Chapter 12 quiz

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

True

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

True

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

True

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

True

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

False

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

C. SEVENTEEN

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

B. INCUMBENT

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

C. SIX YEARS

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

e. 95 percent

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

d. apportionment.

8. A bicameral legislature is one that has

B.TWO CHAMBERS OR HOUSES

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

d. floor debate on a bill.

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

b. Andrew Johnson

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?

c. constituency service

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

d. the federal courts

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

B. TEXAS REDISTRICTED TWICE, IN 2001 AND 2003.

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

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

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

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

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

b. bills for permanent visas for foreign nationals

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.

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

21. Under the original Constitution, senators

WRONG:
e. could serve only two terms.

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

WRONG:
d. trustee representation

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

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

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

WRONG:
d. writing and mailing out newsletters

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

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

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

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

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

WRONG:
a. the Speaker of the Senate

28. In the House of Representatives, the majority leader

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.

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

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.

30. One problem with the delegate model of representation is

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

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.

WRONG:
d. trustee representation

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

WRONG:
a. procrastination veto.

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

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

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

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

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

WRONG:
d. a pocket veto.

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

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

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

WRONG:
d. select committees.

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

d. the federal courts

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

False

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

b. by a two-thirds vote in both houses

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

False

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

d. apportionment.

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

True

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

b. 600,000

47. Who is the Speaker of the House?

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

48. Cloture is

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

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

False

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

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

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

True

52. A proposed piece of legislation is called a

a. bill.

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

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

54. Under the original Constitution, senators

c. were appointed by state legislatures.

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

False

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

d. Nancy Pelosi

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

False

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

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

59. A filibuster allows members of the Senate to

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

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

a. taxes, trade, and entitlement programs

61. Oversight can best be described as

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

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

False

63. “Astroturf lobbying” refers to the practice whereby

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

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

a. agency representation

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

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

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

True

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

c. logrolling.

Conference committees are

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.

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

b. pocket veto

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

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.

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

False

What are the most common private bills proposed in Congress?

b. bills for permanent visas for foreign nationals

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

c. patronage.

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

c. a party unity vote.

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

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

Constituency service is so important that

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.

Which statement about a party unity vote is true?

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