Unit 2

Question 1

1. Where are representatives elected from? (p. 124)

Answer 1

Representatives are elected from their states, and usually their districts.

Question 2

2. What are some reasons that incumbents tend to get reelected? (p. 130)

Answer 2

Incumbents find it easier to raise campaign funds because of connections, they may have the advantage of gerrymandering, they are better known to voters, and they have helped solve voter’s problems. Additionally, most voters believe their incumbent best represents their views.

Question 3

3. What is a bicameral legislature? (p. 123)

Answer 3

A bicameral legislature is a legislature with two houses.

Question 4

4. What is redistricting? (p.125)

Answer 4

Redistricting is the process of setting up new district lines after reapportionment.

Question 5

5. When do Congressional terms begin? (p. 123)

Answer 5

Congressional terms begin on January 3 of odd-numbered years

Question 6

1. Who controls the flow of legislative work in Congress? (134)

Answer 6

The Speaker of the House controls the flow of legislative work in the House

Question 7

2. Before both houses of Congress pass it and the president signs in, a proposed law is a what? (135)

Answer 7

A bill

Question 8

3. What is required for a legislative body to take official action? (137)

Answer 8

The Legislative body must meet the quorum, or 218 members, to take official action. The Committee of the Whole needs only 100 members.

Question 9

4. What does a whip do? (135)

Answer 9

A whip serves as assistant floor leader in the house, and tries to get members of their party to vote the way the party wishes, as well as to try to make sure members of the party get there

Question 10

1. What is the main task of the Senate majority leader? (139)

Answer 10

The Senate majority leader’s main job is to steer the party’s bills through the Senate.

Question 11

2. What is the role of a whip in the Senate? (139-140)

Answer 11

In the Senate, whips assist the majority and minority leaders by making sure that Congressmen/women are present for key votes.

Question 12

3. What has weakened the filibuster in recent years in the Senate? (140)

Answer 12

Other matters can continue during a filibuster.

Question 13

4. What is the name of the president of the Senate? (139)

Answer 13

The vice President is president of the Senate, but the president pro tempore, or pro tem, is the president of the Senate if the vice president is not there

Question 14

5. Who brings bills to the floor in the Senate? (140)

Answer 14

Unanimous consent

Question 15

1. What committee is set up when the House and Senate have passed different versions of the same bill? (144)

Answer 15

A conference committee is set up when the House and the Senate have passed different versions of a bill

Question 16

2. What is one of the most prestigious committees in the House? (See last item in chart, p. 143)

Answer 16

Ways and Means

Question 17

3. What system guides the selection of committee chairpersons? (145, key term)

Answer 17

The seniority system generally guides the selection of committee chairpersons. This means that the member of the majority party with the longest uninterrupted service on a particular committee usually gets leadership of that committee.

Question 18

4. Who controls the standing committees of each house? (142)

Answer 18

That respective house

Question 19

5. Which form of committee acts as study groups for the House and Senate? (143)

Answer 19

Joint committees, which are committees that have members from both houses of Congress, act as study groups for Congress. This is why they do not have the authority to propose bills to Congress.

Question 20

6. What are examples of House subcommittees? (143)

Answer 20

Health, Human resources, Oversight, Select Revenue Measures, Social Security, and Trade are subcommittees of the House committee Ways and Means

Question 21

7. Foreign Relations is a committee of which house? (143)

Answer 21

Foreign Relations is a committee of the Senate.

Question 22

8. What are one of the key power centers in Congress? (141)

Answer 22

Committees have a lot of power in Congress

Question 23

9. What is a subcommittee? (142)

Answer 23

A subcommittee is a part of a committee that specializes in a specific area of its committee’s responsibility

Question 24

1. Approximately how many items are contained within the Library of Congress? (149)

Answer 24

100 million

Question 25

2. What does a caseworker do? (148)

Answer 25

Caseworkers handle the many requests for help from people in a lawmaker’s state or congressional district.

Question 26

1. Spending requests generally come from which legislative body? (158)

Answer 26

The House of Representatives is where the bills must originate, and requests usually come from the executive branch.

