Chapter 13 Vocab & Questions

Question 1

Attitudinal View

Answer 1

the theory of congressional voting behavior which assumed that members vote on the basis of their own beliefs because the array of conflicting pressures on members cancel out one another

Question 2

Bicameral Legislature

Answer 2

a legislative assembly composed of two seperate houses such as the US Congress, which consists of the HoR and Senate

Question 3

Closed Rule

Answer 3

Order from the House Rules Committee that sets a time limit on a debate and forbids a bill from being amended on the floor

Question 4

Cloture Rule

Answer 4

rule used by the senate to end or limit debate

Question 5

Committee on Committees

Answer 5

assigns senators to standing committees

Question 6

Concurrent Resolution

Answer 6

an expression of opinion without the force of law that requires the approval of both the House and the Senate but not the president

Question 7

Congressional Caucus

Answer 7

an association for members of Congress created to advocate a political ideology or a regional or economic interest

Question 8

Conservation Coalition

Answer 8

An alliance of conservative Democrats with the Republicans for voting purposes

Question 9

Discharge Petition

Answer 9

a means by which the House can remove a bill stalled in committee

Question 10

Filibuster

Answer 10

a means by which senators can extend debate on a bill in order to prevent or delay its consideration

Question 11

House Rules Committee

Answer 11

the group that decides what business comes up for a vote and what the limitations on debate should be

Question 12

Joint Resolution

Answer 12

Resolution that is essentially the same as a law and is used to propose constitutional amendments

Question 13

Marginal Districts

Answer 13

districts in which the winner got less than 55% of the vote

Question 14

Markup

Answer 14

committee revisions of a bill

Question 15

Millionares club

Answer 15

a traditional pejorative name for the united states senate

Question 16

Multiple Referral

Answer 16

the process through which a bill is reffered to several committees that simultaneously consider it in whole or in part

Question 17

Organizational View

Answer 17

rxplanation of congressional voting which suggests members of Congress respond primarily to cues provided by their colleagues

Question 18

Parliament

Answer 18

an assembly of party representatives that chooses a government and discusses major national issues

Question 19

Party Caucus

Answer 19

A meeting of the members of apolitical party to decide questions of policy

Question 20

Party Polarization

Answer 20

indicated by votes in which a majority of voting Democrats oppose a majority of voting Republicans

Question 21

Party Vote

Answer 21

the extent to which members of a party vote together in the House or Senate

Question 22

Party Whip

Answer 22

han individual who assists the party leader in staying abreast of the concerns and voting voting intentions of the party members

Question 23

Representational View

Answer 23

explanation of congressional voting that is based on the assumption that members want to get reelected and vote to please their constituents

Question 24

Restrictive Rule

Answer 24

a rule issued by the RUles Committee that permits some amendments to a bill but not to others

Question 25

Riders

Answer 25

unrelated amendments added to a bill

Question 26

Safe districts

Answer 26

districts in which the winner got more than 55% of the votes

Question 27

Seniority

Answer 27

the system under which committee chairs are awarded to members that have the longest continuous service on the Committee

Question 28

Sequential referall

Answer 28

the process through which a bill is reffered to second committee after the first is finished

Question 29

simple resolution

Answer 29

resolution used for matters such as establishing the rules under which each body will operate

Question 30

Steering Committe

Answer 30

assigns Democrats to standing committees in the senate

Question 31

Christmas Tree Bill

Answer 31

a bill that has many riders to increase its chances of being passed

Question 32

Conference Committee

Answer 32

a joint committee appointed to resolve differences in the senate and the House versions of the same bill

Question 33

Division Vote

Answer 33

a congressional voting procedure in which members stand and are counted

Question 34

Double Tracking

Answer 34

a procedure to keep the senate going during a fillibuster whereby disputed bill is temporarily shelved so that the senate can go on with other other business

Question 35

Franking Privilege

Answer 35

the ability of members to mail letters to their constituents free of charge by substituting their own personal purchases for postage

