POLS1010-Exam 4 (Final) – Flashcards

Unlock all answers in this set

Unlock answers
question
What best describes the structural makeup of the legislature in the United States?
answer
Bicameral; Two house legislature (The House of Representatives and The Senate).
question
Which branch or chamber of government was specifically created to closely represent the people's views?
answer
The House of Representatives
question
How often are House members elected?
answer
Every two years -- After each decennial (10 year) census
question
Which constitutional amendment shifted the power to elect senators from state legislatures to popular elections?
answer
The 17th Amendment
question
In 2010, how much did it cost on average, to make a successful bid for the U.S. Senate?
answer
$5.6 million
question
Which factors make it more likely that incumbents will prevail in congressional elections?
answer
1. Stronger name recognition 2. Greater access to attention from the media 3. The franking privilege 4. Greater campaign contributions 5. Casework on behalf of constituents in the home district
question
How often does reappointment and redistricting of seats occur in the House of Representatives?
answer
Every 10 years -- in the year ending in zero
question
The practice of redrawing electoral boundaries for political advantage is known as what?
answer
Gerrymandering
question
Which powers are granted by Congress by the Constitution?
answer
Enumerated Powers --To make laws, declare war, to raise an army/navy, coin money, regulate commerce, establish Federal courts, override a presidential veto, to make all laws necessary and proper, to carryout the above mentioned powers (this is known as the elastic clause)
question
Because of the elastic clause, Congress exercises how broad/narrow a scope of authority?
answer
A broad-scope of authority
question
What are the sources of congressional power and authority?
answer
The Constitution, Supreme Court decisions, the media, and the people
question
Within the instructed delegate model, how do elected representatives act?
answer
They vote in keeping with the constituents' views -- even if those views contradict the legislator's personal views
question
What was an important consideration for the Framers during the shaping of congressional functions?
answer
Limited government, Checks and balances, Separation of powers, Creation of the federal system
question
Most representatives in Congress employ which type of decision/voting model in their approach to governance?
answer
Trustee Model
question
When a member of Congress advocates on behalf of a constituent who has an issue with a bureaucratic agency, he or she is playing the role of what?
answer
Ombudsperson (this is called casework)
question
What is the process called by which Congress "checks" the executive branch to ensure that laws are being administered in keeping with legislators' intentions?
answer
Oversight
question
What are the tools that Congress uses to "check" the executive branch?
answer
Congressional hearings, Confirmation hearings, Investigations, Budgeting appropriations,
question
Identify the correct chronological order of a legislative bill's passage, from introduction through committee review(s):
answer
1. Introduction 2. Committee Review 3. House and Senate Approval 4. Conference Committee reconciliation 5. Presidential Approval
question
Permanent committees that exist from one session of congress to another with a defined legislative jurisdiction are known as what?
answer
Standing committee
question
Committees that include members of both chambers of Congress are known as what?
answer
Joint committees
question
In an attempt to block the Civil Rights Act of 1957, the former Republican senator from South Carolina Strom Thurmond spoke for 24 hours 18 minutes on the Senate floor. This set the record for the Senate's longest what?
answer
Filibuster
question
In what position in the line of presidential succession is the Speaker of the House?
answer
Second in line -- following the Vice President
question
Which leader acts as a go-between the leadership and the majority party members in the house?
answer
Majority whip
question
Who is the constitutional president of the Senate?
answer
The Vice President of the United States
question
The reciprocal practice of trading votes is widely used in Congress and is known as what?
answer
Logrolling
question
In what month does the general presidential election campaign usually begin?
answer
January
question
How many electors must a presidential candidate secure in the Electoral College to be elected president?
answer
270 out of the 538 electoral votes (The majority)
question
What majority is needed for Congress to check presidential power by overriding a presidential veto?
answer
2/3 Majority Vote
question
Which president issued more vetoes than any other during his tenure?
answer
Franklin D. Roosevelt
question
What are the party roles performed by the president?
answer
1. Chief Economist - names key economic managers 2. Party Leader 3. Chief Legislator - the main initiator of bills, has veto power 4. Chief Diplomat - signs treaties, appoints ambassadors 5. Commander-in-Chief - commands all military 6. Chief Executive - administers the Federal Government 7. Chief of State - The ceremonial part - i.e. lighting the Christmas tree 8. Chief Crisis Manager
question
As Chief Diplomat, what functions does the president perform?
