Question 1

Conference committees are

Accepted Answer

A)   permanent and involve members from both the House and the Senate.
B)   temporary and are created to take up an issue that falls between the jurisdiction of existing committees, to highlight an issue, or to investigate a particular problem.
C)   permanent and have the power to write and propose legislation.
D)   temporary, involve members from both houses of Congress, and are charged with reaching a compromise on legislation once it has been passed by both the House and the Senate.E) None of the above
F) B) and D)

Question 2

Approximately ________ percent of the ________ bills introduced in a typical congressional session die in committee.

Accepted Answer

A)   50; 1,000
B)   85; 1,000
C)   50; 10,000
D)   85; 10,000E) B) and C)
F) A) and D)

Question 3

In recent years, about ________ percent of U.S. House incumbents win re-election.

Accepted Answer

A)   50
B)   66
C)   80
D)   95E) A) and B)
F) None of the above

Question 4

During the past several decades, the ________ and the ________ have benefited most from apportionment.

Accepted Answer

A)   Northeast; Midwest
B)   Northeast; South
C)   South; Midwest
D)   South; WestE) None of the above
F) A) and C)

Question 5

Astroturf lobbying refers to the practice whereby

Accepted Answer

A)   a special interest group simulating a grassroots movement works with well-organized campaigns and petitions.
B)   members of Congress are influenced by large campaign donations.
C)   lobbyists begin to specialize, with narrow areas of professional expertise.
D)   a special interest group pretends to represent the public interest.E) A) and B)
F) B) and D) A

Question 6

In the House of Representatives, virtually all the time allotted by the Rules Committee for debate on a given bill is controlled by the

Accepted Answer

A)   majority leader and the minority leader.
B)   bill's sponsor and its leading opponent.
C)   whip.
D)   Rules Committee chairperson.E) All of the above
F) C) and D)

Question 7

Which of the following statements best describes the representation of women and minorities in the U.S. Congress?

Accepted Answer

A)   Representation of women and minorities has decreased by one-third since the 1970s.
B)   Representation of women and minorities has increased during the past two decades, but is not comparable to their proportions in the general population.
C)   Women are underrepresented in Congress, but there is a disproportionate representation of minorities in Congress.
D)   Since the mid-1990s, the number of women and minorities in Congress roughly reflects their proportions in the general population.E) B) and D)
F) A) and B)

Question 8

The House Rules Committee is important because it

Accepted Answer

A)   is placed in charge of selecting the Speaker of the House.
B)   decides the order in which bills come up for a vote on the House floor and determines the specific rules that govern the length of debate and opportunity for amendments.
C)   reviews all applications regarding the formation of select committees.
D)   determines the jurisdiction of every congressional standing committee.E) C) and D)
F) B) and D)

Question 9

The impeachment process is

Accepted Answer

A)   a nonpartisan exercise.
B)   one where all legislators have a common understanding of the definition of "high crimes and misdemeanors."
C)   a partisan exercise.
D)   carried out entirely by the Senate, and the House has no role to play.E) None of the above
F) A) and C)

Question 10

In 2011,

Accepted Answer

A)   the House of Representatives dramatically increased the number of earmarks in their spending bills, while the Senate dramatically decreased the number of earmarks in their spending bills.
B)   the Senate dramatically increased the number of earmarks in their spending bills, while the House of Representatives dramatically decreased the number of earmarks in their spending bills.
C)   both the House of Representatives and the Senate dramatically increased the number of earmarks in their spending bills.
D)   the House and the Senate agreed to a two-year moratorium on earmarks in spending bills.E) None of the above
F) A) and B) D

Question 11

A senator or representative running for re-election is called the ________.

Accepted Answer

A)   constituent
B)   incumbent
C)   trustee
D)   delegateE) All of the above
F) B) and C)

Question 12

Between 1995 and 2006, the number of congressional earmarks

Accepted Answer

A)   remained the same.
B)   dropped to nearly zero.
C)   nearly doubled.
D)   increased by a factor of 10.E) A) and D)
F) A) and C)

Question 13

Which three factors related to the American electoral system affect who is elected to office in this country and what they do once they get there?

