Chapter 5 Vocab writing

Question 1

bicameral legislature

Answer 1

a two-chamber legislature

Question 2

session

Answer 2

periods of time during which a legislature meets to conduct business

Question 3

census

Answer 3

a population count

Question 4

reapportionment

Answer 4

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

Question 5

redistrict

Answer 5

to set up new district lines after reapportionment

Question 6

gerrymander

Answer 6

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

Question 7

caucus

Answer 7

a private meeting of party leaders to choose candidates for office

Question 8

at large

Answer 8

as a whole, for example, statewide

Question 9

censure

Answer 9

a vote of formal disapproval of a member’s actions

Question 10

bills

Answer 10

proposed laws

Question 11

calendars

Answer 11

schedules that list the order in which bills will be considered in congress.

Question 12

quorum

Answer 12

the minimum amount of members that must be present to permit a legislative body to take an official action

Question 13

filibuster

Answer 13

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

Question 14

cloture

Answer 14

a procedure that allows each senator to speak for only 1 hour on a bill under debate.

Question 15

seniority system

Answer 15

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