Deck 6: Congress: The First Branch

Question 1

The incumbency advantage makes it harder for women to increase their numbers in Congress.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Incumbency plays a very important role in the kind of representation citizens get in Washington.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Most challengers are able to outspend their incumbent opponents.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

In recent elections, over 90 percent of House incumbents running for another term have been reelected.

Question 5

Part of the reason incumbents are so successful at reelection is that they scare off potential challengers.

Question 6

Members of Congress avoid recommending spending that benefits their home district, focusing instead on spending that benefits the country as a whole.

Question 7

Members of Congress rarely pay attention to the interests of their constituency.

Question 8

The U.S. Congress is a bicameral legislature.

Question 9

Constituents are a legislative agent's only principals.

Question 10

A representative who votes according to the preferences of his or her constituency acts as a delegate.

Question 11

Since most incumbents are male, the number of females in Congress has grown slowly.

Question 12

The incumbency advantage tends to preserve the status quo in Congress.

Question 13

Members of the House serve longer terms than members of the Senate.

Question 14

Modern candidates decide for themselves whether and when to run for office.

Question 15

The Senate was originally designed to maximize the input of citizens.

Question 16

The U.S. Congress is able to serve simultaneously as a representative assembly and a powerful agency of government.

Question 17

Since its inception, the U.S. Congress has been a very professional legislature.

Question 18

Women who run for open congressional seats are just as likely to win as male candidates.

Question 19

Because of many campaign finance regulations passed to level the playing field, the gap between incumbent and challenger spending has narrowed considerably over the past quarter century.

Question 20

A representative who votes based on what he or she thinks is best for his or her constituency acts as a trustee.

Question 21

Redistricting can give an advantage to one party by separating groups of similar voters into two or more districts.

Question 22

Most bills considered by Congress each year are vetoed by the president.

Question 23

Congressional committees always do exactly what their parent chamber wishes.

Question 24

Party leaders generally have greater strength when the party is more heterogeneous because members want strong leadership to pull the party together.

Question 25

Legislators tend to be drawn from the same class of society, and therefore have similar policy preferences and priorities.

Question 26

Legislators rarely see success of their policy proposals on the merits of the policy; instead, they must cooperate and compromise.

Question 27

Legislators may trade votes to have more influence on issues in which they have intense interests.

Question 28

The difference between what a principal would like an agent to do and what the agent actually does is called agency loss.

Question 29

Redistricting can give an advantage to one party by clustering votes with some ideological or sociological characteristics in a single district.

Question 30

Congressional leaders gain favor with members by raising funds for their own leadership PACs and redistributing the funds to other legislators.

Question 31

Within each Congressional party there is wide disagreement over which issues should be on the agenda and how major legislation should be written.

Question 32

The president pro tempore is the most powerful member of the Senate.

Question 33

After policies are passed, Congress does not need to spend much time overseeing implementation of the policies.

Question 34

Members of Congress form informal caucuses to advance the interests of the groups around policy interests or social characteristics.

Question 35

The way congressional district lines are drawn has little effect on the outcome of an election.

Question 36

Legislators who vote against their party's positions risk expulsion from Congress.

Question 37

In the U.S. House of Representatives, members can speak as long as they wish on any topic.

Question 38

In the U.S. House of Representatives, the Speaker refers every bill introduced by a member to a standing committee.

Question 39

Parties are only a minor feature of the organization of Congress.

Question 40

Legislators are unsure how pieces of legislation will affect policy outcomes.

Question 41

Voting in the U.S. House and Senate has become more partisan since 1970.

Question 42

A representative who voted to limit greenhouse gas emissions because she thought it was in the best interest of the country even though her constituency did not support that action exemplifies a __________ style of representation.

A)trustee
B)delegate
C)plebiscitary
D)jurisprudential

Question 43

One of the few national representative assemblies in the world that can actually be said to govern is the

A)National Diet of Japan.
B)Russian Duma.
C)British House of Commons.
D)United States Congress.

Question 44

The type of representation in which constituents hold representatives accountable if they fail to represent the constituents properly is known as __________ representation.

A)constrictive
B)bicameral
C)runaway
D)agency

Question 45

Representatives who believe that they were elected in order to mirror the preferences of those who sent them to the legislature are considered to be serving as

A)trustees.
B)politicos.
C)delegates.
D)tools.

Question 46

Members of Congress may act as delegates or trustees, but they must win the next election to pursue either role. Legislators seeking reelection as a precondition to other goals is an example of which type of action?

A)agency representation
B)collective action
C)instrumental behavior
D)experiential behavior

Question 47

The president of the United States can directly introduce legislation in Congress.

Question 48

The agency conception of representation is based on the ambition of politicians (as agents) and the ability of constituents (as principals) to

A)contribute significantly to campaign funds.
B)become fully informed about policy debates before Congress.
C)acquiesce to legislative initiatives that may counter citizens' immediate interests.
D)reward and punish on the basis of the legislator's performance and reputation.

Question 49

Representatives who believe that they have been selected by their fellow citizens in order to do what the legislator thinks is "right" act as

A)delegates.
B)politicos.
C)guardians.
D)trustees.

