question

_______ promotes congressional stability in the face of presidential change.

answer

the localized nature of congressional elections

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If a legislator is elected with less than 55 percent of the vote, he or she is said to

answer

hold a marginal seat.

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Most politicians are likely to describe their representational style as that of a

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politico.

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The incumbency advantage specifically refers to incumbent politicians'

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frequency of reelection.

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Much of what made Congress the "first branch" of national government in the early days of our nation's history are powers grounded in

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the Elastic Clause of the US Constitution (Article I, §8, clause 18).

question

The franking privilege allows representatives to

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The franking privilege allows representatives to

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The whip system has which of the following functions?

answer

information gathering

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The seniority system benefits Congress by ensuring that

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there is orderly succession of committee leadership.

question

Promoting descriptive representation is valuable in itself because it

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encourages trust in the system among various demographic groups.

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Incumbents enjoy which of the following built-in advantages over challengers?

answer

Incumbents can help constituents who have problems interacting with government agencies.

question

Political party fragmentation within Congress is facilitated, in part, by the fact that

answer

individual legislators are very popular in their home districts, allowing a certain level of independence from party leadership.

question

Which of the following is closely associated with credit claiming?

answer

pork-barrel policies

question

When district lines are drawn, the current legal standard is that race

answer

cannot be the predominant factor.

question

What the public refers to as gridlock and bickering is often a manifestation of representatives dealing with the dueling demands that they

answer

be responsible national leaders and responsive to local concerns.

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It takes at least _______ to make a credible challenge in a political campaign to unseat an incumbent in most districts, and in many areas with expensive media markets the minimum price tag for such a campaign is _______.

answer

$1 million; $2 million

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Press coverage tends to focus on ______________ stories, while giving little time to _____________ stories.

answer

partisan rivalry; policy

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_______ is a norm that states that when benefits are being divided up, as many districts and states as possible should benefit.

answer

Universalism

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Attempts to use the redistricting process for political advantage are called

answer

gerrymandering.

question

Urban voters tend to expect what of their representatives?

answer

less direct contact and more policy explanations

question

A result of the "permanent campaign" is that

answer

senators are less insulated from electoral forces than previously.

question

Another name for the reciprocity norm, which promotes the idea that "if you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours," is

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logrolling.

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When representatives help constituents interact with government programs or agencies, they are engaging in

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casework.

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Madison saw the relatively short two-year House term as a means of accomplishing

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tying representatives to public sentiment.

question

Congress's bicameral structure reflects an attempt to reconcile which competing interests of the early nation?

answer

large vs. small states interests

question

Why are parties important in Congress?

answer

They provide structure to the legislative process.

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Members of the House develop expertise (specialize) in _________ areas; members of the Senate develop expertise in ____________ areas.

answer

a few; many

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Which theory of committee organization argues that committees exist to further members' electoral goals?

answer

distributive theory

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How many Senate seats are in contest in any given election?

answer

33

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The Democratic Party has become much more cohesive as southern Democrats have started to vote more like their northern counterparts, partly because of

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the increasing importance of African American voters in the South.

question

political party fragmentation within Congress is facilitated, in part, by the fact that

answer

individual legislators are very popular in their home districts, allowing a certain level of independence from party leadership.

question

Officially, state legislatures redraw district boundaries every ten years to ensure that

answer

districts are approximately equal in population.

question

Another name for the reciprocity norm, which promotes the idea that "if you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours," is

answer

logrolling.

question

The seniority system benefits Congress by ensuring that

answer

there is orderly succession of committee leadership.

question

Since the late 1960s, the number of marginal districts has

answer

Decreased

question

A legislator who focuses on his or her role in bringing a highway-improvement grant to the district is improving his or her re-election chances by

answer

credit claiming.

question

In Congress: The Electoral Connection, David Mayhew argues that any legislator's first goal is to

answer

get re-elected.

question

A party's most powerful incentive over a party member is the promise of

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campaign finance.

question

If a legislator is elected with less than 55 percent of the vote, he or she is said to

answer

hold a marginal seat.

question

What trend has allowed the president to assume a more central policymaking role?

answer

the increasing importance of national security issues

question

Conditional party government stipulates that that strong party government is possible with

answer

the consent of party members.

question

Incumbents enjoy which of the following built-in advantages over challengers?

answer

Incumbents can help constituents who have problems interacting with government agencies.

question

Members of the Senior Executive Service (SES) trade ______________________ for the ability to ________________________.

answer

civil service protections; apply for senior leadership positions in the bureaucracy

question

Many bureaucratic failings can be explained by

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the complexity of the tasks the bureaucracy undertakes.

question

In the interactions between the Executive Office of the President and the bureaucracy, the ___________ is/are the agent(s), while the principal(s) is/are the __________________.

answer

bureaucrats; president

question

Federal salaries are supposed to be _____________ what people earn in similar, private-sector positions.

answer

comparable to

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Which of the following terms refers to the idea bureaucrats should provide expertise without the influence of elected officials, interest groups, or their own political agendas?

answer

neutral competence

question

Which of the following is a common strategy for preventing bureaucratic drift?

answer

using standardized procedures in the monitoring of agency behavior

question

The paradox of the bureaucracy is that

answer

the same bureaucratic organization that accomplishes so many big tasks also does things that are inefficient and wasteful.

