Congress Test

A U.S. Senator has a ______-year term.

• two

• four

• six

• eight

Congress is a ______ legislature with ______ members.

• unicameral; 342

• bicameral; 535

• bicameral; 100

• bicameral; 275

Under the original Constitution, senators

• served four-year terms.

• were appointed by state legislatures.

• were selected by the federal judiciary.

• could serve only two terms.

What is the most common occupation among members of Congress before coming to Congress?

• business executive

• lobbyist

• college professor

• lawyer

A senator or representative running for reelection is called the

• constituent

• incumbent

• trustee

• delegate

The number of seats in the House of Representatives has been fixed at ____, since ____.

• 100; 1790

• 100; 1929

• 435; 1929

• 435; 1959

The process of allocating congressional seats among the 50 states is called

• redistricting

• gerrymandering

• redlining

• apportionment

Gerrymandering refers to the

• manipulation of electoral districts to serve the interests of a particular group.

• practice whereby legislators trade their support or opposition on one bill to get the support of another legislator on a different bill.

• investigations of the executive branch by members of Congress.

• tactic used by members of the Senate to prevent action on legislation they oppose by continuously holding the floor and speaking until the majority backs down.

The term pork barrel refers to

• any piece of legislation that changes the number of agricultural subsidies provided to farmers by the federal government.

• the collective set of law that regulates America’s meat exports.

• bills that grant a special privilege to a person named in the bill.

• appropriations made by legislative bodies for local projects that are often not needed but that are created so that local representatives can win reelection in their home districts.

What purpose does pork-barrel legislation serve?

• It funds specific projects and their location within a particular congressional district.

• It gives agricultural subsidies within a region.

• It awards special privileges to a person named in the bill.

• It orders state governments to implement a program without providing funding for doing so.