Question 36

Joint Committee

Answer 36

committees on which both senators and representatives serve

Question 37

Majority Leader

Answer 37

principle partisan ally of the speaker of the house who schedules bills influences committee assignments and round up votes on behalf of the party’s legislature positions

Question 38

Majority Leader

Answer 38

legislative leader elected by party members holding a majority of seats in the house of the seat

Question 39

Open Rule

Answer 39

An order from the house rules committee that permits a bill to be connected on the floor

Question 40

Pork Barrel Legislation

Answer 40

Legislation that gives tangible benefits to constituents in several districts or states in the hope of winning their votes in return

Question 41

Private Bill

Answer 41

a legislative bill that deals only with private personal or local matters

Question 42

Quorum Call

Answer 42

a roll call neither House of Congress to see whether the minimum number of representatives required to conduct business is present

Question 43

Roll Call Vote

Answer 43

a congressional voting procedure that consists of members answering yea or nay when their names are called

Question 44

Select Committee

Answer 44

Permanently established legislative committees that consider and are responsible for legislation within a certain subject

Question 45

Standing Committees

Answer 45

Separate subject-matter committees in each house of Congress that handle bills in different policy areas.

Question 46

Teller Vote

Answer 46

a congressional voting procedure in which members pass between two tellers first the yeas then the nays

Question 47

Voice Vote

Answer 47

a congressional voting procedure used in both houses in which members vote by shouting yea or nay

Question 48

A person ordinarily becomes a candidate for representative or senator how?

Answer 48

Run in a primary election

Question 49

Whereas the principle work of a parliament is debate, that of a congress is what?

Answer 49

Representation and action

Question 50

Contemporary critics of Congress disagree with the Framers vision of Congress in that critics wish to do what?

Answer 50

They wish to end political gridlock by making Congress capable of speedily adopting sweeping changes in national policy

Question 51

In the twentieth century, the trend in congressional decision making has been toward what?

Answer 51

Decentrailization (not a single body making decisions, multiple groups)

Question 52

Which Amendment changed the manner in which US Senators are selected?

Answer 52

17th (direct election of representatives)

Question 53

The typical representative or senator is what?

Answer 53

White, male, protestant, lawyer

Question 54

Until 1913 Senators were picked by

Answer 54

state legislatures

Question 55

Which amendment changed the way Senators are chosen?

Answer 55

17th

Question 56

In 1994, Native American Ben Nighthorse Campbell

Answer 56

Was elected to the senate

Question 57

Serving in congress later because a career in

Answer 57

1950s

Question 58

Political Scientists define safe district as one where incumbents receive ____ percent of the vote

Answer 58

55

Question 59

A new converse convensary every ____ years

Answer 59

2

Question 60

Studies show correlation between constituency opinion and congressional roll call votes

Answer 60

related to civil rights

Question 61

For years Congress defended the manner in which it exempted itself from many of its own laws by

Answer 61

separation of powers

Question 62

The process of “doubletracking” allows what

Answer 62

senate to focus on other business during a filibuster

Question 63

Bills which contain a large number of “riders” are known as “____ bills”

Answer 63

christmas tree

Question 64

the practical advantage of the “Committee of a whole” is that it

Answer 64

requires a much smaller number of members to hold quorum

Question 65

The committee of a whole refers to

Answer 65

member of the house that are on the floor during discussion

Question 66

In the house, a stalled Bill can be extracted from a committee and brought to the floor by

Answer 66

a discharge petition

Question 67

Which of the following is signed by the president and has the force of law?

Answer 67

joint resolution

Question 68

Originally, fillibusters were 16th century

Answer 68

pirates

Question 69

When a state attempted to impose term limits on its own members of congress

Answer 69

supreme court struck down the effort

Question 70

According to the text, most categories of pork spending in the last ten to fifteen years have

Answer 70

decreased