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Government > Chapter 4 > Flashcards

Chapter 4 Flashcards

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AP® U.S. Government flashcards U.S. Government Basics flashcards American Government 101 flashcards
1
Q

another word for federal government

A

congress

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2
Q

Jobs of Congress:

A
  1. represent the people and do the day to day work
  2. they translate the will of the people into law
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3
Q

Bicameral (2 houses) why?

A
  1. historical reasons (British parliament had 2 houses)
  2. practical reasons: settled conflict between the small and large states
  3. theoretical reason: check and balance each other
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4
Q

define terms of congress

A

length of time an elected official serves (2 years)

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5
Q

time period during which congress conducts its business (2 sessions per term)

A

Session

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6
Q

to suspend business temporarily during a session

A

recess

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7
Q

to suspend business until the next session

A

adjourn

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8
Q

neither house can adjourn without the consent of the other

A

“sine die”

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9
Q

the president has the power to end a session when the 2 houses can’t agree to adjourn

A

prorogue

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10
Q

when the president calls congress for an emergency meeting

A

special session

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11
Q

lower house

A

house of representatives

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12
Q

why do the members of the house of representatives serve a short term?

A

kept short so they will stay in contact with the people

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13
Q

what do the house of representatives represent

A

represent their district not the entire state

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14
Q

3 powers the house of representatives has:

A
  1. impeach the president
  2. decide presidential election if no clear winner
  3. all tax bills start here (power of the purse)
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15
Q

these seats are redistributed every 10 years

A

reapportionment

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16
Q

why does the party in power usually lose its power during the midterm election?

A

the party in power is blamed for all the problems in the country

17
Q

voting block

A

districts

18
Q

geographic district from which one representative is chosen from a field of candidates

A

single-member district

19
Q

representative chosen from the stats as a whole district lines are drawn by state legislatures of the party in power

A

large district

20
Q

the drawing of district lines to the advantage of the party power

A

gerry mandering

21
Q

2 ways gerry mandering is done:

A

packing: concentrate the opps voters in as few districts as possible
cracking: spread the opps voters as many districts as possible

22
Q

qualification for the house members:

A
  1. must be 25 y/o
  2. must have been a citizen for 7 years
  3. must be a resident of the state
23
Q

upper house

A

senate

24
Q

the people they represent (entire state)

A

constituencies

25
Q

how many terms does a senate serve

A

6 year term (no limit) focus on the big picture of the state

26
Q

qualifications of a senator

A
  1. at least 30 years old
  2. citizen of USA- 9 years
  3. live in the state
27
Q

powers of a senator (3)

A
  1. holds impeachment trial
  2. ratify treaties
  3. confirms executive office appointment (judges,cabinet, etc)
28
Q

5 major roles of a member of congress:

A
  1. legislators-make laws
  2. representatives- voice of the people
  3. committee members- screen bills
  4. servants to constituents- provide help to the people
  5. politician- work for the government
29
Q

process through which congress checks to see if the executive branch is following its policies

A

oversight function

30
Q

2 major types of committee/congress

A
  1. standing committee (permanent) deal with subject matter (education, finance, environmental, agriculture)
  2. special committee (temporary) deal with investigation and pres. appointments (watergate, supreme court nominees)
31
Q

proposed law

A

bill

32
Q

2 types of bill:

A

public bill: law involving everyone
private bill: law involving specific group/area

33
Q

where do ideas for bills come from?

A
  1. executive branch
  2. people
  3. congressmen
  4. special interest groups (industry, organizations,etc)
34
Q

how a bill becomes a law (6 steps)

A
  1. billion introduced by a congressmen
  2. committee action (standing committee) *most bills die here
  3. floor action- full house/senate-debate/vote
  4. conference action/committee (members from both houses)
  5. floor action-same as step #3
  6. president action (3 choices)
35
Q

3 choices of president action

A

sign-becomes law
veto-refuse to sign
pocket veto

Government (8 decks)

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