GOV TEST AND QUIZ STUDY

Bicameral legislature

Q: What term describes a legislative body with two separate chambers or houses?

Trustee

Q: Who is an individual entrusted with making decisions based on judgment rather than strictly following the wishes of their constituents?

Incumbency

• Q: What is the term for the period during which an individual holds a particular office or position?

Majority Party

• Q: In a legislative body, what is the political party that has the most seats and holds the majority called?

Speaker of the House

• Q: Who presides over the U.S. House of Representatives and is second in line to succeed the President?

Minority Leader

• Q: Who leads the political party with fewer seats in a legislative body, serving as a counterbalance to the majority party?

Conference Committee

• Q: What type of committee is formed to resolve differences between House and Senate versions of a bill?

Discharge Petition

• Q: What legislative procedure allows a majority of members to force a bill out of committee for a vote on the floor?

Committee of the Whole

• Q: What legislative process allows the entire House to consider and amend a bill more freely?

Filibuster

• Q: What is the term for the deliberate use of long speeches to delay or obstruct legislative action?

Pocket Veto

• Q: What presidential power allows the President to indirectly veto a bill by holding onto it without formally vetoing it?

War Powers Resolution

• Q: What legislative measure limits the President's ability to commit armed forces without congressional approval?

Unanimous Consent

• Q: What legislative procedure allows a bill to be considered without debate in the Senate if no senator objects?

Congressional Budget Office (CBO)

• Q: What nonpartisan agency provides budgetary and economic information to Congress?

VA General Assembly

• Q: What is the legislative body responsible for making laws in the state of Virginia?

VA House of Delegates

• Q: What is the lower house of the Virginia General Assembly?

Apportionment

• Q: What is the process of allocating seats in the House of Representatives based on population changes?

Delegate

• Q: What type of representative strictly follows the wishes and opinions of their constituents?

Redistricting

• Q: What is the process of redrawing electoral district boundaries in response to population changes?

Minority Party

• Q: In a legislative body, which political party has fewer seats and serves as the opposition to the majority party?

Majority Leader

• Q: In a legislative body, who is the leader of the political party with the most seats and holds the majority?

President pro tempore

Q: Who is the high-ranking official in the Senate who presides over the chamber in the absence of the Vice President?

Select Committee

• Q: What type of committee is formed for a specific purpose and limited duration, often to investigate a particular issue?

Seniority

• Q: In the context of a legislative body, what principle awards privileges to members based on their length of continuous service?

Hold

• Q: In legislative procedure, what is the action by a senator to temporarily block consideration of a bill or nomination?

Cloture

• Q: What legislative procedure is used to end a filibuster and bring a bill to a vote?

Reconciliation

• Q: What legislative process is used to fast-track budget-related bills by limiting debate and preventing filibusters?

Congressional Review

• Q: What legislative oversight process allows Congress to review and potentially overturn regulations issued by federal agencies?

Omnibus Spending Bill

• Q: What type of bill combines multiple smaller appropriations bills into one comprehensive piece of legislation?

17th Amendment

• Q: Which constitutional amendment established the direct election of U.S. Senators by the people of the state?

Censure

• Q: What formal reprimand or condemnation by a legislative body is issued against one of its members for misconduct?

Impeachment

• Q: What is the constitutional process for removing a president, federal judge, or other federal officials from office?

Politico

• Q: In politics, what term describes an individual who acts in a practical and opportunistic way rather than according to a consistent ideology?

Gerrymandering

• Q: What is the practice of manipulating electoral district boundaries to favor one political party over another?

Party Caucus

Q: What is the term for a closed meeting of members of the same political party to discuss strategy or choose candidates?

Whip

• Q: In a legislative body, what is the role of an official who ensures party discipline and attendance at key votes?

Joint Committee

• Q: What type of committee is composed of members from both the House and the Senate to address specific issues?

House Committee on Rules (House Rules Committee)

• Q: What committee in the House of Representatives is responsible for determining the rules and order of business for bills?

Markup

• Q: In legislative terms, what is the process of revising, amending, and finalizing a bill in committee?

Veto

• Q: What is the constitutional power of the president to reject a bill passed by Congress?

Pork

• Q: In legislative contexts, what term describes government spending that benefits a specific district or constituency?

Earmark

• Q: What is the practice of setting aside funds in a bill for a specific project or purpose?

Senatorial Courtesy

Q: What is the informal custom in the U.S. Senate where the president defers to the judgment of senators from a nominee's home state?

27th Amendment

Q: Which constitutional amendment prohibits Congress from increasing its members' salaries during the current session?

Baker v. Carr

• Q: What landmark U.S. Supreme Court case established the principle of "one person, one vote" in legislative apportionment?

Shaw v. Reno

• Q: In what Supreme Court case was the issue of racial gerrymandering addressed, emphasizing the importance of not using race as the predominant factor in drawing district lines?

1. Age: A Representative must be at least 25 years old.

2. Citizenship: A Representative must be a U.S. citizen for at least seven years.

3. Residency: A Representative must be an inhabitant of the state they represent at the time of their election.

• The constitutional qualifications to be a member of the House

1. Age: A Senator must be at least 30 years old.

2. Citizenship: A Senator must be a U.S. citizen for at least nine years.

3. Residency: A Senator must be an inhabitant of the state they represent at the time of their election.

• The constitutional qualifications to be a member of the Senate