Congress

Question 1

Bicameralism

Answer 1

The system of having two chambers within one legislative body, like the House and Senate in the U.S. Congress

Question 2

Permanent Campaign

Answer 2

The continual quest for reelection that is rooted in high-cost professional campaigns that are increasingly reliant on consultants and expensive media campaigns

Question 3

Pork Barrel

Answer 3

Legislative appropriations that benefit specific constituents, created with the aim of helping local representatives win reelection

Question 4

Descriptive Representation

Answer 4

Representation in which a member of Congress shares the characteristics (such as gender, race, religion, ethnicity) of their constituents

Question 5

Substantive Representation

Answer 5

Representation in which a member of Congress serves constituents interests and shares their policy concerns

Question 6

Trustee

Answer 6

A member of Congress who represents constituents interests while also taking into account national, collective, and moral concerns that sometimes cause the member to vote against the preference of a majority of constituents/

Question 7

Delegate

Answer 7

A member of Congress who loyally represents constituents direct interests

Question 8

Politico

Answer 8

A member of Congress who acts a delegate on issues that constituents care about (such as immigration reform) and as a trustee on more complex or less salient issues (such as some foreign policy or regulatory matters)

Question 9

Electoral Connection

Answer 9

The idea that congressional behavior is centrally motivated by members desire for reelection

Question 10

Casework

Answer 10

Assistance provided by members of Congress to their constituents in solving problems with the federal bureaucracy or addressing other specific concerns.

Question 11

Incumbency Advantage

Answer 11

The relative infrequency with which members of Congress are defeated in their attempts for reelection.

Question 12

Redistricting

Answer 12

Re-drawing the geographic boundaries of legislative districts. This happens every 10 years to ensure that districts remain roughly equal in population.

Question 13

Apportionment

Answer 13

The process of assigning the 435 seats in the House to the states based on increases or decreases in state population.

Question 14

Gerrymandering

Answer 14

Attempting to use the process of re-drawing district boundaries to benefit a political party, protect incumbents, or change the proportion of minority voters in a district.

Question 15

Gridlock

Answer 15

An inability to enact legislation because of partisan conflict within Congress or between Congress and the president.

Question 16

Logrolling

Answer 16

A form of reciprocity in which members of Congress support bills that they otherwise might not vote for in exchange for other members’ votes on bills that are very
important to them.

Question 17

Earmarks

Answer 17

Federally funded local projects attached to bills passed through Congress.

Question 18

Seniority

Answer 18

The informal congressional norm of choosing the member who has served the longest on a particular committee to be the committee chair.

Question 19

Speaker of the House

Answer 19

The elected leader of the House of Representatives.

Question 20

Majority Leader

Answer 20

The elected head of the party holding the majority of seats in the House or Senate.

Question 21

Whip system

Answer 21

An organization of House leaders who work to disseminate information and promote party unity in voting on legislation.

Question 22

Minority Leader

Answer 22

The elected head of the party holding the minority of seats in the House or Senate.

Question 23

President Pro Tempore

Answer 23

A largely symbolic position usually held by the most senior member of the majority party in the senate

Question 24

Roll Call Vote

Answer 24

A recorded vote on legislation; members may vote “yes,” “no,” or “present,” or they may abstain.

Question 25

Party Vote

Answer 25

A vote in which the majority of one party opposes the position of the majority of the other party.

Question 26

Standing Committees

Answer 26

Committees that are a permanent part of the House or Senate structure, holding more importance and authority than other committees.

Question 27

Select Committees

Answer 27

Committees in the House or Senate are created to address a specific issue for one or two terms.

Question 28

Joint Committees

Answer 28

Committees that contain members of both the House and Senate but have limited authority.

Question 29

Conference Committees

Answer 29

Temporary committees created to negotiate differences between the House and Senate versions of a piece of legislation that has passed through both chambers.

Question 30

Markup

Answer 30

One of the steps through which a bill becomes a law, in which the final wording of the bill is determined.

Question 31

Cloture

Answer 31

A procedure through which the Senate can limit the amount of time spent debating a bill (cutting off a filibuster) if a supermajority of 60 senators agree.

Question 32

Filibuster

Answer 32

A tactic used by senators to block a bill by continuing to hold the floor and speak-under the Senate rule of unlimited debate- -until the bill's supporters back down.

Question 33

Veto

Answer 33

The president's rejection of a bill that has been passed by Congress. A veto can be overridden by a two-thirds vote in both the House and Senate.

Question 34

Pocket Veto

Answer 34

The automatic death of a bill passed by the House and Senate when the president fails to sign the bill in the last 10 days of a legislative session.

Question 35

Omnibus Legislation

Answer 35

Large bills that often cover several topics and may contain extraneous, or pork-barrel, projects.