Unit C vocab quiz terms

Question 1

pork barrel spending

Answer 1

Legislation that directs specific funds to projects within districts or states.

Question 2

constituency

Answer 2

A body of voters in a given area who elect a representative or senator.

Question 3

apportionment

Answer 3

The process of determining the number of representatives for each state using census data

Question 4

redistricting

Answer 4

States’ redrawing of boundaries of electoral districts following each census.

Question 5

gerrymandering

Answer 5

The intentional use of redistricting to benefit a specific interest or group of voters.

Question 6

partisan gerrymandering

Answer 6

Drawing of district boundaries into strange shapes to benefit a political party.

Question 6

majority-minority districts

Answer 6

A district in which voters of a minority ethnicity constitute an electoral majority within that electoral district.

Question 7

malapportionment

Answer 7

The uneven distribution of the population among legislative districts

Question 7

incumbency

Answer 7

Being already in office as opposed to running for the first time.

Question 7

incumbency advantage

Answer 7

Institutional advantages held by those already in office who are trying to fend off challengers in an election.

Question 7

filibuster

Answer 7

A tactic through which an individual senator may use the right of unlimited debate to delay a motion or postpone action on a piece of legislation.
-often used by the minority party to “debate a bill to death.”

Question 7

cloture

Answer 7

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

Question 8

veto

Answer 8

The power of a president to reject a bill passed by Congress, sending it back to the originating branch with objections.

Question 8

casework

Answer 8

the assistance that members of Congress provide to their constituents who are having trouble with federal agencies or programs.

Question 8

Why do members of congress do casework?

Answer 8

this kind of direct assistance helps build a strong connection between elected officials and their constituents.

Question 9

standing committees

Answer 9

permanent committees in Congress that handle specific areas of legislation.

Question 10

Why does Congress have standing committees?

Answer 10

These committees are essential for managing the workload of Congress and ensuring that legislation gets the detailed attention it needs.

Question 11

select committees

Answer 11

temporary committees created by either the House or the Senate to investigate specific issues or address particular concerns that don’t fall under the jurisdiction of existing standing committees. Usually dissolved once the issue is resolved

Question 12

conference committees

Answer 12

Conference committees consist of members of both the house of representatives and Senate
- temporary committees formed to resolve differences between the House and Senate versions of a bill. The bill is then sent back to both houses for another vote.

Question 13

joint committees

Answer 13

Contains members of both ther senate and house.
purpose: to focus public attention, gather information on issues, and hasten the legislative process.
-can be permanent or temporary
-

Question 14

who is the Speaker of the House and what do they do?

Answer 14

The leader of the House of Representatives, chosen by an election of its members.
-preside over the house sessions, sets the legislative agenda, and appoints members to committees

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

whip(s)

Answer 16

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

Question 17

Committee Chairperson(s)

Answer 17

Leader of a congressional committee who has authority over the committee’s agenda

Question 18

What are the causes of incumbency advantage?

Answer 18

-casework: Leads to favoratism of the public and overall trust.

-Name Recognition: franking privilege ( putting your name instead of a stamp) and media coverage

Earmarks/pork barrel spending: Money in appropriations for local projects and support for local industries

Campaign finance: PAC donations favor incumbents, because they are a safer bet to win an election

Gerrymandering: Creates “safe seats” for incumbents

Question 19

What is the difference between reapportionment and redistricting

Answer 19

Reapportionment is the number of seats divided among states based on the census. It is NOT political, so the Supreme Court CAN get involved based on the one-person, one-vote doctrine.

Redistricting is the redrawing of voter districts, and it is a political strategy because it involves gerrymandering or redrawing districts to favor a certain candidate. This is possible because as long as each district has the same number of people, it can be drawn in any shape.

IN SHORT: reapportionment references only population, while redistricting takes into account other factors to favor a certain candidate. (nonpolitical vs political)

Question 20

What court case does reapportionment connect to and why?

Answer 20

Baker v. Carr, because Tennessee had not reapportioned its seats and ignored a law doing so, the districts didn’t reflect economic growth and population shifts from rural to urban areas.

Question 21

Are joint committees permanent or nonpermanent?

Answer 21

-can be permanent or non permanent based on the purpose

Question 22

joint select committees

Answer 22

Members: From both the House and the Senate.

Purpose: Address specific issues.

Duration: Usually temporary.

Question 23

what is the difference between conference committees and joint committees?

Answer 23

-Joint committees can be ongoing or temporary, and coordinate the work and research of both houses on specific issues.
-Conference committees are temporary, and are created to resolve differences between two bills that are then sent back to the house and senate. If the bill receives a majority in both houses it is sent to the pOTUS.

Question 24

where is the filibuster ONLY used?

Answer 24

-the senate!

Question 26

What are earmarks and what are they an example of?

Answer 26

-earmarks are unds that members of Congress specifically direct to be spent on particular projects, often in their home districts or states.