Quiz 3 study guide

Question 1

advantages for incumbents

Answer 1

The incumbency advantage is the advantage gained by House members after serving more than one term. IA has increased over the last few years due to weak party identification, meaning voters are more easily swayed by standing reps, and by increased resources to incumbents which allows them to go home and influence the constitution more. Incumbents also have advantages over competitors in congressional elections. Incumbents have at least 5 advantages over their opponents in congressional elections.

1. Because they are well-known, they are able to advertise all year. they don’t advertise in the traditional way, instead of TV ads they actually talk to their constituents and attempt to stay visible sand well known.
2. credit-claiming: take credit for things they didnt do but were involved in or to help the community through the casework and the pork barrel; this is a better technique than credits claiming the policies that member has voted on.
3. through position-taking their constituents learn about the character of their incumbent.
4. most opponents who run agains an incumbent tend to be wreak and aren’t a risk
5. incumbents have more money put toward their campaign thanks to PACs than their opponents

Question 2

Open primary system

Answer 2

anyone can vote for any caudate in either party regardless of whether they are registered democrat or republican

Question 3

Closed primary system

Answer 3

you can only vote for someone in your registered party

Question 4

S.C. case: Citizens United v. FEC

Answer 4

Supreme court case that decided that the part of the McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform law that prevents corporations and labor unions from spending money on advertisements independent of political candidates or parties is unconstitutional.

Question 5

S.C. case: Marbury c. Madison

Answer 5

established judicial review (the Court’s power to rule an act of Congress unconstitutional). The court did not again invoke this power until the Dred Scott decision in 1859.

Question 6

VP

Answer 6

Joe Biden

Question 7

Department of State

Answer 7

Secretary John Kerry

Question 8

Types of congressional committees

Answer 8

standing, select, conference, joint

Question 9

Pendleton act

Answer 9

method of hiring federal employees based on merit rather than on political beliefs or allegiances (replaced spoils system)

Question 10

Title IX

Answer 10

originally written in order to end discrimination based on race, color, or national origin, the act tremendously helped to energize the women’s rights movement which had somewhat slowed after women’s suffrage in 1920

Question 11

Department of the Interior

Answer 11

Secretary Sally Jewell

Question 12

Department of Agriculture

Answer 12

Secretary Thomas Vilsack

Question 13

Department of Commerce

Answer 13

Secretary Penny Pritsker

Question 14

Department of Labor

Answer 14

Secretary Thomas Perez

Question 15

Department of Health and Human Services

Answer 15

Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell

Question 16

Department of Housing and Urban Development

Answer 16

Secretary Julián Castro

Question 17

Department of Transportation

Answer 17

Secretary Anthony Foxx

Question 18

Department of Energy

Answer 18

Secretary Ernest Moniz

Question 19

Department of Education

Answer 19

Secretary John King

Question 20

Department of Veterans Affairs

Answer 20

Secretary Robert McDonald

Question 21

Department of Homeland Security

Answer 21

Secretary Jeh Johnson

Question 22

Iron Triangle

Answer 22

relationship between congressional committees, the bureaucracy, and interest groups

Question 23

Standing committees

Answer 23

deal with issues of permanent legislative concern

Question 24

Conference committees

Answer 24

for a bill to become law, both houses must approve identical versions. When different versions are passed, the leaders create a conference committee to reconcile the differences between the two bills

Question 25

Select committees

Answer 25

Deals with temporary issues, investigation

Question 26

Select committees

Answer 26

Deals with temporary issues, investigation

Question 27

Joint Committees

Answer 27

consist of members of both houses usually created to deal with specific issues.

Question 28

Hatch Act

Answer 28

a congressional law that forbade government officials from participating in partisan politics and protected government employees from being fired on partisan grounds; it was revised in 1993 to be less restrictive

Question 29

In an open Republican primary

Answer 29

E- everyone registered voter and vote

Question 30

In a given election cycle, a political action committee may contribute to a candidate no more than

Answer 30

D- $5,000

Question 31

At a nomination convention, the position that the political party will take is decided by the

Answer 31

A- Platform Committee

Question 32

In order to win the election for the presidency, a candidate must

Answer 32

A- Receive a majority of the votes in the electoral college

Question 33

Which of the following people is most limey to vote in a general election

Answer 33

B- a 65 YO professor

Question 34

In a presidential election, state caucuses differ from state primaries in which of the following ways?

Answer 34

B- Caucuses usually have lower turnouts

Question 35

Based on the data in the table above, William J. Clinton won the election because

Answer 35

C- he won a majority of electoral votes

Question 36

The official head of the senate is the

Answer 36

B- VP of the US

Question 37

One of the most important legislative powers of congress is

Answer 37

E- the ability to tax and spend

Question 38

Congressional districts for the House are determined in the majority of states by

Answer 38

D- a census and the various state legislatures

Question 39

How are cabinet members chosen?

Answer 39

A- By the president and are confirmed by the senate

Question 40

The Executive office of the President (EOP) is

Answer 40

A- often a favored tool of the president due to the lack of congressional oversight

Question 41

What is the National Security Council (NCS) in charge of?

Answer 41

C- Advising the president and helping to coordinate American foreign policy

Question 42

“Senatorial courtesy” is

Answer 42

D- When the president gets approval of the two senator from the state where he is about to name a federal judge

Question 43

Marbury v. Madison established

Answer 43

B- the power of the court to use judicial review

Question 44

The pendleton act

Answer 44

E- limited the spoils system and created a system of civil service exams

Question 45

the iron triangle is

Answer 45

E- a policy-making group made of a committee of congress, an interest group, and a bureaucratic agency