CHAPTER 11: CONGRESS Multiple Choice Questions 1. There are _______ members of Congress. a. 50 b. 100 c. 435 d. 535 e.

635 2. Members of the House of Representatives must be ______ years old. a. 18 b. 25 c. 30 d. 35 e. 40 3. What are the dominant prior occupations of members of Congress? a. Business and law b. Medicine and academia c. Medicine and law d. Business and advertising e. Business and the military 4. Which of the following is NOT true about incumbents? a. They usually win elections. b. They usually have more money than their challengers. c. They usually have higher name recognition and visibility than their opponents. d. They usually face very tough challengers, especially in races for the House. e. They usually have their partys endorsement. 5. Compared to members of the House, senators are a. more likely to have personal contact with their constituents. b. more likely to face difficult reelection opponents. c. less likely to face difficult reelection opponents. d. less likely to use television in their reelection campaigns. e. None of these is true. 6. An example of casework by a member of Congress is a. writing a newsletter to send out to constituents. b. helping a constituent gain citizenship. c. voting for a bill desired by constituents. d. working with a caucus on a public policy that affects his or her constituents. e. All of the above are true.

7. A bicameral legislature is a legislature

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a. with two houses, providing checks and balances on policymaking. b. in which each state has two senators, providing equal representation of the states. c. in which incumbents have a better chance of being reelected, providing continuity in policymaking. d. that must share power with a president, providing more efficient policymaking. e. in which there are only two political parties. 8. The Constitution gives the House of Representatives the power to a. initiate all revenue bills. b. ratify all treaties. c. confirm presidential nominations. d. try impeached officials. e. All of the above are true. 9. House members serve _____ -year terms; Senators serve _______ -year terms. a. 2; 4 b. 2; 6 c. 4; 6 d. 4; 8 e. 6; 8 10. The House Rules Committee a. has its members appointed by the House majority leader. b. is similar to the Senate Rules Committee. c. usually retains independence from the House leadership. d. reviews most bills coming from committee before they go to the full House. e. All of the above are true. 11. One of the key differences between the House and Senate is that the Senate a. is more centralized. b. is less dependent on seniority for determining power. c. has a lower turnover rate. d. has stronger leadership. e. has more anarchy. 12. Which of the following statements about the filibuster is FALSE? a. The filibuster is used in both houses. b. The filibuster can tie up the legislative agenda. c. The filibuster is used to talk a bill to death. d. Rules adopted over the years make it easier to close off debate and end a filibuster. e. All of these are true. 13. Which of the following is unique to the Senate? a. The filibuster b. Committee leaders c. Majority leader d. Seniority system e. Congressional caucus 14. The principal partisan ally of the Speaker of the House, responsible for scheduling bills, influencing committee assignments, and rounding up votes, is the
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a. b. c. d. e.

president of the Senate. House clerk. majority leader. minority leader. majority whip.

15. A ________ committee is one appointed for a limited, specific purpose, such as that set up to investigate the Watergate scandal. a. standing b. select c. conference d. joint e. special 16. Which of the following offices is responsible for making economic projections about the performance of the economy, the costs of proposed policies, and the economic effects of taxing and spending alternatives? a. Congressional Research Service b. Congressional Budget Office c. General Accounting Office d. Ways and Means Committee e. Federal Reserve 17. Which of the following statements about the policymaking process is FALSE? a. Individual senators have substantial opportunities for influence through mechanisms such as the filibuster. b. House leaders frequently refer bills to several committees at the same time. c. At times, House leaders bypass committees altogether, referring high-priority legislation directly to the floor. d. Party leaders exercise a great deal of control over the House. e. Presidents play no role in crafting the congressional agenda. 18. In contrasts to the trustee model of representation, the _______ model of representation is based on legislators mirroring the preferences of their constituents. a. politico b. instructed-delegates c. uninstructed-delegates d. pollster e. Burkean 19. Committees composed of members of both the House and the Senate, the purpose of which is to meet and iron out differences between bills, are called _______ committees. a. joint b. select c. conference d. standing e. temporary 20. Presidential leadership of Congress at the margins refers to a notion of presidential leadership in which presidents

