Matching
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IDENTIFYING KEY
TERMS
Match each item with
the correct statement below. You will not use all the terms. a. | special
session | b. | continuous body | c. | gerrymandered | d. | session | e. | single-member district | f. | term |
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1.
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With just a fraction of its
seats up for election at any one time, the Senate is the sole ____ in Congress.
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2.
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Congress must meet formally at
least twice during each ____ to carry out the business of lawmaking.
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3.
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Voters choose among candidates
running exclusively in their districts under the ____ system of election.
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IDENTIFYING KEY
TERMS
Match each item with
the correct statement below. You will not use all the terms. a. | apportioned | b. | reapportion | c. | continuous body | d. | at-large | e. | term | f. | special session |
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4.
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An emergency may prompt the
President to call a(n) ____ of Congress.
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5.
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Seats in the House of
Representatives are ____ among the States according to their populations.
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6.
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States with only one member in
the House of Representatives use the ____ system to elect their representative.
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Multiple Choice
Identify the choice that
best completes the statement or answers the question.
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MAIN
IDEAS
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7.
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The lawmaking function of
Congress is central to democracy because
a. | it enables elected representatives
to do the daily work of government. | b. | legislative powers are necessary to check the power of the
President. | c. | it frees members of Congress from the pressures of public
opinion. | d. | it is the means by which the public will becomes public
policy. |
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8.
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Which qualification for House
members is NOT in the Constitution?
a. | must be at least 25 years
old | b. | must have been a citizen for at least seven
years | c. | must live in the district being represented | d. | must live in the State from which
chosen |
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9.
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Which statement about the
Senate is true?
a. | It has two members from each
State. | b. | Its members are chosen by State
legislatures. | c. | Each member represents one congressional
district. | d. | Seats are apportioned among the States according to their
populations. |
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10.
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Which fact disqualifies a
person from representing Utah in the Senate?
a. | The candidate was born in
Guatemala. | b. | The candidate is 43 years old. | c. | The candidate lives in Utah but works in
Idaho. | d. | The candidate has been a citizen for eight
years. |
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11.
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The fact that all congressional
districts in a State must have about the same number of people so that one person's vote is
equal to another's, is due to the
a. | Reapportionment Act of
1929. | b. | Wesberry v. Sanders ruling. | c. | 17th Amendment. | d. | Census Bureau. |
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12.
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Compensation for senators
is
a. | set by the
Constitution. | b. | higher than for representatives. | c. | set by the President. | d. | the same as for
representatives. |
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13.
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In Congress, screening bills
for floor consideration is a major duty of
a. | committee
members. | b. | constituent servants. | c. | constituent
representatives. | d. | politicians. |
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14.
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The regular period of time
during which Congress conducts its business is called a
a. | prorogue. | b. | session. | c. | special session. | d. | congressional meeting. |
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15.
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The House may refuse to seat a
member-elect only if he or she
a. | has engaged in disorderly
behavior. | b. | has violated the code of ethics passed by the House in
1977. | c. | does not meet constitutional standards of age, citizenship, and
residency. | d. | does not meet informal standards set by two-thirds of the
members. |
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16.
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The number of Senate seats held
by each State is
a. | set by the Census
Bureau. | b. | based on State populations. | c. | the same as the number of House
seats. | d. | fixed by the Constitution. |
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17.
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Few members of Congress
today
a. | are
minorities. | b. | have college degrees. | c. | are white males. | d. | are married. |
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18.
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Members of Congress fill all of
the following roles EXCEPT that of
a. | legislator. | b. | committee member. | c. | Cabinet member. | d. | servant to constituents. |
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19.
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The Framers of the Constitution
favored bicameralism because
a. | two houses could block the acts of a
single President. | b. | it allowed for fair and equal representation of the States at the national
level. | c. | Great Britain had only one house of
Parliament. | d. | one house would spend more money than
two. |
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20.
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Which of the following is true
of the House of Representatives?
a. | It currently has 100
members. | b. | The total number of seats in the House is fixed by the
Constitution. | c. | The number of terms a representative may serve is fixed by the
Constitution. | d. | Every State is represented by at least one
member. |
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21.
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Which group has generally used
its power to gerrymander congressional districts?
a. | the House of
Representatives | b. | Congress | c. | State legislatures | d. | the Census
Bureau |
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22.
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Which of the following is
required of candidates for the House of Representatives due to longstanding
custom?
a. | must be at least 25 years
old | b. | must have been a citizen of the United States for at least seven
years | c. | must be an inhabitant of the State from which he or she is
elected | d. | must currently reside in the district he or she
represents |
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23.
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On the average, which group of
people occupy the majority of seats in Congress?
a. | African
Americans | b. | white, middle-aged men | c. | women | d. | Asian
Americans |
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24.
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When must congressional
elections be held?
a. | the first Tuesday of every
November | b. | the second day of January in odd years | c. | the Tuesday after the first Monday in November of each
even-numbered year | d. | the Monday after the first Tuesday in November of each odd-numbered
year |
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25.
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Which statement about
congressional districts is true?
a. | They are apportioned by the
Constitution. | b. | There are three for every seat in the House. | c. | They function as voting districts within each
State. | d. | Their lines are drawn by State
courts. |
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26.
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Senators are elected to
serve
a. | two-year
terms. | b. | three-year terms. | c. | four-year terms. | d. | six-year terms. |
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27.
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Which of the following is a
qualification for senators?
a. | must have been born in the State
from which elected | b. | must have a degree in law | c. | must have been a citizen for at least nine
years | d. | must be at least 40 years old |
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28.
