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The advantages of incumbency in congressional elections include which of the following?
Incumbents receive more campaign contributions than do challengers.
Incumbents are able to provide important services for individual voters.
The government provides campaign funds for incumbents.
The President usually endorses incumbents for reelection.
Most American voters believe Congress does a good job.
1 and 2 only
The Constitution states that all revenue bills must originate in
the United States House of Representatives
Which of the following statements accurately summarizes the reasoning for the decision in Baker v. Carr (1962) ?
Because rural districts had fewer people, representation was unevenly distributed; thus, Baker was denied equal protection under the law.
Which of the following best describes the reasoning in Baker v. Carr (1961)?
Unequal representation of citizens in legislative districts is unconstitutional and may be reviewed by the courts.
Which of the following best reflects the holding in the case Baker v. Carr (1962) ?
Opened the door to Equal Protection Clause challenges to redistricting by deciding that such cases could be reviewed by federal courts.
The boundary lines of congressional districts are drawn by
state legislatures
Which of the following is true of the seniority system of Congress in relation to committee leadership and committee staffing?
The chairs of congressional committees tend to be senior members of the body's majority party.
Which of the following is true according to the diagram?
Both chambers make use of a system of majority and minority whips.
The committee system is more important in the House than in the Senate because
the House is so large that more work can be accomplished in committees than on the floor
Formal Power | Informal Power | |
|---|---|---|
A | Vetoing legislation to prevent a bill from becoming law | Using a pocket veto to prevent a bill from becoming law |
B | Using the bully pulpit to influence public opinion | Appointing ambassadors and receiving diplomats from other nations |
C | Acting as commander in chief of the military | Signing executive agreements with foreign nations |
D | Using the power of the purse to support government programs | Using signing statements to shape legislation |
Which of the following accurately compares the formal and informal powers of the president?
C
Which of the following is an accurate comparison of the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate?
House of Representatives | Senate |
|---|---|
Debate on bills is limited | Debate on bills can be unlimited |
Which of the following is an accurate comparison of the rules for debate used by the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate?
House of Representatives | Senate |
|---|---|
Debate is limited. | Members can filibuster. |
Which of the following is an accurate comparison of the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate?
House of Representatives | Senate |
|---|---|
The Constitution’s framers intended it to reflect the will of the people. | The Constitution’s framers designed it to represent the interests of the states. |
The committee that resolves differences between House and Senate versions of a bill is called a
conference committee
Federal benefits that must be funded by Congress and must be paid to all citizens who meet eligibility criteria are called
individual entitlements
A "cloture motion" passed in the Senate does which of the following?
Cuts off debate on a bill.
Which of the following categories accounted for the majority of spending in 2017, according to the chart?
Mandatory
An example of a discretionary item in the federal budget is
spending on national parks
Advocates of shifting the task of drawing United States House districts from state legislatures to independent commissions are likely to claim which of the following as an advantage of independent commissions?
Independent commissions significantly reduce the influence of partisan gerrymandering in the redistricting process.
Much of the steady increase in federal government expenditures since 1960 has been caused by
increases in entitlement programs
Which of the following committees of the House of Representatives sets the conditions for debate and amendment of most legislation?
Rules
Facilitates Gridlock | Facilitates Action | |
|---|---|---|
A | Gerrymandering | Partisanship |
B | Ideological news sources | Bicameral legislature |
C | Bully pulpit | Judicial review |
D | Checks and balances | Executive orders |
Which of the following is the most accurate comparison of the processes that generally facilitate gridlock and those that facilitate governmental action?
D
Which of the following statements about the Senate is true?
Individual senators can exercise substantial influence over the legislative process.
A member of the House of Representatives who wishes to be influential in the House itself would most likely seek a place on which of the following committees?
Rules
Based on your knowledge and the diagram, which of the following is true regarding the leadership structure of Congress?
The role of the minority leader in both the House of Representatives and the Senate is to coordinate a strategy for the minority party.
A new president has been elected after running on a campaign of lowering taxes and reducing spending on discretionary programs but now must work with Congress to ensure legislation passes which achieves those goals. Which of the leaders in the diagram plays the most crucial role in shaping the legislation that the president wants passed?
Speaker of the House
“Pork barrel” legislation helps the reelection chances of a member of Congress because such legislation
helps earn the member of Congress a reputation for service to his or her district
The House Appropriations Committee disagrees with a proposal in the president’s annual budget request to increase the number of people eligible for food stamps, consequently leading to the House of Representatives passing a budget that does not increase funding for the program. This ability to check presidential actions is best described as
the power of the purse
Generally, when is a president more likely to get congressional approval of proposed policies?
In foreign affairs rather than in domestic affairs
| President Has Greater Control | |
|---|---|---|
A | Judicial appointments | Foreign policy |
B | Budgetary policy | Cabinet appointments |
C | The bureaucracy | Fiscal policy |
D | Military leadership | Foreign treaties |
Which of the following accurately compares the powers of Congress and the president?
B
Which of the following statements about rules of procedure in the House and Senate is correct?
The House operates more by formal rules, while the Senate operates more on informal understandings.
The Supreme Court’s decision in Shaw v. Reno (1993) is most applicable to which of the following scenarios?
A state legislature approves a redistricting plan that draws district lines on basis of race.
Which of the following describes the ruling in Shaw v. Reno (1993) ?
Racial gerrymandering was ruled unconstitutional.
Of the following, which is the most powerful figure in Congress?
The Speaker of the House
The congressional system of standing committees is significant because it
fosters the development of expertise by members
Which of the following statements is true based on the bar graph?
From 2011 to 2016, no stand-alone appropriations bills were passed on time.
Which of the following is an accurate statement about committees in Congress?
Standing committees oversee the bureaucracy's implementation of legislation.
Congressional district boundaries are usually redrawn every ten years by the
state legislatures
Which of the following statements can be supported by the data in the line graph?
Members of the House of Representatives are more likely to be reelected than defeated.
A member of the United States Senate, Jane Smith, personally opposes a bill that calls for a single-payer system of healthcare, in contrast to the majority of her constituency, who are in favor of the legislation. Based on the trustee model of constituent accountability, which of the following actions will Senator Smith most likely take when it is time to vote on the piece of legislation?
Vote against the bill according to her own conscience, which may cause her to lose support among her constituents.