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a. dominate the policymaking process by forcing Congress to adopt the presidents policy agenda. b. refuse to engage in policymaking, leaving the task entirely to Congress. c. attempt to build coalitions and create a political climate favorable to the presidents policy agenda. d. aggressively use the threat of the veto to get what they want. e. recruit lobbyists and interest groups to pursue the presidents agenda in Congress. 21. If the full House votes on a conference committee version of a bill it is then a. referred to a joint committee. b. sent to the president. c. referred to a committee for hearings, studies, and revisions. d. sent to the House for debate. e. sent to the Senate for approval. 22. According to your textbook, the stronger constituency interests are on issues and the weaker partisan ideology is, the a. more likely members are to deviate form their own positions and adopt those of their constituencies. b. less likely members are to deviate from their own positions and adopt those of their constituencies. c. less likely members are to be controlled by their constituencies. d. more likely members are to be swayed by interest groups and lobbyists in choosing a course of action. e. more likely members are to be swayed by the policymaking agenda of the presidency. 23. Which of the following summarizes the quintessential dilemma for Congress? a. Balancing Republicans and Democrats on congressional committees b. Finding competent staff who possess adequate policymaking knowledge c. Combining faithful representation while also making effective public policy d. Negotiating presidential dominance of the policymaking process e. All of the above are true. True/False Questions 1. There are 435 members of the House and 100 senators. 2. Fewer than 10 percent of all members of Congress are African American. 3. Congress is descriptively representative of the U.S. population. 4. There is a greater likelihood of competition in open seat elections. 5. The structure of the House allows for greater leadership than does the structure of the Senate. 6. Senate rules provide for unlimited debate. 7. Filibusters occur in the Senate but not the House. 8. Committees have little substantive power in Congress.

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9. Temporary or permanent committees that have a focused responsibility, such as the House and Senate committees on intelligence, are called select committees. 10. As part of the congressional reforms of the 1970s, Congress substantially decreased its oversight activities. 11. The average House member has 17 assistants and the average Senator has 40. 12. The distance between congressional parties has been growing steadily over the past three decades, making bipartisan compromise more difficult. 13. Individual members of the House of Representatives have substantial opportunities for influence on policymaking as individuals. 14. Political parties in Congress have become more polarized over the last three decades. 15. A 1995 law requires lobbyists to report legislative issues they seek to influence, the amount they spent on that effort, and the identities of their clients. Multiple Choice Questions 1. The United States Senate has ________ members. a. 50 b. 100 c. 435 d. 438 e. 535 2. How many senators are elected from each state? a. One b. Two c. Four d. It depends on a states population. e. The same number as the states electors in the Electoral College 3. Which of the following is TRUE about the minimum age requirements for members of Congress set forth in the Constitution? a. One must be at least 21 years of age to serve in the House of Representatives. b. One must be at least 30 years of age to serve in the Senate. c. One must be at least 35 years of age to serve in either the House or the Senate. d. There are no age requirements for members of Congress. e. The age requirements are the same for the House and the Senate. 4. The income and occupations of members of Congress a. typically reflect the pluralistic nature of American society. b. are very close to the average found among their constituency. c. would, for the most part, make them members of the elite in American society. d. have no real impact on public policymaking. e. places over 90 percent of them in the millionaire businessperson class. 5. In terms of religion, most members of Congress are a. Catholic.
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b. c. d. e.

Jewish. Protestant. born-again Christians. atheists.

