

Front 37

38. The Congressional Research Service and the Government Accountability Office are examples of

Back 37

WRONG:
d. select committees.

Front 38

40. Which of the following is not an important influence on the legislative agenda of Congress?

Back 38

d. the federal courts

Front 39

41. Congressional leaders charged with lining up party members on important votes are known as sergeants-at-arms.

Back 39

False

Front 40

42. How can a president’s veto be overridden by Congress?

Back 40

b. by a two-thirds vote in both houses

Front 41

43. The vice president also serves as Speaker of the House of Representatives and breaks tie votes.

Back 41

False

Front 42

44. The process of allocating congressional seats among the fifty states is called

Back 42

d. apportionment.

Front 43

45. Oversight is an important legislative check on the executive branch.

Back 43

True

Front 44

46. In each House district there are approximately ______ people.

Back 44

b. 600,000

Front 45

47. Who is the Speaker of the House?

Back 45

c. The elected leader of the majority party in the House is the Speaker.

Front 46

48. Cloture is

Back 46

b. the process by which three-fifths of the Senate can end a filibuster.

Front 47

49. The number of seats in Congress changes as the population of the United States changes.

Back 47

False

Front 48

50. In general, members of the House seek committee assignments that will

Back 48

c. allow them to influence decisions which are of special importance to voters in their districts.

Front 49

51. Constituency service is a key aspect of agency representation.

Back 49

True

Front 50

52. A proposed piece of legislation is called a

Back 50

a. bill.

Front 51

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

Back 51

b. The racial composition of a district could not be the predominant factor when redistricting.

Front 52

54. Under the original Constitution, senators

Back 52

c. were appointed by state legislatures.

Front 53

55. Members of Congress who act on the express wishes of their constituents are called trustees.

Back 53

False

Front 54

56. In 2006, ______ became the Speaker of the House.

Back 54

d. Nancy Pelosi

Front 55

57. Levels of incumbency in Congress are around 50 percent.

Back 55

False

Front 56

58. The Senate’s constitutional power of advice and consent extends to which of the following?

Back 56

a. the president’s power to make treaties with foreign nations

Front 57

59. A filibuster allows members of the Senate to

Back 57

c. prevent a vote on a bill by speaking continuously on the floor.

Front 58

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

Back 58

a. taxes, trade, and entitlement programs

Front 59

61. Oversight can best be described as

Back 59

a. the efforts of Congress to supervise the manner in which its laws are implemented by the executive branch.

Front 60

62. Congressional leaders charged with lining up party members on important votes are known as sergeants-at-arms.

Back 60

False

Front 61

63. “Astroturf lobbying” refers to the practice whereby

Back 61

b. a special interest group simulating a grassroots movement works with well-organized campaigns and petitions.

Front 62

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

Back 62

a. agency representation

Front 63

65. Which of the following best explains the small number of women in Congress?

Back 63

c. Incumbency is a very powerful resource, and most incumbents have been men.

Front 64

66. Constituency service and private bills are common forms of patronage.

Back 64

True

Front 65

When two members of Congress who share no common interests agree to support each other’s bills, the practice is called

Back 65

c. logrolling.

Front 66

Conference committees are

Back 66

d. temporary, involve members from both houses of Congress, and are charged with reaching a compromise on legislation once it has been passed by both the House and the Senate.

Front 67

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

Back 67

b. pocket veto

Front 68

Which of the following is the best definition of a constituent?

Back 68

WRONG:
a. It is another name for a voter.
b. It is the name for a member of Congress running for re-election.
RIGHT?
d. It is a person who lives in the district represented by a member of the legislature.

Front 69

The power of impeachment is located entirely in the Senate, as part of its advice and consent powers.

Back 69

False

Front 70

What are the most common private bills proposed in Congress?

Back 70

b. bills for permanent visas for foreign nationals

Front 71

The powers and resources available to government officials that are used to favor supporters are called

Back 71

c. patronage.

Front 72

A vote on which 50 percent or more of the members of one party take one position while at least 50 percent of the members of the other party take the opposing position is called

Back 72

c. a party unity vote.

Front 73

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

Back 73

a. The House is more centralized and organized than the Senate.

Front 74

Constituency service is so important that

Back 74

b. party leaders will not ask any member to vote in a way that conflicts with the interests or opinions of the member’s district.

Front 75

Which statement about a party unity vote is true?

Back 75

a. In 2005, party unity voting was close to an all-time high.