Verified Test Bank | Congress Representation, – Ch.9 - Test Bank | American Gov Brief Ed. 1e by Scott F. Abernathy by Scott F. Abernathy. DOCX document preview.
Chapter 9: Congress: Representation, Organization, and Legislation
Test Bank
Multiple Choice
1. A bicameral legislature is(was) ______.
a. a result of compromise between the slave states and nonslave states
b. composed of two chambers, the House of Representatives and the House of Commons
c. an example of a check and balance system within Congress
d. designed in such a way as to pass legislation quickly and efficiently
Learning Objective: 9-1: Describe how Congress is designed, including its various constitutional powers and the differences between the two chambers.
Cognitive Domain: Analysis
Answer Location: The Constitution Defines Congress’s Shape and Powers
Difficulty Level: Hard
2. Which of the following describes the role of the Congressional Budget Office?
a. It estimates the likely budgetary consequences of funding bureaucratic agencies and programs.
b. It works with all three branches to streamline funding requests.
c. It creates Congress’ budget.
d. It makes national policy recommendations, especially economic policies.
Learning Objective: 9-1: Describe how Congress is designed, including its various constitutional powers and the differences between the two chambers.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: The Constitution Defines Congress’s Shape and Powers
Difficulty Level: Hard
3. One of the reasons earmarks are popular is ______.
a. members put nation’s voters needs as a whole before their districts
b. representatives can use them to claim credit for bringing money home
c. Congress can continually monitors the actions of federal bureaucracy
d. senators can nominate lower-level federal judges with the expectation they will be confirmed
Learning Objective: 9-1: Describe how Congress is designed, including its various constitutional powers and the differences between the two chambers.
Cognitive Domain: Analysis
Answer Location: The Constitution Defines Congress’s Shape and Powers
Difficulty Level: Hard
4. The act of “standing for” one’s constituents in government is defined as ______.
a. delegation
b. representation
c. constituency
d. populism
Learning Objective: 9-1: Describe how Congress is designed, including its various constitutional powers and the differences between the two chambers.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: The Constitution Defines Congress’s Shape and Powers
Difficulty Level: Medium
5. What was interesting about the Senate floor on the day known as "snowzilla"?
a. Only men were on the Senate floor.
b. Members of the House were forced to meet in the Senate.
c. The Senate was closed for the first time in a decade.
d. Only women were on the Senate floor.
Learning Objective: 9-1: Describe how Congress is designed, including its various constitutional powers and the differences between the two chambers.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: The Experience of Women in Congress Raises Issues of Representation
Difficulty Level: Medium
6. In 2017, the 115th session of Congress included ______ women senators.
a. 11
b. 16
c. 21
d. 27
Learning Objective: 9-1: Describe how Congress is designed, including its various constitutional powers and the differences between the two chambers.
Cognitive Domain: Knowledge
Answer Location: Conclusion
Difficulty Level: Easy
7. In 2016, the 114th session of Congress saw ______ women serving as members of Congress.
a. 55
b. 65
c. 75
d. 104
Learning Objective: 9-1: Describe how Congress is designed, including its various constitutional powers and the differences between the two chambers.
Cognitive Domain: Knowledge
Answer Location: The Experience of Women in Congress Raises Issues of Representation
Difficulty Level: Easy
8. In Congress, 1992 was known as the year of ______.
a. democracy
b. civil disobedience
c. the woman
d. youthful exuberance
Learning Objective: 9-1: Describe how Congress is designed, including its various constitutional powers and the differences between the two chambers.
Cognitive Domain: Knowledge
Answer Location: The Experience of Women in Congress Raises Issues of Representation
Difficulty Level: Easy
9. Which of the following terms was James Madison’s way of referring to the dangers of faction?
a. “tyranny and anarchy”
b. “usurpation and perfidy”
c. “dominance and treachery”
d. “collaboration and duress”
Learning Objective: 9-1: Describe how Congress is designed, including its various constitutional powers and the differences between the two chambers.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: The Constitution Defines Congress’s Shape and Powers
Difficulty Level: Medium
10. Two important ways in which the framers of the Constitution tried to contain the dangers of faction were through ______.
a. the Bill of Rights and liberalism
b. tyranny and regulation
c. federalism and separation of powers
d. confederalism and collaboration
Learning Objective: 9-1: Describe how Congress is designed, including its various constitutional powers and the differences between the two chambers.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: The Constitution Defines Congress’s Shape and Powers
Difficulty Level: Medium
11. Members of the House of Representatives are ______.
a. indirectly elected through an electoral college system
b. appointed and assigned by state legislatures
c. directly elected by eligible voters
d. recruited from the majority party in a state
Learning Objective: 9-1: Describe how Congress is designed, including its various constitutional powers and the differences between the two chambers.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: The Constitution Defines Congress’s Shape and Powers
Difficulty Level: Medium
12. In contrast to members of the House, senators were meant to be more ______.
a. in touch with their constituency
b. representative of their state legislatures
c. wealthy and powerful elites
d. insulated from the public
Learning Objective: 9-1: Describe how Congress is designed, including its various constitutional powers and the differences between the two chambers.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: The Constitution Defines Congress’s Shape and Powers
Difficulty Level: Medium
13. In anticipation of the challenges of factions and their “passions,” the framers set up roadblocks in the Senate to prevent the American electorate from ______.
a. falling prey to the tyranny of the majority
b. unfairly controlling the public agenda
c. too quickly voting its wishes into action
d. allowing a minority faction to control the nation
Learning Objective: 9-1: Describe how Congress is designed, including its various constitutional powers and the differences between the two chambers.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: The Constitution Defines Congress’s Shape and Powers
Difficulty Level: Medium
14. In contrast to members of the House, senators must be ______.
a. older
b. wealthier
c. more educated
d. property holders
Learning Objective: 9-1: Describe how Congress is designed, including its various constitutional powers and the differences between the two chambers.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: The Constitution Defines Congress’s Shape and Powers
Difficulty Level: Medium
15. Congress funds the activities of bureaucratic agencies through the process of ______.
a. reconciliation
b. appropriation
c. fiscal responsibility
d. omnibus legislation
Learning Objective: 9-1: Describe how Congress is designed, including its various constitutional powers and the differences between the two chambers.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: The Constitution Defines Congress’s Shape and Powers
Difficulty Level: Medium
16. When Congress continually monitors the actions of a bureaucracy, it participates in ______ oversight.
a. police patrol
b. fire alarm
c. omnibus
d. legislative
Learning Objective: 9-1: Describe how Congress is designed, including its various constitutional powers and the differences between the two chambers.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: The Constitution Defines Congress’s Shape and Powers
Difficulty Level: Medium
17. The ideas of senatorial ratification of treaties and congressional power to declare war were designed to force the ______ to work together.
