STUDY GUIDE Exam 2 Flashcards
1. (p. 328) The framers of the Constitution saw this as the preeminent component of the federal government: A. the Supreme Court. B. the bureaucracy. C. the Congress. D. the president. E. None of these answers is correct.
C. the Congress.
- (p. 329) In the nation’s first century,
A. service in Congress was even more of a lifetime career than it is now.
B. members of Congress would move from House to Senate and back with little concern for the relative power and prestige of the chambers.
C. service in Congress was not seen as a lifetime career for most of its members.
D. service in Congress was restricted by the imposition of term limits in many states.
E. service in Congress was greatly preferred to service in state government.
C. service in Congress was not seen as a lifetime career for most of its members.
- (p. 329) The modern Congress is different from the nineteenth century Congress in that most members
A. are now professional politicians who want to stay in Congress.
B. are now amateur politicians who want only to spend a short time in Congress.
C. are now minorities or women.
D. now have previously been governors of their home states.
E. return to their respective state legislatures after their congressional service is over.
A. are now professional politicians who want to stay in Congress.
4. (p. 330) Approximately \_\_ percent of House incumbents win reelection. A. 57 B. 65 C. 74 D. 82 E. 92
E. 92
5. (p. 330) Approximately \_\_ percent of Senate incumbents win reelection. A. 57 B. 65 C. 74 D. 87 E. 98
D. 87
6. (p. 330) In an average election, about 1 in \_\_ House seats is a truly competitive election. A. 2 B. 3 C. 4 D. 5 E. 6
E. 6
7. (p. 330) Legislation whose tangible benefits are targeted solely at a particular legislator's constituency is A. pork-barrel legislation. B. logrolling. C. gerrymandering. D. private legislation. E. public interest legislation.
A. pork-barrel legislation.
- (p. 331) Congressional staffers spend most of their time on
A. constituency service and legislative matters.
B. legislative matters.
C. constituency service and public relations.
D. legislative matters and constituency service.
E. public relations.
C. constituency service and public relations.
- (p. 332) Campaign spending tends to be a much greater task for
A. challengers than for incumbents.
B. Republican candidates.
C. Democratic candidates.
D. candidates in urban areas than for candidates in rural areas.
E. men than for women.
A. challengers than for incumbents.
10. (p. 332) In 2010, the average Senate race saw about \_\_ million dollars in campaign spending. A. 2 B. 4 C. 8 D. 15 E. 34
D. 15
11. (p. 333) Nearly \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ percent of all PAC contributions go to the incumbents. A. 10 B. 30 C. 50 D. 70 E. 85
E. 85
12. (p. 333) Redistricting happens after the census, which is conducted every \_\_ years. A. 4 B. 8 C. 10 D. 15 E. 20
C. 10
- (p. 334) Redistricting
A. happens every 4 years.
B. is conducted by state legislatures.
C. must be approved by Congress.
D. must be approved by the highest court in each state.
E. has little appreciable effect on who wins or loses congressional races.
B. is conducted by state legislatures.
- (p. 334-336) Incumbents may have some problems in reelection campaigns if
A. disruptive issues such as general public discontent with Congress become prominent.
B. the incumbent is tainted with charges of personal misconduct or corruption.
C. the election is a midterm election, and the incumbent is of the same party as the president.
D. through redistricting, the incumbent is placed in a disadvantageous district.
E. All of these answers are correct.
E. All of these answers are correct.
- (p. 335) In midterm elections,
A. the president’s party usually loses seats.
B. voter turnout is substantially higher than in presidential elections.
C. half the House is up for reelection.
D. voters are more likely to have weaker ties to political parties.
E. All of these answers are correct.
A. the president’s party usually loses seats.
- (p. 336) Compared to House incumbents, Senate incumbents are more likely to face the problem of
A. raising enough money to run a strong campaign.
B. an electorate that is inclined to judge their fitness for reelection in the context of pork-barrel legislation and other favors for the local community.
C. a strong challenger.
D. name recognition.
E. All of these answers are correct.
insert but probably:
C. a strong challenger
17. (p. 337-338) One must be \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ years of age to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives, and \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ years of age to serve in the U.S. Senate. A. 18; 21 B. 21; 25 C. 25; 30 D. 35; 45 E. 40; 50
C. 25; 30
18. (p. 338) Which of the following groups is overrepresented in Congress? A. blue-collar workers B. homemakers C. clerical workers D. women E. lawyers
E. lawyers
19. (p. 339) In which of the following legislative sessions did Democrats have the majority in the House of Representatives? A. 2003-2004 B. 2005-2006 C. 2009-2010 D. 2011-2012 E. 2013-2014
C. 2009-2010
- (p. 339) Which of the following statements is TRUE?
A. Political parties are unimportant in the organization of the U.S. Congress.
B. Party-line voting rarely occurs in Congress.
C. Party-line voting has increased in recent years.
D. Partisanship makes virtually no difference in the votes cast in Congress.
E. None of these answers is correct.
C. Party-line voting has increased in recent years.
- (p. 339) In the 1970s, roll-call votes
A. generally demonstrated the power of incumbents.
B. generally demonstrated an increase in party loyalty.
C. generally did not pit most Republicans against most Democrats.
D. were less common than voice votes.
E. were generally not used to record each member’s vote.
C. generally did not pit most Republicans against most Democrats.
22. (p. 340) What percentage of state legislators are women? A. less than 5 percent B. more than 20 percent C. about 50 percent D. about 60 percent E. more than 40 percent
B. more than 20 percent
- (p. 341) The second-most powerful federal official (after the president) is often said to be the
A. chair of the House Appropriations Committee.
B. president pro tempore of the U.S. Senate.
C. Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives.
D. chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
E. Senate majority leader.
C. Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives.
- (p. 341-342) Compared with the Senate majority leader, the Speaker of the House has more power because
A. the House places more limits on debate.
B. the House is the larger chamber in terms of membership.
C. the House has less of a tradition as a chamber of equals.
D. the Speaker is that chamber’s presiding officer.
E. All of these answers are correct.
E. All of these answers are correct.