Multiple Choice
Identify the
letter of the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.
|
|
|
1.
|
The
authority to make laws. a. | executive power | c. | judicial power | b. | legislative
power | d. | executive order | | | | |
|
|
|
2.
|
Legislature consisting of two houses. a. | bicameral
legislature | c. | bye house
legislature | b. | unicameral legislature | d. | majority and minority leadership | | | | |
|
|
|
3.
|
Congressional meeting that consists of two sessions and lasts 2 years a. | session | c. | Congressional tour | b. | administration | d. | term | | | | |
|
|
|
4.
|
The
formal opening of each term of Congress. The Twentieth Amendment of the Constitution reset the date
at January 3 of each odd-numbered year unless Congress sets another date. a. | election | c. | roundup | b. | convening | d. | inauguration | | | | |
|
|
|
5.
|
Periods of time during which a legislative or judicial body is not in
session. a. | void | c. | recess | b. | interim
session | d. | validated session | | | | |
|
|
|
6.
|
Unscheduled sessions of Congress ordered by the president a. | interrogatory
session | c. | special term | b. | jam session | d. | special session | | | | |
|
|
|
7.
|
Seats
in a legislative body are distributed among electoral districts based on state
population. a. | sliced | c. | apportioned | b. | populated | d. | at large seats | | | | |
|
|
|
8.
|
A
_____ is an official count of a population that also breaks the total into divisions according to
age, sex, race, occupation, and other characteristics. It is most often used as a tool to understand
demographic changes. The U.S. Constitution requires that it be completed every
decade. a. | head
count | c. | divisional count | b. | census | d. | term limit | | | | |
|
|
|
9.
|
Occurring every 10 years after the national census, _____ is the redrawing of the
lines of a congressional district to take population changes into account. It alters the distribution
of the 435 seats in the House of Representatives. a. | redistricting | c. | rescheduling | b. | reapportionment | d. | reassessing | | | | |
|
|
|
10.
|
The
geographic area within a state that is served by one representative in Congress. a. | county | c. | state caucus | b. | congressional
district | d. | region | | | | |
|
|
|
11.
|
The
creation of legislative district boundaries to bring about the greatest partisan or factional
advantage. Sometimes the dominant political party in a state legislature will manipulate a district's
shape to make itself more powerful against the minority party before elections. The term was coined
in 1812 after Massachusetts Governor Elbridge Gerry changed his district's boundaries to secure the
most votes possible. The district's resulting shape was said to resemble a but his detractors
christened the electoral creature a salamander districts. a. | salamandering | c. | Gerrymandering | b. | clustering | d. | partitioning | | | | |
|
|
|
12.
|
constituents free of charge. Taxes pay for the service. a. | casework | c. | free-bee | b. | PAC's | d. | franking | | | | |
|
|
|
13.
|
_____
is what an elected official performs when helping members of his or her constituency cut through
bureaucratic red tape to get them something they want from the government. a. | pork barrel | c. | incumbency | b. | casework | d. | cracking | | | | |
|
|
|
14.
|
The
huge number of federal grants, projects, and contracts open to cities, colleges, institutions, and
businesses in a Congress member's constituency. The grants, projects, and contracts are designed to
bring money and jobs into the constituency so the Congress member can take credit for them and try to
get reelected. a. | cracking | c. | pork
barrel | b. | packing | d. | casework | | | | |
|
|
|
15.
|
A
privilege set out in the Constitution that guarantees freedom of speech to members while they are
conducting congressional business. Protects the freedom of legislative debate. a. | congressional
immunity | c. | compensation | b. | filibustering | d. | policymaking | | | | |
|
|
|
16.
|
An
official reprimand of a legislator by his or her peers a. | time out | c. | censure | b. | censor | d. | expulsion | | | | |
|
|
|
17.
|
The
forced removal of a member of Congress for misconduct. a. | expulsion | c. | incumbency | b. | censure | d. | reprimand | | | | |
|
|
|
18.
|
An
official reproach used by Congress for a member guilty of misconduct. a. | expulsion | c. | censure | b. | immunity | d. | reprimand | | | | |
|
|
|
19.
|
The
party that holds over half the seats in the legislature. a. | minority
party | c. | presidents party | b. | majority
party | d. | superior congressional
party | | | | |
|
|
|
20.
