Chapter 2: Evolution of the Modern Congress

Test Bank

Multiple Choice

1. Most of the newly formed states wrote constitutions that gave the bulk of powers to which branch of government?

A. legislative

B. executive

C. judicial

D. bureaucracy

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: The Colonial Experience

Difficulty Level: Easy

2. Which of the following powers does the Constitution grant to Congress?

A. broad powers of taxing and spending

B. power to declare laws unconstitutional

C. power to appoint individuals to certain positions

D. power over the pocket veto

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Powers of Congress

Difficulty Level: Easy

3. Which of the following foreign policy powers is granted to the US Congress?

A. declaring war

B. collect taxes

C. designating a commander in chief

D. power of appointment

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Powers of Congress

Difficulty Level: Easy

4. Which of the following limitations on government power is specifically listed in the Bill of Rights?

A. right to free speech

B. right to vote

C. citizenship rights

D. right to privacy

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Limits on Legislative Power

Difficulty Level: Easy

5. Which of the following powers allows the president to influence the direction of legislation in Congress?

A. The president can veto legislation passed by Congress.

B. Congress is required to vote on any bill proposed by the president.

C. The president appoints the Speaker of the House.

D. The president can introduce legislation into Congress.

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Legislative–Executive Interdependence

Difficulty Level: Easy

6. Which of the following elements of the modern Congress is outlined specifically in the Constitution?

A. party organizations

B. bicameralism

C. the committee system

D. the filibuster

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Bicameralism

Difficulty Level: Easy

7. Which of the following is an institutional development utilized by Congress to deal with increasing workload pressures?

A. congressional overrides

B. impeachment proceedings that are divided among the House and Senate

C. the creation of an extensive system of standing committees

D. the filibuster

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Workload

Difficulty Level: Medium

8. Which of the following is an indicator of increased professionalization in Congress?

A. increased numbers of congressional staff

B. congress is in recess more than it is in session

C. being a member of Congress is still considered a part-time job

D. higher levels of fund-raising are required to be elected

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Professionalization

Difficulty Level: Medium

9. Which of the following is an example of constituency service?

A. sending out a newsletter to fellow Congress members

B. helping a constituent access Social Security benefits

C. sending a fund-raising letter to constituents

D. teaming up with lobbyists to pass certain legislation

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Constituency Demands

Difficulty Level: Medium

10. Which of the following features of government did the founders adopt from the British political system?

A. judicial review by the Supreme Court

B. the president’s power to appoint governors and other local officials

C. the president was designated as the most important policy maker

D. a bicameral structure to Congress

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Bicameralism

Difficulty Level: Medium

11. Which of the following provisions in the Constitution helps foster congressional independence?

A. the president’s veto power

B. Members generally cannot be arrested during congressional sessions, except in extreme circumstances.

C. Political parties help fund electoral campaigns and provide other resources such as voter outreach.

D. Congressional committees are carefully designed to avoid outside influence.

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Powers of Congress

Difficulty Level: Medium

12. Which of the following is a required step for removing the president from office during his term?

A. The House of Representatives draws up articles of impeachment.

B. The Senate adopts articles of impeachment by majority vote.

C. The Supreme Court approves the articles of impeachment with a unanimous vote.

D. The Supreme Court convicts on one or more of the articles of impeachment.

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Impeachment

Difficulty Level: Medium

True/False

1. The Stamp Act, the Tea Act, and Intolerable Acts were all British enactments that spurred opposition and protest in the colonies.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: The Colonial Experience

Difficulty Level: Easy

2. The US Congress was the first representative legislative body in the world.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: The English Heritage

Difficulty Level: Easy

3. When writing new state constitutions after the Revolutionary War, all states included a bill of rights.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: The Colonial Experience

Difficulty Level: Easy

4. The Constitution describes the powers and organization of Congress in much more detail than those of the president.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Congress in the Constitution

Difficulty Level: Easy

5. Executive privilege is defined as the power of the president to implement congressional statutes.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Interbranch “No-Fly Zones”

Difficulty Level: Easy

6. The Supreme Court case Marbury v. Madison established the power of judicial review.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Judicial Review

Difficulty Level: Easy

7. Congress’s power was sharply limited by new amendments ratified in the immediate aftermath of the Civil War.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Powers of Congress

Difficulty Level: Easy

8. Congress’s power to pass laws its members believe are in the best interests of the nation is essentially unlimited.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Powers of Congress

Difficulty Level: Easy

9. The powers of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches are strictly separated and never overlap.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Separate Branches, Shared Powers

Difficulty Level: Easy

10. Congress’s workload has increased dramatically over time and has often prompted institutional change.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Workload

Difficulty Level: Easy

11. The Senate tends to be more informal, while the House of Representatives operates under more complex and formal rules.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: The Size of Congress

Difficulty Level: Easy

12. The filibuster is difficult to reform because it is outlined in the Constitution and would require a constitutional amendment to change or eliminate.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Members’ Individual Interests

Difficulty Level: Easy

13. Under the Constitution, all war powers belong to the president as commander in chief.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Powers of Congress

Difficulty Level: Easy

14. Unlike in a parliamentary system, Senators and House members in the United States are prohibited from taking jobs in the executive branch while in office.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Separate Branches, Shared Powers

Difficulty Level: Easy

15. On average, modern Congresses typically pass laws enacting a majority of the president’s policy proposals.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Separate Branches, Shared Powers

Difficulty Level: Easy

Essay

1. What elements in colonial America fostered the growth of democratic institutions?

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: The Colonial Experience

Difficulty Level: Easy

2. How has party politics influenced institutional development in Congress? Be sure to illustrate your answer with a specific example.

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Partisan Interests

Difficulty Level: Medium

3. Why did the newly formed states initially designate the legislative branch as the most powerful?

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Powers of Congress

Difficulty Level: Easy

4. In what ways can Congress influence the judicial branch?

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Powers of Congress

Difficulty Level: Easy

5. How did the Civil War amendments impact national power?

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Powers of Congress

Difficulty Level: Medium

6. Outline two important limitations on congressional power and give an example of each.

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Congress in the Constitution

Difficulty Level: Medium

7. How does the veto power allow the president to influence congressional legislation?

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Legislative–Executive Interdependence

Difficulty Level: Easy

8. How can Congress respond when the Supreme Court exercises the power of judicial review? Provide examples to illustrate your answer.

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Who Is the Final Arbiter?

Difficulty Level: Medium

9. What are congressional overrides and why have they become increasingly rare in recent years?

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: Who is the Final Arbiter?

Difficulty Level: Hard

10. Why did the framers choose bicameralism to organize Congress?

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Bicameralism

Difficulty Level: Easy

11. Why has careerism among members of Congress risen over time?

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: The Congressional Career

Difficulty Level: Easy

12. What is meant by the “institutionalization” of Congress and what factors led to its development?

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: Institutional Evolution

Difficulty Level: Medium

13. Identify an important institutional reform in congressional history. Explain how and why this reform was achieved with reference to one or more of the explanations outlined in the text.

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Institutional Evolution

Difficulty Level: Hard