practice quiz 4

Question 1

The process of electing members of Congress is

Answer 1

decentralized and conducted by individual state governments.

Question 2

The seniority system used in Congress

Answer 2

specifies that the member of the majority party with the longest term of continuous service is given preference when a committee chairperson is selected.

Question 3

Enumerated powers are

Answer 3

powers that are specifically granted to the national government by the Constitution.

Question 4

The division of a legislature into two separate assemblies is called

Answer 4

bicameralism

Question 5

The actual passage of a spending bill specifying the amount of authorized funds that will be allocated for an agency’s use is called

Answer 5

appropriation

Question 6

The largest occupational group among members of Congress is

Answer 6

lawyers

Question 7

The necessary and proper clause

Answer 7

has provided the basis for an expanded role of the national government.

Question 8

A _______ is formed by the concurrent action of both chambers of Congress and consists of members from each chamber.

Answer 8

joint committee

Question 9

Redistricting is

Answer 9

the redrawing of district boundaries within each state.

Question 10

The people represented by a legislator or other elected or appointed official are called

Answer 10

constituents.

Question 11

After a bill has been introduced and referred to full committee,

Answer 11

it usually goes to a specialized subcommittee for hearings, revisions, and approval.

Question 12

One major difference between the House and Senate is the total number of members—a difference that has meant that

Answer 12

a greater number of formal rules are needed to govern activity in the House.

Question 13

The concept of cloture refers to

Answer 13

a process that shuts off discussion on a bill in the Senate.

Question 14

The major function of Congress is

Answer 14

lawmaking.

Question 15

For a member of Congress, casework is

Answer 15

personal work for constituents.

Question 16

One major problem with the role of the instructed delegate is that

Answer 16

the constituents likely do not actually have well-formed views on the issues that are decided in Congress.

Question 17

A legislator from Florida who votes, against his or her personal beliefs, to support subsidies for orange growers would be acting

Answer 17

as an instructed delegate.

Question 18

Gerrymandering is

Answer 18

the drawing of legislative district boundary lines to give the dominant party an advantage.

Question 19

The real leadership power in the Senate rests in the hands of the

Answer 19

Senate majority and minority leaders and their respective whips.

Question 20

The president of the Senate is

Answer 20

the vice president of the United States.

Question 21

The whips assist the party leaders by

Answer 21

passing information down from the leadership to party members and ensuring that members cast their votes on important issues.

Question 22

A majority of the bills that Congress acts on originate

Answer 22

in the executive branch.

Question 23

Members of Congress are granted generous franking privileges that

Answer 23

permit them to mail letters to their constituents for free.

Question 24

A representative who is performing the role of a trustee is

Answer 24

acting according to the broad interests of the entire society.

Question 25

A filibuster is

Answer 25

the use of unlimited debate as a delaying tactic to block a bill.

Question 26

Determining which public policy questions will be debated or considered is the process of

Answer 26

agenda setting.

Question 27

The founders of the American republic believed that most of the power that would be exercised by a national government should be in the hands of

Answer 27

the legislature.

Question 28

An important function of the House majority leader is to

Answer 28

act as spokesperson for the majority party in the House.

Question 29

The rights to collect taxes, to spend, and to regulate commerce are

Answer 29

the most important domestic powers of Congress.

Question 30

Reapportionment is

Answer 30

the allocation of seats in the House to each state after each census.

Question 31

All of the following are true of the filibuster EXCEPT

Answer 31

most senators are satisfied with the increased use of the filibuster and do not want to abolish it.

Question 32

This is TRUE about midterm congressional elections.

Answer 32

Voter turnout falls sharply.

Question 33

The “speech or debate” clause in Article I, Section 6, of the Constitution means that a member of Congress

Answer 33

may make any allegations in connection with official duties and normally not be sued for defamation.

Question 34

The practice of logrolling is

Answer 34

an arrangement in which members of Congress agree in advance to support each others’ bills.

Question 35

A special provision in legislation to set aside funds for projects that have not passed an impartial evaluation by agencies in the executive branch is called a(n)

Answer 35

earmark

Question 36

In a landmark vote in 1962, the U.S. Supreme Court made the redistricting of state legislative seats

Answer 36

a justiciable question.

Question 37

Oversight is the process by which Congress

Answer 37

follows up on the laws it has enacted.

Question 38

In recent years, polls show that ______ of respondents have favorable opinions about Congress as a whole.

Answer 38

fewer than 35 percent

Question 39

The ______ of the Senate is mostly a ceremonial position.

Answer 39

president pro tempore

Question 40

Because the interests of constituents in a specific district may be at odds with the demands of national policy, the ______ function is often a source of conflict for individual lawmakers.

Answer 40

representation

Question 41

The most important committees in Congress are _______ committees, permanent bodies that are established by the rules of each chamber and that continue from session to session.

Answer 41

standing

Question 42

One of the most powerful agencies in Washington, the _______ assembles the budget documents and monitors federal agencies throughout each year.

Answer 42

Office of Management and Budget

Question 43

Oversight is the process by which Congress

Answer 43

follows up on the laws it has enacted.