|
A
constitutionally mandated position, the _____ is elected by the majority party. He or she is second
in line to succeed the president if the latter were to die or become too ill to work. Has numerous
formal duties, including presiding over sessions of the House, playing a major part in making
committee assignments, helping to decide which bills go to which committees, and appointing the
party's legislative leaders and their staffs. In addition, he serves as his or her party's national
spokesperson if his or her party is different from the president's. a. | Vice
President | c. | Speaker of the House of
Representatives | b. | President Pro Tem of the
Senate | d. | Speaker of the
Senate | | | | |
|
|
|
21.
|
A
closed meeting of the party leaders or other group to select a candidate or decide other
matters. a. | caucus | c. | cloture | b. | filibuster | d. | session | | | | |
|
|
|
22.
|
The
legal procedure by which government leaders succeed the presidency should the president die, become
disabled, or be removed from office a. | Vice President | c. | presidential tenure | b. | President Pro Tem
invocation | d. | presidential
succession | | | | |
|
|
|
23.
|
A
person selected by fellow members to be the leader of the party that holds the most seats in the
House or Senate. One elected for the House and one for the Senate. a. | caucus leader | c. | Minority leader | b. | senior member | d. | Majority leader | | | | |
|
|
|
24.
|
Elected by the minority party in the House of Representatives or Senate, his main
responsibility is maintaining order and unified opinion within the party. He or she also acts as a
sort of cheerleader for the often less successful minority grouping and is the official spokesperson
for the party. a. | party caucus
chairperson | c. | Minority leader | b. | Vice
President | d. | Majority leader | | | | |
|
|
|
25.
|
A
_____ is an assistant who helps the House majority and minority leaders and the Senate minority and
majority floor leaders. They pass information from the party leadership down to party members and try
to make sure that party members show up for important votes and floor debates. They also conduct
informal polls on members' views about major legislation and report the results back to the party
leaders. a. | Minority
Council | c. | Majority Council | b. | Whips | d. | Administrative Assistant | | | | |
|
|
|
26.
|
The
_____ acts as leader of the Senate if the vice president is unable to attend. Since this is the case
most of the time, the _____ is often the functioning Senate leader. He or she is elected by the other
Senate members and is usually the member of the majority party with the longest continuous presence
as a senator. The position is mainly a ceremonial one; the majority leader and the minority leader
have most of the real power in the Senate. a. | Speaker of the Senate | c. | President pro tem | b. | Speaker of the
House | d. | Majority Whip | | | | |
|
|
|
27.
|
A
_____ is a relatively permanent group that deals with bills in different areas of government policy.
Both the House of Representatives and the Senate have their own, and members are not interchangeable.
Examples of policy areas include the environment and public works, veterans' affairs, and small
business. a. | sub
committee | c. | joint committee | b. | standing
committee | d. | conference
committee | | | | |
|
|
|
28.
|
Divisions of larger committees that deal with a particular part of the committee's
policy area. a. | subcommittee | c. | conference
committee | b. | joint committee | d. | standing committee | | | | |
|
|
|
29.
|
A
_____ is a temporary legislative body that is established for a restricted time period to accomplish
a specific goal. Rarely writing original legislation, it breaks up after giving a final report to the
chamber that formed it. Examples might be investigating public problems such as poor school lunch
quality or increasing juvenile crime. a. | standing committee | c. | select committee | b. | subcommittee | d. | conference committee | | | | |
|
|
|
30.
|
Legislative committees composed of members from both houses of
Congress. a. | Duel House
Committee | c. | Standing committee | b. | Joint
Committee | d. | Subcommittee | | | | |
|
|
|
31.
|
A
_____ is formed when both houses of Congress pass the same bill in different forms. The leaders of
both parties appoint members from each house to get together and sort out the differences, the goal
being to come up with a single bill. a. | standing committee | c. | joint committee | b. | subcommittee | d. | conference committee | | | | |
|
|
|
32.
|
A
person hired to manage a lawmaker's office, supervise his or her schedule, and give
advice a. | administrative
assistant | c. | committee council | b. | legal council | d. | legislative director | | | | |
|
|
|
33.
|
Members of congressional staffs who manage the numerous requests for help from
constituents. a. | administrative
assistant | c. | legislative
assistant | b. | caseworkers | d. | minority constituent worker | | | | |
|