Accepted Answer

A)   party affiliation, family connections, and the substance of issues raised during a campaign
B)   who decides to run for office, incumbency, and the drawing of district lines
C)   incumbency, franking, and party affiliation
D)   military service, professional connections, and religious beliefsE) None of the above
F) C) and D)

Question 14

Which of the following statements is most accurate?

Accepted Answer

A)   Congressional oversight power has increasingly been used as a tool of partisan politics.
B)   The Republican Congress did not aggressively investigate President Bill Clinton.
C)   The Republican Congress aggressively investigated President George W. Bush.
D)   There was an extensive investigation of the abuse of prisoners in Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison.E) C) and D)
F) A) and C) A

Question 15

The president pro tempore of the Senate is usually

Accepted Answer

A)   the minority party leader with the greatest seniority.
B)   the minority party leader with the least seniority.
C)   selected directly by the president.
D)   the majority party member with the greatest seniority.E) C) and D)
F) A) and C)

Question 16

The four joint committees in Congress are

Accepted Answer

A)   economic, taxation, library, and printing.
B)   foreign affairs, welfare, currency, and trade.
C)   globalization, human rights, employment, and citizenship.
D)   justice, agriculture, education, and technology.E) B) and C)
F) A) and B)

Question 17

Why does the House typically have greater party unity than the Senate?

Accepted Answer

A)   Representatives have more partisan constituents than senators.
B)   House leaders have more organizational control over the actions of representatives than Senate leaders.
C)   There is, in fact, no real difference in levels of party unity between the House and the Senate.
D)   Interest groups are less influential in the House than in the Senate.E) A) and B)
F) A) and C)

Question 18

The "sophomore surge" refers to the

Accepted Answer

A)   fact that many members of Congress lose their re-election campaigns after their second term in office.
B)   tendency for college students to intern with their local members of Congress during the summer between their sophomore and junior years in college.
C)   fact that most members of Congress leave office after serving only two years.
D)   tendency for candidates to win a higher percentage of the vote when seeking future terms in office.E) A) and B)
F) A) and C)

Question 19

A formal structure of Congress that exemplifies the need to divide the labor of legislation is the

Accepted Answer

A)   establishment of party whips.
B)   establishment of standing committees.
C)   strict control over floor time in Congress.
D)   establishment of minority and majority leaders.E) A) and B)
F) None of the above

Question 20

The ________ is/are responsible for communicating the leader's wishes to members in Congress.

Accepted Answer

A)   Speaker of the House and the Senate president pro tempore
B)   party whips
C)   party caucuses
D)   Ways and Means CommitteeE) A) and B)
F) B) and C)

Exam 12: Congress

Conference committees are

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Approximately ________ percent of the ________ bills introduced in a typical congressional session die in committee.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

In recent years, about ________ percent of U.S. House incumbents win re-election.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

During the past several decades, the ________ and the ________ have benefited most from apportionment.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Astroturf lobbying refers to the practice whereby

Correct AnswerverifiedA

In the House of Representatives, virtually all the time allotted by the Rules Committee for debate on a given bill is controlled by the

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which of the following statements best describes the representation of women and minorities in the U.S. Congress?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The House Rules Committee is important because it

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The impeachment process is

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

In 2011,

Correct AnswerverifiedD

A senator or representative running for re-election is called the ________.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Between 1995 and 2006, the number of congressional earmarks

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which three factors related to the American electoral system affect who is elected to office in this country and what they do once they get there?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which of the following statements is most accurate?

Correct AnswerverifiedA

The president pro tempore of the Senate is usually

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The four joint committees in Congress are

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Why does the House typically have greater party unity than the Senate?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The "sophomore surge" refers to the

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

A formal structure of Congress that exemplifies the need to divide the labor of legislation is the

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The ________ is/are responsible for communicating the leader's wishes to members in Congress.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

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Approximately percent of the bills introduced in a typical congressional session die in committee.

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During the past several decades, the and the have benefited most from apportionment.

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A

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D

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A

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