Question 1

Which of the following statements about the federal budget is LEAST accurate?

Accepted Answer

A)   While about 25 percent of the federal budget is allocated to nondiscretionary expenditures, most of it can be used to fund any program that Congress desires.
B)   The initial proposed federal budget is drawn up by the White House, not by Congress.
C)   Congressional budget committees consult with representatives of executive agencies to develop a budget resolution.
D)   The process of reconciliation allows Congress to change funding targets for various programs in order to stay within budgetary guidelines.
E)   Congress frequently must resort to continuing resolutions, which allow agencies to continue to operate based on the previous year's budget, until the new budget can be finalized.

Question 2

Not including their many benefits, how much does the average congressperson make each year for his or her congressional service?

Accepted Answer

A)   $50,000
B)   $86,000
C)   $111,000
D)   $174,000
E)   $235,000

Question 3

In 2013, Senate majority leader Harry Reid pushed through a change in the cloture rule to stop filibusters for executive and many judicial nominees by requiring ________ votes to end debate and move to a vote.

Accepted Answer

A)   40
B)   51
C)   60
D)   67
E)   75

Question 4

Joseph "Uncle Joe" Cannon is an example of an exceptionally powerful turn-of-the-century

Accepted Answer

A)   Speaker of the House.
B)   senator.
C)   president.
D)   chief justice.
E)   state governor.

Question 5

Explain the process by which citizens choose their representatives. What resources must one have to win a congressional election? Why are incumbents so hard to unseat? Do the long tenures enjoyed by many congressmen undermine democracy or benefit their constituency?

Accepted Answer

The process by which citizens choose the...

Question 6

What was notable about the Congress elected in 2012?

Accepted Answer

A)   It lost many of its African American representatives.
B)   It elected the first Asian American woman representative.
C)   It drastically increased its percentage of white males.
D)   It saw the number of Hispanic American representatives outnumber African American representatives.
E)   It had the first openly gay senator.

Question 7

What was the most recent conflict in which Congress officially declared war?

Accepted Answer

A)   World War I
B)   World War II
C)   Korean War
D)   Vietnam War
E)   2003 Iraq War

Question 8

Congresspersons who try to balance the desires of interest groups, party leaders, and voters with their own best judgment are said to act as

Accepted Answer

A)   delegates.
B)   trustees.
C)   politicos.
D)   placeholders.
E)   caucuses.

Question 9

In which of the following midterm elections did the president's party lose the most seats?

Accepted Answer

A)   1990
B)   1998
C)   2002
D)   2006
E)   2010

Question 10

The presidencies of Theodore Roosevelt and Franklin Roosevelt are notable for

Accepted Answer

A)   their subservience to Congress.
B)   the equal partnership they forged between Congress and the executive.
C)   their role in expanding executive power.
D)   their unchallenged presidential authority.
E)   their failure to enact any significant legislation.

Question 11

Carol Moseley Braun, the first African American woman to serve in the Senate, came to office in ________.

Accepted Answer

A)   1897
B)   1933
C)   1959
D)   1993
E)   2005

Question 12

In order to secure ratification of a treaty, the president must gain the approval of

Accepted Answer

A)   two-thirds of the Senate.
B)   two-thirds of the House.
C)   two-thirds of both chambers of Congress.
D)   a simple majority of senators.
E)   a simple majority of members of both chambers.

Question 13

Which of the following statements about Congress is LEAST accurate?

Accepted Answer

A)   Congress is a bicameral institution.
B)   The Senate was initially seen as the protector of minority rights against mass opinion.
C)   The House was initially seen as the chief governmental representative of the majority of the people.
D)   Senators' terms of office are three times longer than those of representatives.
E)   When the Constitution was first put into effect, it made senator and representative the only two federal offices that would be elected directly by the people.

Question 14

In 2016, what percentage of incumbent congressional members won their reelection bids?

Accepted Answer

A)   97 percent
B)   70 percent
C)   55 percent
D)   40 percent
E)   25 percent

Question 15

Which of the following statements about majority-minority districts is LEAST accurate?

Accepted Answer

A)   They represent attempts to enhance political participation and representation of minorities.
B)   They redraw district lines so as to enhance the political power of a racial minority group.
C)   Their efficacy has been questioned, as they lead to other districts being more fully dominated by whites.
D)   The Supreme Court has recently made the qualifications for creation of such districts more strict.
E)   Evidence suggests that majority-minority districts contribute to significant declines in white political participation, without any visible increase in minority participation.

Question 16

Which of the following is NOT generally one of the advantages incumbents wield over challengers?

Accepted Answer

A)   Incumbents can send mail to their constituents at the government's expense.
B)   Incumbents are more likely to be able to hide their political leanings to attract a broader base.
C)   Donors tend to contribute more money to incumbents, who seem like a safer bet than challengers.
D)   Incumbents are able to keep themselves in the public eye by making periodic public announcements or initiating new policies.
E)   Incumbents are able to pull strings of government to win the favor of individual constituents.

Question 17

In the decades following Andrew Jackson's presidency, primacy in formulating public policy shifted to the

Accepted Answer

A)   House of Representatives.
B)   Senate.
C)   president.
D)   Supreme Court.
E)   voting public.

