AP Gov: Chapter 12 Multiple Choice Questions

Which of the following is TRUE about the Senate as compared to the house?

A) more influential in foreign affairs

B) more centralized with stronger leadership

C) seniority more important in determining power

D) smaller in number, less power and less prestigious

E) more influential on the budget

A) more influential in foreign affairs

Which of the following is responsible for responding to congressional requests for information and providing non-partisan studies?

A) congressional Research Services

B) ways and Means Committee

C) congressional Budget Office

D) general Accounting Office

A) congressional Research Services

An especially important asset for incumbents running for reelection is their

A) voting records

B) support by party leaders in Congress

C) presidential support

D) invisibility

E) service to constituents

E) service to constituents

Which of the following is NOT one of the three primary activities that members of Congress engage in to increase the probability of their re-election?

A) advertising

B) oversight

C) credit-claiming

D) position sharing

B) oversight

The income and occupation of members of Congress

A) are very close to the average found among their constituency

B) have no real impact on public policymaking

C) typically reflect the pluralistic nature of American society

D) would for the most part, make them members of the elite in American society

E) places of 90% of them in the millionaire businessperson class

D) would for the most part, make them members of the elite in American society

Congress substantially increased its oversight activities in

A) the 1960s

B) the 1970s and 1980s

C) the 1990s

D) the 1940s and 1950s

B) the 1970s and 1980s

Traditionally, Congressional committee chairpersons have been chosen through

A) the seniority system

B) popularity within majority leaders

C) a majority rule by committee members

D) party rank

E) the merit system

A) the seniority system

The most powerful person in the Senate is the

A) speaker

B) majority leader

C) Vice President of the United States, who serves as president of the Senate.

D) chair of the Rules Committee

E) President of the United States

B) majority leader

House incumbents typically receive

A) much more from PACs as challengers

B) less from PACs than challengers

C) about the same amount of contributions PACs as challenges

D) none of the above

D) none of the above

A single Political Action Committee

A) can make at most account for only a small percentage of a winner's total spending

B) can make or break a candidate in a particular close Congressional election

C) usually puts all its efforts into one candidate

D) can gain the most influence by giving money to candidates who disagree with them

E) has no limit on the amount of money it can spend money on a candidate

A) can make at most account for only a small percentage of a winner's total spending

Incumbents are those

A) retired members of Congress

B) running for office for the first time

C) already holding office

D) who have been defeated in an election

E) running for an office

C) already holding office

House and Senate committees

A) all have a majority of members from the majority party in that chamber

B) are non-partisan, and thus some committees are nearly all Democrats and others nearly all Republicans

C) all have an equal number of Republicans and Democrats

D) are populated by the hired staff members of Congress, freeing the elected members for more important work

E) must have their membership approved by the president

A) all have a majority of members from the majority party in that chamber

A senate seat is up for election ever

A) six years

B) eight years

C) four years

D) two years

E) five years

A) six years

In the relationship between lobbyists and members of Congress

A) lobbyists pay members of Congress to pass or defeat bills

B) members of Congress can ignore and embarrass lobbyists

C) lobbyists spend most of their efforts on converting opponents to their cause

D) lobbyists hold the greater power

E) members of Congress depend on lobbyists for re-election

B) members of Congress can ignore and embarrass lobbyists

When members of Congress hold a hearing to question a cabinet member on how a law is being carried out, they are engaging in

A) filibustering

B) congressional administration

C) casework

D) legislative oversight

E) agenda-setting

D) legislative oversight

Only ______ can formally submit a bill for Congressional consideration

A) senators

B) members of the House or senators

C) members of the House

D) the President

E) the Speaker of the House

B) members of the House or senators

The House _____ Committee reviews most bills coming from other committees before they go on to the full House, thus performing a traffic cop function.

A) authorization

B) appropriations

C) ways and means

D) rules

E) review

D) rules

The United States House of Representatives has ___ members.

A) 535

B) 100

C) 435

D) 80

E) 638

C) 435

Some prefer the concept of legislators as _____, mirroring the preferences of their constituents.

A) pollsters

B) instructed delegates

C) uninstructed delegates

D) politicians

E) trustee

B) instructed delegates

Constituencies influence policy mostly by

A) influencing Congressional leaders

B) buying votes through election contributions

C) empowering the President in his negations with Congress

D) the initial choice of the representative

D) the initial choice of the representative

Studies have shown that Presidential ____ in an election have little effect on the success of the party's candidates for the House and Senate.

A) vetoes

B) scandals

C) junkets

D) headwinds

E) coattails

E) coattails

According to the Constitution, revenue bills must originate in the

A) Senate

B) Federal Reserve System

C) House

D) Internal Revenue Service

E) Treasury Department

C) House

To be sent to the President, a bill must be passed by

A) the House

B) both the House and the Senate

C) either the House or the Senate

D) a majority vote of Congress, regardless of which house the votes come from

E) the Senate

B) both the House and the Senate

Which of the following statements about Congressional oversight is FALSE?

A) Congress keeps tabs on more routine activities of the executive branch through its committee staff members.

B) there are few political payoffs for carefully watching a government agency if it is implementing policy properly.

C) it serves as a Congressional check on the executive branch.

D) since the 1970s, Congress has substantially decreased its oversight activities

E) in extreme cases, Congress can cut agency budgets in order to secure compliance with Congressional wishes.

