chapter 4

Question 1

legislation that directions specific funds to projects within districts or states

Answer 1

pork barrel spending

Question 2

efforts by congress to ensure that executive branch agencies, bureaus, and cabinet departments as well as their officials, are acting legally and in accordance with congressional goals

Answer 2

oversight

Question 3

trading of votes on legislation by congress members to get their earmarks passed into legislation

Answer 3

logrolling

Question 4

a body of voters in a given area who elect a representative or senator

Answer 4

constituencies

Question 5

the process of determining the number of reps for each state using census data

Answer 5

apportionment

Question 6

drawing of district boundaries into strange shapes to benefit a political party

Answer 6

partisan gerrymandering

Question 7

a district in which voters of a minority ethnicity constitute an electoral majority within that electoral district

Answer 7

majority-minority districts

Question 8

the uneven distribution of the population between legislative districts

Answer 8

malapportionment

Question 9

a political official who is currently in office

Answer 9

incumbency

Question 10

institutional advantages held by those already in office who are trying to fend off challengers in an election

Answer 10

incumbency advantage

Question 11

a body of voters in a given area who elect a representative or senator

Answer 11

constituencies

Question 12

state’s redrawing of boundaries of electoral districts following each census

Answer 12

redistricting

Question 13

the leader of the house of reps chosen by an election of its members

Answer 13

speaker of the house

Question 14

an organization that raises money for candidates and campaigns

Answer 14

political action committees (PACs)

Question 15

the person who is the second in command of the house of reps

Answer 15

house majority leader

Question 16

the head of the party with the second highest number of seats in congress, chosen by the party’s members

Answer 16

minority leader

Question 17

the person who has the most power in the senate and is the head of the party with the most seats

Answer 17

senate majority leader

Question 18

leader of a congressional committee who has authority over the committee’s agenda

Answer 18

committee chairs

Question 19

a motion filed by a member of congress to move a bill out of committee and onto the floor of the house of reps for a vote

Answer 19

discharge petition

Question 20

a powerful committee that determines when a bill will be subject to debate and vote on the House floor, how long the debate will last, and whether amendments will be allowed on the floor

Answer 20

house rules committee

Question 21

consists of all members of the house and meets in the house chamber but is governed by different rules, making it easier to consider complex and controversial legislation

Answer 21

committee of the whole

Question 22

an agreement in the senate that sets the terms for consideration of a bill

Answer 22

unanimous consent agreements

Question 23

a tactic through which an individual senator may use the right of unlimited debate to delay a motion or postpone action on a piece of legislation

Answer 23

filibuster

Question 24

a procedure through which senators can end debate on a bill and proceed to action, provided three-fifths of senators agree to it

Answer 24

cloture

Question 25

formal rejection by the president of a bill that has passed both houses of congress

Answer 25

veto

Question 26

the executive branch office that assists the president in setting national spending priorities

Answer 26

office of management and budget (OMB)

Question 27

a program that provides benefits for those who qualify under the law, regardless of income

Answer 27

entitlement programs

Question 28

spending required by existing laws that is “locked in” the budget

Answer 28

mandatory spending

Question 29

spending for programs and policies at the discretion of congress and the president

Answer 29

discretionary spending

Question 30

the amount of money remaining when the government takes in more money than it spends

Answer 30

budget surplus

Question 31

the difference when a gov takes in less money than it spends

Answer 31

budget deficit

Question 32

the total amount of money owed by the fed gov

Answer 32

national debt

Question 33

the idea that the main duty of a member of congress is to carry out constituent wishes

Answer 33

delegate role

Question 34

the idea that members of congress should act as trustees, making decisions based on their knowledge and judgment

Answer 34

trustees

Question 35

representation where members of congress balance their choices with the interests of their constituents and parties in making decisions

Answer 35

politico role

Question 36

agreement between the parties to work together in congress to pass legislation

Answer 36

bipartisanship

Question 37

a slowdown or halt in congress’s ability to legislate and overcome divisions, especially those based on partisanship

Answer 37

gridlock

Question 38

a situation that occurs when control of the presidency and one or both chambers of congress is split between the two major parties

Answer 38

divided gov

Question 39

period at the end of a presidential term when congress may block presidential initiatives and nominees

Answer 39

lame duck period