question

Besides the United States, which other nations have congresses?

answer

Most Latin American countries only

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In Great Britain's parliamentary system, candidates for Parliament are selected by

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the party

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A basic difference between a parliament such as Great Britain's andthe U.S. Congress is that

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party members in a parliament vote together on most issues

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In a parliamentary system, when members of the government's party vote against the parliament, the leadership must

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dissolve the parliament and form a new government

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A basic difference between a parliament such as Great Britain's andthe U.S. Congress is that

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Congress does not select a president

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If the Framers had created a parliament instead of a congress, it isreasonable to assume that its principal function would be

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debate

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The text suggests that the importance of congressional legislators,compared with members of parliament, can best be inferred from the

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resources they receive while in office

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The term bicameral used to describe the U.S. legislature means thatthe legislature

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has two chambers, or legislative bodies

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One important effect of bicameralism is that it

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balances large and small states

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Under the original U.S. Constitution, members of the Senate, unlike members of the House, were selected by

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state legislatures

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Under the original U.S. Constitution, members of the House, unlike members of the Senate, were selected by

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state legislatures

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Article I, Section 8, of the U.S. Constitution confers on Congress all of the following powers except

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the power to veto bills

question

The overriding political question throughout the evolution of Congress has been the

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the distribution of powers within Congress

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The main reason why the House dominated Congress in the firstquarter of the nineteenth century was the

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influence of the party caucus

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The Senate, not the House, became the crucial forum for debating the issue of slavery because

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the two sides were equally matched in the Senate

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All of the following statements concerning the filibuster are correct except

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Today, it takes 75 Senators to end debate.

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The purpose of a filibuster is to

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delay action in a legislative body

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The typical member of Congress is a(n)

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middle-aged, white, Protestant lawyer

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In terms of the composition of its membership, the House since 1950 has become

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less male and less white

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In terms of its percentage of women and nonwhite members since 1950, the Senate, compared with the House, has

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been slower to change

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The most important change that has occurred in the composition of the House in this century has been the

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decrease in the rate of member turnover

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Serving in Congress had become a career by the

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1950s

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All of the following statements concerning term limits are correct except

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The Supreme Court has struck down a state law limiting termsof members of state legislatures

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The 1992 and 1994 elections brought scores of new members to the House because

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of the redrawing of congressional districts after the 1990 census; of voter disgust at a variety of political scandals; the South became a Republican stronghold

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A marginal district is one in which

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the winner in an election gets less than 55 percent of the vote

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One proposed explanation for why congressional seats have become less marginal is that

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incumbents can use their powers to get programs passed that benefit their districts, and thereby themselves

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In the last thirty congressional elections, the gap between votes and seats in the House is illustrated by the fact that the

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Republican percentage of vote has been higher than the Republican percentage of House seats

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Since the 1980s, the conservative coalition has become less important because

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many southern Democrats in Congress have been replaced by southern Republicans

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Recent changes in the composition of members in Congress has resulted in

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a more ideological and partisan House

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The anti-incumbent mood directed toward members of Congress by voters in recent years has worked to the disadvantage of

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Democrats

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The explanation for congressional voting behavior that assumes members vote to please their constituents is referred to as

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representational

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The explanation for congressional voting behavior that assumesmembers vote to please their colleagues is referred to as

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organizational

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The explanation for congressional voting behavior that assumesmembers vote on the basis of their beliefs is referred to as

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attitudinal

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One study reported in the text showed that the strongest correlation between congressional voting and constituency opinion was in the area of

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civil rights

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A problem with the representational interpretation of congressional voting behavior is that

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on many key issues, public opinion is weak or vague

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In the 1960s, the decentralization of the Senate was encouraged by the fact that

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it became easier for junior senators to obtain chairmanships

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Over the past two decades, senators, compared with the average voter, were consistently more

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liberal in the 1970s, conservative in the 1980s

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In recent years, American voters have political beliefs that are

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close to the center of the political spectrum

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In recent years, the political beliefs of members of Congress have become

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more polarized than voters

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The best way to understand how Congress carries out its business is to think of it as

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a collection of different kinds of organizations

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The British House of Commons differs most obviously from Congress in the role played in it by

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party organization

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If you wished to study the real leadership office in the Senate, you would most likely focus on the

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the majority leader

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A member of the Senate has just been elected to a position that requires him to keep the majority leader informed about the opinions of other party members. He has just been elected

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majority party whip

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From the standpoint of the ambitions of a newly elected Democratic senator, the most important element in party organization is the

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Steering Committee

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From the standpoint of the ambitions of a newly elected Republican senator, the most important element in party organization is the

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president pro tempore

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The most important aspect of the process of selecting Senate members for key leadership and committee positions is

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achieving ideological and regional balance

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The numerical superiority of House representatives over senators carries with it the implication that the

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House leadership has more control than the Senate leadership

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Among the many powers of the House Speaker is that he or she

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determines the committee assignment of bills

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Compared to the Senate of the 1950s and 1960s, today's Senate can best be described as

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less party centered, less leader oriented, more hospitable tofreshmen, more heavily staffed, and more subcommittee oriented

