Unit 6 Vocabulary

Question 1

bicameral

Answer 1

a legislature consisting of two parts, or houses

Question 2

census

Answer 2

a population count taken by the Census Bureau

Question 3

constituent

Answer 3

a person from a legislator’s district

Question 4

gerrymander

Answer 4

an oddly-shaped election district designed to increase the voting strength of a particular group

Question 5

majority party

Answer 5

in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, the political party to which more than half the members belong to

Question 6

minority party

Answer 6

in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, the political party to which fewer than half the members belong

Question 7

standing committee

Answer 7

permanent committee that continues its work from session to session in Congress

Question 8

seniority

Answer 8

years of service, which is used as a consideration for assigning committee members

Question 9

occur

Answer 9

to happen or take place

Question 10

adjust

Answer 10

to change or alter in order to fit or conform

Question 11

expressed powers

Answer 11

powers that Congress has that are specifically listed in the Constitution

Question 12

implied powers

Answer 12

powers that Congress has that are not stated explicitly in the Constitution

Question 13

elastic clause

Answer 13

clause in Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution that gives Congress the right to make all laws “necessary and proper” to carry out its expressed powers

Question 14

impeach

Answer 14

to accuse government officials of misconduct in office

Question 15

writ of habeas corpus

Answer 15

a court order that requires police to bring a prisoner to court to explain why they are holding the person

Question 16

bill of attainder

Answer 16

a law that punishes a person accused of a crime without a trial or a fair hearing in court

Question 17

ex post facto law

Answer 17

a law that would allow a person to be punished for an action that was not against the law when it was committed

Question 18

regulate

Answer 18

to control or govern

Question 19

franking privilege

Answer 19

the right of senators and representatives to send job-related mail without paying postage

Question 20

lobbyist

Answer 20

representative of an interest group who contacts lawmakers or other government officials directly to influence their policy making

Question 21

pork-barrel project

Answer 21

government project grant that primarily benefits the home district of state

Question 22

draft

Answer 22

to call up

Question 23

complex

Answer 23

complicated or intricate

Question 24

estimate

Answer 24

to judge the approximate nature, value, quality, or amount of a thing

Question 25

joint resolution

Answer 25

a resolution that is passed by both houses of Congress

Question 26

special-interest group

Answer 26

an organization of people with some common interest who try to influence government decisions

Question 27

filibuster

Answer 27

a tactic for defeating a bill in the Senate by talking until the bill's sponsor withdraws it

Question 28

cloture

Answer 28

a procedure used in the Senate to limit debate on a bill

Question 29

voice vote

Answer 29

a voting method in which those in favor say "Yea" and those against say "No"

Question 30

standing vote

Answer 30

in Congress, when members stand to be counted for a vote on a bill

Question 31

roll-call vote

Answer 31

a voting method in the Senate in which members voice their votes in tnr

Question 32

veto

Answer 32

refusal to sign a bill or resolution

Question 33

pocket veto

Answer 33

president's power to kill a bill, if Congress is not in session, by not signing it for 10 days

Question 34

element

Answer 34

a component of a whole

Question 35

category

Answer 35

a division or grouping used to classify something

Question 36

casework

Answer 36

the work that a lawmaker does to help constituents with a problem