Congressional Structure
$100 — What agreement created a House based on population and a Senate with equal representation for each state?
Answer: The Great Compromise.
$100 — What term describes powers specifically listed in the Constitution, such as declaring war?
Answer: Enumerated powers.
$100 — What is the name for a Senate tactic using extended debate to delay or prevent a vote?
Answer: A filibuster.
$100 — What is the process of redrawing electoral district boundaries, commonly after a census?
Answer: Redistricting.
$100 — Which amendment contains the Equal Protection Clause?
14th amendment
$200 — What does it mean that Congress is bicameral?
Answer: It has two chambers: the House of Representatives and the Senate.
$200 — What clause allows Congress to pass laws necessary and proper for carrying out its listed powers?
Answer: The Necessary and Proper Clause, also called the Elastic Clause.
$200 — What Senate procedure is used to end debate on a measure?
Answer: Cloture.
$200 — What is the manipulation of district boundaries to benefit a political party or group called?
Answer: Gerrymandering.
$200 — Which 1962 case held that federal courts could hear constitutional challenges to legislative districting?
Baker V. Carr
$300 — Which chamber has the power to initiate impeachment proceedings?
Answer: The House of Representatives.
$300 — Which clause gives Congress authority to regulate commerce among the states?
Answer: The Commerce Clause.
$300 — What is the term for Congress monitoring the executive branch through hearings, investigations, and document requests?
Answer: Congressional oversight.
$300 — Which model says a representative should vote according to constituents' preferences?
Answer: The delegate model.
$300 — Which 1993 case addressed challenges to districts drawn with race as the predominant factor?
Shaw V. Reno
$400 — Why can the Senate be more insulated from short-term shifts in public opinion than the House?
Answer: Senators serve six-year terms
$400 — Congress refuses to fund a federal program. What congressional power is it using?
Answer: The power of the purse.
$400 — How many votes are generally required in each chamber to override a presidential veto?
Answer: A two-thirds vote in both the House and Senate.
$400 — Which model says a representative should use independent judgment, even when constituents disagree?
Answer: The trustee model.
$400 — What kind of Supreme Court opinion explains the reasoning of the justices who disagree with the Court's decision?
Answer: A dissenting opinion.
$500 — Both chambers pass different versions of a bill. What temporary committee can work out the differences?
Answer: A conference committee.
$500 — What principle says the federal government can exercise only powers granted or permitted by the Constitution?
Answer: Limited government.
$500 — What is the type of system where each member is appointed to this, to hear bills and propose legislation, before it gets to the House or Senate floor?
$500 — Which model combines delegate and trustee approaches depending on the issue?
Answer: The politico model.
What important distinction separates Baker v. Carr from Shaw v. Reno?
Answer: Baker addressed whether federal courts could hear a districting challenge; Shaw addressed whether a race-predominant district could be challenged under Equal Protection.