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AP Gov > Chapter 13 - Congress > Flashcards

Chapter 13 - Congress Flashcards

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1
Q

Congress derives from a Latin term that means

A

A coming together

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2
Q

Parliament comes from a French word (parler) meaning

A

To talk

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3
Q

How does a person become a candidate for a senator?

A

By running in a primary election

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4
Q

What is a bicameral legislature?

A

A lawmaking body made up of two chambers or parts

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5
Q

Who picked senators before the 17th amendment?

A

State legislatures

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6
Q

What is a filibuster?

A

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

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7
Q

What are marginal districts?

A

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

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8
Q

What are safe districts?

A

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

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9
Q

What is conservative coalition?

A

An alliance between republican and conservative democeats

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10
Q

Which explanation for how members of congress behave Is based on the reasonable assumption that members want to get reelected, and therefore they vote to please their constituents?

A

Representational

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11
Q

Which explanation for how members of congress behave is based on the assumption that since most constituents do not know how their legislator has voted, it is not essential to please them, but it is important to please fellow memes if congress, whose goodwill is valuable in getting things done and acquiring status and power in congress

A

Organizational

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12
Q

Which explanation for how members of congress behave is based on the assumption that there are so many conflicting pressures on members of congress that they cancel one another out, leaving them virtually free to vote on the basis of their own beliefs?

A

Attitudinal

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13
Q

What factor explains more about a congressman’s way of voting more than any other factor?

A

The party they belong to

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14
Q

What is the legislative leader elected by party members holding the majority of seats in the house or the senate called?

A

Majority leader

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15
Q

What is the legislative leader elected by party members holding a minority of seats in the house or the senate called?

A

Minority leader

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16
Q

What is the principal task of the majority leader?

A

To schedule the business of the senate, usually in consultation with the minority leader

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17
Q

Who has the right to be recognized first in an floor debate?

A

Minority leader

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18
Q

Who was the senate majority leader for the democrats during much of the 1950s?

A

Lyndon Johnson

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19
Q

What is a whip?

A

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

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20
Q

What is the key aspect of selecting party leaders, of making up the important party committees, and of assigning freshman senators to Senate committees?

A

Achieving ideological and regional balance

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21
Q

What is party polarization?

A

A vote in which a majority of democratic legislators opposes a majority of republican legislators

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22
Q

Unimodal

A

Few on either side

Most people same

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23
Q

Bimodal

A

Two different ways

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24
Q

What is a caucus?

A

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

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25
Q

Intraparty caucuses are formed by groups whose members share a similar

A

Ideology

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26
Q

Personal interest caucuses form around a common interest in

A

An issue

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27
Q

Constituency caucuses are established to represent certain

A

Groups, regions, or bith

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28
Q

What is the most important organizational feature of congress?

A

The set of legislative committees of the House and Senate

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29
Q

What are standing committees

A

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

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30
Q

What are select committees?

A

Congressional committees appointed for a limited time and purpose

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31
Q

What are joint committees?

A

Committees on which both senators and representatives serve

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32
Q

What are conference committees?

A

A joint committee appointed to resolve differences in the senate and house versions of the same bill

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33
Q

What is a proxy?

A

A written authorization to cast another person’s vote

34
Q

What does a public bill pertain to?

A

Public affairs or matters of general concern

35
Q

What does a private bill pertain to?

A

A particular individual or specific, private, personal, or local matters

36
Q

What is multiple referral?

A

A congressional process whereby a bill may be referred to several xonnittees

37
Q

What is an advantage of multiple referral?

A

All views have a chance to be heard

38
Q

What is a disadvantage of multiple referral?

A

It takes a lot of time and gives opponents a greater chance to kill or modify the bill.

39
Q

What is sequential referral?

A

A congressional process by which a speaker may send a bill to a second committee after the first is finished acting.

40
Q

What is a discharge petition?

A

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

41
Q

What is a closed rule?

A

An order from the house rules committee that sets a time limit in debate; forbids a bill from being amended on the floor

42
Q

What is an open rule?

