Congress
Which of the following is the best example of casework?
(A) A member of the House introducing a bill that would bring money to his or her district
(B) A member of the House helping a constituent get his or her missing Social Security check
(C) A member of the Senate holding a hearing to investigate fraud in the Department of Treasury
(D) A member of the Senate voting against a bill that would eliminate jobs in his or her state
(B) A member of the House helping a constituent get his or her missing Social Security check
The most senior member of the majority party in the Senate holds the position of:
(A) Speaker of the Senate
(B) President of the Senate
(C) President pro tempore
(D) Senate Majority Leader
(C) President pro tempore
How doe House congressional districts gain their shapes?
(A) A vote held in the Senate by the majority party
(B) An executive order of the President
(C) A census and the various state legislatures
(D) A nonpartisan commission
(C) A census and the various state legislatures
When the president of the United States vetoes a bill, Congress can override it with a _____ majority in both chambers.
(A) One-half
(B) Three-fifths
(C) Two-thirds
(D) Three-quarters
(C) Two-thirds
What is apportionment?
(A) determining presidential primary election winners
(B) determining whether the state legislature or the courts will re-draw district lines
(C) determining which states gain/lose seats in the Senate
(D) determining which states gain/lose seats in the House
(D) determining which states gain/lose seats in the House
Which of the following is the most important characteristics of how a bill becomes a law?
(A) The bill must be passed by a conference committee comprised of House and Senate members
(B) The bill must be signed by the Speaker of the House
(C) A majority of the majority party members of the House and Senate must support the bill
(D) The bill must pass the House and Senate in identical form
(D) The bill must pass the House and Senate in identical form
Why do senators have longer terms than members of the House of Representatives?
(A) to reduce the number of candidates in each election
(B) to make sure that Senators were tied to public sentiment
(C) to provide more opportunities for pork-barrel legislation
(D) to make sure that senators were somewhat insulated from the people
(D) to make sure that senators were somewhat insulated from the people
Voting based on the trustee model can harm a Congress member's political career because
(A) it can go against the national interest
(B) it can cause a loss of support for the member among party leaders
(C) it can go against the views of constituents back home
(D) it forces members to spend too much time fund-raising
(C) it can go against the views of constituents back home
The most important reason for congressional oversight is
(A) to try to embarrass political opponents
(B) to help raise funds for a political campaign
(C) to support the president's policymaking efforts
(D) to make sure that the laws are implemented properly
(D) to make sure that the laws are implemented properly
The process of drawing legislative districts for political advantage is called
(A) representation
(B) gerrymandering
(C) redistricting
(D) bicameralism
(B) gerrymandering
(Note: This is relevant to the House but not the Senate.)
What is the most common style of representation in Congress?
(A) trustee
(B) politico
(C) delegate
(D) consulate
(B) politico
Who is the official head of the Senate?
(A) President of the United States
(B) Vice president of the United States
(C) President pro tempore
(D) Chief whip
(B) Vice president of the United States
The process of determining how many House districts each state gets is known as _____, while the process of determining how those districts look within the states is called _____.
(A) redistricting; gerrymandering
(B) gerrymandering; redistricting
(C) apportionment; redistricting
(D) gerrymandering; apportionment
(C) apportionment; redistricting
_____ provides "advice and consent" on presidential appointments and approval of treaties.
(A) The U.S. House of Representatives
(B) The U.S. Senate
(C) The U.S. Department of Justice
(D) The U.S. Attorney General
(B) The U.S. Senate
North Carolina congressional district 12 was an unacceptable form of racial gerrymandering.
(A) Shaw v. Reno
(B) Schenck v. United States
(C) Roe v. Wade
(D) Marbury v. Madison
(A) Shaw v. Reno
(The Supreme Court ruled that Congressional districts cannot be drawn solely on the basis of racial considerations.)
What is it called when Congress is unable to pass important legislation because of partisan conflict?
(A) gridlock
(B) whipping
(C) gerrymandering
(D) filibustering
(A) gridlock
Why is the filibuster an important legislative strategy for the minority party?
(A) It forces every member of the Senate to speak about the bill
(B) It gives the majority party time to change key provisions in the bill before the vote
(C) It allows the minority party to stop legislation with as few as 50 votes
(D) It allows the minority party to stop legislation with as few as 41 votes
(D) It allows the minority party to stop legislation with as few as 41 votes.
(This is because it takes 60 Senators to get "cloture," which ends debate on the proposed legislation.)
When a bill comes to the floor of the U.S. House under _____, it cannot be amended.
(A) a unanimous consent agreement
(B) open rules
(C) closed rules
(D) suspension of the rules
(C) closed rules
Which one of the following statements is accurate?
(A) The U.S. House has the power to impeach
(B) The U.S. Senate has the power to impeach
(C) The U.S. Senate is not partof the impeachment process
(D) Only one president, Bill Clinton, has been impeached to date
(A) The U.S. House has the power to impeach
In this 1962 case, the Supreme Court established the "one man, one vote" principle by declaring that Congressional districts must be (approximately) equal in population.
(A) Marbury v. Madison
(B) McCulloch v. Maryland
(C) Shaw v. Reno
(D) Baker v. Carr
(D) Baker v. Carr
(Population movement within a state requires redistricting)
Conference committees are staffed by
(A) members of the U.S. House of Representatives only
(B) members of the U.S. Senate only
(C) party leaders in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate
(D) standing committee members that worked on the bill in question from both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate
(D) standing committee members that worked on the bill in question from both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate
Which of the following generally results when the Senate and House of Representatives pass different versions of the same bill?
(A) The president signs the version he prefers
(B) The bill goes back to each house's committee and restarts the legislative process
(C) All amendments to the bill are invalidated, and the original version is sent to the president to sign
(D) The two legislative bodies form a conference committee
(D) The two legislative bodies form a conference committee
Which of the following statements about the House of Representatives is true?
(A) All revenue bills must originate in the Senate before moving to the House.
(B) Representation in the House is allocated equally among the states, while representation in the Senate is allocated proportional to population.
(C) The Speaker of the House wields less power than the president pro tempore of the Senate
(D) The House has a Committee on Ways and Means, while the Senate does not
(D) The House has a Committee on Ways and Means, while the Senate does not
(This committee creates revenue bills, which is a task delegated to the House of Representatives)
Which of the following is an example of an implied power of Congress?
(A) Passing laws regulating interstate trade
(B) Raising the debt limit each year
(C) Overseeing executive branch agencies
(D) Declaring war on Japan in 1941
(C) Overseeing executive branch agencies
(Note: The other choices are all expressed powers delegated to Congress--regulating trade, borrowing money, and declaring war.)
Which of the following statements is true about the Shaw v. Reno case?
(A) It declared that partisan gerrymandering was constitutional
(B) It declared that partisan gerrymandering was unconstitutional
(C) It declared that racial considerations cannot play any role whatsoever in the drawing of congressional districts
(D) It arose because North Carolina was trying to follow federal law by drawing Congressional districts in such a way that more African Americans would likely be elected as representatives
(D) It arose because North Carolina was trying to follow federal law by drawing Congressional districts in such a way that more African Americans would likely be elected as representatives