question

The two major roles of members of Congress are?

answer

representation and lawmaking

question

It is hard to get rid of the filibuster because?

answer

both republicans and Democrats want the opportunity to use it when they are in the minority

question

________ refers to a congressional committees investigation of the executive and of government agencies to ensure they are acting as Congress intends

answer

Congressional oversight

question

the major differences between the House and Senate include all of the following except? a. length of their terms b. size of their institutions c. method of determining their constituencies d. role in the impeachment process e. power in the legislative process

answer

E

question

All of the following powers can be exercised only by the Senate EXCEPT: a. conducting a trial of a president on impeachment charges b. approving treaties c. confirming presidential appointments to the Supreme Court d. declaring war e. confirming presidential appointment to top positions in the executive branch of government

answer

D

question

the reallocation of congressional seats among the states every ten years, following the census, is known as?

answer

reapportionment

question

the number of representatives with voting privileges in the House of Representatives is currently?

answer

set at 435 members

question

The process of redrawing congressional districts to match population shifts in states with more than one representative is called?

answer

redistriciting

question

Redrawing congressional district boundaries to favor a particular group or party is known as?

answer

gerrymandering

question

All of the following statements concerning Hispanic represenation in Congress are true EXCEPT: a. they are even more underrepresented than African Americans b. they do not vote as solidly for one party as do African Americans c. in recent years they have been voting more for the Republican party d. both parties have tried to win the Hispanic vote e. the issue of immigration has had an important effect on the Hispanic vote

answer

C

question

According to the textbook, what has happened to the coattail effect in recent years?

answer

it has decreased in importance due to declining party ties

question

It has been increasingly difficult for the parties to work together in Congress in recent years because of?

answer

increasing party polarization

question

______ are important in Congress because they organize the chambers

answer

Parties

question

The greatest importance of standing committees is that they?

answer

increase congressional power by allowing detailed analusis and modification of legislation

question

_____ is extremely powerful congressional committee that determines when debate on a bill will take place?

answer

House Rules Committee

question

When different versions of the same bill pass in the House and the Senate?

answer

a conference committee is formed to bridge the gap between the bills

question

Policy entrepreneurship is defined as the?

answer

practice among legislators of becoming expert leaders in specific policy areas

question

The public dislikes Congress for all of the following reasons EXCEPT: a. members run for Congress by running against it b. media coverage has become more negative in recent decades c. the public has more information concerning how much money is spent in congressional elections d. the public perceives the legislative process as involving constant bickering and partisanship e. there has been an increase in corruption among members of Congress in recent years

answer

E

question

Congress finds it difficult to make policy that solves national problems because?

answer

constituents reward them for taking care of their individual interests

question

The founders created the congressional decision making process to be?

answer

slow and deliberative

question

During the constitutional process of removing a president from office,?

answer

the House impeaches and the Senate removes the president from office

question

The Supreme Court has ruled that House districts must?

answer

adhere to the \"one citizen one vote\" standard

question

In general, what has the greatest effect on the midterm losses suffered by the presidents party?

answer

the presidents standing with the public and the state of the economy

question

All of the following conclusions concerning the effects of descriptive representation are true EXCEPT: a. the poor suffer in the distribution of goods and services because they are badly underrepresented b. African Americans and women have gained symbolically from greater representation in Congress c. African Americans and women have clearly gained substantively from greater representation in Congress d. primary effect of descriptive representation appears to be to bring neglected perspectives to the legislative process e. Partisan identification is often more important than race or gender in detemining the policy positions a Representative will support

answer

A

question

All of the following statements concerning political parties in Congress are true EXCEPT: a. Parties are important because Congress is organized along party lines b. Parties are important because they are the mechanism for member advancement c. Parties punish members who do not vote with the party position in important issues d. parties stand for very different positions on major issues e. tendency for a majority of Democrats to vote on the opposite side of a majority of Republicans has been increasing for many years

answer

C

question

Which of the following statement concerning power in Congress is NOT true? a. the speaker of the house has become more powerful in the past 30 years b. Committee chairs have become weaker in the past 30 years c. the senate majority leader is much less powerful than the Speaker of the House d. the speakers office gained power when the Republicans took control of the House in 1994 e. increasing bipartisanship has weakened the power of committee chairs

answer

E

question

All of the following statements concerning congressional committee chairs are true EXCEPT: a. committee chairs have lost some of their power in the past 30 years b. committee chairs serve at the pleasure of the party caucus and party leaders c. throughout most of the twentieth century the seniority system controlled the selection of committee chairs d. the seniority system gives the chairmanship to the member of the majority part with the longest service on the committee e. seniority is now irrelevant for the selection of committee chairs

answer

E

question

Most of the hard work of considering legislative alternatives and drafting legislation occurs?

