Question 1

Which one of the following statements best characterizes public attitudes toward Congress?

Accepted Answer

A)   Americans like their own legislators but not Congress.
B)   Americans like Congress better than they like the president.
C)   Americans look to Congress first in times of crisis.
D)   Americans trust members of Congress to work together in the best interests of the nation.

Question 2

The Senate was created by the framers to check the passions of the House.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 3

Political parties

Accepted Answer

A)   fracture the legislative process.
B)   provide brand recognition for their members.
C)   have absolute control over how their members vote.
D)   make it impossible to get anything done in the U.S. Congress.

Question 4

Discuss the conventional way that a bill becomes a law in Congress. Be sure to highlight any substantive differences between the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Accepted Answer

Answers will vary by way of response. Ho...

Question 5

Congress members' home styles

Accepted Answer

A)   are consistent across the country.
B)   vary across the country.
C)   are consistent in the U.S. House but not in the U.S. Senate.
D)   are consistent in the U.S. Senate but not in the U.S. House.

Question 6

Becoming a committee chair is not usually a function of seniority.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 7

What is it called when Congress is unable to pass important legislation because of partisan conflict?

Accepted Answer

A)   gridlock
B)   whipping
C)   gerrymandering
D)   filibustering

Question 8

The enumerated powers of Congress can be found in ________.

Accepted Answer

A)   the Federalist Papers
B)   Article I of the Constitution
C)   Article II of the Constitution
D)   Article III of the Constitution

Question 9

Unanimous consent agreements

Accepted Answer

A)   are only used in the U.S. House.
B)   are only used in the U.S. Senate.
C)   are used by the Speaker of the House to control the legislative process.
D)   are used by the justices of the Supreme Court as they deem appropriate.

Question 10

A typical U.S. senator

Accepted Answer

A)   knows at least a little about many different policy issues.
B)   knows a lot about one or two policy issues but not much about others.
C)   is a policy specialist by definition.
D)   is likely to be appointed committee assignments based strictly on politics.

Question 11

Why is the filibuster an important legislative strategy for the minority party?

Accepted Answer

A)   It forces every member of the Senate to speak about the bill.
B)   It gives the majority party time to change key provisions in the bill before the vote.
C)   It allows the minority party to stop legislation with as few as 50 votes.
D)   It allows the minority party to stop legislation with as few as 41 votes.

Question 12

The proliferation of subcommittees in Congress occurred in the ________.

Accepted Answer

A)   1890s
B)   1930s
C)   1970s
D)   2000s

Question 13

Which one of the following statements is accurate?

Accepted Answer

A)   The U.S. House has the power to impeach.
B)   The U.S. Senate has the power of the purse.
C)   The U.S. Senate is not part of the impeachment process.
D)   Only one president, Bill Clinton, has been impeached to date.

Question 14

Congressional incumbents

Accepted Answer

A)   always win reelection to another term.
B)   almost always win reelection to another term.
C)   are reelected about 50 percent of the time.
D)   are reelected only about 33 percent of the time due to the dismal approval rating of Congress as an institution.

Question 15

There is a persistent ________ gap between approval ratings for individual members of Congress and for the institution as a whole.

Accepted Answer

A)   5 to 10 percent
B)   20 to 25 percent
C)   30 to 40 percent
D)   60 to 70 percent

Question 16

Which one of the following is a power that party leaders in the U.S. House and U.S. Senate can use to influence the legislative process?

Accepted Answer

A)   forcing members of the party to cast ballots in a particular way
B)   the ability to control the timing of when bills come up for a vote
C)   control over who can run for office under the party label
D)   the ability to influence the redistricting process

Question 17

A ________ committee is created temporarily to deal with a specific policy topic, while a ________ committee is created to resolve differences between U.S. House and U.S. Senate versions of the same bill.

Accepted Answer

A)   joint; standing
B)   conference; select
C)   standing; joint
D)   select; conference

Question 18

When members of Congress wait until there is a crisis such as a natural disaster before acting to address problems in the bureaucracy, they are engaged in ________.

Accepted Answer

A)   fire alarm oversight
B)   judicial oversight
C)   advice and consent oversight
D)   police patrol oversight

Question 19

The term substantive representation refers to ________, while the term descriptive representation refers to ________.

Accepted Answer

A)   representing constituents from a distance; having a mandate directly from voters
B)   shared traits between members and constituents; members serving constituent interests
C)   members serving constituent interests; shared traits between members and constituents
D)   having a mandate directly from voters; representing constituents from a distance

Question 20

Legislators who make public statements demonstrating how they share priorities with the groups in their district are engaged in ________.

Accepted Answer

A)   position taking
B)   credit claiming
C)   descriptive representation
D)   gerrymandering

Exam 10: Congress

Congress members' home styles

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Why is the filibuster an important legislative strategy for the minority party?

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Discuss the conventional way that a bill becomes a law in Congress. Be sure to highlight any substantive differences between the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Correct AnswerverifiedAnswers will vary by way of response. Ho...View AnswerShow Answer

Unanimous consent agreements

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Becoming a committee chair is not usually a function of seniority.

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The proliferation of subcommittees in Congress occurred in the ________.

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The Senate was created by the framers to check the passions of the House.

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A typical U.S. senator

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Legislators who make public statements demonstrating how they share priorities with the groups in their district are engaged in ________.

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The enumerated powers of Congress can be found in ________.

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The term substantive representation refers to ________, while the term descriptive representation refers to ________.

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There is a persistent ________ gap between approval ratings for individual members of Congress and for the institution as a whole.

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Which one of the following statements is accurate?

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When members of Congress wait until there is a crisis such as a natural disaster before acting to address problems in the bureaucracy, they are engaged in ________.

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Which one of the following is a power that party leaders in the U.S. House and U.S. Senate can use to influence the legislative process?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Political parties

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Which one of the following statements best characterizes public attitudes toward Congress?

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A ________ committee is created temporarily to deal with a specific policy topic, while a ________ committee is created to resolve differences between U.S. House and U.S. Senate versions of the same bill.

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What is it called when Congress is unable to pass important legislation because of partisan conflict?

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Congressional incumbents

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The term substantive representation refers to , while the term descriptive representation refers to .

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A committee is created temporarily to deal with a specific policy topic, while a committee is created to resolve differences between U.S. House and U.S. Senate versions of the same bill.

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