A

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

43
Q

Ehat is a restrictive rule?

A

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

44
Q

What are three ways the house can bypass the rules committee?

A

A member can move that the rules be suspended (requires a 2/3 vote)
A discharge petition can be filed
The house can use the calendar Wednesday procedure

45
Q

Who is in a committee of the whole?

A

Whoever happens to be on the floor at the time

46
Q

Wgat is quorum?

A

The minimum number of members who must be preset for business to be conducted

47
Q

What is a quorum call?

A

A roll call in either house of congress to see whether the minimum number of representatives required to conduct business is present

48
Q

What is the cloture rule?

A

A rule used by the senate to end or limit debate

49
Q

What is double tracking?

A

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

50
Q

What is a voice vote?

A

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

51
Q

What is a joint resolution?

A

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.

52
Q

What is a division vote? (Standing)

A

A congressional voting procedure in which members stand and are counted

53
Q

What is a teller vote?

A

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

54
Q

What is a concurrent resolution?

A

An expression of opinion without the force of law that requires the approval of both the house and the senate, but not the president

55
Q

What is a roll-call vote?

A

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

56
Q

What is a pork-barrel legislation?

A

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

57
Q

What is the franking privilege?

A

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

58
Q

Committee:
Permanent, specialized committees
Consider and are responsible for legislation within a certain subject area
Only ones that can propose legislation by reporting a bill out to the full house of senate

A

Standing xommitttees

59
Q

Committee:
Groups appointed for a limited purpose and usually lasting for only a few congresses
Usually to carry out investigations to write special legislation

A

Select committees

60
Q

Committee:
Both representatives and senators serve
Normally used for communication to the public
Generally do not send bills to the floor
Conference committees are extremely important types

A

Joint committees

61
Q

Committee:

Resolve differences in senate and house version of the same bill

A

Conference committees

62
Q

What are the purposes of committees?

A

Effectively consider the thousands of bills proposed in each session
Allows members of congress to divide their work among many smaller groups
Select those few that are to receive further consideration
Help the public learn about key problems an issues facing the nation

63
Q

Staff agencies

A

Staff agencies (write more)

64
Q

Identify and describe: president pro tempore

A

Person with greatest seniority in the senate

Honorific position, required by constitution as presiding officer when Vice President is absent

65
Q

Identify and describe: majority leader

A

Legislative leader elected by party members holding the majority of seats in the house or senate

66
Q

Minority leader

A

Legislative leader elected by party members holding the minority of seats in the house or senate

67
Q

Identify and describe: whip

A

Helps the party leader stay informed about what party members are thinking

68
Q

How do democrats assign senators to the standing committee?

A

Steering committee

69
Q

How do republicans assign senators to the standing committee?

A

Committee on committees

70
Q

Identify and describe: speaker of the house

A

Most important and powerful person in the house
Elected by whichever party has majority
Preside over all house meetings
Decides who shoul be recognized to speak
Rules whether a motion is relevant to the business at hand
Decides to which committees new bills are assigbed

71
Q

Voters have scone more partisan, and congress as well
Congressional districts for the house are drawn to protect one party or another
Seniority: people who have been long dedicated to their party and have much influence

A

Three reasons for party polarization

72
Q

Who can introduce a bill?

A

Bills can come from individual citizens, special interest hoops, corporations, or nongovernmental iras missions, but only congress members can introduce them.

73
Q

Who refers bills to committees?

A

Speaker of house or president pro tempore?

74
Q

An assembly of party representatives that chooses a government and discuss major national issues

A

Parkiament

75
Q

Committee revisions of a bill

A

Markup

76
Q

A provision added to a piece of legislation that is not germane to the bill’s purpose

A

Rider

77
Q

A bill that has a lot of riders

A

Christmas tree bill

78
Q

To isolate minorities in the district is known as

A

Packing

79
Q

To divide minorities across many districts is known as

A

Craxking

80
Q

What is a simple resolution?

A

An expression of opinion either in the house or senate to settle procedural matters in either body

AP Gov (17 decks)

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