Question 1

Identify a difference between House members and Senate members.

Accepted Answer

A)  House members have a term of six years, whereas Senate members have a term of two years.
B)  House members are elected by state legislatures, whereas Senate members are always elected by voters.
C)  House members are chosen from local districts, whereas Senate members are chosen from the entire state.
D)  House members can convict federal officials of impeachable offenses, whereas Senate members can indict federal officials.
E)  House members have more prestige, whereas Senate members have less prestige.

Question 2

When a committee chairperson sets a bill aside to ignore it rather than to send it to a subcommittee, the bill has been _____.

Accepted Answer

A)  pigeonholed
B)  vetoed
C)  marked up
D)  reported
E)  referred

Question 3

Appropriation is the first part of the budgeting process.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 4

The House of Representatives has twice exercised its impeachment power against a president.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 5

Identify a true statement about the Speaker of the House.

Accepted Answer

A)  The Speaker cannot ignore a member who wishes to speak.
B)  The Speaker can interpret the outcome of most of the votes taken.
C)  The Speaker can choose to vote on all the bills.
D)  The Speaker is the leader of the minority party.
E)  The Speaker can choose to vote while presiding over the House.

Question 6

In both the House of Representatives and the Senate, which of the following typically plays a role in determining congressional committee chairpersons?

Accepted Answer

A)  The number of legislations drafted by a particular committee
B)  The number of issues dealt with by a particular committee
C)  The procedure followed to bring the matter under consideration to a vote
D)  The length of continuous service on a particular committee
E)  The duration of a debate held for the purpose of preventing action on a bill

Question 7

In any year in which the federal government spends more than it takes in, _____.

Accepted Answer

A)  the resulting deficit adds to the national debt
B)  Congress raises taxes and issues zero-interest government bonds
C)  U.S. law removes the ceiling on the size of the national debt
D)  executives are allowed to exceed the debt ceiling
E)  the debt ceiling is modified at a later date to match the excess expenditure

Question 8

Which of the following statements is true of the House of Representatives?

Accepted Answer

A)  The House convicts federal officials of impeachable offenses.
B)  The House originates bills for raising revenues.
C)  The House has fewer rules and restrictions than the Senate.
D)  House members are chosen from the entire state for six-year terms.
E)  House members have more prestige and media attention than Senate members.

Question 9

_____, a self-governing possession of the United States, is represented by a nonvoting resident commissioner.

Accepted Answer

A)  Puerto Rico
B)  New Mexico
C)  Delaware
D)  Vermont
E)  New Jersey

Question 10

The use of unlimited debate in the Senate to obstruct legislation is called__________.

Accepted Answer

A)  gerrymandering
B)  overriding
C)  filibustering
D)  impeaching
E)  lobbying

Question 11

Which of the following is a downside of incumbency advantages?

Accepted Answer

A)  Limited access to media
B)  Suppression of voter turnout
C)  Withdrawal of powers related to the formulation of law
D)  Lack of professional staffs
E)  Less recognition

Question 12

Today, under Senate Rule 22, _____ senators must sign a petition requesting cloture.

Accepted Answer

A)  twenty
B)  ten
C)  fifteen
D)  eighteen
E)  sixteen

Question 13

The presiding officer in the House of Representatives is the:

Accepted Answer

A)  vice president.
B)  Speaker of the House.
C)  resident commissioner.
D)  president pro tempore.
E)  House delegate

Question 14

The _____ serves as the presiding officer of the Senate in the absence of the vice president.

Accepted Answer

A)  resident commissioner
B)  minority leader
C)  president pro tempore
D)  Speaker of the House
E)  majority leader

Question 15

The U.S. Constitution requires that senators be elected:

Accepted Answer

A)  once in five years by popular vote.
B)  every second year by popular vote.
C)  every year by popular vote.
D)  every six years by popular vote.
E)  quarterly by popular vote.

Question 16

If the leadership in either chamber of Congress believes that an acceptable compromise with the other chamber is impossible, then:

Accepted Answer

A)  it can block legislation simply by refusing to appoint members to a conference committee.
B)  it can directly send a bill to the White house to be signed into law.
C)  it can block legislation only in the case of bills associated with the federal budget resolution.
D)  it can approach relevant interest groups and administrative agencies for their views.
E)  the president can interfere and make a decision on behalf of both the chambers.

Question 17

The Senate Appropriations Committee on Defense convenes to expand a clause in its proposed bill on military assistance for counter-terrorism operations in the United States. In this case, the Senate Appropriations Committee on Defense is _____.

Accepted Answer

A)  making a floor vote
B)  holding an authorization debate
C)  holding a markup session
D)  filibustering
E)  invoking a cloture

Question 18

By default, the lines of the congressional districts are drawn by the _____.

Accepted Answer

A)  state legislatures
B)  standing committees
C)  judiciaries
D)  independent regulatory committees
E)  executive agencies

Question 19

Article II, Section 2, of the Constitution states that the president may appoint certain officers of the United States "with the Advice and Consent of the Senate." The Constitution leaves the precise nature of how the Senate will give this "advice and consent" up to the lawmakers.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 20

A senator from Sagenia is in favor of environmental regulations that forbid industries from disposing chemical wastes in rivers, despite the fact that many companies in Sagenia might come under scrutiny for the violation of such regulations. This scenario illustrates _____.

Accepted Answer

A)  the trustee view of representation taken by Congress members
B)  the instructed-delegate view of representation taken by Congress members
C)  the special-interest view of representation taken by Congress members
D)  the bipartisan view of representation taken by Congress members
E)  the partisan view of representation taken by Congress members

Exam 11: The Congress

The presiding officer in the House of Representatives is the:

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The use of unlimited debate in the Senate to obstruct legislation is called__________.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

In both the House of Representatives and the Senate, which of the following typically plays a role in determining congressional committee chairpersons?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Identify a true statement about the Speaker of the House.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The Senate Appropriations Committee on Defense convenes to expand a clause in its proposed bill on military assistance for counter-terrorism operations in the United States. In this case, the Senate Appropriations Committee on Defense is _____.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

When a committee chairperson sets a bill aside to ignore it rather than to send it to a subcommittee, the bill has been _____.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Identify a difference between House members and Senate members.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The House of Representatives has twice exercised its impeachment power against a president.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

_____, a self-governing possession of the United States, is represented by a nonvoting resident commissioner.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The _____ serves as the presiding officer of the Senate in the absence of the vice president.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Today, under Senate Rule 22, _____ senators must sign a petition requesting cloture.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which of the following is a downside of incumbency advantages?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Appropriation is the first part of the budgeting process.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

A senator from Sagenia is in favor of environmental regulations that forbid industries from disposing chemical wastes in rivers, despite the fact that many companies in Sagenia might come under scrutiny for the violation of such regulations. This scenario illustrates _____.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which of the following statements is true of the House of Representatives?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The U.S. Constitution requires that senators be elected:

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Article II, Section 2, of the Constitution states that the president may appoint certain officers of the United States "with the Advice and Consent of the Senate." The Constitution leaves the precise nature of how the Senate will give this "advice and consent" up to the lawmakers.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

If the leadership in either chamber of Congress believes that an acceptable compromise with the other chamber is impossible, then:

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

By default, the lines of the congressional districts are drawn by the _____.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

In any year in which the federal government spends more than it takes in, _____.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified