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the system of having two chambers within one legislative body (e.g. the House and Senate in Congress)

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bicameralism

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legislative appropriations that benefit specific constituents, created with the aim of helping local representatives win reelection

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pork barrel

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When a member of Congress shares the characteristics (such as gender, race, religion, or ethnicity) of his or her constituents

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descriptive representation

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When a member of Congress represents constituents' interests and policy concerns

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substantive representation

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A member of Congress who represents constituents' interests while also taking into account national, collective, and moral concerns that sometimes cause the member to vote against the preference of a majority of constituents (want to be responsible)

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trustee

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A member of Congress who loyally represents constituents' direct interests (want to be responsive)

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delegate

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A member of Congress who acts as a delegate on issues that constituents care about and as a trustee on more complex or less salient issues

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politico

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senators are less insulated from electoral forces than previously.

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A result of the "permanent campaign" is that

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gerrymandering

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Attempts to use the redistricting process for political advantage are called

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large vs. small states

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

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33

answer

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

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hold a marginal seat

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

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$1 million; $2 million

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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 __________.

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tying representatives to public sentiment.

answer

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

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elastic clause of the U.S. Constitution (Article I, §8, clause 18).

answer

Much of what made Congress the "first branch" of national government in the early days of U.S. history are powers grounded in the

question

districts are approximately equal in population.

answer

Officially, state legislatures redraw district boundaries every 10 years to ensure that

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national interests

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The Founders viewed the Senate as the more likely of the two houses to debate and act for

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less direct contact and more policy explanations

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Urban voters tend to expect what of their representatives?

question

be responsible national leaders and responsive to local concerns.

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

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the increasing importance of national security issues

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What trend has allowed the president to assume a more central policy-making role?

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casework

answer

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

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It encourages trust in the system among various demographic groups.

answer

Why is promoting descriptive representation valuable in itself?

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Congress is more likely to support the president's programs

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A high presidential approval rating produces which of the following consequences?

question

a pocket veto

answer

Congress passes a bill, adjourns, and the president does not respond to the bill. The bill then dies. What is this called?

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statutory

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Laws enacted by Congress provide the president with __________ authority.

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grow

answer

Over the course of American history, presidential power has generally tended to

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allow the president to bypass Senate confirmation.

answer

Recess appointments

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all

answer

The Senate must confirm __________ presidential appointments to federal positions.

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Teddy R.

answer

The term "bully pulpit" was first associated with which President ?

question

executive power is to be vested in the president of the United States.

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The vesting clause of the Constitution states that

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appealing directly to the American people to gain support for his or her programs

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What constitutes the president's tactic of "going public"?

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The president can influence the legislative process in Congress.

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What is the purpose of the president's using the veto as threat?

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War Powers Resolution

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What was the name of the legislation that required presidents to seek congressional approval for major military operations around the world?

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the re-election goals of the president

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Which of the following is a major goal for all staffers of the Executive Office of the President in his first term?

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George W. Bush's high approval ratings following the 9/11 attacks.

answer

Which of the following is an example of the "rally 'round the flag" effect?

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Pardons may allow executive branch appointees to pursue the president's objectives with impunity.

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Why are presidential pardons sometimes controversial?

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Executive agreements

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

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the automatic death of a bill if the president does not sign it in the last ten days of a session

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What is a pocket veto?

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free postage on mail that legislators send to their constituents.

answer

The term "franking privilege" refers to:

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allowed for direct election of senators

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What did the 17th amendment do?

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to make sure that senators were somewhat insulated from the people

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Why do senators have longer terms than members of the House of Reps?

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delegate

answer

What is the most common style of representatives in Congress?

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provided by members of Congress to their constituents in solving problems with the federal bureacuracy or addressing other specific concerns

answer

casework

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The idea that congressional behavior is centrally motivated by members' desire for reelection

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electoral connection

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Redrawing the geographic boundaries of legislative districts. This happens every 10 years to ensure that districts remain roughly equal in population.

answer

redistricting

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The process of assigning the 435 seats in the House to the states based on increases or decreases in state population.

answer

apportionment

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Attempting to use the process of redrawing district boundaries to benefit a political party, protect incumbents, or change the proportion of minority voters in a district

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gerrymandering

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An inability to enact legislation because of partisan conflict within Congress or between Congress and the president

answer

gridlock

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The relative infrequency with which members of Congress are defeated in their attempts for reelection

answer

incumbency advantage

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A form of reciprocity in which members of Congress support bills that they otherwise might not vote for in exchange for other members' votes on bills that are very important to them

answer

logrolling

question

Federally funded local projects attached to bills passed through Congress

answer

earmarks

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The informal congressional norm of choosing the member who has served the longest on a particular committee to be the committee chair

answer

seniority

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the elected leader of the House of Representatives

answer

Speaker of the House

question

The elected head of the party holding the majority of seats in the House or Senate

answer

majority leader

question

An organization of House leaders who work to disseminate information and promote party unity in voting on legislation

answer

whip system

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The elected head of the party holding the minority of seats in the House or Senate

answer

minority leader

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A largely symbolic position usually held by the most senior member of the majority party in the Senate

answer

president pro tempore

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A recorded vote on legislation; members may vote yes, no, abstain, or present

answer

roll call vote

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A vote in which the majority of one party opposes the position of the majority of the other party

answer

party vote

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The extent to which members of Congress in the same party vote together on party votes

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party unity

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Committees that are a permanent part of the House or Senate structure, holding more importance and authority than other committees

answer

standing committee

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Committees in the House or Senate created to address a specific issue for one or two terms

answer

select committees

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Committees that contain members of both the House and Senate but have limited authority

answer

joint committees

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Temporary committees created to negotiate differences between the Hosue and Senate versions of a piece of legislation that has passed through both chambers

answer

conference committees

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The idea that members of Congress will join committees that best serve the interests of their district and that committee members will support each other's legislation

answer

distributive theory

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The idea that having committees in Congress made up of experts on specific policy areas helps to ensure well-informed policy decisions

answer

informational theory

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1) member of Con. introduces bill 2) subcommittee/committee craft the bill 3) floor action in 1st chamber (House or Senate) 4) floor action in 2nd chamber 5) conference committee works out differences between House and Senate versions of the bill 6) conference committee version given final approval in each chamber 7) president signs or vetoes

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How a bill becomes a law:

question

reconcicle differences between the House and Senate versions of a bill

answer

A conference committee's job is to

question

President Obama and party leaders were directly involved in shaping the bill

answer

One way the passage of the ACA differed from the conventional process is that

question

One of the steps through which a bill becomes a law, in which the final wording of the bill is determined

answer

markup

question

The president's rejection of a bill that has been passed by Congress. A veto can be overriden by a 2/3's vote in both the House and Senate

answer

veto

question

The automatic death of a bill passed by the House and Senate when the president fails to sign the bill in the last 10 days of a legislative session

answer

pocket veto

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Large bills that cover several topics and may contain extraneous, or pork-barrel, projects

answer

omnibus legislation

question

A procedure through which the Senate can limit the amount of time spent debating a bill (cutting off a filibuster) if a supermajority of 60 senators agree

answer

cloture

question

A tactic used by senators to block a bill by continuing to hold the floor and speak--under the Senate rule of unlimited debate--until the bill's supporters back down

answer

filibuster

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An objection to considering a measure on the Senate floor

answer

hold

question

Conditions placed on a legislative debate by the House Rules Committee prohibiting amendments to a bill

answer

closed rules

question

Conditions placed on a legislative debate by the House Rules Committee allowing relevant amendments to a bill

answer

open rules

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Conditions placed on a legislative debate by the HRC allowing certain amendments to a bill while barring others

answer

modified rules

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inattentive; is

answer

Most constituents are ___; most members of Congress act as if the constituency ___ paying attention.

question

getting reelected

answer

Members of Congress generally hold multiple goals. Which goal comes first?

question

determining which states win/lose seats in the House

answer

What is apportionment?

question

present themselves to their district

answer

A home style shapes the way members of Congress ___.

question

three

answer

On average, incumbents spend ___ times as much as challengers.

question

universalism

answer

The norm of ___ says that federal highway dollars are likely to be divided up so that many districts benefit.

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the majority party

answer

Committee leadership, division of seats on committee, and allocation of committee resources are determined by ___.

question

less powerful than

answer

The Senate leadership is ___ the House leadership.

question

help their members get favorable committee assignments

answer

Party leaders have the power to __.

question

structured; majoritarian

answer

Compared to the Senate, the floor process in the House is very __ and __.

question

fire alarm oversight

answer

Waiting for a crisis to emerge before taking action is called ___.

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improved; improved

answer

The McCain-Feingold Act is an example of a reform that ____ Congress' image and ____ the internal efficiency.

question

changes in the Constitution

answer

Presidential power has increased over time for all of the reasons below except:

question

congressional consideration of immigration reforms

answer

Which of the following events during Obama's presidency best illustrates the limits of presidential power?

question

Powers derived from the provisions of the Constitution that outline the president's role in gov.

answer

constitutional authority

question

Powers derived from laws enacted by Congress that add to the powers given to the president in the Constitution

answer

statutory authority

question

makes the president both the head of government and the head of state

answer

vesting clause

question

One role of the president, through which he has authority over the executive branch

answer

head of government

question

One role of the president through which he or she represents the country symbolically and politically

answer

head of state

question

Selection by the president of a person to be an ambassador or head of a dept. while the Senate is not in session, thereby bypassing Senate approval

answer

recess appointment

question

Proclamations made by the president that change government policy w/o Congressional approval

answer

executive orders

question

An expedited system for passing treaties under which support from a simple majority is needed in both the House and Senate and no amendments are allowed

answer

fast-track authority

question

An agreement btw. the exec. branch and a foreign gov. which acts as a treaty but doesn't require Senate approval

answer

executive agreement

question

An annual speech in which the president addresses Congress to report on the condition of the country and to recommend policies

answer

State of the Union

question

The right of the president to keep executive branch conversations and correspondence confidental from leg. and jud. branches

answer

executive privilege

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The percentage of Americans who think that the president is doing a good job in office

answer

presidential approval rating

question

A president's use of speeches and other communications to appeal directly to citizens

answer

go public

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