Chapter 13

Question 1

A lawmaking body made up of two chambers or parts.

Answer 1

Bicameral Legislature

Question 2

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

Answer 2

Filibuster

Question 3

A vote in which a majority of Democratic legislators oppose a majority of Republican legislators.

Answer 3

Partisan Polarization

Question 4

Political districts in which candidates elected to the House of Representatives win in close elections, typically by less than 55 percent of the vote.

Answer 4

Marginal Districts

Question 5

Districts in which incumbents win by margins of 55 percent or more.

Answer 5

Safe Districts

Question 6

An alliance between Republican and conservative Democrats.

Answer 6

Conservative Coalition

Question 7

The legislative leader elected by party members holding the majority of seats in the House or the Senate.

Answer 7

Majority Leader

Question 8

The legislative leader elected by party members holding a minority of seats in the House or the Senate.

Answer 8

Minority Leader

Question 9

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

Answer 9

Whip

Question 10

The presiding officer of the House of Representatives and the leader of his or her party in the House.

Answer 10

Speaker

Question 11

An association of congressional members created to advance a political ideology or a regional, ethnic, or economic interest.

Answer 11

Caucus

Question 12

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

Answer 12

Standing Committees

Question 13

Congressional committees appointed for a limited time and purpose.

Answer 13

Select Committees

Question 14

Committees on which both senators and representatives serve.

Answer 14

Joint Committees

Question 15

Joint committees appointed to resolve differences in the Senate and House versions of the same bill.

Answer 15

Conference Committee

Question 16

A device by which any member of the House, after a committee has had the bill for 30 days, may petition to have it brought to the floor.

Answer 16

Discharge Petition

Question 17

An order from the House Rules Committee that permits certain kinds of amendments but not others to be made into a bill on the floor.

Answer 17

Restrictive

Question 18

An order from the House Rules Committee that sets a time limit on debate; forbids a bill from being amended on the floor.

Answer 18

Closed Rule

Question 19

An order from the House Rules Committee that permits a bill to be amended on the floor.

Answer 19

Open Rule

Question 20

The minimum number of members who must be present for business to be conducted in Congress.

Answer 20

Quorum

Question 21

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

Answer 21

Riders

Question 22

A rule used by the Senate to end or limit debate.

Answer 22

Cloture Rule

Question 23

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.

Answer 23

Double Tracking

Question 24

A congressional voting procedure in which members shout “yea” in approval or “nay” in disapproval, permitting members to vote quickly or anonymously on bills.

Answer 24

Voice Vote

Question 25

A congressional voting procedure in which members stand and are counted.

Answer 25

Division Vote

Question 26

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

Answer 26

Roll-call Vote

Question 27

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

Answer 27

Teller Vote

Question 28

Literally, “I forbid”: it refers to the power of a president to disapprove a bill; it may be overridden by a two-thirds vote of each house of Congress.

Answer 28

Veto

Question 29

One party controls the White House and another party controls one or both houses of Congress.

Answer 29

Divided Government

Question 30

The same party controls the White House and both houses of Congress.

Answer 30

Unified Government

Question 31

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

Answer 31

Earmarks

Question 32

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

Answer 32

Pork-barrel Legislation

Question 33

The ability of members to mail letters to their constituents free of charge by substituting their facsimile signature for postage.

Answer 33

Franking Privilege

Question 34

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 any case where at least 50% of the Democrats vote together against at least 50% of the Republicans.

Answer 34

Party Vote