Chapter Eleven

Question 1

apportionment

Answer 1

the process by which seats in the House of Representatives are distributed among the fifty states

Question 2

bicameralism

Answer 2

the political process that results from dividing a legislature into two separate assemblies

Question 3

bill

Answer 3

proposed legislation under consideration by a legislature

Question 4

cloture

Answer 4

a parliamentary process to end a debate in the senate, as a measure against the filibuster; invoked when three-fifths of senators vote for the motion

Question 5

collective representation

Answer 5

the relationship between congress and the United States as a whole, and whether the institution itself represents the American people

Question 6

conference committee

Answer 6

a special type of joint committee that reconciles different bills passed in the House and Senate so a single bill results

Question 7

constituency

Answer 7

the body of voters, or constituents, represented by a particular politician

Question 8

delegate model of representation

Answer 8

a model of representation in which representatives feel compelled to act on the specific stated wishes of their constituents

Question 9

descriptive representation

Answer 9

the extent to which a body of representatives represents the descriptive characteristics of their constituencies, such as class, race, ethnicity, and gender

Question 10

enumerated powers

Answer 10

the powers given explicitly to the federal government by the Constitution to regulate

Question 11

filibuster

Answer 11

a parliamentary maneuver used in the Senate to extend debate on a piece of legislation as long as possible, typically with the intended purpose of obstructing or killing it

Question 12

implied powers

Answer 12

the powers not specifically detailed in the US Constitution but inferred as necessary to achieve the objectives of the national government

Question 13

inherent powers

Answer 13

the powers neither enumerated nor implied but assumed to exist as a direct result of the country’s existence

Question 14

joint committee

Answer 14

legislative committee consisting of members from both chambers that investigates certain topics but lacks bill referral authority

Question 15

majority leader

Answer 15

leader of the majority party in either the House/senate; in the house, the majority leader serves under the speaker of the house, in the senate, the majority leader is the functional leader and chief spokesperson for the majority party

Question 16

markup

Answer 16

the amending and voting process in a congressional committee

Question 17

minority leader

Answer 17

the party member who directs the activities of the minority party on the floor of either the House/senate

Question 18

oversight

Answer 18

the right to review/monitor other bodies such as the executive branch

Question 19

politico model of representation

Answer 19

model of representation in which members of Congress act as either trustee or delegate, based on rational political calculations about who is best served, the constituency or the nation

Question 20

pork-barrel politics

Answer 20

federal spending intended to benefit a particular district or set of consituents

Question 21

president pro tempore

Answer 21

senator who acts in the absence of the actual president of the Senate, who is also the vice president of the United States; president pro tempore is usually the most senior senator of the majority party

Question 22

representation

Answer 22

an elected leader’s looking out for constituents while carrying out the duties of the office

Question 23

select committee

Answer 23

small legislative committee created to fulfill a specific purpose and then disbanded; also called an ad hoc, or special, committee

Question 24

Speaker of the House

Answer 24

presiding officer of the house of representatives and the leader of the majority party, the Speaker is second in the presidential line of succession, after the vice president

Question 25

standing committee

Answer 25

permanent legislative committee that meets regularly

Question 26

surge-and-decline theory

Answer 26

theory proposing that the surge of stimulation occurring during presidential elections subsides during midterm elections, accounting for the differences we observe in turnouts and results

Question 27

trustee model of representation

Answer 27

model of representation in which representatives feel at liberty to act in the way they believe is best for their constituents

Question 28

whip

Answer 28

in the house/senate, a high leadership position whose primary duty is to enforce voting discipline in the chambers and conferences