Chapter 11: Congress

Question 1

enumerated powers

Answer 1

Powers of the federal government specifically mentioned in the Constitution.

Question 2

elastic clause

Answer 2

Article I, Section 8, of the Constitution, also called the necessary and proper clause; gives Congress the authority to make what ever laws are necessary and proper to carry out its enumerated powers and other of its powers vested in the Constitution.

Question 3

bicameral

Answer 3

As applied to a legislative body, consisting of two houses or chambers

Question 4

delegate

Answer 4

According to the doctrine articulated by Edmund Burke, an elected representative who acts in perfect accord with the wishes of his or her constituents.

Question 5

trustee

Answer 5

An elected representative who believes that his or her own best judgement, rather than the instructions from constituents, should be used in making legislative decisions.

Question 6

descriptive representation

Answer 6

Sometimes called statistical representation; the degree to which the composition of a representative body reflects the demographic composition of the population as a whole.

Question 7

constituency

Answer 7

The district of a legislator.

Question 8

constituent

Answer 8

A citizen who lives in the district of an elected official.

Question 9

reapportionment

Answer 9

The reallocation of House seats among the states, done after each national census, to ensure that seats are held by the states in proportion to the size of their populations.

Question 10

redistricting

Answer 10

The redrawing of congressional district lines within a state to ensure roughly equal populations within each district.

Question 11

partisan

Answer 11

A committed supporter of a political party; also, seeing issues from the point of view of a single party.

Question 12

gerrymandering

Answer 12

Redrawing electoral district lines in an extreme and unlikely manner to give advantage to a particular party or candidate.

Question 13

crack

Answer 13

The act of dividing a district where the opposing party has a large majority, rendering it a minority in both parts of the redrawn districts.

Question 14

pack

Answer 14

The process of concentrating voters for the other party into fewer districts in order to weaken them elsewhere.

Question 15

majority-minority districts

Answer 15

Districts drawn to ensure that a racial minority makes up the majority of voters.

Question 16

open-seat elections

Answer 16

An election in which there are no incumbent officeholder.

Question 17

franking privilege

Answer 17

Public subsidization of mail from the members of Congress to their constituents.

Question 18

casework

Answer 18

Services performed by members of Congress for constituents.

Question 19

pork

Answer 19

Also called pork barrel; federally funded projects designed to bring to the constituency jobs and public money for which the members of Congress can claim credit.

Question 20

party conference

Answer 20

An organization of the members of a political party in the House or Senate.

Question 21

caucus

Answer 21

A regional, ethnic, racial, or economic subgroup within the House or Senate. Also used to describe the party in the house and Senate, as in Republican caucus.

Question 22

whip

Answer 22

A Political party member in Congress charged with keeping members informed of the plans of the party leadership, counting votes before action on important issues, and rounding up party members for votes on bills.

Question 23

standing committees

Answer 23

Relatively permanent congressional committees that address specific areas of legislation.

Question 24

hearings

Answer 24

The taking of testimony by a congressional committee or subcommittee.

Question 25

markup

Answer 25

The process of revising a bill in committee.

Question 26

select committees

Answer 26

Temporary committees in Congress created to conduct studies or investigations; they have no power to report bills.

Question 27

joint committees

Answer 27

Congressional committees with members from both the House and the Senate.

Question 28

conference committees

Answer 28

Ad hoc committees, made up of members of both the Senate and the House of Representatives, set up to reconcile differences in the provisions of bills.

Question 29

seniority

Answer 29

The principle that one attains a position on the basis of length of service.

Question 30

ranking minority member

Answer 30

The highest-ranking member of the minority party on a congressional committee.

Question 31

reciprocity

Answer 31

Deferral by members of Congress to judgement of subject-matter specialists, mainly on minor technical bills.

Question 32

unanimous consent

Answer 32

Legislative action taken “without objection” as a way to expedite business; used to conduct much of the business of the Senate.

Question 33

hold

Answer 33

A tactic by which a single senator can prevent action on a bill or nomination; based on an implied threat of refusing to agree to unanimous consent on other Senate matters or willingness to filibuster the bill or nomination.

Question 34

filibuster

Answer 34

A parliamentary device used in the Senate to prevent a bill from coming to a vote by “talking it to death,” made possible by the norm of unlimited debate.

Question 35

cloture

Answer 35

A vote to end a filibuster; requires the votes of three-fifths of the membership of the Senate.

Question 36

hopper

Answer 36

The box in the House of Representatives in which proposed bills are placed.

Question 37

discharged petition

Answer 37

A petition signed by 218 House members to force a bill that has been before a committee for at least 30 ays while the House is in session out of the committee and onto the floor for consideration.

Question 38

veto

Answer 38

Presidential disapproval of a bill that has been passed by both houses of Congress. The president’s veto can be overridden by a two-thirds vote in each house.

Question 39

pocket veto

Answer 39

Rejection of a bill if the president takes no action on it for 10 days and Congress has adjourned during that period.

Question 40

oversight

Answer 40

Congressional responsibility for monitoring the actions of executive branch agencies and personnel to ensure conformity to federal statutes and congressional intent.

Question 41

impeachment

Answer 41

House action bringing formal charges against a member of the executive branch or the federal judiciary that may or may not lead to removal from office by the Senate.