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Votes in Congress that evoked party splits during the 1990s were most likely to be reflective of

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sharp ideological differences between parties

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________ caucuses are formed by groups whose members share asimilar ideology

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Intra-party

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________ caucuses form around common interests in an issue

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Personal

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________ caucuses are perceived by their members as representingcertain groups nationwide

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Constituency

question

The Congressional Black Caucus is one of the best known

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national constituency caucuses

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A coalition of House members who support price supports for peanuts would be most likely to label themselves a(n)

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constituency caucus

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Most of the power in Congress is found in

answer

the committees

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Because they are usually the only ones that can report out bills, the most important committees are the

answer

standing committees

question

A member of Congress who is interested in increasing support for the aged would be best advised to

answer

get the House or Senate to create a select committee on the aged

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Where is the real work of Congress done?

answer

in the committees of both houses

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The type of committee most likely to deal with a bill near the end of its legislative process is the

answer

conference committee

question

Since the 1970s, the chairpersons of House committees have been chosen by

answer

secret ballot

question

The changes brought about by the committee bill of rights in the early 1970s included the right to have subcommittee jurisdiction determined by the

answer

majority party members on the committee

question

The maximum number of committees that can be chaired by one senator is

answer

one

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The text argues that the effects of congressional measures to ensure openness are

answer

not yet clear

question

A recent trend in Congress has been for the number of amendments to proposed laws to

answer

increase, along with the number of individuals offering them

question

In the Senate, committees such as Rules and Administration, Small Business, and Veterans' Affairs are examples of

answer

minor committees

question

If you were a newly elected member of Congress interested in becoming an expert on a particular policy and influencing your colleagues on this policy, you would probably ask to be assigned to the

answer

Ways and Means Committee

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Until the 1990s the most rapidly growing bureaucracy in Washington was that of

answer

staff members of Congress

question

One effect of the growth in congressional staff has been to

answer

generate more legislative work

question

Increased reliance on staff has made Congress more

answer

individualistic

question

If you are a committee staff member and want to know the status of a bill, you can get the information most quickly from the

answer

Congressional Research Service (CRS)

question

The original purpose of the General Accounting Office (GAO) was to perform

answer

audits of financial records

question

The staff agency that advises Congress on the probable economic effect of different spending programs and the cost of proposed policies is the

answer

Congressional Budget Office (CBO)

question

Which of the following statements about the speed with which bills move through Congress is correct?

answer

it can vary enormously

question

Which of the following bills is most likely to pass through Congress quickly?

answer

A bill dealing with aid to the handicapped

question

A bill can be introduced in Congress by

answer

any member of Congress

question

The complexity of the procedure for enacting a law gives the advantage to the bill's

answer

opponents

question

The treatment that Congress gave President Carter's energy plan shows that

answer

passing complex legislation is difficult for Congress

question

Which of the following statements about introducing a bill in Congress is correct?

answer

A bill not passed during the life of one Congress is dead

question

If a member of the House wants to establish a select committee, he or she is most likely to be introducing a

answer

simple resolution

question

Which of the following statements about most joint resolutions is correct?

answer

They require the approval of both houses and the signature of the president

question

To propose an amendment to the U.S. Constitution, Congress wouldhave to pass a

answer

joint resolution

question

Which of the following statements about revenue bills is correct?

answer

they must originate in the House

question

A bill to raise taxes would first be referred to the

answer

House Ways and Means Committee

question

The trade bill of 1988 was considered by fourteen committees in theHouse and nine in the Senate. This illustrates the legislative process of

answer

multiple referral

question

The ________ process allows the Speaker to send a bill to a second committee after the first committee is finished acting on it

answer

sequential referral

question

A mark-up session is one in which

answer

a committee or subcommittee makes changes in the original version of a bill

question

A discharge petition is used by the House to

answer

get a bill stalled in committee onto the floor

question

All of the following statements concerning discharge petitions are correct except

answer

Discharge petitions are rarely attempted in the House

question

If a House bill has just been reported out of committee and its sponsor is worried that floor amendments will substantially change it, he or she would be most likely to request a(n)

answer

closed rule from the Rules Committee

question

The effect of allowing bills to be debated under open rather than closed or restrictive rules is to

answer

give greater control to the committees

question

Unlike the House, the scheduling of legislation in the Senate is

answer

determined by the majority and minority leaders

question

A rider is usually added to a bill to

answer

circumvent or influence presidential action

question

A bill that has many non germane amendments tacked on is called a

answer

Christmas-tree bill

question

In the Senate, a filibuster can be ended by invoking

answer

cloture

question

Which of the following statements about the current cloture rule is correct?

answer

It requires three-fifths of the entire Senate membership to pass

question

If you wanted to know what a member of Congress really thoughtabout a bill, you would be best advised to look at how he or she voted

answer

on amendments to the bill

question

To find out how members of Congress voted on a particular bill, it is most useful to have a

answer

roll-call vote or a teller vote

question

Which of the following statements about different methods of voting for a bill in the House and Senate is correct?

answer

Individual votes may or may not be recorded

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