Chapter 13 Terms

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 Senate from taking action on the bill.

Answer 2

Filibuster

Question 3

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

Answer 3

Marginal districts

Question 4

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

Answer 4

Safe districts

Question 5

An alliance between Republican and Conservative Democrats.

Answer 5

Conservative coalition

Question 6

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

Answer 6

Majority leader

Question 7

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

Answer 7

Minority leader

Question 8

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

Answer 8

Whip

Question 9

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

Answer 9

Speaker

Question 10

There are 2 measure 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 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 10

Party vote

Question 11

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

Answer 11

Standing committees

Question 12

Congressional committees appointed for a limited time and purpose.

Answer 12

Select committees

Question 13

Committees on which both senators and representatives serve.

Answer 13

Joint committees

Question 14

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

Answer 14

Conference committee

Question 15

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

Answer 15

Simple resolution

Question 16

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

Answer 16

Concurrent resolution

Question 17

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.

Answer 17

Joint resolution

Question 18

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 18

Discharge petition

Question 19

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

Answer 19

Restrictive

Question 20

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

Answer 20

Closed rule

Question 21

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

Answer 21

Open rule

Question 22

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

Answer 22

Quorum

Question 23

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 23

Riders

Question 24

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

Answer 24

Cloture rule

Question 25

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 25

Double tracking

Question 26

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 26

Voice vote

Question 27

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

Answer 27

Division vote

Question 28

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

Answer 28

Roll-call vote

Question 29

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

Answer 29

Teller vote

Question 30

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 30

Veto

Question 31

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

Answer 31

Divided government

Question 32

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

Answer 32

Unified government

Question 33

“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 33

Earmarks

Question 34

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

Answer 34

Pork-barrel legislation

Question 35

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

Answer 35

Franking privilege

Question 36

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

Answer 36

Partisan polarization