6. The most common prior occupation for members of Congress is a. business. b. law. c. education. d. public service. e. state legislator. 7. What is descriptive representation? a. Representing constituents by mirroring their personal, politically relevant characteristics b. Representing the interests of groups c. Representing issues affecting the poor when the representative is extremely wealthy d. When members of Congress serve on committees e. When members of Congress have not lived in their home district very long 8. Substantive representation refers to a. descriptive representation. b. representing the interests of groups. c. serving constituents through pork barrel projects. d. representing constituents by mirroring their personal, politically relevant characteristics. e. representing the poor. 9. The late senator Edward Kennedy, who had a background of wealth and privilege and was a champion of the interests of the poor, is an example of a. descriptive representation. b. substantive representation. c. elite representation. d. constituent representation. e. franking privileges. 10. Women occupied approximately _____ percent of the seats in the 111 th Congress. a. 5 b. 10 c. 17 d. 20 e. 40 11. Individuals already holding office are called a. incumbents. b. challengers. c. chairmen. d. consulates. e. secretaries. 12. Which of the following statements about incumbency is FALSE? a. Most incumbents forgo the opportunity to run for reelection.
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b. Most incumbents decide to run for reelection. c. Most incumbents running for reelection are victorious. d. Not only do more than 90 percent of incumbents seeking reelection win, but most win more than 60 percent of the vote. e. Incumbents tend to win even when challengers positions are closer to voters positions. 13. The single most important advantage to someone trying to get elected to Congress is a. being an incumbent. b. having more money to spend on campaigning. c. being charismatic and photogenic. d. having a clean record. e. winning the endorsement of the top leaders of his or her party. 14. Comparison between members of the House and Senate concerning the impact of incumbency on their reelection chances shows that one of the reasons that senators have a smaller advantage is because they a. have become overspecialized as policymakers. b. are more likely to be held accountable on controversial issues. c. are less visible. d. have longer terms that increase the chance of scandal. e. represent more homogenous constituencies. 15. Reasons that incumbent senators have greater competition than incumbent members of the House include all of the following EXCEPT a. an entire state is more diverse than a congressional district, providing more of a base for opposition. b. senators have less personal contact with their constituencies. c. voters are less likely to know the issue positions of their senators than their representatives. d. senators tend to draw more visible challengers. e. Senate challengers are better funded than House challengers. 16. Which of the following is a consequence of the fact that members of Congress feel unsafe at any margin? a. Members of Congress spend more time raising campaign funds. b. Members of Congress spend more time at home in their states and districts. c. Members of Congress send more mail to their constituents. d. Members of Congress staff more local offices. e. All of the above are true. 17. Activities of members of Congress that help constituents as individuals are known as a. pork barrel politics. b. casework. c. franking. d. advertising. e. credit claiming.

18. The pork barrel and casework are examples of a. opportunities for credit claiming by members of Congress.
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b. c. d. e.

advertising techniques. descriptive representation. position taking. congressional continuity.

19. In the 20072008 campaign cycle, the average winner in the House spent about _____, while the average Senate winner spent ______ . a. $50,000; $100,000 b. $100,000; $500,000 c. $1.4 million; $8.5 million d. $500,000; $100,000 e. $8.5 million; $1.4 million 20. Which of the following statements about the role of money in congressional elections is FALSE? a. Outspending your opponent by a large margin is no guarantee of success. b. The more challengers spend, the more votes they receive. c. Challengers usually outspend incumbents. d. In open seats, the candidate who spends the most usually wins. e. Incumbents benefit less from campaign spending than challengers. 21. The fact that incumbents usually win reelection a. creates stability in the membership of Congress. b. allows representatives and senators to gain some expertise in dealing with public policy. c. insulates members of Congress from political change. d. makes it more difficult for citizens to send a message to Washington with their votes. e. All of the above are true. 22. A legislature divided into two houses is called a ________ legislature. a. dual b. double c. bicameral d. unicameral e. divided 23. Nebraskas legislature is the only one in the United States that is NOT a. elected by the voters. b. unicameral. c. bicameral. d. tricameral. e. under term limits. 24. The House ________ Committee reviews most bills coming from other committees before they go on to the full House, thus performing a traffic cop function. a. Appropriations b. Ways and Means c. Rules d. Authorization e. Review 25. House seats are up for election every a. two years.
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b. c. d. e.

four years. six years. eight years. five years.