Question 18

Nancy Pelosi first served as Speaker of the House in

Accepted Answer

A)   1995.
B)   1999.
C)   2007.
D)   2011.
E)   2013.

Question 19

Explain the process by which legislation is drafted and becomes law. What role do different groups, formal and informal, inside Congress and out, play in the process? Why is the procedure so complicated? What are the drawbacks and advantages of this procedure? Should the legislative process be streamlined?

Accepted Answer

The process by which legislation is draf...

Question 20

Which of the following descriptions best captures the popular view of the Senate in the late nineteenth century?

Accepted Answer

A)   the government body most in tune with the will of the American people
B)   a powerless body that placidly rubber-stamped presidential initiatives
C)   a source of progressive, even radical, policy initiatives
D)   a group of nonpartisan, deliberative elder statesmen
E)   a millionaires' club beholden to party bosses and big business

Exam 11: Congress: Doing the Peoples Business

Not including their many benefits, how much does the average congressperson make each year for his or her congressional service?

Correct Answer
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In 2013, Senate majority leader Harry Reid pushed through a change in the cloture rule to stop filibusters for executive and many judicial nominees by requiring ________ votes to end debate and move to a vote.

Correct Answer
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Correct Answer
Answered by ExamLex AI
The process by which legislation is draf...
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In order to secure ratification of a treaty, the president must gain the approval of

Correct Answer
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In which of the following midterm elections did the president's party lose the most seats?

Correct Answer
verified

Which of the following statements about majority-minority districts is LEAST accurate?

Correct Answer
verified

Which of the following statements about Congress is LEAST accurate?

Correct Answer
verified

Which of the following is NOT generally one of the advantages incumbents wield over challengers?

Correct Answer
verified

Congresspersons who try to balance the desires of interest groups, party leaders, and voters with their own best judgment are said to act as

Correct Answer
verified

In the decades following Andrew Jackson's presidency, primacy in formulating public policy shifted to the

Correct Answer
verified

Which of the following statements about the federal budget is LEAST accurate?

Correct Answer
verified

What was the most recent conflict in which Congress officially declared war?

Correct Answer
verified

In 2016, what percentage of incumbent congressional members won their reelection bids?

Correct Answer
verified

Which of the following descriptions best captures the popular view of the Senate in the late nineteenth century?

Correct Answer
verified

Nancy Pelosi first served as Speaker of the House in

Correct Answer
verified

Joseph "Uncle Joe" Cannon is an example of an exceptionally powerful turn-of-the-century

Correct Answer
verified

Carol Moseley Braun, the first African American woman to serve in the Senate, came to office in ________.

Correct Answer
verified

Explain the process by which citizens choose their representatives. What resources must one have to win a congressional election? Why are incumbents so hard to unseat? Do the long tenures enjoyed by many congressmen undermine democracy or benefit their constituency?

Correct Answer
Answered by ExamLex AI
The process by which citizens choose the...
View Answer

The presidencies of Theodore Roosevelt and Franklin Roosevelt are notable for

Correct Answer
verified

What was notable about the Congress elected in 2012?

Correct Answer
verified

Exam 11: Congress: Doing the Peoples Business

Not including their many benefits, how much does the average congressperson make each year for his or her congressional service?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

In 2013, Senate majority leader Harry Reid pushed through a change in the cloture rule to stop filibusters for executive and many judicial nominees by requiring ________ votes to end debate and move to a vote.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Correct AnswerAnswered by ExamLex AIThe process by which legislation is draf...View AnswerShow Answer

In order to secure ratification of a treaty, the president must gain the approval of

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

In which of the following midterm elections did the president's party lose the most seats?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which of the following statements about majority-minority districts is LEAST accurate?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which of the following statements about Congress is LEAST accurate?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which of the following is NOT generally one of the advantages incumbents wield over challengers?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Congresspersons who try to balance the desires of interest groups, party leaders, and voters with their own best judgment are said to act as

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

In the decades following Andrew Jackson's presidency, primacy in formulating public policy shifted to the

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which of the following statements about the federal budget is LEAST accurate?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

What was the most recent conflict in which Congress officially declared war?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

In 2016, what percentage of incumbent congressional members won their reelection bids?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which of the following descriptions best captures the popular view of the Senate in the late nineteenth century?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Nancy Pelosi first served as Speaker of the House in

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Joseph "Uncle Joe" Cannon is an example of an exceptionally powerful turn-of-the-century

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Carol Moseley Braun, the first African American woman to serve in the Senate, came to office in ________.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Explain the process by which citizens choose their representatives. What resources must one have to win a congressional election? Why are incumbents so hard to unseat? Do the long tenures enjoyed by many congressmen undermine democracy or benefit their constituency?

Correct AnswerAnswered by ExamLex AIThe process by which citizens choose the...View AnswerShow Answer

The presidencies of Theodore Roosevelt and Franklin Roosevelt are notable for

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

What was notable about the Congress elected in 2012?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

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Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
Answered by ExamLex AI
The process by which legislation is draf...
View Answer

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
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Correct Answer
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Correct Answer
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Correct Answer
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Correct Answer
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Correct Answer
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Correct Answer
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Correct Answer
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Correct Answer
Answered by ExamLex AI
The process by which citizens choose the...
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Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
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