Chapter 10 Quiz

Question 1

What is reapportionment

Answer 1

The assigning by Congress of congressional seats after each census. State legislators reapportion state legislative districts

Question 2

What is redistricting

Answer 2

Read drawing of congressional and other legislative district lines following the census to accommodate population shifts to keep districts as equal as possible and population

Question 3

What is gerrymandering

Answer 3

The drawing of legislative district boundaries to benefit a party group or incident

Question 4

What are the two types of gerrymandering

Answer 4

Cracking and packing

Question 5

What is cracking

Answer 5

A type of gerrymandering which the majority party uses to break a stronger minority party district line into pieces to be merged with other districts thereby reducing the minority party strength in that one district

Question 6

What is packing

Answer 6

A type of gerrymandering which merges pieces of the majority party in its weak districts into a single strong district

Question 7

What is safe seat

Answer 7

An elected official that is predictably one by one party or the other so the success of that party’s candidate is almost taken for granted

Question 8

What is incubate

Answer 8

The current holder of elected office

Question 9

What are earmarks

Answer 9

Special spending projects that are set aside on behalf of individual members of Congress for the constituents

Question 10

What is bicameralism

Answer 10

The principle of the two house legislator

Question 11

What is enumerated powers

Answer 11

The powers explicitly given to Congress in the constitution

Question 12

What is the speaker

Answer 12

The receding officer in the House of Representatives, formally elected by the house but selected by the majority party

Question 13

What is the party caucus

Answer 13

A meeting of the members of a party in a legislative chamber to select party leaders and to develop a party policy

Question 14

What is the majority leader

Answer 14

Legislative leader selected by the majority party who helps plan party strategy, confers with other party leaders and tries to keep members of the party in line

Question 15

Minority leader

Answer 15

The legislative leader selected by the minority party as a spokesperson for the opposition

Question 16

Whip

Answer 16

The party leader who is the liaison between the leadership and the rank and file in the legislator

Question 17

Closed rule

Answer 17

A procedural rules in the house of representatives that prohibits any amendments to bills or provides that only members of the committee reporting to build the offer amendments

Question 18

Open rule

Answer 18

A procedural rules in the house of representatives that permits floor amendments with in the overall time allocated to the bill

Question 19

President pro tem

Answer 19

An officer of the senate selected by the majority party to act as a chair in the absence of the vice president

Question 20

Filibuster

Answer 20

The procedural practice in the Senate whereby a Saturday refuses to relinquish the floor and thereby Delies proceedings and prevents a vote on a controversial issue

Question 21

Cloture

Answer 21

A procedure for terminating debate, especially filibusters, in the Senate

Question 22

Standing committee

Answer 22

A permanent committee established in a legislator usually focusing on a policy area

Question 23

Special or select committee

Answer 23

A congressional committee created for a specific purpose sometimes to conduct an investigation

Question 24

Joint committee

Answer 24

A committee composed of members of both the House of Representatives and the Senate: such committees oversee the Library of Congress and conduct investigations

Question 25

Seniority rule

Answer 25

Legislative practice that assigns the chair of the committee or subcommittee to the member of the majority party with the longest continuous service on the committee

Question 26

Conference committee

Answer 26

A committee appointed by the proceeding officers of each chamber to adjust differences on a particular bill passed by each in different form

Question 27

Markup

Answer 27

Modifications or adding amendments to its version of the bill

Question 28

Discharge petition

Answer 28

A petition that if signed by a majority of the members of the House of Representatives will try a bill from committee and bring it to the floor for consideration

Question 29

Rider

Answer 29

A provision attached to a bill to which it may or may not be related in order to secure its passage or defeat

Question 30

Pocket veto

Answer 30

A veto exercised by the president after Congress has a Jorn: if the president takes no action for 10 days the bill does not become law and it is not returned to Congress for a possible override

Question 31

Override

Answer 31

And action taken by Congress to reverse a presidential veto requiring a two thirds majority in each member

Question 32

Delegate

Answer 32

An official who is expected to represent the views of his or her constituents even when personally holding different views; one interpretation of the role of legislator

Question 33

Trustee

Answer 33

And official who is expected to vote independently based on his or her judgment of the circumstances: one interpretation of the role of the legislator

Question 34

Logrolling

Answer 34

Mutual aid and vote trading among legislators

Question 35

Attentive public

Answer 35

Citizens who follow public affairs closely

Question 36

Polarization

Answer 36

The extent to which liberals and conservatives occupied the more extreme positions on the liberal conservative ideological spectrum

Question 37

What is a constituent

Answer 37

The residents of a congressional district or state