26. A Senate seat is up for election every a. two years. b. four years. c. six years. d. eight years. e. five years. 27. Which of the following is TRUE of the Senate as compared to the House? a. The Senate is more centralized and is characterized by stronger leadership. b. In the Senate, seniority is important in determining power. c. The Senate is more influential on the budget. d. The Senate is more influential in foreign affairs. e. The Senate is smaller in number and less powerful and prestigious. 28. According to the Constitution, revenue bills must originate in the a. Internal Revenue Service. b. Federal Reserve System. c. House. d. Senate. e. Treasury Department. 29. Nominees to the United States Supreme Court must be confirmed by a. the Senate. b. the House. c. either the House or the Senate. d. both the House and the Senate. e. the president. 30. According to the Constitution, once impeached, federal officials are then tried in the a. Supreme Court. b. House. c. Senate. d. Department of Justice. e. United States District Court for the District of Columbia. 31. One of the key differences between the House and Senate is that the House a. has weaker leadership. b. is more influential on foreign affairs. c. has more policy specialization. d. is less centralized. e. is less institutionalized.

32. The filibuster a. is unique to the Senate.

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b. c. d. e.

is unique to the House. is allowed in both the House and the Senate. has been ruled unconstitutional. has been prohibited in both the House and Senate.

33. Why are so many senators reluctant to use cloture? a. For fear of setting a precedent to be used against them when they want to filibuster b. Because it has always been used as a stepping stone to the Speakers job, and once used, they may not get a second chance at the job c. Because, in most cases, the House or Senate usually considers only the bills that obtain a favorable committee report d. Because they have to stay in their positions to monitor the bureaucracy, otherwise there would be no congressional oversight e. Because the size and complexity of todays government make it impossible for any one person to understand all the issues before the Senate 34. ________ members present and voting can halt a filibuster by voting for cloture. a. Sixty b. Seventy c. Eighty d. Fifty-one e. Seventy-five 35. The procedure used to cut off debate and end a filibuster is known as a. franking. b. coattails. c. cloture. d. overriding. e. hushing. 36. Which of the following congressional offices is mandated by the Constitution? a. Speaker of the House b. House and Senate majority leader c. President of the House d. President of the United States e. All of the above are mandated by the Constitution. 37. Which of the following is NOT a role or responsibility of the Speaker of the House? a. Making committee assignments b. Presiding over the House when it is in session c. Recommending which members should be expelled from the House for failure to support the partys positions on bills d. Assigning most bills to committees e. Appointing the partys legislative leaders

38. The minority whip a. assists the majority leader in party-line votes.
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b. becomes the Speaker automatically if the Speaker resigns. c. represents African Americans, Hispanic Americans, and Asian Americans in each chamber of Congress. d. keeps a close head count on key votes and attempts to keep party members in line. e. is used to punish members who do not vote with the rest of their party. 39. The most powerful person in the Senate is the a. majority leader. b. vice president of the United States, who serves as president of the Senate. c. chair of the Rules Committee. d. Speaker. e. president of the United States. 40. Party leaders who work with the majority or minority leader to count votes beforehand and lean on waverers whose votes are crucial to a bill favored by the party are called a. whips. b. speakers. c. pork barrellers. d. PACs. e. filibusterers. 41. Most of the business of Congress takes place a. in congressional districts. b. on the floor of the House and Senate. c. in committees and subcommittees. d. during evening social functions. e. in the Rules Committee. 42. _____ committees draw their membership from both the Senate and the House. a. Joint b. Standing c. Ad-hoc d. Select e. Conference 43. When the House and the Senate pass different versions of the same bill, a. the House bill is changed to conform with the Senate bill. b. the Senate bill is changed to conform with the House bill. c. a conference committee is appointed to resolve differences. d. a joint committee is appointed to resolve differences. e. the president may select which bill to enact into law. 44. Legislative ________ is the process of monitoring the bureaucracy and its administration of policy. a. franking b. stonewalling c. overview d. oversight e. supremacy

