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Each state has __________ senators, each of whom serves a ________-year term.
a. two; four
b. two; six
c. four; two
d. four; four
b. two; six
The Constitutional Convention decided on what form of legislature?
a. bicameral
b. direct
c. unified
d. unicameral
a. bicameral
In the House of Representatives, who is second in authority to the Speaker of the House?
a. majority leader
b. majority whip
c. minority leader
d. president pro tempore
a. majority leader
Members of Congress are generally __________ than the general population.
a. less partisan
b. less well paid
c. happier
d. wealthier
d. wealthier
__________ is a good example of congressional casework.
a. Analysis of an incumbent's policy positions prior to a debate
b. Analysis of water quality within a district
c. Helping a constituent with the Veterans Administration
d. Giving political speeches at a political party
c. Helping a constituent with the Veterans Administration
The pork barrel may aid the district of a member of Congress by ________.
a. diverting unallocated funds to another government agency
b. increasing jobs and revenue with federally funded projects
c. increasing revenue through private market investment
d. taxing corporations less so they provide health insurance for employees
b. increasing jobs and revenue with federally funded projects
The English politician and philosopher Edmund Burke advocated the concept of legislators as __________ who use their best judgment to make policy in the interests of the people.
a. delegates
b. trustees
c. partisans
d. politicos
b. trustees
Whips serve what function?
a. to act as official spokespersons for their chambers
b. to help the Speaker schedule proposed legislation for debate
c. to meet with members of the executive cabinet
d. to persuade party members to support the party's priorities
d. to persuade party members to support the party's priorities
A filibuster can be ended through __________; it requires the approval of __________ senators.
a. abrogation; fifty-one
b. censure; fifty-five
c. cloture; sixty
d. discharge; sixty-seven
c. cloture; sixty
Which of the following is an advantage congressional incumbents posses in seeking reelection over challengers?
a. outsider status
b. financial support from the federal government campaign fund
c. progressive taxes
d. the franking privilege
d. the franking privilege
Members of the House are apportioned to states based on _________. They serve __________-year terms.
a. equal representation by state; four
b. equal representation by state; six
c. population; two
d. population; four
c. population; two
Which incumbency advantage involves efforts to highlight an incumbent's service to individuals and to the district?
a. visibility
b. credit claiming
c. lobbying
d. position taking
b. credit claiming
The __________ makes 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. Congressional Research Service
c. House Ways and Means Committee
d. Senate Banking Committee
a. Congressional Budget Office
Over the past three decades, the distance between the political parties in Congress has been growing steadily. As the parties have pulled apart ideologically, they also have become more _________ internally.
a. libertarian
b. diverse
c. collegial
d. homogeneous
d. homogeneous
A __________ is a group of members of Congress who share some interest or characteristic; its goal is to promote the interests around which it is formed.
a. caucus
b. colloquium
c. committee
d. conference
a. caucus
__________ committees exist in both the House and Senate, may be temporary or permanent, and usually have a specific focus.
a. Ways and means
b. Caucus
c. Select
d. Steering
c. Select
Party leaders from the two chambers of Congress sometimes use _______ legislation that addresses numerous and perhaps unrelated issues to create winning coalitions and force members to
support the entire bill to obtain the individual parts.
a. ad hoc
b. conference
c. orthodox
d. omnibus
d. omnibus
The vice president of the United States is the ceremonial leader of the Senate, but he or she has little real leadership responsibilities. The leader of the Senate responsible for the brunt of the work of the
majority party is the __________.
a. majority leader
b. Senate chairperson
c. president of the Senate
d. Speaker
a. majority leader
Most of the work of Congress goes on in __________.
a. recess
b. committees
c. conferences
d. hearings
b. committees
To increase turnover in the membership of Congress, some reformers have proposed __________ for representatives and senators.
a. term limits
b. credit claiming
c. franking privileges
d. incumbency
a. term limits
Of the following groups, which is most underrepresented in Congress?
a. African Americans
b. whites
c. Hispanics
d. women.
d. women
What is the vice president's only constitutionally defined job?
a. to look after the "Good and the Welfare of We the People"
b. to represent the president at official state functions
c. to preside over the Electoral College
d. to serve as president of the Senate
d. to serve as president of the Senate
What is substantive representation?
