Unit 3: Interactions Among Branches

Question 1

Congressional Representation trends:

Answer 1

gender (increase in women)
race (diversity increasing)
Religion (mostly christian)
incumbency (highly favor incumbents)

Question 2

Incumbents advantages

Answer 2

-Fundraising advantages
-Ranking privilege
-Name recognition
-Record of bringing home money to the constituents
-Congressional district construction

Question 3

Powers of Congress

Answer 3

-lawmaking
-budgeting
-exercising oversight of the federal bureaucracy and other public officials

Question 4

pork barrel spending

Answer 4

legislation that directs specific funds to projects within districts or states

Question 5

Redistricting

Answer 5

states’ redrawing of boundaries of electoral districts following each census

Question 6

partisan gerrymandering

Answer 6

drawing of districts boundaries into strange shapes to benefit a political party

Question 7

gerrymandering

Answer 7

the intentional use of Redistricting to benefit a specific interest or group of voters

Question 8

incumbency

Answer 8

being already in office as opposed to running for the first time

Question 9

why is incumbency a greater advantage in the House than the senate

Answer 9

-Senators have longer terms, lost touch with state residents
-Harder to please voters

Question 10

Speaker of the House

Answer 10

the leader of the House, chosen by an election of it’s members

Question 11

Political action committee (PAC)

Answer 11

an organization that raises money for candidates and campaigns

Question 12

House majority leader

Answer 12

Second in command in the House

Question 13

Whip

Answer 13

a member of Congress chosen by his or her party members, whose job is to ensure party unity and discipline

Question 14

Minority Leader

Answer 14

the head of the party with the second-highest number of seats in Congress, chosen by the party’s members

Question 15

Senate Majority Leader

Answer 15

the person who has the most power in the Senate and is the head of the party with the most seats

Question 16

committee chair

Answer 16

leader of a Congressional committee who has authority over the committees agenda

Question 17

House Rules Committee

Answer 17

determines when a bill will be subject to debate and vote on the House floor, how long the debate will last, and whether amendments will be allowed on the floor

Question 18

Committee of the Whole

Answer 18

consists of all members of the House and meets in the House chamber it is government by different rules, making it easier to consider complex and controversial legislation

Question 19

filibuster

Answer 19

a tactic through which an individual senator mayuse the right of unlimited debate to delay a motion or postpone action on a piece of legislation

Question 20

cloture

Answer 20

the procedure through which senators can end debate on a bill and proceed to action, provided 60 senators agree to it

Question 21

delegate role

Answer 21

the idea that the main duty of a member of Congress is to carry out constituents’ wishes

Question 22

trustee role

Answer 22

the idea that members of Congress should act as trustees, making decisions based on their knowledge and judgment

Question 23

politico role

Answer 23

representation where members of Congress balance their choices with the interest of their constituents and parties in making decisions

Question 24

Bipartisanship

Answer 24

agreement between the parties to work together in Congress to pass legislation

Question 25

lame duck period

Answer 25

period at the end of a presidential term when Congress may block presidential initiatives and nominees

Question 26

formal/enumerated powers

Answer 26

powers expressly granted in the Constituoion

Question 27

Informal Powers

Answer 27

powers not laid out in the Constitution but used to carry out presidential duties

Question 28

State of the Union Address

Answer 28

the annual speech from the prez. to Congress updating that branch on the state of national affairs

Question 29

Veto

Answer 29

formal rejection by the prez of a bill that has passed both houses of Congress

Question 30

pocket veto

Answer 30

sn informal veto
-prez chooses not to sign a bill within ten days, during a time when Congress has adjourned at the end of a session

Question 31

presidential pardon

Answer 31

presidential authority to release individuals convicted of a crime from legal consequences and set aside punishment for a crime

Question 32

executive privilege

Answer 32

a right claimed by presidents to keep certain conversations, records, and transcripts confidential from outside scrutiny, especially that of Congress

Question 33

executive agreement

Answer 33

an agreement between prez and another nation that does not require Senate approval

Question 34

executive order

Answer 34

policy directives issued by presidents that do not require congressional approval

Question 35

War Powers Resolution

Answer 35

a law passed over President Nixon’s veto that restricts the power of the prez to maintain troops in combat for more than 60 days without Congressional approval

Question 36

bully pulpit

Answer 36

presidential appeals to the public to pressure other branches of government to support his or her policies

Question 37

what are two parts of Congress and their difference

Answer 37

House
-represent districts
Senate
-represent states

Question 38

Lawmaking process

Answer 38

bill must pass through House and Senate before it is able to be passed onto prez.

Question 39

select committee

Answer 39

Temporary, investigate an issue (response to a crisis or scandal)

Question 40

Joint committee

Answer 40

Contain members from House & Senate, raise attention on an issue, gather info, speed things along in legislative process

Question 41

“powers to check” in Congress

Answer 41

-confirm presidential nominees
-power to remove federal officials
-declare war
-ratify treaties
-impeachment

Question 42

Baker v. Carr (1962)

Answer 42

-congressional boundaries debate
-Tennessee districts were out of date and didn’t accurately represent pop.

Question 43

Shaw v. Reno (1993)

Answer 43

-congressional boundaries debate
-majority-minority districts
-Equal Protection Clause

Question 44

standing committees

Answer 44

Permanent and divided by policy area, members serve in for multiple years (expertise)

Question 45

Conference Committee

Answer 45

Temporary joint committee that resolves differences between the House and Senate versions of a bill

Question 46

step 1 in legislative process

Answer 46

Introduction:
House or Senate can introduce a bill

Question 47

step 2 in legislative process

Answer 47

Referral to a Committee:
-Committees hold hearings to hear and learn about the bill -“Graveyard” of bills

Question 48

step 3 in legislative process

Answer 48

Floor Consideration:
consideration of the bill in the House and Senate

Question 49

step 4 in the legislative process

Answer 49

Presidential Action:
-veto
-sign
-pocket veto

Question 50

how does gerrymandering affect votes

Answer 50

-threatens democracy; everyone needs a voice
-votes loose value

Question 51

what broad power is granted to prez

Answer 51

executive power
-enforce laws
-appoint people to enforce them

Question 52

Federalist 70;
why energy in the executive

Answer 52

-protect
-administration of laws
-liberties
-unite

Question 53

Fed 70;
single better than plural executive?

Answer 53

-more people=more conflict/disagreement