Question 1

________ occurs when two members of Congress share no common interests but agree to support each other's bills.

Accepted Answer

A)   Filibustering
B)   Delegating
C)   Logrolling
D)   Bargaining
E)   Pork barreling

Question 2

In each House district there are approximately ________ people.

Accepted Answer

A)   200,000
B)   700,000
C)   1,000,000
D)   1,500,000
E)   2,000,000

Question 3

The "sophomore surge" refers to the

Accepted Answer

A)   fact that many members of Congress lose their re-election campaigns after their second term in office.
B)   tendency for college students to intern with their local members of Congress during the summer between their sophomore and junior years in college.
C)   fact that most members of Congress leave office after serving only two years.
D)   fact that many college sophomores choose to vote in midterm congressional elections but not in presidential elections.
E)   tendency for candidates to win a higher percentage of the vote when seeking future terms in office.

Question 4

A U.S. senator has a ________-year term.

Accepted Answer

A)   2
B)   4
C)   6
D)   8
E)   12

Question 5

Which of the following is true of the impeachment process?

Accepted Answer

A)   It is a nonpartisan exercise.
B)   It is one where all legislators have a common understanding of the definition of "high crimes and misdemeanors."
C)   It is a partisan exercise.
D)   both b and c
E)   It has resulted in the removal of two U.S. presidents.

Question 6

Which of the following does NOT typically affect an individual's decision to run for elected office?

Accepted Answer

A)   the strength of the individual's connections with interest groups and the national party organization
B)   the way state legislative districts overlap with congressional districts
C)   the individual's ability to meet the extensive list of educational requirements defined by local, state, and federal laws
D)   the individual's level of personal ambition
E)   the individual's ability to raise money for his or her campaign

Question 7

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.

Question 8

Congressional leaders form ________ committees when they want to take up an issue that falls between the jurisdiction of existing committees, to highlight an issue, or to investigate a particular problem.

Accepted Answer

A)   conference
B)   joint
C)   select
D)   standing
E)   rules

Question 9

The House Ways and Means Committee and the Senate Finance Committee are two of the most important committees in Congress because

Accepted Answer

A)   the members decide the order in which specific bills come up for a vote on the House floor and the specific rules that govern the length of debate.
B)   the members determine which representatives are assigned to which committees within the House.
C)   they have the final vote on all foreign policy legislation moving through the House.
D)   they have jurisdiction over taxes, trade, and entitlement programs such as Social Security and Medicare.
E)   they are placed in charge of voting on impeachment charges.

Question 10

The frequency with which they must seek re-election makes members of the U.S. House

Accepted Answer

A)   more responsive to the needs of the elites in the states they represent.
B)   less responsive to the needs of elites in the states they represent.
C)   less responsive to the needs of local interest groups in the districts they represent.
D)   more responsive to the needs of local interest groups in the districts they represent.
E)   less responsive to the needs of both elites and interest groups in the districts they represent.

Question 11

What did the Supreme Court justices declare in Miller v. Johnson (1995) ?

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.

Question 12

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

Accepted Answer

A)   redistricting
B)   gerrymandering
C)   redlining
D)   apportionment
E)   filibustering

Question 13

A bicameral legislature is one that has ________.

Accepted Answer

A)   laws forbidding private hearings or conferences
B)   two chambers or houses
C)   authority to overrule state governments
D)   a prime minister
E)   equal representation for each state

Question 14

In addition to pressuring members of Congress to vote a certain way on a bill, interest groups also have substantial influence in

Accepted Answer

A)   setting the legislative agenda.
B)   getting senators to filibuster debates on bills that they oppose.
C)   determining whether a member of Congress will run for re-election.
D)   deciding committee assignments for members of Congress.
E)   determining whether a bill will receive an open rule or a closed rule.

Question 15

A proposed piece of legislation is called a ________.

Accepted Answer

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

Question 16

One reason why redistricting is controversial is that

Accepted Answer

A)   computer technologies allow legislatures to know statistically what kinds of people live where, and this can be used to give one party an advantage over the other.
B)   it is unclear whether state legislatures or the federal government have/has the authority to redraw districts.
C)   incumbents never lose when districts are redrawn.
D)   it is unclear whether districts have to be drawn in such a way that each district includes roughly the same number of people.
E)   interest groups and PACs exert a great deal of influence over the specific shape of each district.

Question 17

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

Question 18

Congressional organization is influenced by all of the following EXCEPT ________.

Accepted Answer

A)   parliamentary rules of the House and Senate
B)   presidential directives
C)   political parties
D)   the committee system
E)   congressional staff

Question 19

Astroturf lobbying refers to the practice whereby

Accepted Answer

A)   members of Congress are influenced by being given free tickets to sporting events or other gifts.
B)   a special interest group simulating a grassroots movement works with well-organized campaigns and petitions.
C)   members of Congress are influenced by large campaign donations.
D)   lobbyists begin to specialize, with narrow areas of professional expertise.
E)   a special interest group pretends to represent the public interest.

Question 20

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

Accepted Answer

A)   It is another name for a voter.
B)   It is the name for a member of Congress running for re-election.
C)   It is someone who donates money to a campaign.
D)   It is a person who lives in the district represented by a member of the legislature.
E)   It is the name for a person who has sued the federal government in court for violating the Constitution.

Exam 12: Congress

The House Ways and Means Committee and the Senate Finance Committee are two of the most important committees in Congress because

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Which of the following does NOT typically affect an individual's decision to run for elected office?

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

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A U.S. senator has a ________-year term.

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

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Astroturf lobbying refers to the practice whereby

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The frequency with which they must seek re-election makes members of the U.S. House

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

________ occurs when two members of Congress share no common interests but agree to support each other's bills.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

In addition to pressuring members of Congress to vote a certain way on a bill, interest groups also have substantial influence in

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Congressional organization is influenced by all of the following EXCEPT ________.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which of the following is true of the impeachment process?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Congressional leaders form ________ committees when they want to take up an issue that falls between the jurisdiction of existing committees, to highlight an issue, or to investigate a particular problem.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The "sophomore surge" refers to the

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In each House district there are approximately ________ people.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

One reason why redistricting is controversial is that

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

A proposed piece of legislation is called a ________.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Under the original Constitution, senators

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

What did the Supreme Court justices declare in Miller v. Johnson (1995) ?

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A bicameral legislature is one that has ________.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

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

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

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