Vocab Legislative Branch

Question 1

Bicameral Legislature

Answer 1

A legislature that is made of two houses

Question 2

Quorum

Answer 2

The minimum number of members who must be present to permit a legislative body to take official action

Question 3

Franking Privilege

Answer 3

The ability of Congress members to send mail without paying postage, they can use their signature rather than a stamp

Question 4

Majority Leader

Answer 4

Leader in Congress for the majority party that was elected by it’s members

Question 5

Minority Leader

Answer 5

Leader in Congress for the minority party that was elected by its members

Question 6

Whip

Answer 6

Assistant floor leaders for each party

Question 7

Party Polerization

Answer 7

The growing gap between the stands of party’s policy issues

Question 8

Congressional Caucus

Answer 8

Meetings of a political party to decide on policies

Question 9

Standing Committees

Answer 9

A permanent legislative committee within Congress that focuses on specific policy areas

Question 10

Select Committees

Answer 10

A temporary congressional committee created to investigate a specific issue

Question 11

Joint Committees

Answer 11

A congressional committee that has members of the Senate and the House

Question 12

Conference Committees

Answer 12

A temporary joint committee formed by both the House and the Senate to reconcile differences in legislation

Question 13

Discharge petition

Answer 13

A means of bringing a bill out of committee and onto the floor for discussion

Question 14

Unanimous Consent

Answer 14

An agreement in the Senate where every senator must agree to an action

Question 15

Political/Policy Agenda

Answer 15

A set of issues that policymakers prioritize for discussion and action

Question 16

Logrolling

Answer 16

A practice where politicians agree to support each other’s legislation in order to further their own agenda

Question 17

Divided Government

Answer 17

When one party controls the executive branch while the other party controls at least one chamber of the Senate

Question 18

Unified Government

Answer 18

When one party controls both the executive branch and both chambers of the Senate

Question 19

Hold

Answer 19

An informal practice in the Senate where a senator can temporarily block consideration of a bill by telling Senate leadership of the objection

Question 20

Earmarks

Answer 20

Provisions in legislation that direct funds to specific programs

Question 21

Pork Barrel Legislation

Answer 21

The practice in which lawmakers allocate government funds to local projects

Question 22

Trustee

Answer 22

Elected officials should act in the best interests of their constituents

Question 23

Delegate

Answer 23

Elected officials make decisions based on their own expertise and knowledge

Question 24

Politico

Answer 24

Elected officials adopt both trustee and delegate models based on the situation

Question 25

Cloture Rule

Answer 25

A legislative procedure used in the Senate to end a filibuster

Question 26

Filibuster

Answer 26

A tactic in the Senate for delaying legislation by making long speeches

Question 27

Gerrymandering

Answer 27

Manipulating the boundaries of electoral districts to favor one political party over another

Question 28

Reapportionment

Answer 28

The process of redistributing the number of seats each state has in the House based on population changes

Question 29

Malapportionment

Answer 29

Unequal representation among electoral districts based on population

Question 30

Redistricting

Answer 30

The process of redrawing the boundaries of electoral districts to reflect changes in population and ensure fair representation

Question 31

Constituency

Answer 31

A specific geographic area that is represented by an elected official