Congress Vocab

Question 1

Apportionment

Answer 1

The process of allotting congressional seats to each state following the
decennial census according to their proportion of the population.

Question 2

Bicameral
Legislature

Answer 2

A two-house legislature .

Question 3

Bill

Answer 3

A proposed law.

Question 4

Cloture

Answer 4

Mechanism requiring sixty senators to vote to cut off debate.

Question 5

Conference
Committee

Answer 5

Special joint committee created to reconcile differences in bills passed by
the House and Senate.

Question 6

Congressional
Budget Act of 1974

Answer 6

Act that established the congressional budget process by laying out a
plan for congressional action on the annual budget resolution,
appropriations, reconciliation, and any other revenue bills.

Question 7

Congressional
Review

Answer 7

A process whereby Congress can nullify agency regulations by joint
resolution of legislative disapproval.

Question 8

Delegate

Answer 8

Role played by an elected representative who votes the way his or her
constituents would want him or her to, regardless of personal opinion.

Question 9

Discharge Petition

Answer 9

Petition that gives a majority of the House of Representatives the
authority to bring an issue to the floor in the face of committee inaction.

Question 10

Divided
Government

Answer 10

The political condition in which different political parties control the
presidency and Congress.

Question 11

Earmark

Answer 11

Funds that an appropriation bill designates for specific projects within a
state or congressional district.

Question 12

Filibuster

Answer 12

A formal way of halting Senate action on a bill by means of long speeches
or unlimited debate.

Question 13

Gerrymandering

Answer 13

The drawing of congressional districts to produce a particular electoral
outcome without regard to the shape of the district.

Question 14

Hold

Answer 14

A tactic by which a senator asks to be informed before a particular bill or
nomination is brought to the floor. This request signals leadership that a
member may have objections to the bill (or nomination) and should be
consulted before further action is taken.

Question 15

Impeachment

Answer 15

The power delegated to the House of Representatives in the Constitution
to charge the president, vice president, or other “civil officers,” including
federal judges, with “Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and
Misdemeanors.” This is the first step in the constitutional process of
removing government officials from office.

Question 16

Incumbency

Answer 16

Already holding an office.

Question 17

Joint Committee

Answer 17

Standing committee that includes members from both houses of
Congress setup to conduct investigations or special studies.

Question 18

Logrolling

Answer 18

Vote trading; voting to support a colleague’s bill in return to promise
future support.

Question 19

Majority Leader

Answer 19

The head of the party controlling the most seats in the House of
Representatives or the Senate; is second in authority to the Speaker of
the House and in the Senate is regarded as the most powerful member.

Question 20

Majority Party

Answer 20

The political party in each house of Congress with the most members.

Question 21

Markup

Answer 21

A session in which committee members offer changes to a bill before it
goes to the floor.

Question 22

Minority Leader

Answer 22

The head of the party with the second highest member of elected
representatives in the House of Representatives in the Senate.

Question 23

Minority Party

Answer 23

The political party in each house of Congress with the second most
members.

Question 24

Party Caucus or
Conference

Answer 24

A formal gathering of all party members.

Question 25

Pocket Veto

Answer 25

If Congress adjourns during the ten days the president has to consider a
bill passed by both houses of Congress, the bill is considered vetoed
without the president’s signature.

Question 26

Politico

Answer 26

Role played by an elected representative who acts as a trustee or as a
delegate, depending on the issue.

Question 27

Pork

Answer 27

Legislation that allows representatives to bring money and jobs to their
districts in the form of public works programs, military bases, or other
programs.

Question 28

President Pro
Tempore

Answer 28

The official chair of the Senate; usually the most senior member of the
majority party.

Question 29

Reconciliation

Answer 29

A procedure that allows consideration of controversial issues affecting the
budget by limiting debate to twenty hours, thereby ending the threat of a
filibuster.

Question 30

Redistricting

Answer 30

The process of redrawing congressional districts to reflect increases or
decreases in seats allotted to the states, as well as population shifts within a
state.

Question 31

Select (Special)
Committee

Answer 31

Temporary committee appointed for a specific purpose.

Question 32

Senatorial
Courtesy

Answer 32

A process by which presidents, when selecting district court judges, defer to
the senators in whose state the vacancy occurs.

Question 33

Seniority

Answer 33

Time of continuous service on a committee.

Question 34

Speaker of the
House

Answer 34

The only officer of the House of Representatives specifically mentioned in
the Constitution; the chamber’s most powerful position; traditionally a
member of the majority party.

Question 35

Standing
Committee

Answer 35

Committee to which proposed bills are referred; continues from one
Congress to the next.

Question 36

Trustee

Answer 36

Role played by an elected representative who listens to constituents’
opinions and then uses his or her best judgment to make a final decision.

Question 37

Unified
Government

Answer 37

The political condition in which the same political party controls the
presidency and Congress.

Question 38

Veto

Answer 38

The formal, constitutional authority of the president to reject bills passed by
both houses of Congress, thus preventing them from becoming law without
further congressional action.

Question 39

War Powers Act

Answer 39

Passed by Congress in 1973; the president is limited in the deployment of
troops overseas to a sixty-day period in peacetime (which can be extended
by 30 days to allow withdrawal) unless Congress explicitly gives its approval
for a longer period of time.

Question 40

Whip

Answer 40

Party leader who keeps close contact with all members of his/her party,
takes vote counts on key legislations, prepares summaries of bills, and acts
as a communications link within a party.