Chapter 13: Congress

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 55 percent of the vote.

Question 4

Safe districts

Answer 4

Districts in which incumbents win by margins of 55 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 or 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

The presiding 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 percent or more of the Democrats in either house of Congress vote together against 90 percent or more of the Republicans. A looser measure counts as a party vote if the percentages are 50 percent or more in the previous case.

Question 11

Caucus

Answer 11

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

Question 12

Standing Committees

Answer 12

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

Question 13

Select committees

Answer 13

Congressional committees appointed for a limited time and purpose.

Question 14

Joint committees

Answer 14

Committees on which both senators and representatives serve.

Question 15

Conference committee

Answer 15

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

Question 16

Simple resolution

Answer 16

An expression of opinion either in the House or Senate to settle procedural matters in either body.

Question 17

Concurrent resolution

Answer 17

An expression of opinion without the force of law that requires the approval of both the House and the Senate, but not the president.

Question 18

Joint resolution

Answer 18

A formal expression of congressional opinion that must be approved by both houses of Congress and by the president; constitutional amendments need not be signed by the president.

Question 19

Discharge petition

Answer 19

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.

Question 20

Restrictive

Answer 20

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.

Question 21

Closed rule

Answer 21

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

Question 22

Open rule

Answer 22

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

Question 23

Quorum

Answer 23

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

Question 24

Riders

Answer 24

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.

Question 25

Cloture rule

Answer 25

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

Question 26

Double tracking

Answer 26

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 27

Voice vote

Answer 27

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

Question 28

Division vote

Answer 28

A congressional voting procedure in which members stand and are counted

Question 29

Roll-call vote

Answer 29

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

Question 30

Teller vote

Answer 30

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

Question 31

Veto

Answer 31

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.

Question 32

Divided government

Answer 32

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

Question 33

Unified government

Answer 33

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

Question 34

Earmarks

Answer 34

“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.

Question 35

Pork-barrel legislation

Answer 35

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

Question 36

Franking privilege

Answer 36

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

Question 37

Partisan Polarization

Answer 37

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