Deck 12: Congress

Question 1

Impeachment is

A) Restricted to illegal actions by government officials
B) Always ensues from illegal activity by government officials
C) More common than acknowledged by conventional wisdom
D) None of the above

Answer 1

None of the above

Question 2

The Vice President of the United States

A) Is an essential participant in the day-to-day workings of the US Senate
B) Exercises greatest power when issuing a tie-breaking vote in the Senate
C) Is considered a valued Senate "insider"
D) None of the above

Answer 2

Exercises greatest power when issuing a tie-breaking vote in the Senate

Question 3

The filibuster in the Senate

A) Is exercised exclusively by marathon debate on the Senate floor
B) Is regularly challenged by out-party members of Congress
C) Can be overridden by exercising the "nuclear option"
D) Is a long-standing Senate tradition that will never be overturned

Answer 3

Can be overridden by exercising the "nuclear option"

Question 4

Congress's primary responsibilities include

A) Passing laws
B) Overseeing government agencies
C) Responding to constituent needs
D) All of these

Question 5

Congressional representation is about

A) Responding to constituents' needs
B) Informing the public about the major issues facing the country
C) Both a and b
D) Neither a not b

Question 6

Secondary functions of Congress include all of the following EXCEPT

A) Increasing their own visibility through perks
B) Seating and disciplining members
C) Helping select leaders in the executive branch
D) Impeaching and trying executive and judicial officials

Question 7

Serving in Congress shifted to being a career in the

A) Late 1900s
B) Mid 1900s
C) Early 1900s
D) Early 2000s

Question 8

Members of Congress

A) Have heavy workloads
B) Have to balance competing interests
C) Have staff to do all their work
D) Both a and b

Question 9

The U.S. Congress has _____ chamber(s)

A) One
B) Two
C) Three
D) Four

Question 10

Congress's major purposes include

A) Representing different interests
B) Fostering deliberative, careful lawmaking
C) Both a and b
D) Neither a nor b

Question 11

__________ are the core organizational feature of Congress

A) Arguments
B) Debates
C) Committees
D) Conferences

Question 12

Standing committees

A) Are permanent panels
B) Research proposed legislation
C) Revise proposed legislation for debate on the floor
D) All of the above

Question 13

Senate committees with more prestige include all of the following EXCEPT

A) Finance
B) Appropriations
C) Foreign Relations
D) Rules

Question 14

House committees with more prestige are all of the following EXCEPT

A) Ways and Means
B) Armed Services
C) Energy and Commerce
D) Appropriations

Question 15

A _________ can be defined as a deliberative council that has the authority to make and repeal laws

A) Congress
B) Legislature
C) Senate
D) None of these

Question 16

Congress is a

A) Representative and policymaking institution
B) Policymaking and functional institution
C) Functional and representative institution
D) Dysfunctional but representative institution

Question 17

Lawmaking includes

A) Passing laws
B) Overseeing government administration of the law
C) Both a and b
D) Neither a nor b

Question 18

The policymaking process includes which of the following steps

A) Agenda setting
B) Policy implementation
C) Policy evaluation
D) All of these

Question 19

Legislative oversight tools include all of the following EXCEPT

A) Creating or abolishing executive branch agencies
B) Confirm or not confirm low level employees in the bureaucracy
C) Provide or withhold funding for government programs
D) Confirm or not confirm presidential appointments

Question 20

All of the following are types of responsiveness in representation EXCEPT

A) Allocation
B) Service
C) Spending
D) Policy

Question 21

Service responsiveness is exemplified in

A) Distributive benefits
B) Casework
C) Pork-barrel benefits
D) None of these

Question 22

Fenno (1978) refers to the style of activities Members of Congress engage in while signaling that they are still representative of their community values as

A) Class style
B) Home style
C) Behavioral style
D) Social style

Question 23

_________ responsiveness is the use of political symbols to generate trust and support among voters.

A) Allocation
B) Symbolic
C) Sensational
D) Patriotic

Question 24

Fenno (1978) found _____ concentric circles of constituencies with varying needs.

A) Three
B) Four
C) Five
D) No

Question 25

The following are models of representation EXCEPT

A) Politico
B) Responsive
C) Trustee
D) Delegate

Question 26

According to Fenno (1966), there are certain norms that Congressional members must follow. These include

A) Apprenticeship
B) Deference
C) Reciprocity
D) All of these

Question 27

Rational choice theory provides all the following models for understanding congressional behavior EXCEPT

A) The distributive model
B) The partisan model
C) The informational model
D) The patriotic model

Question 28

Impeachment means

A) To kick out of office
B) To charge or accuse
C) To indict for a crime
D) All of these

Question 29

Congress can do all of the following to other members of Congress EXCEPT

A) Expulsion
B) Censure and reprisal
C) Exclude
D) Congress can do all of these things

Question 30

About what percentage of members of Congress are lawyers?

A) 20%
B) 40%
C) 50%
D) 75%

Question 31

Why are so many legislators lawyers?

A) They have strong argumentation skills
B) The have the time to become members of Congress
C) They seek the power of being in Congress
D) All of these

Question 32

The main competitors to lawyers for congressional seats are

A) Agriculturalists
B) Business persons
C) Educators
D) Scientists

Question 33

According to Hibbing (1991), the longer a legislator is in Congress, the _______ attention s/he pays to constituent needs and demands.

A) Less
B) More
C) Same
D) It depends

Question 34

The best word to describe the daily life of a legislator is

A) Boring
B) Brutal
C) Busy
D) Amusing

Question 35

Members of Congress can hire up to ______ staff.

A) 12
B) 18
C) 24
D) 8

Question 36

Franking is

A) Sending mail that involves official business without postage
B) Eating hot dogs on a regular basis
C) Using taxpayer dollars to send out reelection materials
D) None of the above

Question 37

There are ________ major differences between the Senate and the House.

A) Four
B) Two
C) Three
D) Five

Question 38

Passing legislation is like

A) Baking a cake
B) Running an obstacle course
C) Peeling onions
D) None of these.

Question 39

The "nuclear option" is a parliamentary procedure to end filibusters on nominations with a simple majority vote.

Question 40

Since the 1970s, filibuster activity in the Senate has been increasing.

Question 41

Congressional committee assignments and leadership positions cannot be revoked without impeachment.

Question 42

Although there are more minorities and women in Congress today than in earlier decades, membership does not reflect the diversity of today's American citizens.

Question 43

In the nineteenth century it was common for Representatives to serve more than 10 years.

Question 44

Passing a law is complex and the process favors those who want to pass the law.

Question 45

Americans generally don't like Congress, but they like their representatives.

Question 46

The president is expected to take the lead in initiating policy proposals.

Question 47

Representation is a complex relationship that involves responding to constituent need and demands.

Question 48

All forms of representational responsiveness provide tangible goods.

Question 49

Edmund Burke argued that representatives should be delegates and follow the will of their constituents.

Question 50

According the Alexis de Tocqueville, the U.S. Congress is vulgar in that it focuses on what is popular, rather than what has significant merit.

Question 51

In discussing home style and constituency, how would you describe your representatives and yourself in reference to them?

Question 52

Consider a controversial issue Congress has recently grappled with. Which theoretical model do you think does a better job of explaining the choices made by members of Congress?

Question 53

Are members of Congress paid too much? What would be the consequences of paying them too little or not at all?