a. executive and legislative branches
b. two houses of Congress
c. judicial and legislative branches
d. president and the cabinet
Learning Objective: 9-1: Describe how Congress is designed, including its various constitutional powers and the differences between the two chambers.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: The Constitution Defines Congress’s Shape and Powers
Difficulty Level: Medium
18. The norm of ______ generally allows senators to nominate lower-level federal judges to serve in their states with the expectation that they will be confirmed without significant opposition.
a. congressional oversight
b. senatorial courtesy
c. advice and consent
d. state federalism
Learning Objective: 9-1: Describe how Congress is designed, including its various constitutional powers and the differences between the two chambers.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: The Constitution Defines Congress’s Shape and Powers
Difficulty Level: Medium
19. To remove an official from federal office, the House of Representatives votes to ______ and the Senate has the authority to ______, which will then remove the official from office.
a. impeach; convict
b. accuse; censure
c. censure; review
d. convict; impeach
Learning Objective: 9-1: Describe how Congress is designed, including its various constitutional powers and the differences between the two chambers.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: The Constitution Defines Congress’s Shape and Powers
Difficulty Level: Medium
20. The power to impeach is found in ______ of the Constitution.
a. Article I, Section 3
b. Article II, Section 4
c. Article IV, Section 1
d. Article V, Section 2
Learning Objective: 9-1: Describe how Congress is designed, including its various constitutional powers and the differences between the two chambers.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: The Constitution Defines Congress’s Shape and Powers
Difficulty Level: Medium
21. Which of the following presidents have faced successful House resolutions of impeachment?
a. John Quincy Adams and Benjamin Harrison
b. William Henry Harrison and Richard M. Nixon
c. Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton
d. Andrew Jackson and Warren G. Harding
Learning Objective: 9-1: Describe how Congress is designed, including its various constitutional powers and the differences between the two chambers.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: The Constitution Defines Congress’s Shape and Powers
Difficulty Level: Medium
22. When branches of government are allowed a level of oversight over each other, it is best described as ______.
a. separation of powers
b. legislative authority
c. governmental oversight
d. checks and balances
Learning Objective: 9-1: Describe how Congress is designed, including its various constitutional powers and the differences between the two chambers.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: The Constitution Defines Congress’s Shape and Powers
Difficulty Level: Medium
23. When Congress exercises authority to ensure that laws are implemented in the way that Congress intended when it passed them, the process is described as ______.
a. earmark
b. filibuster
c. cloture
d. oversight
Learning Objective: 9-1: Describe how Congress is designed, including its various constitutional powers and the differences between the two chambers.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: The Constitution Defines Congress’s Shape and Powers
Difficulty Level: Medium
24. The agency whose role is to provide information and estimates of the likely budgetary consequences of funding the agencies and programs created by Congress is the ______ Office.
a. General Accounting Oversight
b. Legislative Review
c. Congressional Representation
d. Congressional Budget
Learning Objective: 9-1: Describe how Congress is designed, including its various constitutional powers and the differences between the two chambers.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: The Constitution Defines Congress’s Shape and Powers
Difficulty Level: Medium
25. Many of the rules governing the budgetary process in Congress were set in ______.
a. the Federal Budget Authorization Act of 1997
b. the Federal Omnibus Reconciliation Act of 1990
c. the Congressional Budget Act of 1974
d. the Budget Control Act of 2011
Learning Objective: 9-1: Describe how Congress is designed, including its various constitutional powers and the differences between the two chambers.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: The Constitution Defines Congress’s Shape and Powers
Difficulty Level: Medium
26. If a member of Congress wishes to get a project funded without writing a separate bill, they can attach it to a larger funding bill in the form of an ______.
a. earmark
b. filibuster
c. cloture
d. oversight
Learning Objective: 9-1: Describe how Congress is designed, including its various constitutional powers and the differences between the two chambers.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: The Constitution Defines Congress’s Shape and Powers
Difficulty Level: Medium
27. In comparison to other bills in Congress, reconciliation bills are more ______.
a. complicated
b. thorough
c. debated
d. streamlined
Learning Objective: 9-1: Describe how Congress is designed, including its various constitutional powers and the differences between the two chambers.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: The Constitution Defines Congress’s Shape and Powers
Difficulty Level: Medium
28. Among legislative bodies in the world’s democracies, the U.S. Congress is the most active and independent in terms of its ability to make ______ policy.
a. constitutional
b. national
c. foreign
d. state and local
Learning Objective: 9-1: Describe how Congress is designed, including its various constitutional powers and the differences between the two chambers.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: The Constitution Defines Congress’s Shape and Powers
Difficulty Level: Medium
29. The event that crystallized the commitment of women to run for Congress in 1992 was ______.
a. the failure of the Equal Rights Amendment
b. the rise of the National Organization of Women
c. the growing population of women in the United States
d. the Senate confirmation hearings of Clarence Thomas
Learning Objective: 9-2: Identify the obstacles to winning a seat in Congress, the factors that influence an individual’s decision to run, and the resources and skills that successful candidates need.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Getting to Congress Involves Personal, Professional, Electoral, and Financial Factors
Difficulty Level: Medium
30. The Supreme Court confirmation hearings of Clarence Thomas were especially controversial due to the allegations of ______.
a. accepting bribes
b. racial discrimination
c. sexual harassment
d. gender discrimination
Learning Objective: 9-2: Identify the obstacles to winning a seat in Congress, the factors that influence an individual’s decision to run, and the resources and skills that successful candidates need.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Getting to Congress Involves Personal, Professional, Electoral, and Financial Factors
Difficulty Level: Medium
31. The record number of open seats in Congress during the 1992 election paved the way for ______.
a. many newcomers to run for vacant seats
b. redistricting based on partisanship
c. under qualified candidates to win elections
d. record-breaking fundraising for candidates
Learning Objective: 9-2: Identify the obstacles to winning a seat in Congress, the factors that influence an individual’s decision to run, and the resources and skills that successful candidates need.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Getting to Congress Involves Personal, Professional, Electoral, and Financial Factors
Difficulty Level: Medium
32. Which of the following is of utmost importance when a challenger decides to run against an incumbent for an elected position?