D) since the 1970s, Congress has substantially decreased its oversight activities

House seats are up for election every

A) six years

B) eight years

C) four years

D) two years

E) five years

D) two years

If congress has increased the scope of government it is because

A) members are by-spending liberals

B) members typically suffer form Potomac fever

C) that is what Congressional staffers want

D) that is what constituencies want

D) that is what constituencies want

Appropriations, Judiciary, and Armed Forces are all examples of ____ committees

A) select

B) conference

C) rule

D) joint

E) standing

E) standing

The framers of the Constitution conceived of the ____ as the center of policymaking in America

A) President's cabinet

B) Supreme Court

C) Congress

D) Bureaucracy

E) President

C) Congress

On a typical issue, the primary determinant of a Congressional member's vote is

A) the position of the President

B) the position of their party leaders

C) a toss of a coin

D) political ideology

E) constituent preferences as indicated by extensive polling

D) political ideology

The ____ is the mighty list of federal projects, grants, and contracts available to cities, businesses, colleges, and institutions which members of Congress seek to influence to promote the interests of their constituency.

A) casework

B) frank

C) Treasurer's register

D) pork barrel

E) junket

D) pork barrel

_____ privileges refers to the free use of the mails enjoyed by Congress.

A) Procurement

B) Franking

C) E-mail

D) Con-mail

E) Junket

B) Franking

The ____ is next in line after the Vice President to succeed a president who resigns, dies in office, or is impeached.

A) Speaker of the House

B) Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

C) Senate minority leader

D) Senate majority leader

E) House majority leader

A) Speaker of the House

Most important congressional activity is done

A) on legislators' visits to their home districts

B) in the White House

C) on the Senate floor

D) in meetings of standing committees and their subcommittees

E) on the House floor

D) in meetings of standing committees and their subcommittees

Which of the following statements about Congress is FALSE?

A) members of Congress are surrounded by people who know (or claim to know) more than they do

B) members frequently ask their colleagues how to vote

C) members of Congress are are often unsure of what is being voted on when a roll-call vote is called

D) Congress is a collection of generalists trying to make policy on specialized topics

E) none of these

E) none of these

When the House and the Senate pass different versions of the same bill

A) a joint committee is appointed to resolve differences

B) the House bill is changed to confirm with the Senate bill

C) the President may select which bill to enact into law

D) the Senate bill is changed to conform with the House bill

E) a conference committee is appointed to resolve differences

E) a conference committee is appointed to resolve differences

Which of the following offices is responsible for making economic projections about the performance of the economy, the costs of proposed policies, and the economic effects of taxing and spending alternatives?

A) Congressional Budget Office

B) General Accounting Office

C) Congressional Research Service

D) Ways and Means Committee

A) Congressional Budget Office

Which of the following Congressional offices is mandated by the Constitution?

A) President of the House

B) Speaker of the House

C) President of the United States

D) House and Senate Majority Leader

E) all of these

B) Speaker of the House

On average, most of the money raised by a candidate for Congress comes from

A) individual contributions

B) the candidate's own savings

C) Political Action Committees

D) political parties

E) loans

A) individual contributions

The filibuster

A) has been prohibited in both the House and Senate

B) is allowed in both the House and the Senate

C) is unique to the House

D) has been ruled unconstitutional

E) is unique to the Senate

E) is unique to the Senate

The members of the Senate closely reflect the nation in terms of

A) gender

B) race

C) economic status

D) prior occupation

E) none of the above

E) none of the above

Nominees to the United States Supreme Court must be confirmed by

A) either the House or the Senate

B) the President

C) the House

D) the Senate

E) both the House and the Senate

D) the Senate

Women constitute _____ of the United States Senate.

A) well over half

B) about 20%

C) under 10%

D) roughly half

E) approximately 35%

C) under 10%

Which of the following did NOT contribute to the increased democratization of Congress?

A) the sharp rise in the number of subcommittees

B) electronic roll-call voting

C) the reform of the seniority system

D) the "Johnson rule"

B) electronic roll-call voting

The filibuster is a technique used in the

A) House to delay legislation until a full House can convene.

B) House and Senate to prevent a vote on a bill.

C) House to allow more time to debate controversial policies.

D) Senate to prolong debate in order to kill a bill.

E) Senate to by-pass committees in voting on controversial issues.

D) Senate to prolong debate in order to kill a bill.

The parties in Congress are most cohesive

A) on foreign policy issues

B) when electing their official leaders

C) military matters

D) during floor votes

E) on economic policies

B) when electing their official leaders

Basically, Congress is a ____ decision making body.

A) active and smooth

B) unified and consistent

C) radical and hasty

D) retroactive

E) reactive and cumbersome

E) reactive and cumbersome

Which of the following did the framers of the Constitution conceive of as the center of policymaking in America.

A) the president

B) the Supreme Court

C) the courts

D) the people

E) Congress

E) Congress

Which of the following is TRUE about the minimum age requirements for members of Congress set forth in the Constitution?

A) The age requirements are the same for the House and the Senate

B) One must be at least 30 years of age to serve in the Senate

C) There are no age requirements for members of Congress

D) One must be at least 21 years of age to serve in the House of Representatives

E) One must be at least 35 years of age to sere in either the House or the Senate

B) One must be at least 30 years of age to serve in the Senate

Caucuses in Congress

A) mobilize votes for favored legislation

B) press committees to hold hearings

C) all of the above

D) push their preferred legislation

C) all of the above

An example of casework by a member of Congress is

A) voting for a bill desired by constituents

B) writing a newsletter to send out to constituents

C) helping a constituent gain citizenship

D) working with a caucus on a public policy that affects his or her constituents

E) all of these

C) helping a constituent gain citizenship