Ch 13

Question 1

Bicameral legislature

Answer 1

A lawmaking body made up of two chambers or parts

Question 2

Filibuster

Answer 2

An attempt to defeat a bill in the senate by talking indefinitely, thus preventing the senate from taking action on the bill

Question 3

Marginal districts

Answer 3

Political districts in which candidates elected to the House of Representatives win in close elections, typically by less than fifty five percent of the vote

Question 4

Safe districts

Answer 4

Districts in which incumbents win by margins of fifty percent or more

Question 5

Conservative coalition

Answer 5

An alliance between republican and conservative democrats

Question 6

Majority leader

Answer 6

The legislative leader elected by party members holding the majority of seats in the house or the senate

Question 7

Minority leader

Answer 7

The legislative leader elected by party members holding a minority of seats in the house of the senate

Question 8

Whip

Answer 8

A senator or representative who helps the party leader stay informed about what party members are thinking

Question 9

Speaker

Answer 9

Residing officer of the House of Representatives and the leader of his or her party in the house

Question 10

Party vote

Answer 10

There are two measures of such voting. By the stricter measure, a party vote occurs when 90% or more of the democrats in either house of congress vote together against 90% or more of the republicans. A looser measure counts as a party vote in any case where at least fifty percent of the democrats vote together against at least 50% of the republicans

Question 11

Standing committees

Answer 11

Permanently established legislative committees that consider and are responsible for legislation within a certain subject area

Question 12

Select committees

Answer 12

Congressional committees appointed for a limited time and purpose

Question 13

Joint committees

Answer 13

Committees on which both senators and representatives serve

Question 14

Conference committee

Answer 14

Joint committees appointed to resolve differences in the senate and house versions of the same bill

Question 15

discharge petition

Answer 15

A device by which any member of the house, after a committee has had the bill for thirty days, may petition to have it brought to the floor

Question 16

Restrictive

Answer 16

An order from the house rules committee that permits kinds of amendments but not others to be made into a bill on the floor

Question 17

Closed rule,

Answer 17

An order from the house rules committee that sets a time limit on debate, forbids a bill from being amended on the floor

Question 18

Open rule

Answer 18

An order from the house rules committee that permits q bill to be amended on the floor

Question 19

Quorum

Answer 19

The min number of members who must be present for business to be conducted in congress

Question 20

Riders

Answer 20

Amendments on matters unrelated to a bill that are added to an important bill so that they will ride to passage through Congress. When a bill has many riders, it is called a Christmas tree bill

Question 21

Cloture rule

Answer 21

A rule used by the senate to end or limit debate

Question 22

Double tracking

Answer 22

A procedure to keep the senate going during a filibuster in which the disputed bill is shelved temporarily so that the senate can get on with other business

Question 23

Voice vote

Answer 23

A congressional voting procedure in which members shout yea or nay to vote quickly and anonymously

Question 24

Division vote

Answer 24

A congressional voting procedure in which members stand and are counted

Question 25

Roll call vote

Answer 25

A congressional voting procedure that consists of members answering yea or nay to their names

Question 26

Teller vote

Answer 26

A congressional voting procedure in which members pass between two tellers, the the yeas first and the nays second

Question 27

Veto

Answer 27

Literally I forbid, it refers to the power of the president to disapprove a bill, it may be overridden by a 2/3s vote of each house of congress

Question 28

Divided government

Answer 28

One party controls the White House and another part controls one or both houses of congress

Question 29

Unified government

Answer 29

Same party controls both the White House and houses of congress

Question 30

Earmarks

Answer 30

Hidden congressional provisions that direct the dfederal government to fund specific projects or that exempt specific persons or groups from paying specific federal taxes or fees

Question 31

Pork barrel legislation

Answer 31

Legislation that gives tangible benefits to constituents in several districts or states in the hope of winning their votes in return

Question 32

Franking privilege

Answer 32

The ability of members to mail letters to their constituents free of charge

Question 33

Partisan polarization so

Answer 33

A vote in which a majority of democratic legislators oppose a majority of the republican legislators.