answer
Appoints ambassadors, signs treaties, recognizes other countries (Executive agreements with other countries without the Senate's approval)
question
Executive agreements are considered to be in force for how long?
answer
ONLY during the administration of the president who negotiates the agreement
question
What are the powers vested in the president by the Constitution?
answer
Expressed Powers Inherent Powers
question
What presidential role(s) are/is most ceremonial and symbolic?
answer
Chief of State
question
Most would-be presidents choose their vice presidential running mate based on their desire for an approach that provides diversity and maximizes electoral appeal across the United States. What is this approach called?
answer
Balanced Ticket
question
Who was the first black secretary of state?
answer
Colin Powell
question
The National Security Council (NSC) is a group of top foreign policy advisors and relevant cabinet officials that advise the president on foreign policy and national security issues. Who is the official chair of the NSC?
answer
The president
question
Which constitutional amendment, passed in 1967, determines the course of action in the case of a president being?
answer
The 25th Amendment
question
What are the presidential powers granted by the Constitution officially called (statutory?, inherent?, justiciable?, or?)?
answer
Expressed Powers
question
What are the presidential powers codified in Article II of the Constitution?
answer
-Veto power -Serves as commander-in-chief of the U.S. armed forces -Appoint heads if the executive departments, ambassadors, Supreme Court Justices, people to fill vacancies that occur during the recess of the Senate, and other positions -Enter into treaties, with 2/3 consent of the Senate -Give the State of the Union address to Congress -Convene the Congress -Receive ambassadors of other nations -Commission all officers of the United States
question
Which constitutional clause has been cited by presidents as the basis for their assertion of inherent powers?
answer
Take Care Clause
question
Thomas Jefferson's decision to initiate the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 was an early example of the exercising of what type of presidential power?
answer
Inherent Powers
question
President Bush's high approval ratings after his response to the September 11 attacks are an example of what type of effect?
answer
Rally 'Round the Flag Effect
question
Which president initiated the New Deal, a series of social programs that dramatically transformed people's views of the role of the federal government?
answer
Franklin D. Roosevelt
question
What event led to a deep decline in popular perceptions of the presidency?
answer
Watergate Scandal
question
During impeachment, which federal body conducts the TRIAL of the president?
answer
The Senate
question
During the Civil War, President Lincoln suspended the civil liberties of alleged agitators and drafted state militias into national service. He did this using what set of powers that are used during times of national crisis?
answer
Emergency Powers
question
What are presidential powers granted by congress officially called?
answer
Statutory Powers
question
What are presidential powers that have been granted by decisions of the Supreme Court officially called?
answer
Emergency Powers
question
Since 1960, which vice presidents succeeded in becoming president?
answer
Lyndon Johnson, Gerald Ford, and George Bush
question
Those workers who do the work of government but don't get a government paycheck, are known as what type of bureaucrats?
answer
Shadow Bureaucrats
question
According to Max Weber, bureaucracies possess which features?
answer
-A division of labor - Specialization of job tasks -Hiring systems based on worker competency -Standard operating procedures -Hierarchy with a vertical chain of command
question
Before the establishment of the civil service system in 1883, what system of hiring was used to staff the federal bureaucracy?
answer
Patronage
question
What is the name given to the book, published every four years, that lists the federal positions available through the presidential patronage?
answer
The Plum Book
question
The assassination of which president by an unsuccessful seeker of a patronage position spurred passed of the Pendleton Civil Service Act in 1883?
answer
James Garfield
question
The Pendleton Civil Service Act introduced a civil service system for the national government based on what type of hiring principle?
answer
Merit-Based "Civil Service System"
question
The civil service system created by the Pendleton Civil Service Act is guided by which hiring principle(s)?
answer
Open Competition Competence Political Neutrality
question
In 1939 Congress passed the Hatch Act, which did what?
answer
Limited civil servant's rights to engage in political activity
question
The process by which the federal government shifts greater responsibility to state and local governments, thereby putting the implementation of national policy in the hands of state and local bureaucrats, is known as what?
answer
Devolution
question
What title is given to the top political appointee who heads each of the national government's 15 (except the department of justice)?
answer
Cabinet Secretary
question
Which is the newest of the national government's 15 departments?
answer
The Department of Homeland Security, -post 9/11
question
What best describes the business or role of an independent regulatory agency?
answer
Regulate specific areas of the economy, but are not under direct control of the President or a department
question
Which type of federal agency or entity is expected to make enough money to cover its' own costs?
answer
Government corporation
question
Which type of federal agency/entity that is a hybrid agency that fits into more than one category of federal agency?
