Chapter #11

Question 1

How is the number of congressional representatives elected from each state determined?

Answer 1

It is reapportionment and based on a state’s population

Question 2

name the powers that are unique to the house of representatives in those that are unique to the Senate

Answer 2

-The House of Representatives has the power of impeachment
-Senate has the power to approve major presidential appointments and can act as a court to try impeachments

Question 3

Descriptive representation

Answer 3

A belief that constituents are most effectively represented by legislators who are similar to them in such key demographic characteristics as race, ethnicity, religion, and gender

Question 4

Reapportionment

Answer 4

Redistribution of representatives among the states based on population change. The house if is reapportioned after each census

Question 5

Impeachment

Answer 5

The formal changing of a government official with treason bribery or other high crimes and misdemeanors

Question 6

Incumbent

Answer 6

A current officeholder

Question 7

Gerrymandering

Answer 7

Redrawing a congressional district to intentionally benefit one political party

Question 8

Casework

Answer 8

Solving problems for constituents, especially problems involving government agencies

Question 9

Racial gerrymandering

Answer 9

The drawing of a legislative district to maximize the chance that a minority candidate will win election

Question 10

Veto

Answer 10

Presidents disapproval of a bill that has been passed by both houses of Congress, Congress can override a veto with a 2/3 vote in each house

Question 11

Standing committee

Answer 11

A permanent congressional committee that specializes in a particular policy area

Question 12

Joint committee

Answer 12

A committee made up of members of both the house and the senate

Question 13

Select committee

Answer 13

A temporary congressional committee created for a specific purpose and disbanded after the purpose is fulfilled

Question 14

Conference committee

Answer 14

A temporary committee created to work out differences between the house and senate versions of a specific piece of legislation

Question 15

Seniority

Answer 15

Years of consecutive service on a particular congressional committee

Question 16

Oversight

Answer 16

The process of reviewing the operations of an agency to determine whether it is carrying our policies as Congress intended

Question 17

Speaker of the house

Answer 17

The purssiding officer of the House of Representatives

Question 18

Majority leader

Answer 18

The head of the majority party in the Senate, the second highest ranking member of the majority party in the house

Question 19

Filibuster

Answer 19

Adelaine tactic used in The Senate that allows the senator to prevent a bill from coming to a vote

Question 20

Cloture

Answer 20

The mechanism by which a filibuster is cut off in the Senate

Question 21

Hold

Answer 21

A letter requesting that the bill be held from floor debate

Question 22

Constituents 

Answer 22

People who live in vote in a government officials district or state

Question 23

Trustee

Answer 23

A representative who is obligated to consider the views of constituents but is not obligated to vote according to those views if he or she believes they are misguided

Question 24

Delegate

Answer 24

 A legislator whose primary responsibility is to represent the majority view of his or her constituents, regardless of his or her own view