question

Independent agencies are _______________________ the fifteen executive departments.

answer

below and subordinate to

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Under the __________ conservatives had the opportunity to roll back the size and scope of the federal government. Since then, the federal government has seen _______ growth.

answer

Reagan revolution; continued

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Which of the following terms refers to the situation in which bureaucrats favor the interests of the groups or corporations they are supposed to regulate at the expense of the general public?

answer

regulatory capture

question

The federal civil service was created in 1883 in response to increasing demand ______government regulation and demand for __________delivery of government services to citizens.

answer

for; improved

question

The federal civil service was created in 1883 by which of the following?

answer

Pendleton Civil Service Act

question

Some observers argue that the size of the federal bureaucracy is a result of

answer

bureaucrats who are budget maximizers who never pass up a chance to increase their own funding.

question

Federal employees are hired based on ___________, with _________ discretion given to a hiring manager.

answer

experience; minimal

question

Which of the following best describes the Federal Reserve?

answer

independent agency

question

The ____________ resulted in the expansion of voting rights and civil rights reforms.

answer

Great Society

question

Relative to private employees, federal employees are _________ interested in salary and benefits.

answer

equally

question

Which of the following agencies is responsible for creating the president's annual budget proposal to Congress, reviewing proposed rules, and other budget-related tasks?

answer

Office of Management and Budget

question

Which of the following is an example of a member of Congress performing police patrol oversight?

answer

interviewing senior bureaucratic personnel

question

Early in the country's history, the federal government performed a ________ range of tasks. This changed after the election of __________________.

answer

narrow; Andrew Jackson

question

The spoils system was characterized by placing priority on ________________, which was particularly useful to ___________________.

answer

political loyalty; party organizations

question

The Hatch Act initially barred federal employees from

answer

working for a political campaign.

question

Some government agencies have the reputation of being "turkey farms," meaning that

answer

campaign workers and donors are rewarded for their service by being appointed to these agencies.

question

Which of the following terms refers to the difficulty faced by elected officials in ensuring that when bureaucrats implement policies, they follow these officials' intentions but still have enough discretion to use their own expertise?

answer

the problem of control

question

Many critics of the modern bureaucracy cite the abundance of ___________, which refers to the unnecessarily complex procedures that lower-level bureaucrats must follow when implementing policies, regardless of whether they are applicable to the situation at hand.

answer

red tape

question

Which of the following is one of the biggest difficulties in dealing with bureaucratic drift?

answer

getting Congress and the president to agree on the agency's goals

question

Regulations are developed in a process known as the notice and comment procedure in which proposed rules are published in the ____________ and made available for debate by the general public

answer

Federal Register

question

Bureaucrats respond to political pressures from Congress because __________________, not because ______________________.

answer

they need congressional support to protect their budget; members of Congress are policy experts

question

The method of oversight whereby members of Congress respond to complaints about the bureaucracy or problems of implementation only as they arise is known as ____________ oversight.

answer

fire alarm

question

Presidential appointees to lead executive departments ______ subject to civil service regulations and have the role of _______________.

answer

are not; implementing presidential directives

question

The Constitutional section that states "The executive power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America" is referred to as the

answer

vesting clause.

question

Executive agreements

answer

take place between the executive branch and a foreign government and can be reversed by subsequent presidents.

question

The president's first-mover advantage refers to his ability to

answer

initiate treaty negotiations.

question

In United States v. Nixon, the Supreme Court ruled that executive privilege ____________ constitutional and/but that powers ___________ absolute.

answer

is; are not

question

Which of the following is a reason that presidents typically work closely with members of their political party in Congress?

answer

The president needs the support of members of his party in Congress to enact legislation.

question

The president's attempts to gain support for his programs by appealing directly to the American people is called

answer

going public.

question

Which of the following statements about recess appointments is true?

answer

They allow the president to bypass Senate confirmation.

question

What is the significance of the War Powers Resolution of 1973?

answer

It forced presidents to gain congressional approval for large-scale military actions.

question

Why do presidential appeals to the public rarely succeed?

answer

Publicizing an issue often deepens conflict.

question

Which of the following is a means at the president's disposal for attempting to influence legislation?

answer

threatening to veto a congressional bill

question

A document explaining the president's interpretation of a new law is referred to as

answer

a signing statement.

question

The vice president's job has traditionally been to ________________ but has recently been to ______________________.

answer

balance the president's electoral appeal; serve as a senior adviser

question

which president popularized the idea that the president can utilize a "bully pulpit" by taking his messages directly to the public?

answer

Theodore Roosevelt

question

Which of the following statements about public approval of the president is true?

answer

High levels of presidential approval make it more likely that Congress will support the president's programs.

question

Presidential approval is mostly about

answer

political outcomes, not political actions.

question

What is the source of the president's statutory authority?

answer

laws enacted by Congress

question

Presidential pardons

answer

are not subject to any reversal.

question

Which of the following is a cabinet position that is subject to Senate approval?

answer

Secretary of Defense

question

Proclamations that unilaterally change government policy without subsequent congressional consent are

answer

executive orders

Political Science: Exam 5 – Flashcards

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