a. experience and constituents
b. momentum and money
c. power and resources
d. experience and money
Learning Objective: 9-2: Identify the obstacles to winning a seat in Congress, the factors that influence an individual’s decision to run, and the resources and skills that successful candidates need.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Getting to Congress Involves Personal, Professional, Electoral, and Financial Factors
Difficulty Level: Medium
33. Why do qualified challengers to congressional office often wait for an open seat before running for office?
a. Even the most qualified challenger would have a difficult time beating an incumbent.
b. There are generally fewer opponents during these elections.
c. More voters tend to cast their ballots during these elections.
d. There is more time to debate a variety of topics during these elections.
Learning Objective: 9-2: Identify the obstacles to winning a seat in Congress, the factors that influence an individual’s decision to run, and the resources and skills that successful candidates need.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Getting to Congress Involves Personal, Professional, Electoral, and Financial Factors
Difficulty Level: Medium
34. Which of the following set the boundaries for constituency?
a. states’ constitutions
b. congressional statutes
c. the constitution
d. several Supreme Court rulings
Learning Objective: 9-2: Identify the obstacles to winning a seat in Congress, the factors that influence an individual’s decision to run, and the resources and skills that successful candidates need.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Getting to Congress Involves Personal, Professional, Electoral, and Financial Factors
Difficulty Level: Medium
35. Based on ideas of political scientists Fowler and McClure, political ambition sets apart declared candidates from ______.
a. their constituency
b. political agendas
c. political power
d. unseen candidates
Learning Objective: 9-2: Identify the obstacles to winning a seat in Congress, the factors that influence an individual’s decision to run, and the resources and skills that successful candidates need.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Getting to Congress Involves Personal, Professional, Electoral, and Financial Factors
Difficulty Level: Medium
36. The end of ______ focused voter’s attention away from national security issues onto issues of domestic policy, which assisted in the 1992 elections.
a. the Cold War
b. the Cuban Missile Crisis
c. Operation Desert Storm
d. Operation Iraqi Freedom
Learning Objective: 9-2: Identify the obstacles to winning a seat in Congress, the factors that influence an individual’s decision to run, and the resources and skills that successful candidates need.
Cognitive Domain: Knowledge
Answer Location: Getting to Congress Involves Personal, Professional, Electoral, and Financial Factors
Difficulty Level: Medium
37. Of the 24 women elected to the House for the first time in 1992, how many were Democrats?
a. four
b. 16
c. 20
d. 24
Learning Objective: 9-2: Identify the obstacles to winning a seat in Congress, the factors that influence an individual’s decision to run, and the resources and skills that successful candidates need.
Cognitive Domain: Knowledge
Answer Location: Getting to Congress Involves Personal, Professional, Electoral, and Financial Factors
Difficulty Level: Medium
38. Of the five women elected to the Senate in 1992, how many were Democrats?
a. one
b. three
c. four
d. five
Learning Objective: 9-2: Identify the obstacles to winning a seat in Congress, the factors that influence an individual’s decision to run, and the resources and skills that successful candidates need.
Cognitive Domain: Knowledge
Answer Location: Getting to Congress Involves Personal, Professional, Electoral, and Financial Factors
Difficulty Level: Medium
39. Which of the following U.S. senators encouraged young, female congressional hopefuls to “earn your spurs” by starting in local elections?
a. Carol Moseley Braun
b. Dianne Feinstein
c. Patty Murray
d. Barbara Mikulski
Learning Objective: 9-2: Identify the obstacles to winning a seat in Congress, the factors that influence an individual’s decision to run, and the resources and skills that successful candidates need.
Cognitive Domain: Knowledge
Answer Location: Getting to Congress Involves Personal, Professional, Electoral, and Financial Factors
Difficulty Level: Medium
40. Based on statements from political scientist Candice Nelson, early money allows a candidate to ______.
a. hire a campaign manager
b. participate in multiple debates
c. establish credibility
d. buy media time
Learning Objective: 9-2: Identify the obstacles to winning a seat in Congress, the factors that influence an individual’s decision to run, and the resources and skills that successful candidates need.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Getting to Congress Involves Personal, Professional, Electoral, and Financial Factors
Difficulty Level: Medium
41. Political ambition is best described as ______.
a. the commitment necessary to overcome the long odds of a challenger facing an incumbent
b. the ability to call hearings in response to visible crises of bureaucracy
c. having less structural influence in the House than the Speaker
d. the desire to become appointed committee chair on any standing committee in Congress
Learning Objective: 9-2: Identify the obstacles to winning a seat in Congress, the factors that influence an individual’s decision to run, and the resources and skills that successful candidates need.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Getting to Congress Involves Personal, Professional, Electoral, and Financial Factors
Difficulty Level: Medium
42. Which of the following would be the most effective way for newcomers to Congress to make their mark on public policy?
a. vote along the lines of their political party
b. keep their friends close and their enemies closer
c. learn the complicated rules and procedures of Congress
d. pay the necessary dues and fees required of elected officials
Learning Objective: 9-3: List the primary organizational features of Congress, including the role of chamber leaders, political parties, committees, and congressional norms.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Congress Is Organized Around Formal and Informal Rules
Difficulty Level: Medium
43. Which of the following is true about committees and committee leadership?
a. A committee chair is elected by committee members.
b. The committee system is designed to increase the party leader’s power.
c. Committees and subcommittees do most of the work in Congress.
d. The Senate has more committees than the House.
