Ch. 10 Congress: Politics on Capitol Hill

Question 1

What is the youngest age at which you can serve at the House of Representatives?

Answer 1

25 years

Question 2

How many Senate members must vote for cloture in order to halt a filibuster?

Answer 2

60

Question 3

How many years does a Senator serve per term?

Answer 3

6 years

Question 4

Exclusive power of Congress, given by the Constitution, to consider (THESE) bills that AUTHORIZE specific government EXPENDITURES

Answer 4

appropriations

Question 5

in 2010, approximately how many women served in Congress?

Answer 5

94

Question 6

If a bill has SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES between the House and Senate versions, BOTH versions must go to this committee in order to resolve those differences.

Answer 6

conference committee

Question 7

What has happened to representation of Hispanics in Congress?

Answer 7

Has lagged behind their proportions in the general population

Question 8

In both the HOUSE and the SENATE, the Party Leader’s assistant who ENSURES ATTENDANCE of party members at important roll calls

Answer 8

Party Whip

Question 9

Who presides over the Senate in the usual absence of the Vice President?

Answer 9

The president pro tempore

Question 10

While still a member of the executive branch, what Legislative Branch position (this role given by the constitution) does the Vice President hold?

Answer 10

President of the Senate

Question 11

Before the 17th amendment, Senators were elected via State legislatures. Today, Senators are elected by ______

Answer 11

Popular Vote in each state

Question 12

Individual Senators have the power to engage in unlimited debate and stall proceedings on given legislation. This action is called….

Answer 12

Filibustering

Question 13

The division of Congress into two chambers (House and Senate) makes it what kind of legislature?

Answer 13

Bicameral

Question 14

What has happened to the norms that guide behavior in Congress?

Answer 14

are increasingly ignored by new members

Question 15

Chamber of Congress with the sole authority to bring charges of impeachment on the President of the U.S.

Answer 15

House of Representatives

Question 16

When legislators view public opinion in their district as authoritative direction for how they should vote.

Answer 16

Delegate

Question 17

A circumstance in which an incumbent is likely to be defeated by a new challenger

Answer 17

a challenge raises more campaign funds

Question 18

What is the major factor used in determining the selection of a committee chair in the House and Senate?

Answer 18

Seniority

Question 19

Congressional redistricting is largely what kind of process?

Answer 19

Political

Question 20

According to the conventions of seniority in Congress, which members are first in line for committee chairmanships?

Answer 20

Members with the most years of service

Question 21

Committee that reconciles two significantly different versions of a bill by the House and Senate into a single version to be resubmitted to both houses

Answer 21

conference committee

Question 22

The U.S. Constitution requires that a census be conducted how often?

Answer 22

Every 10 years

Question 23

Line-by-line revision of a bill in committee, by editing each phrase and word, is referred to as…

Answer 23

Markup

Question 24

Currently how many members of Congress are in the House? The Senate?

Answer 24

435; 100

Question 25

The ________ has the job of presiding over the Senate and breaking ties when necessary

Answer 25

Vice President

Question 26

How many members are there in Congress?

Answer 26

535

Question 27

What would be the most likely factor to diminish gridlock in Congress?

Answer 27

There is divided party control between the House and Senate

Question 28

What support agency would Congress most likely choose to conduct a financial review of Federal Student Aid, an agency in the executive branch?

Answer 28

Government Accounting Office

Question 29

Congressional monitoring by committees of the activities of executive branch agencies, to determine if the laws are being faithfully executed, is called ________.

Answer 29

oversight

Question 30

As the polarization between the two political parties in Congress has increased, the Democrats have become more ________ and the Republicans have become more ________.

Answer 30

liberal; conservative

Question 31

The Leader of the House of Representatives is _______.

Answer 31

elected from the majority party

Question 32

The founders created Congress to be _______.

Answer 32

the most powerful branch of government

Question 33

What part of the Constitution has given Congress more expansive powers throughout history?

Answer 33

The Commerce Clause

Question 34

Today, Congress has _______.

Answer 34

historically low approval ratings

Question 35

During what period of time did both polarization and income gap increase?

Answer 35

Both at the beginning and the end of the twentieth century

Question 36

A vote of cloture is needed to end

Answer 36

a filibuster.

Question 37

Why has the Senate become super majoritarian?

Answer 37

It needs 60 votes to ensure that a bill will not be filibustered

Question 38

Which Congress was the least productive since World War II?

Answer 38

the 112th Congress (2011-2012)

Question 39

From the 96th Congress to the 112th Congress, _______.

Answer 39

the number of pieces of legislation passed by Congress has generally declined

Question 40

The number of pieces of legislation passed by a congress is a measurement of _______.

Answer 40

gridlock

Question 41

Polarization in the House and Senate has _______.

Answer 41

has increased dramatically since the 96th Congress

Question 42

What is a “safe seat”?

Answer 42

A congressional seat that the same party captures in election after election

Question 43

The process of allocating legislative seats to districts according to population is called _____

Answer 43

apportionment

Question 44

A written command to appear before a court or congressional committee

Answer 44

Subpeona

Question 45

An open seat is a seat in which

Answer 45

no incumbent member is running

Question 46

When members of Congress directly work with constituents it is called...

Answer 46

casework

Question 47

Responsible for the oversight of the operation and finance of executive agencies and performing policy research and evaluation

Answer 47

The Government Accountability Office (GAO)

Question 48

What does the committee process ensure?

Answer 48

it ensures that members of congress contribute to specialized policy making pursuits and implements division of labor within each chamber

Question 49

What major event quickly shifted the context of policy focus of the nation, lending more public support to conservatives?

Answer 49

9/11 attacks

Question 50

This party held control of the House of Representatives from the 1950's to the 1990's.

Answer 50

The Democratic Party