practice quiz 4

Question 1

Which of the following was created in part to establish a social contract between the American government and the people?

Answer 1

the House of Representatives

Question 2

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that it is unconstitutional for a state to unilaterally place term limits on Members of Congress. What was the name of the 1995 Supreme Court case that made this ruling?

Answer 2

U.S. Term Limits v. Thornton

Question 3

Which U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit decision (2010) held that a Washington law banning ex-felons from voting violates the Voting Rights Act because it has the effect of disproportionately disenfranchising African American voters?

Answer 3

Farrakhan v. Gregoire

Question 4

What is the name of the author who argues that Members of Congress have two goals: (1) to enact meaningful legislation (Washington style); and (2) re-election concerns (Home style)?

Answer 4

Richard Fenno

Question 5

Those who favor unicameral legislatures argue which of the following?

Answer 5

A, B, C

Question 6

Costa Rica’s stability flows from policies designed to protect

Answer 6

the sanctity of the electoral process.

Question 7

Which term describes a rule in the Senate that requires 60 senators to vote to stop a filibuster?

Answer 7

Cloture

Question 8

Differences between Senate and House versions of a bill are ironed out by

Answer 8

Conference committees.

Question 9

What is the name of the types of legislation that contains several smaller bills within the framework of one large bill?

Answer 9

Omnibus legislation

Question 10

Japan is considered a(n) __________ that has a _______________ legislature.

Answer 10

multiparty parliamentary democracy; bicameral

Question 11

Which Supreme Court case(s) has(have) made it illegal to draw congressional districts based solely on the racial make-up of the district?

Answer 11

Answers A, B and C

Question 12

In Baker v. Carr, the Supreme Court established the principle of

Answer 12

one person, one vote

Question 13

Since the majority party that controls the House of Commons determines the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, we label it as a

Answer 13

parliamentary democracy.

Question 14

Which term is used to describe a lack of progress on enacting legislation typically caused by partisan and/or institutional infighting?

Answer 14

gridlock

Question 15

How many members were there in the first U.S. House of Representatives?

Answer 15

65

Question 16

Traditionally those in __________ Ukraine have favored greater alignment with Russia.

Answer 16

eastern

Question 17

In the United Kingdom, the British House of Commons is __________ than the House of Lords.

Answer 17

more politically powerful

Question 18

Which legislative term describes the practice of voting in the same manner as a respected colleague or party leader when a member of Congress is undecided on how to vote on a particular bill?

Answer 18

Cue-taking

Question 19

Costa Rica’s Asamblea Legislativa comprises 57 members directly elected by the people. Which of the following is NOT one of its powers?

Answer 19

appoint the Prime Minister

Question 20

Which Federalist Paper addressed the size of the House of Representatives by explaining it would not be an elitist body because the size of the House of Representatives would grow alongside the size of the U.S. population?

Answer 20

Federalist Paper No. 55

Question 21

How were U.S. Senators originally selected?

Answer 21

appointment by the state’s legislature

Question 22

_________, ____________ states are the most common in the world today.

Answer 22

Unitary, unicameral

Question 23

A Congressperson’s attempt to publicly express his or her support of a particular policy position perceived to be of interest to his or her constituents (whether taking action on it or not) is identified in Mayhew’s Congress: The Electoral Connection as

Answer 23

position taking.

Question 24

Those who favor ____________ legislatures say that they are more efficient, more accountable to the people, and generate fewer expenses.

Answer 24

unicameral

Question 25

The _________________ branch is considered to be the most representative of the people.

Answer 25

legislative

Question 26

What is the only country that has larger legislative districts than the U.S. House of Representatives in their lower legislative chamber?

Answer 26

India

Question 27

Which term describes the underrepresentation of the population that arises when one legislative district is considerably more populated than another?

Answer 27

Malapportionment

Question 28

Which 1962 Supreme Court case is credited with establishing the principle of one person, one vote in state legislatures by requiring legislative districts to be populated with an equal number of residents?

Answer 28

Baker v. Carr

Question 29

The National Diet in Japan is a _________________ comprised of the_____________.

Answer 29

bicameral legislature; House of Councilors and the House of Representatives

Question 30

The Affordable Care Act of 2010, dubbed “ObamaCare” by some, is the most significant piece of health care legislation since Medicare and Medicaid was enacted into law in the 1960s. Which provision is NOT contained in the Affordable Health Care Act of 2010?

Answer 30

Requires coverage for legal and illegal immigrants

Question 31

Each member of the U.S. House of Representatives now represents approximately how many people?

Answer 31

700,000 people

Question 32

In Japan, people vote in elections

Answer 32

for both the upper and lower houses of the legislature.

Question 33

The Framers changed their mind about granting Congress the power to “make war” (instead granting Congress the power to “declare war”) for what reason?

Answer 33

in order to enable the executive branch to defend the nation if attacked when Congress was not in session

Question 34

Which of the following was the reason for ratification of the Seventeenth Amendment (1913), which transformed the Senate from an elective to an appointive position?

Answer 34

All of the above

Question 35

According to research by political scientists, women legislators are more likely than their male counterparts to do which of the following?

Answer 35

All of the above

Question 36

Which of the following is NOT one of the four distinct types of committees in Congress?

Answer 36

Policy committees

Question 37

A Member of the House of Representatives serves ___ years in each term, whereas a Senator serves ___ years.

Answer 37

two; six

Question 38

Which of the following systems of governance is defined by a fusion of the legislative and executive branches?

Answer 38

parliamentary systems

Question 39

In bicameral legislatures, the “lower house” typically

Answer 39

All of the above

Question 40

Drawing congressional district lines within a state to enhance one party’s control of the state legislature or the states representatives to Congress is known as

Answer 40

partisan gerrymandering.

Question 41

Today Ukraine is considered a ___________, ____________, ___________ democracy.

Answer 41

unitary, unicameral, presidential

Question 42

The ____________ has to face off against his political opponents weekly during half-hour sessions referred to as Question Time.

Answer 42

The British prime minister

Question 43

Which political era (1824–1854) was marked with the expansion of democratic rights and started the trend away from political appointments and toward the use of elections to select public officials?

Answer 43

Jacksonian democracy

Question 44

What law capped the number of representatives in the U.S. House at 435?

Answer 44

The Permanent Apportionment Act of 1929

Question 45

Which of the following is NOT a power granted to Congress by the U.S. Constitution?

Answer 45

the power to make treaties

Question 46

What food or drink analogy did George Washington use when discussing unicameral versus bicameral legislatures with Thomas Jefferson, to describe the Senate?

Answer 46

it cools the coffee

Question 47

What is the term for the method used in the Senate to stop a bill from coming to a vote when senators make long speeches or engage in unlimited debate, controversial for its more frequent use in recent times?

Answer 47

Filibuster

Question 48

What is the name used to describe the party leader responsible for working closely with rank and file members of Congress to ensure individuals vote in accordance with the wishes of the party leaders?

Answer 48

Whip