answer

within congressional standing committees

question

The primary responsibility for gathering information, taking testimony and revising legislation in Congress falls to?

answer

standing committees

question

Most bills introduced in Congress?

answer

die by inaction at the committee stage

question

According to the textbook, presidents have difficulty surviving two terms in office and maintaining their popularity because?

answer

presidents have too little power to meet public expectations

question

Presidents are limited to two full terms in office by>

answer

constitutional amendment

question

If there is a disagreement as to how whether the president is disabled and should turn his duties over to the VP, the issue is resolved by?

answer

the 25th Amendment to the Constitution

question

The official constitutional grounds for presidential impeachment are?

answer

treason, bribery and other high crimes and misdemeanors

question

the presidents cabinet is composed of?

answer

appointees heading each major department in the executive branch

question

President have been able to ignore the restrictions on their ability to go to war contained in the War Powers Act because?

answer

they have gone to war when public opinion backed them

question

the presidents authority over foreign and defense policy comes from all of the following except? a. his power to declare war b. his power as Commander in Chief of the armed forces c. his power to negotiate treaties d. his power to conclude executive agreements e. his power to recognize ambassadors from other nations

answer

A

question

pacts made by the president with another head of state that do not require Senate approval are called?

answer

executive agreements

question

Among the presidents legislative powers are all of the following EXCEPT: a. line-item veto b. State of the Union address c. executive orders d. vice presidents role as presiding officer of the Senate e. presidential veto

answer

A

question

All of the following statements concerning the presidents judicial power are true except: a. his power is very weak in the short run b. he can have a tremendous long-term impact on the judiciary c. Senior senators of the presidents party have a great deal of power over all of his judicial appointments d. presidents can try to influence the judiciary by having the solicitor general argue cases before the court e. pardon power is a check on the judiciary

answer

C

question

Inherent powers are the?

answer

presidential powers not explicitly stated in the Constitution

question

The response of the president to what event led to Americans belief that government should play a much more active role in helping solve problems beyond their control?

answer

Great Depression

question

The Supreme court has ruled that the president has?

answer

more inherent powers in foreign policy than in domestic policy

question

The cycle effect refers to the tendency for presidents to?

answer

experience predictable shifts in their popularity over the course of their presidency

question

The presidents public approval ratings tends to be affected by all of the following EXCEPT: a. popularity of the first lady b. predictable rise and fall of a presidents popularity over his term in office c. state of the economy d. divisive events, such as conflict with Congress e. unifying events, such as the beginning of a war

answer

A

question

The chief of staff does what?

answer

oversees operations of all White House staff and controls access to the president

question

All of the following are duties of the President of the US except: a. commander in chief b. chief administrator c. chief foreign policy maker d. head of the EOP and OMB e. head justice of the Supreme court

answer

E

question

Presidents have a hard time maintaining support while in office because?

answer

a gap exists between what presidents promise and what the power of the office allows them to do

question

According to the text, an effective head of government is expected to do all of the following EXCEPT: a. line up votes in the house and senate b. work with his party to pass legislation c. broker deals with congress d. act as a symbol for all Americans e. convince the public that his policies are good

answer

D

question

Among the considerations of the founders in creating the executive were all of the following except: a. creating a separation of powers system of government b. insulating the executive from public pressure c. avoiding a concentration of power large enough to invite abuse d. reducing the power of the national government e. finding an acceptable compromise between supporters of a strong executive and supporters of a weak executive

answer

D

question

According to the text, the main constitutional powers of the presidency include executive authority to administer government and?

answer

legislative and judicial powers to check the other two branches

question

Compared to the modern president, the president envisioned by the framers was?

answer

much less powerful

question

According to the textbook, the framers adopted the Electoral College as a way to?

answer

insulate the president from the masses

question

How have scandals such as Iran-contra and Whitewater affected the power and resources of the presidency overall?

answer

they have weakened it

question

the presidents authority as chief executive of the federal government derives from all of the following except: a. provision stating the executive power will be vested in a president b. provision giving him power to appoint heads of departments c. provision stating that he \"shall take care that the laws are faithfully executed\" d. provision requiring the heads of department to report to him e. provision stating he is commander in chief of the armed forces

answer

E

question

According to the textbook, Congress is rarely able to?

answer

override a presidential veto

question

Most of the strength of the modern presidency is based on the?

answer

inherent powers of the president

question

The major reason presidents are not as successful in a divided government is because?

answer

Republicans and Democrats stand for different approaces an solutions to the nations problems

question

The White House staff and the presidents cabinet often conflict because?

answer

the staff serve the presidents interests, while cabinet members seek support for their policy intitiveds

question

The role of vice preside is?

answer

with the exception of presiding over the Senate, determined by the president

AP Gov. old tests chapter 7&8

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