The American Democracy, 10th Edition (Patterson)

Chapter 11: Congress: Balancing National Goals and Local Interests

Chapter Quiz

1
Which of the following is true about Congress?
A)In the nineteenth century, service in Congress was not a career for most of its members.
B)Most members of Congress today are professional politicians.
C)The vast majority of all incumbents get routinely reelected.
D)All of these are true: In the nineteenth century, service in Congress was not a career for most of its members; most members today are professional politicians; and the vast majority of all incumbents get routinely reelected.
E)None of these answers is correct.
2
Congressional incumbents have a roughly ________ percent probability of winning reelection.
A)33
B)50
C)66
D)80
E)90
3
The Senate majority whip
A)is tasked with coordinating between officials of the political party in power and its members in the Senate.
B)is primarily responsible for aiding incumbent reelection efforts.
C)acts as the House majority leader in the case of the absence of that member.
D)controls the seniority system and chairmanship appointments.
E)sees to it that members know when important votes are scheduled.
4
Members of Congress earn approximately what salary per year?
A)$150,000
B)$170,000
C)$200,000
D)$400,000
E)$250,000
5
Under the U.S. Constitution, to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives a person must be ________ years of age, and ________ years of age to serve in the U.S. Senate.
A)25; 25
B)25; 30
C)30; 30
D)35; 40
E)40; 50
6
Which of the following is true of Congress today?
A)About one in three members has studied law.
B)Women make up about 15 percent of Congress.
C)Members of Congress are overwhelmingly white and male.
D)Professionals (such as business executives, educators, or lawyers) make up roughly 90 percent of Congress.
E)All these answers are correct.
7
Which of the following is true of 2009 Democratic efforts to pass comprehensive health care reform legislation?
A)The House and Senate both passed an identical bill that came out of conference committee.
B)The Senate and House were unable to pass even their own individual versions of the bill.
C)The Senate passed the House version of the bill because the conference committee could not reconcile the two versions.
D)Senate Democrats could not garner the three-fifths majority necessary to hold a vote on a compromise version of the legislation.
E)Senate Democrats were able to pass the reconciled version of the bill but the president handed down a veto.
8
After the president, ________ is widely considered the second most powerful federal official in Washington, D.C.
A)the vice president
B)the U.S. Senate majority leader
C)the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives
D)the chief justice of the Supreme Court
E)the U.S. Senate president pro tempore
9
There are currently ________ voting members in the U.S. House of Representatives, and ________ voting members in the U.S. Senate.
A)300; 50
B)400; 80
C)435; 100
D)500; 150
E)600; 200
10
Most of the work that is done in Congress today
A)is done through standing committees.
B)is done in conjunction with the president.
C)is done on the floor of each chamber.
D)occurs in private meetings with lobbyists.
E)None of these answers is correct.
11
________ requires that each bill introduced in Congress be referred to the proper committee.
A)The U.S. Constitution
B)The Legislative Act of 1789
C)Public opinion
D)The Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946
E)None of these answers is correct.
12
How is extended debate in the U.S. Senate terminated?
A)by a majority vote
B)by cloture
C)by the Senate Rules Committee
D)by the Senate majority leader
E)by the president of the Senate
13
Reconciliation of different House and Senate bills into a single identical bill is achieved by
A)standing committee chairs.
B)the leaders in both chambers.
C)conference committees.
D)both standing committee chairs and the leaders in both chambers.
E)None of these answers is correct.
14
Which of the following is true of congressional oversight?
A)Oversight is not pursued vigorously by Congress because of the magnitude of the task.
B)Congress spends more time on lawmaking functions than on oversight.
C)Congress spends more time on oversight when they are annoyed by or have discovered abuse by an agency.
D)All of these are true: Oversight is not pursued vigorously by Congress because of the magnitude of the task; Congress spends more time on lawmaking functions than on oversight; and Congress spends more time on oversight when they are annoyed by or have discovered abuse by an agency.
E)None of these answers is correct.
15
Nearly 90 percent of contributions by political action committees go to
A)liberals.
B)conservatives.
C)incumbents.
D)challengers.
E)third party candidates.
16
What is the term for redrawing congressional districts to favor one political party?
A)reapportionment
B)malapportionment
C)redistricting
D)gerrymandering
E)redlining
17
The ________ controls the scheduling of bills for debate in the U.S. House of Representatives.
A)House majority leader
B)House majority whip
C)House clerk
D)chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee
E)House Rules Committee
18
Which of the following is true of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate?
A)The House and Senate are separate but unequal chambers; the Senate has considerably more authority than the House.
B)Very few democracies have a one-house dominant form of legislature.
C)The House and Senate are separate and co-equal chambers, and many democracies have a one-house dominant form of legislature.
D)Both chambers are much weaker than the House of Lords in Great Britain.
E)None of these answers is correct.
19
Which of the following statements is true about Congress?
A)The House and Senate employ a system of seniority.
B)The Senate, but not the House, employs a system of seniority.
C)A junior House member can rise to prominence more quickly than a junior Senate member.
D)The House, but not the Senate, employs a system of seniority.
E)All these answers are correct.
20
Which agency has primary responsibility for overseeing executive agencies' spending of money that has been appropriated by Congress?
A)General Accounting Office
B)Government Accountability Office
C)Congressional Budget Office
D)Office of Congressional Management and Budget
E)Congressional Accounting Office
Patterson Tenth Edition Large Cover
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