Learning Objective: 9-3: List the primary organizational features of Congress, including the role of chamber leaders, political parties, committees, and congressional norms.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Congress Is Organized Around Formal and Informal Rules
Difficulty Level: Hard
44. A ______ committee is a temporary ______ committee that resolves differences between the House and Senate versions of a bill.
a. conference; select
b. conference; joint
c. joint; select
d. standing; conference
Learning Objective: 9-3: List the primary organizational features of Congress, including the role of chamber leaders, political parties, committees, and congressional norms.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Congress Is Organized Around Formal and Informal Rules
Difficulty Level: Medium
45. Standing committees are so-named because ______.
a. they continue across Congresses
b. members tend to serve on them for a single term
c. they each have authority over a wide range of policy areas
d. they require members to stand when they vote on the passage of legislation
Learning Objective: 9-3: List the primary organizational features of Congress, including the role of chamber leaders, political parties, committees, and congressional norms.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Congress Is Organized Around Formal and Informal Rules
Difficulty Level: Medium
46. The assistant to the Speaker of the House is the ______.
a. House Minority Leader
b. Majority Party Whip
c. House Majority Leader
d. Minority Party Whip
Learning Objective: 9-3: List the primary organizational features of Congress, including the role of chamber leaders, political parties, committees, and congressional norms.
Cognitive Domain: Knowledge
Answer Location: Congress Is Organized Around Formal and Informal Rules
Difficulty Level: Easy
47. Committee chairs have considerable influence, especially in setting ______.
a. legislative schedules
b. congressional rules
c. committee membership
d. the committee’s agenda
Learning Objective: 9-3: List the primary organizational features of Congress, including the role of chamber leaders, political parties, committees, and congressional norms.
Cognitive Domain: Knowledge
Answer Location: Congress Is Organized Around Formal and Informal Rules
Difficulty Level: Easy
48. ______ has challenged the role of norms in constraining member behavior in recent years.
a. The increasing use of inside lobbying efforts
b. The growing impact of outside political contributions
c. Animosity between members of the two political parties
d. A sizable increase in the number of political movements
Learning Objective: 9-3: List the primary organizational features of Congress, including the role of chamber leaders, political parties, committees, and congressional norms.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Congress Is Organized Around Formal and Informal Rules
Difficulty Level: Medium
49. As their congressional careers develop, members of Congress gain ______.
a. constituency
b. power and influence
c. political ideals
d. legislative responsibility
Learning Objective: 9-3: List the primary organizational features of Congress, including the role of chamber leaders, political parties, committees, and congressional norms.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Congress Is Organized Around Formal and Informal Rules
Difficulty Level: Medium
50. How do congressional party leaders set up goals, choose leaders, assign members to committees, and try to present a unified voice to the American public?
a. They work through party caucuses and party conferences.
b. They work toward formal leadership positions.
c. They form powerful constituency groups.
d. They work toward enacting legislature for special interests.
Learning Objective: 9-3: List the primary organizational features of Congress, including the role of chamber leaders, political parties, committees, and congressional norms.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Congress Is Organized Around Formal and Informal Rules
Difficulty Level: Medium
51. Which of the following has become a prerequisite when selecting a Speaker of the House?
a. the ability to connect with members of the opposing party
b. the ability to raise money for other members in one’s party
c. the ability to exhibit leadership during times of congressional deadlock
d. the ability to persuade members of one’s party to vote in line with the party
Learning Objective: 9-3: List the primary organizational features of Congress, including the role of chamber leaders, political parties, committees, and congressional norms.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Congress Is Organized Around Formal and Informal Rules
Difficulty Level: Medium
52. The committee system was designed to ______.
a. provide bipartisan support for proposed budget bills
b. recruit and maintain new party members
c. divide the workload in both the House and Senate
d. provide regulatory oversight between branches
Learning Objective: 9-3: List the primary organizational features of Congress, including the role of chamber leaders, political parties, committees, and congressional norms.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Congress Is Organized Around Formal and Informal Rules
Difficulty Level: Medium
53. Who determines which committee(s) a congressional member will sit on?
a. House Speaker
b. vice president
c. party leaders
d. House whips
Learning Objective: 9-3: List the primary organizational features of Congress, including the role of chamber leaders, political parties, committees, and congressional norms.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Congress Is Organized Around Formal and Informal Rules
Difficulty Level: Medium
54. The formal structure of Congress mainly revolves around ______.
a. the role of political parties
b. incumbents winning reelections
c. political agendas
d. political power
Learning Objective: 9-3: List the primary organizational features of Congress, including the role of chamber leaders, political parties, committees, and congressional norms.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Congress Is Organized Around Formal and Informal Rules
Difficulty Level: Medium
55. Which of the following positions was directly described in the Constitution?
a. vice president
b. majority whip
c. minority party leader
d. Speaker of the House
Learning Objective: 9-3: List the primary organizational features of Congress, including the role of chamber leaders, political parties, committees, and congressional norms.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Congress Is Organized Around Formal and Informal Rules
Difficulty Level: Medium
56. For a member of Congress to be elected Speaker of the House, one would generally need ______.
a. support from both Republicans and Democrats
b. a record of successful service in the House
c. considerable monetary donations from PACs
d. political power and stamina
Learning Objective: 9-3: List the primary organizational features of Congress, including the role of chamber leaders, political parties, committees, and congressional norms.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Congress Is Organized Around Formal and Informal Rules
Difficulty Level: Medium
57. A party whip can best be described as ______.
a. the only House leadership position described in the Constitution
b. the congressional member that serves directly under the Speaker
c. a member of the House or Senate whose job is to ensure party unity and discipline
d. an individual who keeps track of agencies created and funded by Congress
Learning Objective: 9-3: List the primary organizational features of Congress, including the role of chamber leaders, political parties, committees, and congressional norms.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Congress Is Organized Around Formal and Informal Rules
Difficulty Level: Medium
58. Which of the following committees continue across Congresses and have member that serves multiple terms to develop expertise and bring benefits to their districts and state?
a. standing
b. joint
c. conference
d. special
Learning Objective: 9-3: List the primary organizational features of Congress, including the role of chamber leaders, political parties, committees, and congressional norms.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Congress Is Organized Around Formal and Informal Rules
Difficulty Level: Medium
59. Which of the following committees contain members from both the House and Senate?
a. standing
b. joint
c. conference
d. special
Learning Objective: 9-3: List the primary organizational features of Congress, including the role of chamber leaders, political parties, committees, and congressional norms.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Congress Is Organized Around Formal and Informal Rules
Difficulty Level: Medium
60. Which of the following committees is a temporary joint committee that resolves difference between the House and Senate versions of a bill?
