Question 1

The manner in which members of the House relate to their districts is called ________.

Accepted Answer

A)   the incumbency advantage
B)   descriptive representation
C)   casework
D)   their home style

Question 2

________ tend to be policy specialists.

Accepted Answer

A)   Members of the U.S. House of Representatives
B)   Members of the U.S. Senate
C)   The speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives and majority leader of the U.S. Senate
D)   The party whips in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate

Question 3

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 4

Before any bill can become a law, the House and Senate must pass identical versions of the bill.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 5

The proliferation of subcommittees in Congress occurred in the ________.

Accepted Answer

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

Question 6

Why did the framers of the Constitution believe that the Senate would be more responsive to national interests than the House?

Accepted Answer

A)   All states were equally represented.
B)   Senators were indirectly elected and served longer terms.
C)   Senators were popularly elected.
D)   All bills would originate in the Senate.

Question 7

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.How...

Question 8

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

Question 9

When determining who will chair a committee, the position usually goes to the member of the majority party with the longest service on the committee. This is an example of the norm of reciprocity.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 10

Redistricting and apportionment do not influence representation of state interests in the Senate.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 11

Generally, Americans

Accepted Answer

A)   approve of the job performance of Congress.
B)   would prefer for their elected senators and representatives to stay in Washington, DC, to get their work done.
C)   would prefer for their elected senators and representatives to spend more time at home.
D)   would prefer for their elected senators and representatives to do less casework.

Question 12

Incumbency safety has ________ in the past two decades.

Accepted Answer

A)   stayed the same
B)   increased
C)   decreased
D)   fluctuated wildly

Question 13

Which one of the following statements is accurate?

Accepted Answer

A)   The Democratic Party has become less cohesive than it was during the 1970s.
B)   Southern Democrats have started to vote more like northern Democrats.
C)   There are more moderates in the Republican Party today than during the 1970s.
D)   The support for the Republican Party in the South was higher in the 1960s than it is today.

Question 14

Members of Congress are primarily guided by a desire to ________, while being subject to the constraints of ________.

Accepted Answer

A)   respond to constituent interests; institutional structures
B)   represent interest groups demands; campaign finance law
C)   pass good policy; having to please voters
D)   make money; campaign finance law

Question 15

What is the difference between distributive and informational theory?

Accepted Answer

Distributive theory is the idea that mem...

Question 16

Members of Congress behave as if voters pay attention to everything they do, because even the smallest issues can be illuminated during reelection campaigns.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 17

Legislative districts are gerrymandered because politicians are trying to draw House districts in a way that gives them a political advantage.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 18

The elastic clause in Article I of the Constitution created a situation in which Congress

Accepted Answer

A)   took a lead role in the early American constitutional system.
B)   was limited in its powers.
C)   had a small set of specific powers that guided its actions in early America.
D)   is no longer relevant in the policy-making process.

Question 19

Which one of the following statements is accurate regarding congressional staff?

Accepted Answer

A)   The size of personal and committee staff in Congress exploded in the 1970s and 1980s.
B)   The size of personal and committee staff in Congress exploded in the early twenty-first century.
C)   The size of personal and committee staff has been constant since World War II.
D)   The size of personal and committee staff had declined a great deal since the Vietnam War.

Question 20

Which one of the following is an example of gerrymandering?

Accepted Answer

A)   placing two incumbents of the same party into one district
B)   keeping districts roughly equal in size
C)   trying to keep a single municipality in a district
D)   ensuring that all parts of a district are connected

Exam 11: Congress

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

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Legislative districts are gerrymandered because politicians are trying to draw House districts in a way that gives them a political advantage.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

When determining who will chair a committee, the position usually goes to the member of the majority party with the longest service on the committee. This is an example of the norm of reciprocity.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Generally, Americans

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Before any bill can become a law, the House and Senate must pass identical versions of the bill.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

What is the difference between distributive and informational theory?

Correct AnswerverifiedDistributive theory is the idea that mem...View AnswerShow Answer

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.How...View AnswerShow Answer

Which one of the following statements is accurate?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The manner in which members of the House relate to their districts is called ________.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Incumbency safety has ________ in the past two decades.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which one of the following is an example of gerrymandering?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The proliferation of subcommittees in Congress occurred in the ________.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which one of the following statements is accurate?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Members of Congress are primarily guided by a desire to ________, while being subject to the constraints of ________.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Members of Congress behave as if voters pay attention to everything they do, because even the smallest issues can be illuminated during reelection campaigns.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Why did the framers of the Constitution believe that the Senate would be more responsive to national interests than the House?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which one of the following statements is accurate regarding congressional staff?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

________ tend to be policy specialists.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Redistricting and apportionment do not influence representation of state interests in the Senate.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The elastic clause in Article I of the Constitution created a situation in which Congress

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

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

Correct Answer
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Distributive theory is the idea that mem...
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Answers will vary by way of response.How...
View Answer

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Members of Congress are primarily guided by a desire to , while being subject to the constraints of .

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