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45. When members of Congress hold a hearing to question a cabinet member on how a law is being carried out, they are engaging in a. agenda setting. b. filibustering. c. legislative oversight. d. casework. e. congressional administration. 46. Members of Congress who informally band together in groups to promote and protect mutual interests (e.g., mushroom growers) form what are called a. subcommittees. b. committees. c. caucuses. d. junkets. e. interest groups. 47. Within the last few years, power in Congress has become more a. decentralized with the proliferation of subcommittees and caucuses. b. controlled by the influence of interest groups and PACs. c. centralized, with more power in the hands of senior party leaders. d. dependent on the relationship between the members of Congress and the president as the chief legislator. e. constructive in terms of the relationship between the constituents and their representatives due to a large increase in well-informed constituents. 48. The ____ is administered by the Library of Congress to provide nonpartisan studies and information to members of Congress. a. Congressional Research Service b. Government Accountability Office c. Congressional Budget Office d. House Rules Committee e. House Ways and Means Committee 49. The __________ helps Congress perform its oversight functions by reviewing the activities of the executive branch to see if it is following the congressional intent of the laws. a. Government Accountability Office b. Congressional Research Office c. Congressional Budget Office d. Select Committee e. Rules Committee 50. A proposed law, drafted in legal language, is called a a. statute. b. opinion. c. bill. d. committee report. e. caucus.

51. Which of the following statements regarding party politics and Congress is FALSE?
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a. Over the past three decades the distance between congressional parties has been growing. b. Differences between the parties are sharpest on questions of economic and social welfare policy. c. Democrats are more supportive of government action on social welfare policies than are Republicans. d. Republicans in Congress have become more conservative while Democrats in Congress have become more liberal. e. Bipartisan compromise has grown more frequent over the last three decades. True/False Questions 1. The first woman to serve as Speaker of the House was Hillary Clinton. 2. The Framers of the Constitution conceived of Congress as secondary in significance and importance to policymaking compared to the executive branch. 3. Members of Congress earn an annual salary of $1 million. 4. According to the Constitution, members of the House must be 35 years of age. 5. Business and law are the top occupations for members of Congress. 6. Most members of Congress are better at substantive representation than descriptive representation. 7. Women comprised approximately 17 percent of the 111th Congress. 8. Representing the interest of groups is called descriptive representation. 9. More than 90 percent of the incumbents in the House of Representatives seeking reelection win. 10. Incumbents usually win. 11. The goal of advertising for members of Congress is visibility. 12. Most of the turnover in Congress results in vacated seats. 13. The Congress is a unicameral legislature. 14. The term for a member of the House is six years. 15. The House is less centralized than is the Senate. 16. The House Rules Committee reviews most bills coming from a House committee before the bills go to the full House. 17. A unanimous vote is necessary to halt a filibuster. 18. The filibuster allows a minority to defeat a majority.

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19. The role of the Speaker of the House is to preside over the House when it is in session, to make committee assignments, to appoint legislative leaders, and to exercise control over assigning bills to committees. 20. Party leaders who work to count votes and lean on waverers are called whips. 21. Joint committees exist in a few policy areas, such as taxation and the economy, and draw members from both the House and the Senate. 22. The House still strictly follows the seniority system, wherein the majority party member of the committee who has served the longest automatically serves as chair. 23. Legislative oversight is congressional monitoring of the bureaucracy and its administration of policy. 24. Anyone can draft a bill; only a member of the House or Senate can formally submit a bill for consideration. 25. Voters have little direct influence on which members of Congress chair key committees or lead congressional parties. Short Answer Questions
1. What eligibility requirements do members of the House and the Senate have to meet according to the Constitution? Learning Objective: 11.1 Page Reference: 349 Skill: Comprehension In what ways is incumbency the single most important factor in elections? Learning Objective: 11.2 Page Reference: 351352 Skill: Analysis What is the effect of incumbency in congressional elections? What other factors are associated with congressional electoral success? Learning Objective: 11.2 Page Reference: 351355 Skill: Analysis What is constituency service and how is it important to the job of members of Congress? Learning Objective: 11.2 Page Reference: 354 Skill: Comprehension Why, according to Fiorina, is credit claiming more effective than position taking for incumbents? What is the significance of this? Learning Objective: 11.2 Page Reference: 351355 Skill: Analysis What are the functions of the House Rules Committee? What makes this committee so important? Learning Objective: 11.3 Page Reference: 359 Skill: Comprehension
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2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

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7.