a. standing
b. select
c. conference
d. special
Learning Objective: 9-3: List the primary organizational features of Congress, including the role of chamber leaders, political parties, committees, and congressional norms.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Congress Is Organized Around Formal and Informal Rules
Difficulty Level: Medium
61. Which of the following committees are usually called upon to investigate an issue in response to a crisis or scandal?
a. standing
b. joint
c. conference
d. special
Learning Objective: 9-3: List the primary organizational features of Congress, including the role of chamber leaders, political parties, committees, and congressional norms.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Congress Is Organized Around Formal and Informal Rules
Difficulty Level: Medium
62. Which of the following congressional members in second in the line of succession, should the president and vice president become unable to serve in their positions?
a. minority whip
b. majority whip
c. minority party leader
d. Speaker of the House
Learning Objective: 9-3: List the primary organizational features of Congress, including the role of chamber leaders, political parties, committees, and congressional norms.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Congress Is Organized Around Formal and Informal Rules
Difficulty Level: Medium
63. When a House bill and a Senate bill are not identical, what happens?
a. The bill is dead.
b. Leaders in both chambers will negotiate.
c. A conference committee will be created to iron out the differences between the two versions of the bill.
d. One chamber must accept the other chamber’s version of the bill.
Learning Objective: 9-4: Explain the steps of the legislative process and how it can diverge from traditional “textbook” descriptions.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: The Legislative Process Is Complex by Design
Difficulty Level: Medium
64. The process of ______ describes the assignment of a bill to more than one committee, especially if the bill is large and complex.
a. multiple referral
b. dual legislation
c. interactive consideration
d. collective agency
Learning Objective: 9-4: Explain the steps of the legislative process and how it can diverge from traditional “textbook” descriptions.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: The Legislative Process Is Complex by Design
Difficulty Level: Medium
65. For most noncontroversial issues, a simple ______ request may be used in the Senate.
a. plurality vote
b. majority vote
c. unanimous consent
d. floor debate
Learning Objective: 9-4: Explain the steps of the legislative process and how it can diverge from traditional “textbook” descriptions.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: The Legislative Process Is Complex by Design
Difficulty Level: Medium
66. If a senator wishes to delay a vote on a piece of legislation by continuously talking/debating the issues, he/she has initiated a ______.
a. cloture
b. filibuster
c. floor debate
d. consent request
Learning Objective: 9-4: Explain the steps of the legislative process and how it can diverge from traditional “textbook” descriptions.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: The Legislative Process Is Complex by Design
Difficulty Level: Medium
67. In order to resolve differences between the House and Senate versions of a bill, a bill is referred to ______.
a. the whole floor of both houses
b. subcommittees in both houses
c. a joint conference committee
d. the president for a decision
Learning Objective: 9-4: Explain the steps of the legislative process and how it can diverge from traditional “textbook” descriptions.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: The Legislative Process Is Complex by Design
Difficulty Level: Medium
68. When House and Senate versions of a bill are amended and sent back and forth between the two chambers until the process has produced a single text, it is known as ______.
a. ping-ponging
b. mutual consideration
c. collective bargaining
d. bilateral agreement
Learning Objective: 9-4: Explain the steps of the legislative process and how it can diverge from traditional “textbook” descriptions.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: The Legislative Process Is Complex by Design
Difficulty Level: Medium
69. Once the differences between House and Senate versions of a bill are resolved, the bill is then sent for ______.
a. final action in the House and Senate
b. presidential signature or veto
c. further committee consideration
d. submission to subcommittees for review
Learning Objective: 9-4: Explain the steps of the legislative process and how it can diverge from traditional “textbook” descriptions.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: The Legislative Process Is Complex by Design
Difficulty Level: Medium
70. If a president chooses not to sign or veto a piece of legislation, the president’s third option is to ______.
a. return the bill unsigned
b. request further revision
c. pocket veto the legislation
d. ask for another floor vote
Learning Objective: 9-4: Explain the steps of the legislative process and how it can diverge from traditional “textbook” descriptions.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: The Legislative Process Is Complex by Design
Difficulty Level: Medium
71. In order for Congress to avoid a pocket veto, it may opt to ______.
a. request the president return the bill for further debate
b. ask for a 2/3 vote to signal its intent to override the veto
c. conduct a quorum call to require all voting members to return
d. leave one or more members behind while everyone else goes home
Learning Objective: 9-4: Explain the steps of the legislative process and how it can diverge from traditional “textbook” descriptions.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: The Legislative Process Is Complex by Design
Difficulty Level: Medium
72. Which of the following elected officials is allowed to introduce a bill into Congress?
a. Speaker of the House
b. house majority leader
c. house minority leader
d. any member of Congress
Learning Objective: 9-4: Explain the steps of the legislative process and how it can diverge from traditional “textbook” descriptions.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: The Legislative Process Is Complex by Design
Difficulty Level: Medium
73. Within the House, how can a bill be freed from an unfriendly committee to the House floor for a vote?
a. public forum
b. discharge petition
c. roll-call vote
d. cloture
Learning Objective: 9-4: Explain the steps of the legislative process and how it can diverge from traditional “textbook” descriptions.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: The Legislative Process Is Complex by Design
Difficulty Level: Medium
74. Bills that have successfully passed out of committee will then move on to ______.
a. a joint committee for debate before heading to the Speaker’s desk
b. the Congressional Budget Office for review
c. the president’s desk for signature or veto
d. consideration on the floors of the House and Senate
Learning Objective: 9-4: Explain the steps of the legislative process and how it can diverge from traditional “textbook” descriptions.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: The Legislative Process Is Complex by Design
Difficulty Level: Medium
75. A cloture in the Senate can be used for which purpose?
a. It can be used to push a bill through quickly, without debate.
b. It can be used to override a presidential veto.
c. It can be used to stop a filibuster.
d. It can be used to rescue a bill from a hostile committee.
