18.1 - US Congress: The Structure of Congress

Question 1

18.1 - the structure of congress

Answer 1

chapter 18.1

Question 2

What does bicameral mean?

Answer 2

A legislature made up of two chambers

Question 3

What did the House of Representatives represent, which the Senate was a safeguard against?

Answer 3

Popular sovereignty

Question 4

What made the Senate an elected chamber and when?

Answer 4

The 17th Amendment in 1913

Question 5

Why was the Senate made an elected chamber?

Answer 5

Growing concernss regarding the power of big industrial monopolies to control state legislatures in the appointment of senators

Question 6

What big company at the time was known for trying to gain influence in the White House?

Answer 6

The Standard Oil Company, founded by John D.Rockefeller in 1870

Question 7

What was the salary for members of the 115th Congress?

Answer 7

$174,000 annually

Question 8

Membership of Congress:
How many congressmen and congresswomen are there in the House?

Answer 8

435

Question 9

How many states have only one member in the House and how many members does California have?

Answer 9

• Seven states have only one member
• California has 53 members

Question 10

How many senators and House members were there in the 1st Congress?

Answer 10

26 senators and 65 House members

Question 11

What Act sets the number of members in the House of Representatives at 435?

Answer 11

The Apportionment Act 1911

Question 12

How many people does one House member represent on average?

Answer 12

750,000

Question 13

The election cycle:
How often are congressional election?

Answer 13

Every 2 years

Question 14

What do all federal government elections use?

Answer 14

First-past-the-post

Question 15

What was the outcome in the 1994 midterm elections?

Answer 15

Democrats lost both the House and Senate to the Republicans

Question 16

What was the outcome in the 2018 midterm elections?

Answer 16

Republicans lost the House to the Democrats and held the Senate

Question 17

The significance of incumbency:
What was the average cost of winning a Senate seat in 2016?

Answer 17

$10.4 million

Question 18

How much did it cost to win a seat in the House of Representatives in 2016?

Answer 18

Over $1 million

Question 19

How much did incumbents in the Senate raise on average in 2016 and how much did challengers raise?

Answer 19

Incumbents - $12,708,000
Challengers - $1,600,000

Question 20

What are incumbents given by their house?

Answer 20

Their own website

Question 21

What are ‘franking privileges’?

Answer 21

The costs of mailing to constituents is provided by Congress

Question 22

How much did Congress spend on mail in 2012?

Answer 22

$24.8 million

Question 23

What was the House incumbency rate in the 115th Congress?

Answer 23

97%

Question 24

What was the Senate incumbency rate in the 115th Congress?

Answer 24

93%

Question 25

What was the incumbency rate across both houses in the 2022 midterms? (117th Congress)

Answer 25

98%

Question 26

Senate Elections:
What meant that senators sit 6-year terms?

Answer 26

The 17th Amendment in 1913

Question 27

What Class in the Senate was up for election in the 2022 midterms?

Answer 27

Class III - 34 seats

Question 28

The impact of the election cycle:
What is there a high chance of since seats in both houses are up for election every two years?

Answer 28

Divided government

Question 29

What does a divided government mean?

Answer 29

The control of Congress and the presidency, or the two houses of Congress, is split between two parties

Question 30

Between 1901 and 1969, how much of the time was the government divided?

Answer 30

21%

Question 31

Between 1969 and 2019, how much of the time was the government divided?

Answer 31

72%