Compare and contrast the constitutional design of the House and the Senate. Learning Objective: 11.3 Page Reference: 358360 Skill: Comprehension Compare and contrast the roles of majority leader, minority leader, and party whips. Learning Objective: 11.3 Page Reference: 361363 Skill: Analysis What are the major types and functions of committees in the House and the Senate? Learning Objective: 11.3 Page Reference: 363365 Skill: Comprehension

8.

9.

10. What are congressional caucuses? What role do they play, and how much influence do they have? Give examples to illustrate your answer. Learning Objective: 11.3 Page Reference: 366 Skill: Analysis 11. What is the seniority system, and how has it changed over the years? Learning Objective: 11.3 Page Reference: 366 Skill: Comprehension 12. Describe the relative size of congressional members personal staff, as opposed to committee staff and staff agencies. What does personal staff generally devote their time to? Learning Objective: 11.3 Page Reference: 366369 Skill: Comprehension 13. Describe the process through which a bill becomes a law. Learning Objective: 11.4 Page Reference: 369372 Skill: Comprehension 14. What impact does increasing polarization in Congress have on the lawmaking process? Learning Objective: 11.4 Page Reference: 372374 Skill: Analysis 15. Explain the role of lobbyists in the lawmaking process. Learning Objective: 11.4 Page Reference: 375376 Skill: Comprehension Essay Questions 1. Describe how Congress is demographically atypical of the United States population. Does this present a problem for legitimate democratic government? Why, or why not? Learning Objective: 11.1, 11.5 Page Reference: 349351; 376378 Skill: Evaluation
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2.

Describe the advantages of incumbents in congressional elections. What reforms have been suggested to limit the effects of incumbency? Would you support such reform? Learning Objective: 11.2 Page Reference: 351357 Skill: Evaluation Are congressional elections broken? Do we need major reform of congressional elections including, for example, term limits and/or campaign finance reform? Learning Objective: 11.2 Page Reference: 351357 Skill: Evaluation Describe the structure of power and decision making in Congress and evaluate the impact of that structure on policymaking. Be sure to compare and contrast the House and the Senate in your answer. Learning Objective: 11.3 Page Reference: 357366 Skill: Synthesis Describe the powers of the Speaker of the House, the majority and minority leaders, and the whips. What limits to their leadership powers exist in their respective parties? Learning Objective: 11.3 Page Reference: 361366 Skill: Analysis Explain the legislative process and the relative importance of key individuals and groups in that process. What happens to most bills? Describe the procedure by which a bill becomes law. Learning Objective: 11.4 Page Reference: 369372 Skill: Comprehension Explain how members of Congress reconcile the conflicting jobs of representing constituents and making effective public policy. In your answer, be sure to discuss the committee system, congressional elections, and the role of political parties and interest groups in Congress. Learning Objective: 11.5 Page Reference: 376378 Skill: Analysis Evaluate Congress as a democratic institution. What reforms democratized Congress? Evaluate whether there is a trade-off between representativeness and effectiveness. Learning Objective: 11.5 Page Reference: 376378 Skill: Evaluation The authors note that some argue that Congress is too responsive to constituents and especially to organized interests, while others argue that Congress is too insulated from ordinary citizens. Evaluate the evidence for each view from throughout the chapter. Learning Objective: 11.5 Page Reference: 376378 Skill: Evaluation

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10. Is Congress representative? Learning Objective: 11.1, 11.5 Page Reference: 349351; 376378 Skill: Evaluation

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11. Congress is both a policymaking institution and a representative institution. To what extent, how, and why do these two roles sometimes conflict? Should we be concerned about this conflict? Why or why not? Learning Objective: 11.5 Page Reference: 376378 Skill: Evaluation

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