answer
The FDA
question
According to the politics-administration dichotomy, who implements public policy?
answer
Politically neutral and well-trained bureaucrats
question
What is the second stage in the public policy cycle?
answer
Policy formation
question
Under what authority do bureaucrats have the power to use their expertise and judgement to implement public policy?
answer
Administrative discretion
question
What mechanism is used by bureaucrats to determine if their rules have been broken and to impose penalties on violators?
answer
Administrative adjudication
question
Which groups, individuals, or institutions can hold federal bureaucrats accountable for their actions?
answer
-Through the use of Sunshine Laws and Watchdog Groups -Through executive control -Through Congressional oversight and control -Through Judicial control -Through internal accountability efforts
question
Which type of law opens up government functions and documents to the public, ensuring transparency and public access to decision making?
answer
Sunshine Law
question
What was one of the first laws designed to enhance federal bureaucratic accountability to the people?
answer
The Administrative Procedure Act (APA) of 1946
question
Which act of congress, passed in 1976, requires most multi-headed national agencies to conduct open, public meetings?
answer
Government in the Sunshine Act of 1976
question
What are the ways in which Congress encourages bureaucratic accountability?
answer
-Power to pass laws -Power to confirm or deny presidential appointments -Power to launch congressional investigations and congressional hearings
question
What type of clause in a law forces the expiration of a program or policy after a specified number of years without congressional reauthorization?
answer
Sunset Clause
question
What piece of legislation established the Office of Government Ethics (OGE), which is charged with preventing bureaucratic conflicts of interest?
answer
The Ethics in Government Act of 1978
question
The Supreme Court predominately acts as a court of what (in terms of different types of jurisdiction)?
answer
The high court of the land -It serves as the court of last resort in the U.S. Judiciary
question
The Judiciary Act of 1789 provided for what?
answer
It created the 3-tiered federal court system. -It added district courts and circuit courts to the federal structure -The 94 District Courts have original jurisdiction
question
Which early landmark Supreme Court case granted the Supreme Court its most significant power?
answer
Marbury vs. Madison
question
The authority of the Supreme Court to determine the constitutionality of governmental action is known as what?
answer
Judicial Review
question
What is common law based on?
answer
which is made principally by judges reaching decisions in cases
question
The principle of stare decisis, a Latin phrase that means "let the decision stand", is the basis of the modern legal concept known as what?
answer
Precedent - Previous judicial rulings guide future court decisions.
question
What is considered the highest form of law?
answer
The U.S. and State Constitutions
question
Statutes are authored by whom or what?
answer
Congress or a State Legislature
question
The compilation of all the laws passed by the U.S. Congress is known as the what?
answer
U.S. Code
question
Who files suit in a case dealing with a violation of criminal law?
answer
The government (i.e. a prosecutor)
question
In a civil lawsuit, negligence that causes harm to another person's body or property is known as a what?
answer
Tort
question
What type of court system exists in the United States? (Single? dual? triple? multiple?
answer
Dual Court System
question
How many federal district courts are there in the U.S. court system?
answer
13
question
What is the function of the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals?
answer
To review previous decisions made by courts in the federal or state judicial system.
question
Which special court has come under increased media scrutiny due to its use since the 9/11 attacks?
answer
FISA Courts (Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act)
question
The leading justice on the Supreme Court, who provides both organizational and intellectual leadership, is known by what title?
answer
Chief Justice
question
Which Supreme Court appointees were nominated by President Obama?
answer
Sonia Sotomayer and Elena Kagan
question
Which federal bodies share power in the selection of federal court judges?
answer
The President and The Senate
question
Senatorial courtesy gives senators of the same political party as the president the right to veto judicial appointments to which level of federal courts?
answer
Federal District Court Judge in the Senators state
question
A request to the Supreme Court that they review a case that was already decided is done via a(n) what?
answer
Writ of Certiorari
question
Who is charged with drafting pool memos, which summarize the facts, describe the legal arguments, and make recommendation as to whether the court should take the case?
answer
Supreme Court Clerks
question
For the Supreme Court to hear a case, how many of the nine justices must vote/want to hear it?
answer
4
question
Which chief justices led a particularly activist Supreme Court?
answer
Earl Warren
question
Who or what is given power under the Constitution to grant individual pardons?
answer
The president
question
Who or what issues articles of impeachment for federal judges?
answer
The House
Get an explanation on any task
Get unstuck with the help of our AI assistant in seconds
New