Question 50

Leaders in the House have greater control over the agenda and debate compared to leaders in the Senate. Which principle of politics best explains this difference?

A)institution principle
B)collective action principle
C)policy principle
D)history principle

Question 51

If a senator uses the filibuster, there is no way to stop him or her.

Question 52

Agency representation is similar to the relationship between

A)seller and buyer.
B)parent and child.
C)landlord and tenant.
D)lawyer and client.

Question 53

Which political institution in the American system of government did the framers intend to be the closest to the people?

A)the Senate
B)the president
C)the House of Representatives
D)the Supreme Court

Question 54

When a senator voted against a gun control bill that he agreed with but that his constituency opposed, he exemplified a _________ style of representation.

A)trustee
B)delegate
C)plebiscitary
D)platonic

Question 55

Under Senate rules, members have a virtually unlimited ability to propose amendments to a pending bill.

Question 56

What is one way in which the Founders designed the Senate to be more distant from the will of the majority than the House?

A)Senators have longer terms than House members.
B)There are more senators than members of the House.
C)Senators have shorter terms than members of the House.
D)Senators have higher salaries than members of the House.

Question 57

Members of Congress owe their primary responsibility to

A)their political party.
B)their constituency.
C)the congressional leadership.
D)campaign donors.

Question 58

Executive agreements require the Senate's advice and consent.

Question 59

The citizens in the district that makes up the area from which an official is elected are collectively known as his or her

A)home turf.
B)reelection base.
C)terra firma.
D)constituency.

Question 60

At least _____ of the Senate must vote to approve a treaty in order for it to be officially ratified.

A)a plurality
B)a majority
C)three-fourths
D)two-thirds

Question 61

Perhaps the most important factor determining who runs for Congress is

A)local party officials.
B)national party leaders.
C)incumbent politicians.
D)candidates' personal ambitions.

Question 62

In recent years, the rate of reelection for representatives seeking to return to service in the U.S. House of Representatives has been about __________ percent.

A)35
B)55
C)75
D)90

Question 63

Compared to the House of Representatives, the Senate is much more

A)specialized.
B)centralized.
C)deliberative.
D)partisan.

Question 64

Which term describes the direct services and benefits that congressional representatives provide for their districts, such as appointing supporters to government offices or conferring grants and licenses to constituents?

A)patronage
B)incumbency
C)franking privilege
D)sponsorships

Question 65

Compared to the Senate, the House of Representatives has exhibited considerably more

A)ideological unity.
B)intense partisanship.
C)willingness to compromise.
D)deliberation of issues.

Question 66

A professional legislature is one with members who

A)are assisted by paid staff.
B)must meet strict requirements to run for office.
C)have professional positions outside of public service.
D)serve full-time for multiple terms.

Question 67

Legislation that captures federal projects and funds for a congressional representative's own district is described as __________ legislation.

A)monkey-barrel
B)pickle-barrel
C)whiskey-barrel
D)pork-barrel

Question 68

Which term best describes a legislative assembly, such as the Congress, that is divided into two chambers or houses?

A)bipolar
B)bicameral
C)bilateral
D)bipartisan

Question 69

Compared to members of the House of Representatives, most senators serve constituencies that are

A)larger and more diverse.
B)smaller and more diverse.
C)smaller and more homogeneous.
D)larger and more homogeneous.

Question 70

How often do voters elect members to the House of Representatives?

A)every year
B)every two years
C)every four years
D)every six years

Question 71

Compared to the Senate, the small size and relative homogeneity of House districts, combined with more frequent elections, make House members

A)more likely to work on a broad range of legislative issues.
B)less likely to travel back home to visit with constituents.
C)especially responsive to cues from party leaders.
D)especially responsive to the legislative needs of local interest groups.

Question 72

Why does the Senate tend to be a more deliberative body than the House?

A)The Senate has more rules governing the lawmaking process.
B)The Senate has a strong commitment to the principle of unlimited debate.
C)The Senate is more centralized and organized.
D)The Senate has more members and thus a more diverse set of views.

Question 73

How long is the term of office for a U.S. senator?

A)two years
B)four years
C)six years
D)life

Question 74

How many members are in the U.S. House of Representatives?

A)100
B)350
C)435
D)535

Question 75

What is the minimum age required to serve as a member of the House of Representatives?

A)21
B)25
C)30
D)35

Question 76

Article I of the Constitution specifies that the House of Representatives must originate all legislation on which topic?

A)taxes and spending
B)national defense
C)immigration
D)elections

Question 77

What is the general term for providing minor services to constituents, introducing bills for specific citizens, and attempting to influence decisions by agencies and regulatory commissions on their behalf?

A)pork barreling
B)constituency service (casework)
C)glad-handing
D)gerrymandering

Question 78

What is the minimum age required to serve as a U.S. senator?

A)21
B)25
C)30
D)35

Question 79

Running to keep a political office that one already holds is called

A)rank.
B)tenure.
C)incumbency.
D)seniority.

Question 80

How many members are in the U.S. Senate?

A)100
B)102
C)350
D)435