question

For every dollar an American citizen earns, the US government takes _____ and decides how to spend it

answer

28 cents

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One way for citizens to kkeep a watch on what Congress is doing is by reading _____ , the official source of information on everything that has happened in Congress

answer

The Congressional Record

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The people that a legislator spends considerable time and effort serving are called

answer

constituents

question

The founders of the American republic believed that most of the power that would be exercised by a national government should be in the hands of

answer

the legislature

question

The logic of separate constituencies and separate interests underlying the bicameral Congress was reinforced by

answer

differences in length of tenure

question

The principal and most obvious function of any legislature is

answer

lawmaking

question

The concept of logrolling refers to

answer

an arrangement by which two or more members of Congress agree in advance to support each other's bills

question

A representative who is performing the role of a trustee is

answer

Acting on conscience or representing the broad interests of the entire society

question

A representative who acts on conscience or to represent the broad interests of teh entire society is acting as a

answer

trustee

question

A representative who is performing the role of an instructed delegate is

answer

primarily representing the wishes of his or her constituents

question

A representative who primarily represents the wishes of his or her constituents is acting as a

answer

instructed delegate

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One major problem with the role of the instructed delegate is that

answer

the constituents may not actually have well-formed views on many issues

question

Casework is

answer

constituent service

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When gasoline prices increased to more than $3 a gallon in 2006

answer

in private, members of congress acknowledged that their actions would have little effect on gasoline prices but wanted to show their constituents that they were doing something about a problem

question

Incumbents develop a hillstyle in order to

answer

promote policies and their career aspirations

question

Oversight is the process by which Congress

answer

follows up on the laws it has enacted

question

When Congress follows up on the laws it has enacted, it is exercising

answer

oversight

question

The House of Representatives is checked by all except

answer

the states

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The enumerated powers of Congress are powers

answer

expressly given to the body in the Constitution

question

After the Supreme Court underwent extraordinary change in 2005, George W. Bush nominated, and teh Senate confirmed, the nominaitons of _____ to become the newest members of the Court

answer

John Robers and Samuel Alito

question

The necessary and propwer clause

answer

has expanded the role of the national government relative to the states

question

One major difference between the House and Senate is the total number of members, a difference that has meant

answer

a greater number of formal rules are needed to govern activity in the House

question

An attempt in teh Senate to prevent the passage of a bill through the use of unlimited debate is known as

answer

a filibuster

question

A filibuster is

answer

an attempt to prevent the passage of a bill through the use of unlimted debate

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The concept of cloture refers to

answer

a process that attempts to limit debate on a bill in the Senate

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When Senate Democrats made use of the filibuster to block some of President Bush's nominees to the federal bench in 2005, Senate Republicans responded by threatening "the nuclear option, in which

answer

the Senate rules would be revised to disallow dilibusters against judicial nominees

question

The largest occupational group among members of Congress is

answer

lawyers

question

The median age of members of Congress is

answer

higher than the median age of the US population

question

Most major-party condiddates for Congress are placed on the general-election ballot as the result of

answer

a direct primary

question

Incombents develop a homestyle in order to

answer

produce a favorable image with constituents

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In mid-term congressional elections, those held between presidential contests

answer

voter turnout falls sharply

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Common tactics of winning reelection include all except

answer

changing one's political party

question

The allocation of seats in the House to each state after each census is known as

answer

reapportionment

question

Reapportionment is

answer

the allocation seats in teh House to each state after each census

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Redistricing is

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the redrawing district boudaries within each state to ensure equal district populations

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Gerrymandering is

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the drawing of legislative district boundariws for the purpose of gaining partisan advantage

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Although the Supreme Court has been willing to review the constitutionality of redistricting plans, its most recent decisions have upheld redistricting plans in

answer

Pennsylvania and Texas

question

Members of Congress are granted generout franking privileges that

answer

permit them to mail letters to their constituents without charge

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the average Senate office on Capitol Hill employes about

answer

30 people

question

The "speech or debate" clause in Article I, Section6, of the Constitution means that a member of Congress

answer

is normally immune from libel or slander charges when conducting official duties

question

the most important committees in Congress are _____ committees, permanent bodies that possess an expertise resulting from their jurisdiction over certain policy areas

answer

standing

question

Most of the actual work of ligistating is

answer

performed by the committees and subcommittees within Congress

question

In the House of Representatives, the dischage petition is used to

answer

force a bill out of committee so that the entire House can vote on it

question

the seniority system provedes that

answer

the committee member of the majority party with the longest continuous service normally becomes the committee chairperson

question

The foremost pwer holder in the House of Representatives is the

answer

Speaker of the House

question

The Speaker of the House

answer

Is the leader of the majority party

question

The House majority leader

answer

fosters cohesion among party members

question

An important function of the House majority leader is to

answer

act as spokesperson for the majority party in the House

question

The whips assist the party leaders by

answer

passing information to members of Congress from the leadership of the party

question

The president of the Senate is

answer

the vice-president of the United States

question

Generally, leaders in the House of Representatives

answer

have more control over the agenda of the body than leaders in the Senate

question

The real leadership power in the Senate rests in the hands of the

answer

Senate majority leader

question

Democratic members of Congress from moderate districts who sometimes vote with Republicans and who are frequently pursued by Republican leaders are known as

answer

Blue Dog Democrats

question

When a member "trades" his or her vote on a particular bill with another member in exchange for their votes on other legislation, it is known as

answer

logrolling

question

Logrolling is when a

answer

member "trades" his or her vote on a particular bill with another member in exchange for their votes on other legislation

question

A member's request for a special appropriation for projects back home that are attached to a bill to gain votes is known as

answer

earmark

question

An earmark is

answer

a member's request for a special appropriation that is attached to a bill to gain votes

question

When a senator says, " One man's pork is another man's job" that senator is probably referring to a

answer

earmark

question

Most people who study the decision-making process in Congress agree that the single best predictor for how a member will vote is his or her

answer

party affiliation

question

The conservative coalition

answer

is weakened because most southern conservative congresspersons are now republican

question

According to the cue-taking model

answer

members of congress make decisions by checking how key colleagues intend to vote on a bill

question

"Money bills"

answer

must originate in the House

question

After a bill has been introduced and referred to a committee

answer

the committee may hold hearings to explore the merits of the bill

question

After being reported by a committee byt before being sent to the House floor, bills are given to the _____ committee, which defines the conditions under which the bills are to be considered by teh House

answer

rules

question

The job of a conference committee is to

answer

reconcile House and Senate versions of a bill

question

The Budget and impoundment Control Act of 1974 requires

answer

the president to spend the funds that congress has appropriated

question

One of the most powerful agencies in Washington, the _____ assists in the preparation of the federal budget and monitors federal agencies throughtout the year

answer

Office of management and budget

question

The actual passage of a bill setting the funds that an agency can spend is called a

answer

appropriation

question

A temporary law that Congress passes when an appropriations bill has not been decided by the beginning of the fiscal year is

answer

a continuing resolution

question

The US Congress differs from most other world legislatures except in the following way

answer

it is hopelessly deadlocked

question

When a political party wins a majority of seats in a parliamentary system, that party

answer

selects the prime minister, who is also the party leader

question

Incumbents running for reelection are successful approximately _____ percent of the time

answer

95

question

If nonpartisan panels drew congressional destricts, it is likely that

answer

there would be an increase in the spending on television and internet ads

Chapter 12 – The Congress – Flashcards

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