Legislative Branch - Test

Question 1

the Legislative branch of the federal gov. is also known as what?

Answer 1

Congress

Question 2

jobs of Congress

Answer 2

1) to represent the people and do the day to day work
2) they translate the will of the people into law!

Question 3

why is there bicameral legislature?

Answer 3

1) Historical Reason: British parliament also had two houses
2) Practical Reason: settled conflict between small and large states
- one based on population, one equal representation
3) Theoretical Reason: Check and Balance each other

Question 4

one year time period during which Congress conducts its business

Answer 4

Session

Question 5

to suspend business temporarily during a session

Answer 5

Recess

Question 6

to suspend business until the next session

Answer 6

Adjourn

Question 7

neither house can adjourn without the consent of the other houses

Answer 7

“Sine die”

Question 8

the president has the power to end a session when the two houses can’t agree to adjourn

Answer 8

Prorogue

Question 9

when the President calls Congress together for an emergency meeting

Answer 9

Special Session

Question 10

powers of the House of Representative

Answer 10

1) Impeach the President
2) decide presidential election if no winner
3) all tax bills start here

Question 11

the seats of the House of Representatives are redistributed every 10 years (census)
- how much population each state has and how many reps. they get

Answer 11

Reapportionment

Question 12

why does the party in power usually lose seats in the Mid-Term Elections?

Answer 12

the party in power is blamed for all of the problems in the country

Question 13

geographic districts from which one representative is chosen from a field of candidates

Answer 13

Single-Member Districts

Question 14

representative chosen from the state as a whole

Answer 14

At-Large Districts

Question 15

the drawing up of district lines to the advantage of the party in power

Answer 15

Gerrymandering

Question 16

two ways of gerrymandering

Answer 16

1) Packing: concentrate the opposition’s voters in as few districts as possible
2) Cracking: spread the opponents voters out in as many districts as possible

Question 17

qualifications of being a House of Representatives member

Answer 17

1) be 25 years old
2) be a citizen of the US for 7 years
3) live in the state they represent

Question 18

the people they represent (entire state in the Senate)

Answer 18

Constituencies

Question 19

all seats are never up for election at the same time (stagger the terms) 1/3 at a time

Answer 19

Continuous Body

Question 20

qualifications of being a Senator

Answer 20

1) must be 30 years old
2) citizen of the US for 9 years
3) live in the state they represent

Question 21

powers of the Senate

Answer 21

1) holds impeachment trials
2) ratifies treaties
3) confirms executive office appointments (judges, cabinets, etc.)

Question 22

5 major roles of a member of congress

Answer 22

1) Legislators - make laws
2) Representatives - voice of the people
3) Committee members - screen bills
4) Servants to constituents - provide help to the people
5) Politicians - work for the government

Question 23

process through which Congress checks to see if the executive branch (president) is following its policies/laws

Answer 23

Oversight Function

Question 24

3 major types of committees

Answer 24

1) Standing committees (permanent): deal with subject matter
- education, finance, environment, agriculture, etc.
2) Special Committee (temporary): deal with investigations and presidential appointments
3) Joint Committee: deal with matter of both houses (Housekeeping - daily activities, records, budgets, etc.)

Question 25

2 types of bills

Answer 25

1) Public Bill: law involving everyone 2) Private Bill: law involving specific group/area

Question 26

where do ideas for bills come from?

Answer 26

1) Executive Branch 2) People 3) Congressman 4) Special Interest Groups

Question 27

who introduces bills?

Answer 27

congressmen

Question 28

what is the only kind of bill that cannot be introduced by either house?

Answer 28

Tax Bills - start only in the House of Representatives

Question 29

how does a bill become a law? (6 steps)

Answer 29

1) Bill introduced by a Congressman 2) Committee Action (standing committee) - they pass it on or pigeon-hole it! (most bills die here! 3) Floor Action - full House of Rep. or Full Senate - debate and vote! 4) Conference Action/Committee: members from both houses - "iron out" the bill 5) Floor Action: same as step 3 6) Presidential Action: Sign = Becomes law - Veto = Refuse to sign

Question 30

when a bill fails to become law because the president does not sign it within 10 days and within that time period, Congress adjourns

Answer 30

Pocket Veto

Question 31

how can a veto be overridden?

Answer 31

only if there is a two-thirds majority in each house of congress

Question 32

addition to a bill that has nothing to do with the original bill - one that will not pass on its own merit, so they attach it to a bill they know will get passed

Answer 32

Rider

Question 33

models of representation: 4 ways in which congressmen vote

Answer 33

1) Delegate: vote in the interest of the people 2) Partisan: vote along party lines 3) Trustee: vote on their conscience/merit of the bill 4) Politico: a blend of all the other 3

Question 34

what is the percent of bills introduced that are actually passed?

Answer 34

4% of 5000 or 200 are passed

Question 35

attempt by the Senate to stop the passage of a bill by "talking it to death" - unlimited timer

Answer 35

Filibuster

Question 36

only way to stop a filibuster (60% vote to stop)

Answer 36

Cloture

Question 37

who is the Chairman of the Senate?

Answer 37

The Vice President

Question 38

who is the 3rd most powerful person in the government

Answer 38

The Speaker of the House

Question 39

"fringe benefits" of congressmen

Answer 39

1) Housing tax allowance 2) Travel Allowance 3) Cheap health insurance 4) Pension plan 5) Free office and expenses for staff

Question 40

three limits on Congressional Pay raise

Answer 40

1) president can veto 2) voter backlash - most important 3) 27th Amendment (pay raise does not take effect until next term)

Question 41

average age of a congressman

Answer 41

60

Question 42

protects congressmen from law suits for libel or slander arising from their speeches in Congress - purpose: encourages/allows for free and open Legislative debate in Congress

Answer 42

Speech and Debate Clause