Learning Objective: 9-4: Explain the steps of the legislative process and how it can diverge from traditional “textbook” descriptions.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: The Legislative Process Is Complex by Design
Difficulty Level: Medium
76. Which of the following elected officials is responsible for scheduling and setting the rules for debates on the House floor?
a. Speaker of the House in conjunction with the Rules Committee
b. house majority leader in conjunction with the Rules Committee
c. house minority leader in conjunction with the Congressional Budget Office
d. any member of Congress
Learning Objective: 9-4: Explain the steps of the legislative process and how it can diverge from traditional “textbook” descriptions.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: The Legislative Process Is Complex by Design
Difficulty Level: Medium
77. What must occur in order to override a presidential veto?
a. The bill must be sent back to a joint committee and reworked.
b. Both chambers must reach a 2/3 majority vote.
c. Both chambers will attempt to push through favorable legislation to persuade the president to reconsider the vetoed bill.
d. Both chambers must reach a unanimous vote to override the veto.
Learning Objective: 9-4: Explain the steps of the legislative process and how it can diverge from traditional “textbook” descriptions.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: The Legislative Process Is Complex by Design
Difficulty Level: Medium
78. Before a committee reports a bill to the floor for a vote, committee members will often make changes to a bill during a process known as ______.
a. a markup session
b. a strikeout session
c. a filibuster session
d. an amendment session
Learning Objective: 9-4: Explain the steps of the legislative process and how it can diverge from traditional “textbook” descriptions.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: The Legislative Process Is Complex by Design
Difficulty Level: Medium
79. Which of the following has no counterpart in the Senate?
a. Congressional Budget Office
b. Congressional Oversight Committee
c. house majority leader
d. House Rules Committee
Learning Objective: 9-4: Explain the steps of the legislative process and how it can diverge from traditional “textbook” descriptions.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: The Legislative Process Is Complex by Design
Difficulty Level: Medium
80. Which of the following occurs during a roll-call vote?
a. Members of the House vote on the bill presented on the floor.
b. Members of Congress indicate “yea”, “nay,” or “present” regarding the bill on the floor.
c. Members of the Senate determine which bills from the House they will take up for the session.
d. Members of Congress indicate whether they will run for re-election or defer their seat.
Learning Objective: 9-4: Explain the steps of the legislative process and how it can diverge from traditional “textbook” descriptions.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: The Legislative Process Is Complex by Design
Difficulty Level: Medium
81. Intense partisanship can lead to an inability of Congress to pass legislation, known as ______.
a. constituent backlash
b. partisan polarization
c. representative demographics
d. legislative gridlock
Learning Objective: 9-5: Connect the issues surrounding the representation of women in Congress to the challenges involving representation of other individuals in America.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Members Represent Constituents by How They Act and Who They Are
Difficulty Level: Medium
82. The degree to which a body of representatives in a legislature does or does not reflect the diversity of that nation’s identities and lived experiences is known as ______.
a. divided government
b. partisan separation
c. legislative gridlock
d. descriptive representation
Learning Objective: 9-5: Connect the issues surrounding the representation of women in Congress to the challenges involving representation of other individuals in America.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Members Represent Constituents by How They Act and Who They Are
Difficulty Level: Medium
83. The risks posed by linking individuals’ lived experiences to policy preferences, whether by identifying those individuals by those policies or excluding them from advocating different policy objectives, is described as ______.
a. deliberation
b. representation
c. essentialism
d. complexity
Learning Objective: 9-5: Connect the issues surrounding the representation of women in Congress to the challenges involving representation of other individuals in America.
Cognitive Domain: Knowledge
Answer Location: Members Represent Constituents by How They Act and Who They Are
Difficulty Level: Easy
84. What is the goal of racial and ethnic gerrymandering?
a. to dilute or isolate the votes of minority groups within larger number of other districts
b. to minimize the degree to which other legislative members have to attend to their minority constituents’ interests
c. to concentrate minority voters in a small number of districts in order to help their overall representation in Congress
d. to isolate the minority voters to a small number of districts to minimize their representation in Congress
Learning Objective: 9-5: Connect the issues surrounding the representation of women in Congress to the challenges involving representation of other individuals in America.
Cognitive Domain: Knowledge
Answer Location: Members Represent Constituents by How They Act and Who They Are
Difficulty Level: Easy
85. By bringing unconsidered issues to Congress’ table and making them salient, members of Congress are, according to political scientist Jane Mansbridge, acting as ______.
a. delegated constituencies
b. surrogate representatives
c. congressional essentialists
d. representative analysts
Learning Objective: 9-5: Connect the issues surrounding the representation of women in Congress to the challenges involving representation of other individuals in America.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Members Represent Constituents by How They Act and Who They Are
Difficulty Level: Medium
86. Based on many years of research, political scientists have determined that the majority of constituents are ______.
a. uninterested in politics
b. well educated on most issues
c. poorly informed on most issues
d. informed on issues they find applicable to themselves
Learning Objective: 9-5: Connect the issues surrounding the representation of women in Congress to the challenges involving representation of other individuals in America.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Members Represent Constituents by How They Act and Who They Are
Difficulty Level: Medium
87. In a divided government, control is split between ______.
a. the federal government and states’ rights
b. the House and the Senate
c. political parties of the president and vice president
d. political parties in the House, Senate, and/or presidency
Learning Objective: 9-5: Connect the issues surrounding the representation of women in Congress to the challenges involving representation of other individuals in America.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Members Represent Constituents by How They Act and Who They Are
Difficulty Level: Medium
88. What effect might an increase in diversity within Congress have on the American electorate?
a. It may enhance the political polarization currently being experienced in Congress.
b. It may increase the periods of devastating legislative gridlock.
c. It may confer a greater legitimacy on Congress and the legislation is passes.
d. It may dissuade people from voting as they feel their votes have been wasted in the past.
Learning Objective: 9-5: Connect the issues surrounding the representation of women in Congress to the challenges involving representation of other individuals in America.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Members Represent Constituents by How They Act and Who They Are
Difficulty Level: Medium
89. During legislative deliberation, ______.
a. elected representatives consider, debate, and revise their preferences
b. Republicans and Democrats debate bills in the House and Senate
c. the Supreme Court hands down rulings on the constitutionality of new legislation
d. the president determines which bills to sign and which to veto
Learning Objective: 9-5: Connect the issues surrounding the representation of women in Congress to the challenges involving representation of other individuals in America.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Members Represent Constituents by How They Act and Who They Are
Difficulty Level: Medium
90. Which of the following has become an increasing concern for many political scientists and members of Congress alike?
a. constituent backlash
b. legislative gridlock
c. legislative deliberation
d. partisan polarization
Learning Objective: 9-5: Connect the issues surrounding the representation of women in Congress to the challenges involving representation of other individuals in America.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Members Represent Constituents by How They Act and Who They Are
Difficulty Level: Medium
True/False
1. All three branches of government can either pass legislation or undertake actions that carry the force of law.
Learning Objective: 9-1: Describe how Congress is designed, including its various constitutional powers and the differences between the two chambers.