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Before the 17th Amendment was
adopted, senators were chosen by
a. | the people of each
State. | b. | the State legislatures. | c. | special State
conventions. | d. | select House committees. |
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29.
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Why does the Constitution
guarantee that the courts may not prosecute members of Congress for what they say in the House or
Senate in relation to congressional business?
a. | Members never criticize one
another. | b. | Freedom of speech is a vital part of legislative
debate. | c. | The courts have no jurisdiction in Washington,
D.C. | d. | Members have the same privileges in their
districts. |
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30.
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All of the following are
differences between the House of Representatives and the Senate EXCEPT
a. | size of the
membership. | b. | length of term. | c. | method of election. | d. | size of
constituency. |
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INTERPRETING POLITICAL
CARTOONS
Use the cartoon to
answer the following questions.
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31.
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What attitude toward the
senator does the cartoon seem to convey?
a. | approval | b. | disapproval | c. | sympathy | d. | objectivity |
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32.
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Which of the following
characteristics does NOT describe this senator?
a. | He is white, male, and
middle-aged. | b. | He has access to the media. | c. | He is relatively free from concern about his
constituents' interests. | d. | He considers himself to be the servant of his
constituents. |
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33.
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Who are the men in the cartoon
meant to represent?
a. | a senator and a
reporter | b. | a senator and a constituent | c. | a senator and a
representative | d. | a senator and a pollster |
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34.
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What point is the cartoonist
trying to make?
a. | Members of Congress feel that most
people do not appreciate the difficulties of law-making. | b. | The press is obligated to expose corruption in
Congress. | c. | Some senators see themselves as privileged and exempt from public
opinion. | d. | Constituents want favors from members of Congress, not just
laws. |
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35.
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The term of Congress has
remained the same since 1789, but
a. | the frequency of special sessions
has increased. | b. | the length of its sessions has grown. | c. | will probably change in the near
future. | d. | there is no constitutional basis for
this. |
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36.
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The amount of business that
Congress must handle has the side effect of
a. | lessening the likelihood of a
special session. | b. | lengthening the term of Congress. | c. | eroding the voters’ confidence in their
representatives. | d. | shortening the length of each
session. |
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37.
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The fact that the Senate has
been called into special session 46 times, while the House has never been called into special session
is a reflection of
a. | the undemocratic nature of the
Senate. | b. | special powers the Constitution grants only to the
Senate. | c. | the Senate’s longer term. | d. | bicameralism. |
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38.
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The fact that Alaska has only
one seat in the House is a reflection of all of the following EXCEPT
a. | its geographic
size. | b. | the size of its population. | c. | its status as a State in the
union. | d. | the most recent census. |
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39.
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When Congress chose not to
reapportion following the 1920 census, it
a. | amended the Constitution to that
effect. | b. | lost part of its membership. | c. | was following unwritten
custom. | d. | violated the Constitution. |
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40.
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The party in power tends to
lose seats in off-year elections because
a. | voters want to show support for the
President. | b. | voters are reacting to the President’s
policies. | c. | the coattail effect has worn off by then. | d. | both b and c |
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41.
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At-large elections were unfair
because they
a. | ignored the voice of a large segment
of the population. | b. | resulted in gerrymandered districts. | c. | gave too much weight to a State’s geographic
size. | d. | both a and c |
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42.
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To eliminate the problem of
gerrymandering, Congress could
a. | require State legislatures to draw
congressional districts. | b. | require members to be chosen on the single-member district
basis. | c. | require a bipartisan panel elected by the people of the State to draw
congressional districts. | d. | require the national legislature to draw congressional
districts. |
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43.
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Rural over-representation at
the State level translated into
a. | minority over-representation at the
national level. | b. | Democratic over-representation at the national
level. | c. | rural over-representation at the national
level. | d. | rural under-representation at the national
level. |
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44.
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All of the following are
possible reasons why the Senate is called the “upper house” EXCEPT
a. | its
size. | b. | the length of a senator’s term. | c. | the size of each senator’s
constituency. | d. | the qualifications for members. |
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45.
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With the passage of the 17th
Amendment, _____ became less important for election to the Senate.
a. | having friends in the House of
Representatives | b. | wealth | c. | both a and b | d. | neither a nor b |
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46.
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The fact that the members of
Congress are not a representative cross section of the American public might be due to all of the
following EXCEPT
a. | low voter turnout among particular
groups. | b. | lack of financial resources among particular
groups. | c. | lack of educational opportunities among particular
groups. | d. | voter eligibility requirements that are difficult to
meet. |
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47.
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While those who vote a
straight-party ticket would likely prefer their senators and representative to vote as _____,
independents would no doubt prefer _____.
a. | partisans/trustees | b. | delegates/trustees | c. | trustees/partisans | d. | delegates/partisans |
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48.
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Roughly speaking, interest
groups and Congress have one similar function, as both
a. | strive to influence public
opinion. | b. | represent their members on the basis of
geography. | c. | check up on one or more branches of government to see that they are doing
their jobs. | d. | try to stimulate interest in public
affairs. |
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49.
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The purpose of the Speech or
Debate Clause can be compared with
a. | the ability of both houses to expel
a member for disorderly conduct. | b. | the Framers’ agreement to keep the proceedings of the Constitutional
Convention secret. | c. | limits on campaign spending. | d. | the reluctance of members of Congress to risk voter
backlash by raising their own pay. |
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