a. representing groups that provide subsistence for their campaign coffers and not for their policy preferences
b. representing the interests of groups of which they themselves are not members
c. representing people and interests that they like personally by voting for legislation that benefits those people
d. representing constituents by mirroring
b. representing the interests of groups of which they themselves are not members
The __________ is the only House official mandated by the
Constitution.
a. majority leader
b. majority whip
c. Sergeant-at-Arms
d. Speaker of the House
d. Speaker of the House
In the House of Representatives, a bill goes to the Rules Committee ________.
a. after it goes to a conference committee
b. after it is approved by its full committee
c. after it is debated in the full House
d. before it is amended or rewritten in its full committee
b. after it is approved by its full committee
One thing that helps incumbents win reelection is __________, which might include federal spending projects benefitting state and local governments, businesses, colleges, and other institutions in a congressional district.
a. apportionment
b. casework
c. the pork barrel
d. logrolling
c. the pork barrel
_________ is defined as the activities of members of Congress that help individual constituents, particularly by cutting through bureaucratic red tape.
a. Gains from trade
b. Casework
c. Logrolling
d. The pork barrel
b. Casework
A committee created to reconcile differences in versions of a bill passed by the House and Senate is called a(n) __________ committee.
a. arbitration
b. conference
c. standing
d. appropriations
b. conference
Congress missed the fact that various agencies with responsibility for supervising the banking industry were negligent in identifying looming financial problems that led to the recession of 2008-2009. This suggests a failure of __________.
a. the seniority system
b. jurisdiction fragmentation
c. oversight
d. the informal organization of Congress
c. oversight
Because Congress is __________, it is fairly open to interest group influence.
a. professionalized
b. complex
c. decentralized
d. hierarchical
c. decentralized
When is lobbying more likely to be successful?
a. when lobbying against change
b. when lobbying for an environmental group
c. immediately before an election
d. immediately after an election
a. when lobbying against change
Whose job is it to convey the party's position to rank-and-file congresspersons, keep vote counts, pressure waverers, and report the views and complaints of the House to the party leadership?
a. committee chairperson
b. majority leader
c. whip
d. Speaker of the House
c. whip
Which statement about incumbency is most accurate?
a. Incumbents have a significant reelection advantage.
b. Incumbents are prohibited from accepting campaign
contributions from interest group members.
c. Incumbents only leave office when pressured by party leadership.
d. Incumbents only leave office when they are involved in a scandal
a. Incumbents have a significant reelection advantage
Why might incumbents want to deemphasize their policy positions during a reelection campaign?
a. Voters do not like feeling patronized by discussing policies they are already fully aware of.
b. Stressing policy positions can make enemies as well as friends.
c. Stressing policy positions makes voters more uncertain about where the candidate stands on important issues.
d. Having clear policy positions makes it harder to attract campaign contributions from interest groups.
b. Stressing policy positions can make enemies as well as friends
Which example best demonstrates a legislator acting as a trustee of his or her constituency?
a. A legislator uses his or her best judgment.
b. A legislator does whatever is best for his or her reelection.
c. A legislator follows the public opinion of his or her
constituency.
d. A legislator does what is in the best interest of his or her party.
a. A legislator uses his or her best judgment.
In the 2011-2012 election cycle, how much money did the average winning House candidate spend?
a. $1.6 million
b. $23 million
c. $200 million
d. $1 billion
a. $1.6 million
How are Senate committee chairs generally selected?
a. by voters
b. according to seniority
c. according to age
d. according to tact and decorum
b. according to seniority
The Constitution specifies that members of the House must be at least __________ years old and American citizens for at least _________ years.
a. 25; 7
b. 25; 10
c. 30; 9
d. 35; 14
a. 25; 7
What best represents the trend of party polarization over the last three decades?
a. The parties have become less polarized because more and more voters are opting to become independents.
b. Both Republicans and Democrats have become more liberal.
c. While members of Congress have not become more extreme, ordinary citizens have.
d. Each congressional party has become more homogeneous, and the distance between parties has increased.
d. Each congressional party has become more homogeneous, and the distance between parties has increased.
Why did the government shut down in 2013?
a. Congressional Democrats and Republicans could not agree on a budget.
b. The government shut down because each party wanted to take credit for addressing the ensuing crisis.
c. The government shut down in order to save money.
d. Members of Congress forgot to pass the budget.
a. Congressional Democrats and Republicans could not agree on a budget.