Cognitive Domain: Application
Answer Location: The Constitution Defines Congress’s Shape and Powers
Difficulty Level: Medium
2. All bills to raise revenue must originate in the House, and the Senate does not get involved in this process.
Learning Objective: 9-1: Describe how Congress is designed, including its various constitutional powers and the differences between the two chambers.
Cognitive Domain: Analysis
Answer Location: The Constitution Defines Congress’s Shape and Powers
Difficulty Level: Medium
3. A majority of House members can impeach and remove an elective officer from his or her position.
Learning Objective: 9-1: Describe how Congress is designed, including its various constitutional powers and the differences between the two chambers.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: The Constitution Defines Congress’s Shape and Powers
Difficulty Level: Medium
4. The Speaker of the House is elected by all the members of the House, but in practice majority party members elect the Speaker.
Learning Objective: 9-3: List the primary organizational features of Congress, including the role of chamber leaders, political parties, committees, and congressional norms.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Congress Is Organized Around Formal and Informal Rules
Difficulty Level: Medium
5. Both the Senate majority leader and Senate minority leader are elected on the Senate floor by all senators.
Learning Objective: 9-3: List the primary organizational features of Congress, including the role of chamber leaders, political parties, committees, and congressional norms.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Congress Is Organized Around Formal and Informal Rules
Difficulty Level: Medium
6. The Senate majority party leader is as powerful as the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Learning Objective: 9-3: List the primary organizational features of Congress, including the role of chamber leaders, political parties, committees, and congressional norms.
Cognitive Domain: Knowledge
Answer Location: Congress Is Organized Around Formal and Informal Rules
Difficulty Level: Medium
7. The Constitution requires House members to be property holders.
Learning Objective: 9-1: Describe how Congress is designed, including its various constitutional powers and the differences between the two chambers.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: The Constitution Defines Congress’s Shape and Powers
Difficulty Level: Medium
8. While the Constitution did not prohibit women from holding office, most of the states did.
Learning Objective: 9-1: Describe how Congress is designed, including its various constitutional powers and the differences between the two chambers.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: The Constitution Defines Congress’s Shape and Powers
Difficulty Level: Medium
9. Many of the founding fathers feared the combination of direct democracy and an inequality of wealth.
Learning Objective: 9-1: Describe how Congress is designed, including its various constitutional powers and the differences between the two chambers.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: The Constitution Defines Congress’s Shape and Powers
Difficulty Level: Medium
10. In 2011, the House of Representatives was unable to institute a ban on earmarks.
Learning Objective: 9-2: Identify the obstacles to winning a seat in Congress, the factors that influence an individual’s decision to run, and the resources and skills that successful candidates need.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Getting to Congress Involves Personal, Professional, Electoral, and Financial Factors
Difficulty Level: Medium
11. Among legislative bodies in the world’s democracies, the U.S. Congress is the least active and independent in terms of its ability to make national policy.
Learning Objective: 9-2: Identify the obstacles to winning a seat in Congress, the factors that influence an individual’s decision to run, and the resources and skills that successful candidates need.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Getting to Congress Involves Personal, Professional, Electoral, and Financial Factors
Difficulty Level: Medium
12. John Smith is 30 years old and became a U.S. citizen seven years ago. He is able to run for both the House and Senate.
Learning Objective: 9-1: Describe how Congress is designed, including its various constitutional powers and the differences between the two chambers.
Cognitive Domain: Knowledge
Answer Location: The Constitution Defines Congress’s Shape and Powers
Difficulty Level: Medium
13. A member of the House of Representatives serves a two-year term while a senator’s term is six years. House members have no term limits, but senators have a two-term limit.
Learning Objective: 9-1: Describe how Congress is designed, including its various constitutional powers and the differences between the two chambers.
Cognitive Domain: Knowledge
Answer Location: The Constitution Defines Congress’s Shape and Powers
Difficulty Level: Easy
14. First-timers, regardless of political party, gender, racial or ethnic identity, or religious preference, are all driven in part to advance and advocate for a set of policy goals in order to change the political conversation.
Learning Objective: 9-2: Identify the obstacles to winning a seat in Congress, the factors that influence an individual’s decision to run, and the resources and skills that successful candidates need.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Getting to Congress Involves Personal, Professional, Electoral, and Financial Factors
Difficulty Level: Medium
15. In the 1992 election, women’s PACs played a relatively minor role in financing and advising the campaigns of women’s elections.
Learning Objective: 9-2: Identify the obstacles to winning a seat in Congress, the factors that influence an individual’s decision to run, and the resources and skills that successful candidates need.
Cognitive Domain: Knowledge
Answer Location: Getting to Congress Involves Personal, Professional, Electoral, and Financial Factors
Difficulty Level: Easy
16. The Speaker of the House is second in the line of succession (behind the vice president) to the presidency in the event of the president’s death, resignation, removal from office, or inability to conduct the office’s duties.
Learning Objective: 9-3: List the primary organizational features of Congress including the role of chamber leaders, political parties, committees, and congressional norms.
Cognitive Domain: Knowledge
Answer Location: Congress Is Organized Around Formal and Informal Rules
Difficulty Level: Easy
17. Congress has three types of committees: standing, joint, and select.
Learning Objective: 9-3: List the primary organizational features of Congress including the role of chamber leaders, political parties, committees, and congressional norms.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Congress Is Organized Around Formal and Informal Rules
Difficulty Level: Medium
18. Joint committees contain members of both the House and the Senate.
Learning Objective: 9-3: List the primary organizational features of Congress including the role of chamber leaders, political parties, committees, and congressional norms.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Congress Is Organized Around Formal and Informal Rules
Difficulty Level: Medium
19. The first stage of the legislative process is the assignment of a bill to a committee and/or subcommittee for consideration.