Question 27

2. What power enables Congress to regulate working conditions across the nation? (161)

Answer 27

The power to regulate commerce

Question 28

3. What is impeachment? (164)

Answer 28

Impeachment is a formal accusation of misconduct in office.

Question 29

4. What are appropriations bills? (160)

Answer 29

Appropriations bills are proposed laws to authorize spending money.

Question 30

5. What are revenue bills? (158)

Answer 30

Revenue bills are laws for raising money.

Question 31

6. What law requires the president to notify Congress when committing military forces? (163)

Answer 31

The War Powers Act

Question 32

1. What is immunity? (169)

Answer 32

Immunity is freedom from prosecution for witnesses whose testimony ties them to illegal acts.

Question 33

2. How can congressional committees punish people who refuse to testify? (168)

Answer 33

They can hold the people in contempt, or willful obstruction, or Congress. They can be jailed for this.

Question 34

3. What is legislative oversight? (169)

Answer 34

A continuing overview of how effectively the executive branch carries out the laws Congress passes.

Question 35

Over the years presidents have assumed more responsibility for this: (175)

Answer 35

The nation's financial plan

Question 36

1. What is the difference between private and public bills? (181)

Answer 36

Private bills deal with individual people or places, and they are often involved with people’s claims against the government or their immigration problems. These have declined. Public bills deal with general matters that apply to the entire nation. These are the big ones that tend to get a lot of media attention.

Question 37

2. What are joint resolutions used by Congress for? (182)

Answer 37

Joint resolutions are used to correct an error in an earlier law or deal with appropriation. These usually require the president’s signature and have the force of law, although joint resolutions to propose constitutional amendments do not need the president’s signature.

Question 38

3. What is a pocket veto? (187)

Answer 38

A pocket veto is the action that the president can take to not act on a bill within the last 10 days that Congress is in session so it will die.

Question 39

4. What is a concurrent resolution? (182)

Answer 39

A concurrent resolution covers matters requiring the action of the House and Senate, but on which a law is not needed. One may set a date for the adjournment of Congress. These do not need the President’s signature and do not have the force of law.

Question 40

5. What is the closed rule? (186)

Answer 40

The closed rule is when no amendments to a particular bill may be adopted.

Question 41

1. What are entitlements? What are some examples of entitlements? (192)

Answer 41

Entitlements are social programs that continue from one year to the next, such as Social Security payments, interest on the national debt, and federal contracts that are already in force.

Question 42

2. The government is legally committed to spending for “uncontrollable” because of this. (192)

Answer 42

The government has already committed to spending certain amounts of money (entitlements).

Question 43

3. What is an authorization bill? (191)

Answer 43

An authorization bill sets up a federal program and specifies how much money may be appropriated for that program. This sets the money amount, but the relevant department does not actually have the money yet. An appropriations bill provides the money.

Question 44

4. Almost all important work on tax laws occurs in this committee. (189)

Answer 44

The House Ways and Means Committee

Question 45

5. Which committees have the power to cut budgets? (192)

Answer 45

I think the House and Senate Appropriations Committees

Question 46

1. What do PACs try to do? (198)

Answer 46

PACs are political action committees. They are fund-raising organizations established by special interest groups. A PAC uses its funds to support lawmakers who favor the PAC’s position on issues.

Question 47

2. Define lobbyists. (198)

Answer 47

Lobbyists are the representatives of interest groups that try to influence Congress.

Question 48

3. Name one area in which party voting is strong. (196)

Answer 48

Party voting is strong on issues relating to government intervention in the economy, farm issues, and social-welfare issues.

Question 49

4. What influences might cause a member of the House to vote against the wishes of the people in his or her district? (195)

Answer 49

If he or she believes that something is wrong or right, or if their constituents are not knowledgeable or not directly affected by the legislation.

Question 50

1. What is “pork-barrel legislation?” (202)

Answer 50

Pork-barrel legislation is legislation that appropriates money for local federal project’s in a certain representative’s district.

Question 51

2. These are a source of federal money and jobs. (202)

Answer 51

Federal grants and contracts are sources of federal money and jobs.

Question 52

3. What is “casework?” (200)

Answer 52

Casework is helping constituents with problems.