chapter 5 test

Question 1

define censure

Answer 1

a vote of formal disapproval of a member’s actions

Question 2

define gerrymander

Answer 2

to draw a district’s boundaries to gain an advantage in elections

Question 3

define reapportionment

Answer 3

the process of reassigning representation based on population, after every census

Question 4

define incumbent

Answer 4

elected official who is already in office

Question 5

define redistrict

Answer 5

to set up new district lines after reapportionment is complete

Question 6

define census

Answer 6

complete count of a population, including place of residence

Question 7

describe a hold

Answer 7

a motion placed on a bill in the Senate that alerts party leaders that if unanimous consent were to be sought, they would object

Question 8

define filibuster

Answer 8

a method of defeating a bill in the Senate by stalling the legislative process and preventing a vote

Question 9

describe unanimous consent

Answer 9

a motion by all members of the Senate who are present to set aside formal rules and consider a bill from the calendar

Question 10

describe president pro tempore

Answer 10

the Senate member, elected by the Senate, who stands in as president of the Senate in the absence of the vice president

Question 11

describe cloture resolution

Answer 11

a procedure that allows each senator to speak only one hour on a bill under debate

Question 12

define quorum

Answer 12

the minimum number of members who must be present to permit a legislative body to take official action

Question 13

describe concurrent jurisdiction

Answer 13

authority shared by both federal and state courts

Question 14

define whip

Answer 14

an assistant to the party floor leader in the legislature

Question 15

define constituent

Answer 15

a person whom a member of Congress has been elected to represent

Question 16

define caucus

Answer 16

an event held before an election where members of a political party select delegates to send to the national party convention, where they will also vote to nominate a candidate

Question 17

describe a calendar

Answer 17

a schedule that lists the order in which bills will be considered in Congress

Question 18

define a bill

Answer 18

a proposed las

Question 19

describe the majority leader of the House

Answer 19

the Speaker’s top assistant whose job is to help plan the majority party’s legislative program, steer important bills throughout the House, and make sure committee chairpersons finish work on important bills

Question 20

describe seniority system

Answer 20

a system that gives the member of the majority party with the longest uninterrupted service on a particular committee the leadership of that committee

Question 21

describe a conference committee

Answer 21

a temporary joint committee set up when the House and the Senate have passed different versions of the same bill

Question 22

describe a joint committee

Answer 22

a committee that consists of members from both the House and Senate, formed to act as a study group that reports back to the House and Senate on a topic or bill

Question 23

describe a select committee

Answer 23

a temporary committee formed to study one specific issue and report its findings to the House or Senate

Question 24

describe a subcommittee

Answer 24

a group within a standing committee that specializes in a subcategory of its standing committee’s responsibility

Question 25

describe a standing committee

Answer 25

a permanent committee in Congress that oversees bills that deal with certain kinds of issues

Question 26

describe a legislative assistant

Answer 26

a member of a lawmakers personal staff who makes certain that the lawmaker is well informed about proposed legislation

Question 27

describe a administrative assistant

Answer 27

a member of a lawmakers personal staff who runs the lawmakers office, supervises the schedule, and gives advice

Question 28

describe a caseworker

Answer 28

a member of a lawmakers personal staff who handles requests for help from constituents

Question 29

describe personal staff

Answer 29

the people who work directly for individual senators and representatives

Question 30

describe committee staff

Answer 30

the people who work for House and Senate committees

Question 31

what are requirements for representatives of House

Answer 31

-atleast 25
-citizens of US for atleast 7 yrs
-legal residents of the state that elects them

Question 32

what are requirements for senators

Answer 32

-serve 6 terms
-elected at large
- atleast 30 years old
-american citizens for atleast 9 yrs
-legal residents of the state they represent

Question 33

what are the numbers for members of congress

Answer 33

-435 representatives
-100 senators
-5 delegates in house (represent the District of Columbia and 4 U.S. territories)

Question 34

describe the Speaker of the House

Answer 34

chosen by majority in caucus and approved by the entire House membership, is the presiding officer and its most powerful leader

Question 35

what is each congressional term

Answer 35

2 years long, beginning in January of odd numbered years and divided into 2 seasons of one year each

Question 36

describe the national census

Answer 36

held every 10 years, information from there is used to determine the apportionment of the 535 House seats among the states, since representation is based on population

Question 37

describe the minority leader in the House

Answer 37

Parallel duties of the majority leader but cannot schedule work in the House

Question 38

describe the process of which bills go through

Answer 38

once they are introduced, the Speaker of the House assigns it to the appropriate committee, where it is studied, discussed, and reviewed, and may eventually be put on the House calendar for consideration

Question 39

describe the Rules Committee

Answer 39

because the calendars are so full, they decide the order in which bills reach the House floor, how long they may be debated and revised, and settles disputes among others

Question 40

describe a Committee of the Whole

Answer 40

a quorum of 100 members that debate or change legislation before returning a bill to the House for a vote

Question 41

describe the minority leader in the senate

Answer 41

studies the majority party’s bills to see how they differ from their own party’s view, keeping them united

Question 42

what is the majority leader of the Senate

Answer 42

guide the party’s bills through the Senate, making sure the party members go to important sessions and get their support for key bills

Question 43

describe the supermajority of 2/3s

Answer 43

required by Senate to approve treaties, overturn presidential vetoes, and remove federal officials from office. The vote of a supermajority, 50 senators plus 1, is necessary to pass a proposed bill

Question 44

describe the chairpersons of standing committee

Answer 44

the most powerful people in Congress as they make decisions about work in their committees