Learning Objective: 9-4: Explain the steps of the legislative process and how it can diverge from traditional “textbook” descriptions.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: The Legislative Process Is Complex by Design
Difficulty Level: Medium
20. Only a vote of 3/5 of senators, called cloture, can end a filibuster.
Learning Objective: 9-4: Explain the steps of the legislative process and how it can diverge from traditional “textbook” descriptions.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: The Legislative Process Is Complex by Design
Difficulty Level: Medium
Short Answer
1. The act of “standing for” one’s constituents in government is defined as ______.
Learning Objective: 9-1: Describe how Congress is designed, including its various constitutional powers and the differences between the two chambers.
Cognitive Domain: Knowledge
Answer Location: The Constitution Defines Congress’s Shape and Powers
Difficulty Level: Easy
2. A written law established by a legislative body is defined as a ______.
Learning Objective: 9-1: Describe how Congress is designed, including its various constitutional powers and the differences between the two chambers.
Cognitive Domain: Knowledge
Answer Location: The Constitution Defines Congress’s Shape and Powers
Difficulty Level: Easy
3. A traditional norm in which presidents consult with senators from the states when considering potential nominees to the lower levels of the federal judiciary is defined as ______.
Learning Objective: 9-2: Identify the obstacles to winning a seat in Congress, the factors that influence an individual’s decision to run, and the resources and skills that successful candidates need.
Cognitive Domain: Knowledge
Answer Location: Getting to Congress Involves Personal, Professional, Electoral, and Financial Factors
Difficulty Level: Easy
4. An individual House or Senate member, chosen by their party members, whose job is to ensure party unity and discipline is described as a ______.
Learning Objective: 9-3: List the primary organizational features of Congress, including the role of chamber leaders, political parties, committees, and congressional norms.
Cognitive Domain: Knowledge
Answer Location: Congress Is Organized Around Formal and Informal Rules
Difficulty Level: Easy
5. If a bill is passed in two different forms by the House and the Senate, it will generally go to a ______ committee in order to iron out differences and create a single bill for submission to the president.
Learning Objective: 9-3: List the primary organizational features of Congress, including the role of chamber leaders, political parties, committees, and congressional norms.
Cognitive Domain: Knowledge
Answer Location: Congress Is Organized Around Formal and Informal Rules
Difficulty Level: Easy
Essay
1. How does the structure of Congress demonstrate the intended differences that the framers devised in separating between the House and the Senate?
Due to the amount of space dedicated to it in the Constitution, many believe that the framers meant Congress to be the most powerful of the three branches of government. However, to counter that power, they used a system of checks and balances in order to allow the executive and judicial branches to counterbalance the power vested in Congress. In addition, it was clear that Congress was designed to further divide the powers of the legislative branch into one body that would represent and advocate for the people (the House) and another body that would represent and advocate for the states (the Senate). While senators are now directly elected, the Senate still has more latitude in its rules than does the House.
Students should also discuss the formal structure of the House and its rules compared to the more informal structure of the Senate. Students should discuss the lawmaking and committee process and focus on the house and its sole power to introduce legislation pertaining to taxation or spending and the role of the Senate as a pressure valve to ensure legislation is not rashly passed on the sole whim of what James Madison might describe as a “a tyrannical majority.”
Learning Objective: 9-1: Describe how Congress is designed, including its various constitutional powers and the differences between the two chambers.
Cognitive Domain: Analysis
Answer Location: The Constitution Defines Congress’s Shape and Powers
Difficulty Level: Hard
2. What obstacles do first-time candidates for Congress face? How can they overcome those obstacles?
Learning Objective: 9-2: Identify the obstacles to winning a seat in Congress, the factors that influence an individual’s decision to run, and the resources and skills that successful candidates need.
Cognitive Domain: Analysis
Answer Location: Political Ambition Launches Careers
Difficulty Level: Hard
3. How do the rules of the House and the Senate shape the legislative outcomes of these two bodies?
While the vice president is officially the president of the Senate (according to the Constitution), the most important Senate member is the majority leader. Both the Speaker of the House and the Senate majority leader are responsible for assigning party members to chair committees and subcommittees, and these committees are generally made up of a bipartisan coalition of members, but the minority party has less of a leadership role than that of the majority party. In the House, strict rules of debate make for a more formal process of legislation, while in the Senate, the rules are less established and the body is more deliberative of legislation. One power that the Senate has that is not given to the House is the power of filibuster, which can indefinitely delay the vote on a bill as long as a member can hold the floor. Another formal power split between the House and the Senate is that of impeachment. The House has the power to vote for the drafting of an act of impeachment, which acts somewhat like an indictment, but it is the power and responsibility of the Senate to conduct a formal trial. Then, if convicted, the executive official may be removed from office. In addition to formal structures, less formal processes, called norms, can impact legislation. The norms of the House are based upon public representation, while the norms of the Senate tend to take a more national focus and are less focused on the constituency of a specific district. The Senate tends to represent the desires of the entire state and therefore takes a different look at legislation.
Learning Objective: 9-3: List the primary organizational features of Congress, including the role of chamber leaders, political parties, committees, and congressional norms.
Cognitive Domain: Analysis
Answer Location: Congress Is Organized Around Formal and Informal Rules
Difficulty Level: Hard
4. Describe the stages of passing legislation in Congress. How does the flow of legislation through Congress differ from the “textbook” descriptions of the process?
Learning Objective: 9-4: Explain the steps of the legislative process and how it can diverge from traditional “textbook” descriptions.
Cognitive Domain: Analysis
Answer Location: The Legislative Process Is Complex by Design
Difficulty Level: Hard
5. In what ways can we learn from the efforts of women to obtain elected positions in the House and the Senate? What does the demographic description of the House and the Senate say about who is most likely to get elected to Congress today?
Learning Objective: 9-5: Connect the issues surrounding the representation of women in Congress to the challenges involving representation of other individuals in America.
Cognitive Domain: Analysis
Answer Location: Members Represent Constituents by How They Act and Who They Are
Difficulty Level: Medium
Document Information
Connected Book
Test Bank | American Gov Brief Ed. 1e by Scott F. Abernathy
By Scott F. Abernathy