Gov unit 2 test

Question 1

Gerrymandering

Answer 1

using redistricting to benefit a specific interest or group of voters

Question 2

Redistricting

Answer 2

states’ redrawing of boundaries of electoral districts following each census

Question 3

Court cases

Answer 3

these cases show the use of redistricting and how Congress is involved with the process. Gerrymandering is used to show how certain groups or individuals benefited from this redistricting.

Question 4

Leadership

Answer 4

party leaders Work with their members to set legislative goals, choose leaders, assign members to committees, and to try to present a unified message to the US electoral through the media

Question 5

Speaker of the House

Answer 5

the leader of the house of representatives, chosen by an election of its members

Question 6

House majority leader

Answer 6

the person who is the second in command of the House of Representatives

Question 6

Political Action Committees (PAC)

Answer 6

an organization that raises money for candidates and campaigns

Question 7

House minority leader

Answer 7

the head of the party with the second-highest number of seats in Congress, chosen by the party’s members

Question 8

Whip

Answer 8

a member of Congress, chosen by his or her party members, whose job is to ensure party unity and discipline

Question 9

Senate

Answer 9

Official leader is the Vice President
The president pro tempore presides over the chambers proceedings when the vice president isn’t present

Question 10

Senate majority leader

Answer 10

the person who has the most power in the senate and is the head of the party with the most seats

Question 11

Different powers

Answer 11

The powers of Congress fall into three categories: lawmaking, budgeting, and exercising oversight of the federal bureaucracy and other public officials

Question 12

Filibuster

Answer 12

a tactic through which an individual senator may us the right of unlimited debate to delay a motion or postpone action on a piece of legislation
Filibusters are not mentioned in the Constitution, but they are simply part of the rules the Senate has
The placing holds and threats of a filibuster have become more common in a closely split and deeply divided Senate
Senators may not only threaten to filibuster a bill they object to
Individual senators may be reluctant to give up a power that can result in favors for their home States during negotiations to avoid a threatened filibuster
They may also hold up an unrelated vote or confirmation of a Presidential nominee to extract concessions, a process referred to as hostage-taking

Question 13

War powers resolution

Answer 13

a law passed over president Nixon’s veto that restricts the power of the president to maintain troops in combat for more than 60 days without congressional authorization

Question 14

Veto

Answer 14

a formal rejection by the president of a bill that has passed both houses of Congress

Question 15

Pocket veto

Answer 15

an informal veto caused when the president chooses not to sign a bill within 10 days, during a time when Congress has adjourned at the end of a session

Question 16

Foreign affairs

Answer 16

The president is responsible for guiding the US foreign policy and interacting with the heads of other nations
The diplomatic power also helps shape the US foreign policy
The president can act quickly and and decisively on the international stage

Question 17

Influence on policy

Answer 17

The main function is implementation, or putting laws into action that Congress has passed
Implementation- the bureaucracy’s role in putting into action the laws that Congress has passed
Regulation- the process through which the federal bureaucracy makes rules that have the force of law, to carry out the laws passed by Congress
Bureaucrats can act as representatives of the American public, especially if they have the ability to act on behalf of citizens

Question 18

Iron triangle

Answer 18

coordinated and mutually beneficial activities of the bureaucracy, Congress, and interest groups to achieve shared policy goals
These three members work together to helping each other and receive benefits from the relationship
Interest groups provide support to members of Congress, who use their influence to advance legislation favorable to the interest groups and reduce oversight of interest group activities
Members of Congress determine determine funding levels and pass legislation despised by the bureaucratic agencies, and in return implement the laws as desired by those members of Congress

Question 19

Issue network

Answer 19

webs of influence between interest groups, policymakers, and policy advocates

Question 20

Difference between iron triangle and issue networks

Answer 20

Issue networks are often temporary, and address a specific problem
One issue may give rise to competing issue networks, each of which advocates a different side of the issue
Issue networks involve more interests than iron triangles

Question 21

Nomination process

Answer 21

Federal judges must be nominated by the president and confirmed by a majority vote in the Senate
The Constitution imposes no qualifications to become a federal judge
Judges don’t have to be lawyers
When the position of a chief justice is available, a president may nominate a sitting member of the court or the president nominate an individual from outside the court
Nominations to the court have to be considered carefully and presidents have to balance both legal and political considerations
Experience, ethical integrity, and legal accomplishment are extremely important factors and can help smooth the confirmation process
Presidents nominate individuals who share the same beliefs and opinions as them, however after they are confirmed the presidents have no control over their behavior
Appointed by the president with advice and consent from the senate

Question 22

Judicial review

Answer 22

The authority of the Supreme Court just strike down a law or executive action if it conflicts with the Constitution
The court does not place itself above the other two branches ;it is co-equal to them, and the Constitution is supreme to all three

Question 23

Lifetime service

Answer 23

Federal judges are appointed for lifetime terms
The only way for a federal judge to be removed from office is through impeachment by the House of Representatives and conviction by the Senate

Question 24

Which of the following statements accurately summarizes the reasoning for the decision in Baker v. Carr (1962)

Answer 24

Because rural districts had fewer people, representation was unevenly distributed; thus, Baker was denied equal protection under the law.

Question 25

When a bill passes the House and the Senate in different versions, the bill is resolved by which of the following types of committee?

Answer 25

Conference

Question 26

Which of the following statements about the Senate is true?

Answer 26

Individual senators can exercise substantial influence over the legislative process.

Question 27

Advocates of shifting the task of drawing United States House districts from state legislatures to independent commissions are likely to claim which of the following as an advantage of independent commissions?

Answer 27

Independent commissions significantly reduce the influence of partisan gerrymandering in the redistricting process.

Question 28

Which of the following statements about Congress is true?

Answer 28

The legislative process is frequently lengthy, decentralized, and characterized by compromise and bargaining.

Question 29

The Supreme Court’s decision in Shaw v. Reno (1993) is most applicable to which of the following scenarios?

Answer 29

A state legislature approves a redistricting plan that draws district lines on basis of race.

Question 30

Federal benefits that must be funded by Congress and must be paid to all citizens who meet eligibility criteria are called

Answer 30

individual entitlements

Question 31

Congress relates to gerrymandering because when population changes, representatives can change which changes Congress