30 Jan President pro-tempore

POLS1101 American Government, Short Session 1

Lesson 5 Quiz

Question 1

Which of the following is FALSE regarding the Senate?

the Senate ratifies treaties

Senators serve a six year term

a Senators constituents are more heterogeneous than a representative’s

the Senate confirms executive appointments

Question 2

Refer to figure 7.1 below. Which redistricting scheme would a majority Democratic state legislature likely implement?

Plan #1

Plan #2

Plan #3

None of the above

Question 3

The process of doling out funding to government entities and programs is called __________.

appropriations

reconciliation

authorizing

budgeting

Question 4

All of the following statements are TRUE about the Subcommittee Bill of Rights EXCEPT:

it eliminated seniority as the sole determining factor for committee chairs

thanks to it, “programmatic liberals” were ousted from several committee chairs

it required that subcommittees be set up under committees

it applied mainly in the House of Representatives

Question 5

All of the following are TRUE about “continuing resolutions” EXCEPT:

the government has actually operated without an official budget for the entirety of multiple fiscal years

they help avoid government shutdowns

they require presidential approval to go into effect

they maintain government spending at a current year’s level

Question 6

Which of the following is TRUE about the “modern process” of Congressional evolution?

bills were generally referred to a very few committees, sometimes even just a single committee

floor rules have become more restrictive

the use of filibusters decreased

coalition building became easier

Question 7

What helps legislation with provisions benefiting a single district pass?

earmarks

pork barrel projects

logrolling

“must pass” status

Question 8

All of the following are TRUE regarding “Gerrymandering” EXCEPT:

“cracking” involves dividing concentrations of a particular group between Congressional districts

the creation of a district populated by a majority of people of African American descent would be Gerrymandering

“packing” may lead to more polarized politics

the term has an amphibious origin

Question 9

All of the following are TRUE of filibustering EXCEPT:

the mere threat of a filibuster has significant power

teams of Senators typically work together on filibusters

cloture may only be evoked after a filibuster has commenced

filibuster activity (or the threat thereof) has increased over the years

Question 10

Which of the following individuals or institutions is NOT an actor that influences Congressional voting?

interest groups

congressional staffers

other legislators

the federal court system

Question 11

All of the following statements are TRUE EXCEPT:

more people think better of Congress as a whole than of their individual Congressmen/women

constituent services are important to being reelected

facing voters frequently largely promotes agency representation

incumbents are reelected to Congress more than 75% of the time

Question 12

Generally speaking, what would one need to change about the Congress to give it more demographic similarity to the American people?

make more of its members professionals

make more of its members males

make more of its members Protestant

make its members younger

Question 13

This potentially permanent committee exists to coordinate policies between the two Congressional chambers:

standing

joint

conference

select

Question 14

Which of the following is TRUE regarding the House of Representatives?

it confirms judicial appointments

revenue bills must originate there

the minimum age to serve is 30

each state receives two representatives

Question 15

A Representative who believes strongly in immigration reform never-the-less votes against an immigration reform bill because many of her constituents voice concerns about it is voting as a __________.

trustee

delegate

a combination of trustee and delegate

none of the above

Question 16

Congressional committee assignments are based mostly on __________.

partisanship

interests

seniority

campaign donations

Question 17

What is the purpose of bicameralism, according to James Madison?

to nullify executive power

to create more representation for the people

to effect a division of legislative power

to create redundancy in government

Question 18

Which of the following is TRUE regarding the “end game” of the legislative process?

conference committees exist ONLY to resolve differences in House and Senate versions of bills

a presidential veto can be over-ridden by Congress with a simple majority vote in each chamber

each chamber frequently adopts versions of bills passed by the other chamber to expedite legislating

absent presidential support, a bill cannot become a law

Question 19

Which of the following provides the best example of Congress exercising its oversight function?

passing a law to require that all items offered for sale in any gift shop of the National Park Service are made in the U.S.

passing a resolution honoring a fallen war hero

passing a law that convenes an investigation into FEMA’s alleged mishandling of matters pertaining to Hurricane Katrina

passing a law to ban and prevent the importation of shark fins into U.S.

Question 20

All of the following are institutional leadership positions in Congress EXCEPT:

Speaker of the House

President Pro-tempore

Vice President

assistant floor leader

Question 21

Who confirms judicial appointments to the federal courts?

congressional staffers

Representatives

both Representatives and Senators

Senators

Question 22

Amendments to bills in the House of Representatives can differ from amendments to bills in the Senate in that House amendments must be __________ to the bill being amended.

unanimous

germane

attached

timely

Question 23

Where do most pieces of proposed legislature come from?

congressmen

constituents

lobbyists

the President

Question 24

Who REALLY runs the show in the Senate?

Vice-president

Majority leader

Majority party whip

President pro-tempore

Question 25

Which of the following statements regarding the process of legislating is NOT true?

Once in committee, bills are referred to a specialized subcommittee.

“markup” can occur in both subcommittee and committees.

the Senate rules committee sets the calendar for debates in that chamber

cloture