Poli Chapter 6

1. The legislative branch is described in __________ of the Constitution.

Article I

2. Which of the following is a term for a legislature with 2 houses?

Bicameral

3. Which of the following is true of the House of Representatives?

Revenue bills must originate in the house

4. What is a proposed law known as?

a bill

5. What percentage of members of Congress generally win reelection?

95%

6. What is the process of drawing congressional district lines?

redistricting

7. Who usually draws congressional district lines?

State legislatures

8. The drawing of congressional districts to produce a particular electoral outcome without regard to the shape of the district is known as _________.

Gerrymandering

9. Which is true of Congress compared to the American people?

Members of congress are more religious

10. What is the term for the party in each chamber with the most members?

The majority party

11. What do party members do as a caucus?

Discuss party policy

12. Who is the leader of the House of Representatives?

Speaker

13. Who is the presiding officer of the Senate?

the Vice President of the U.S.

14. Which of the following is the type of committee to which bills are initially referred?

Standing

15. What is the process of editing bills in committee?

Markup

16. Which of the following is a way to end a filibuster?

Supermajority vote of the senate

17. What happens if a president refuses to sign a bill?

It becomes a law if Congress is still in session after 10 days; otherwise it does not become a law

18. Which of the following is an example of congressional oversight?

Examining presidential actions under Congress's authority in the War Powers Resolution

19. __________ government is when the presidency and Congress are controlled by the same political party.

Unified

20. Whose cues would members of Congress be wise to follow when casting votes on "wedge issues"?

their constituents'

21. Which of the following is a term for congressional vote trading that frequently takes place on bills that earmark money to be spent in home districts?

Logrolling

22. What do congressional support agencies do?

Conduct research and compile information on legislative issues

23. What is the term for a member of Congress who always votes the way his or her constituents want?

Delegate

24. What is the term for members of Congress who vote the way their constituents want on those issues most important to their constituents, but who vote as they see fit on issues of less importance to the folks at home?

politico

25. The Tenure of Office Act was an attempt by Congress to ________.

Limit the power of the president

26. Who typically holds the upper hand in modern institutional power, especially during times of national crisis?

The president

27. Which of the following is an example of Congress's checks and balances on the judiciary?

the ability to set the jurisdiction of the courts

28. Which of the following is closest to Congress's approval rating?

10

29. Which of the following is true of the Senate?

its members are elected to 6-year terms

30. Which of the following is the process of adjusting the number of congressional seats allotted to each state?

apportionment

31. Which of the following is explicitly mentioned in the Constitution as an impeachable offense?

treason

32. Which of the following is a term for members of Congress who vote based on their own best judgements after listening to the opinions of their constituents?

trustees

33. Which of the following is an example of a member of Congress acting as a delegate?

Voting for a generous farm bill in an agricultural district

34. Which of the following is an advantage of incumbency?

Sending newsletters to constituents for free

35. Which of the following districts is most likely to be permissible?

Districts drawn on the basis of partisianship

36. Which of the following is the term for the party with the second most members of Congress?

minority party

37. Which of the following is the most powerful member of the House?

Speaker

38. Which of the following committees has members of both houses of Congress who reconcile differences in similar bills passed by both the House and the Senate?

Conference

39. Why do senators place holds on bills?

to win concessions on a bill

40. What happens if Congress fails to pass the budget by October 1?

the government may shut down

41. Who benefits from senatorial courtesy?

Senators from a state where a court vacancy occurs

42. How does the Supreme Court serve as a check on Congress?

By exercising judicial review over congressional statutes