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(U2A) 2.1- 2.3: Congress

Total questions: 20

Worksheet time: 40mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

Case that established the principle of one man, one vote. This decision created guidelines for apportionment, drawing up congressional districts to guarantee a more equitable system of representation to the citizens of each state. - The case also decided the Supreme Court had jurisdiction over questions of legislative apportionment.

a)

Brown v Board

b)

Baker v Carr

c)

Engel v Vitale

d)

Tinker v Des Moines

2.

A landmark case in the area of redistricting and racial gerrymandering. The court ruled in a 5-4 decision that redistricting based on race must be held to a standard of strict scrutiny under the equal protection clause. On the other hand, bodies doing redistricting must be conscious of race to the extent that they must ensure compliance with the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

a)

Baker v Carr

b)

McCulloch v Maryland

c)

Roe v Wade

d)

Shaw v Reno

3.

Which of the following is NOT a major difference between the House of Representatives and the Senate

a)

Members of the House are elected every two years and the Senate every 6 years.

b)

Senators must be 30 years old and Representatives must be 25

c)

The Senate passes appropriation legislation and the HoR confirms Presidential appointments.

d)

The Senate was originally chosen by State Legislatures while the HoR was originally chosen by the people.

4.

The United States Constitution says that Congress has the power to coin money.

This is an example of

a)

an enumerated power

b)

an implied power

c)

an inherent power

d)

a reserved power

e)

a concurrent power

5.

Powers of the Federal government, not specifically stated, based on "necessary and proper" or elastic clause are -

a)

Implied Powers

b)

Relegated Powers

c)

Savage Powers

d)

Elastic Powers

6.

Which of the following statements about motions for cloture is true?

a)

They force a bill out of committee so that the full House can vote on it.

b)

They are applied to bills that failed in the previous session of Congress.

c)

They are applied only to appropriation bills.

d)

They are used by senators to end a filibuster and bring a bill to a vote.

e)

They occur whenever a bill is reported out of committee.

7.

This term is sometimes used to describe the Article I powers provided to Congress relating to financing and budgeting the government.

a)

Committee of the Whole

b)

Advice and Consent

c)

Oversight

d)

Power of the purse

8.

Most of the work of legislating in Congress takes place in

a)

standing committees

b)

sub committees

c)

markup sessions

d)

caucus

9.

Congressional leadership: __________________ help keep their members loyal to the party’s legislation agenda by rounding up votes (garnering support for) for their party's proposed legislation.

a)

whips

b)

committee chairs

c)

caucuses

d)

sergeant at arms

10.

The House Rules Committee is an important part of the legislative process because it

a)

determines the terms and conditions of debate when a bill goes to the House floor

b)

determines ethics rules for members' conduct

c)

determines whether a bill should be referred to a policy committee for consideration

d)

negotiates compromises on bills with the Senate Rules Committee

11.

An example of a discretionary item in the federal budget is

a)

interest on the public debt

b)

spending on national parks

c)

Social Security payments

d)

veterans' pensions

12.

Expenditures by the legislature (funding) that are required by law

a)

Government spending

b)

discretionary spending

c)

mandatory spending

d)

deficit spending

13.

Which of the following scenarios best illustrates a member of Congress supporting pork-barrel legislation?

a)

A senator from a coal-producing state voting against a job-training program for coal miners

b)

A member of the House voting for urban renewal in exchange for increased funding for roads

c)

A senator from an agricultural state amending legislation to establish a potato research institute in his or her state

d)

A member of the House Armed Services Committee marking up a bill that will increase funding for military bases

14.

Who can propose a bill?

a)

The President

b)

House members

c)

Senate members

d)

Any member of congress

e)

Any elected official

15.

Apportionment and redistricting are affected every ten years as a result of....

a)

pork barrel spending

b)

standing committees

c)

midterm elections

d)

the census

16.

Which of the following statements about gerrymandering is true?

a)

It has been banned by United States Supreme Court decisions beginning with Baker v.Carr.

b)

It was used traditionally to maintain urban control of the House of Representatives.

c)

It can be used by a political party to draw boundary lines to control as many districts as possible.

d)

It guarantees greater constituency control over elected representatives.

e)

It ensures liberal control of the House of Representatives.

17.

The franking privilege refers to the

a)

Federal Reserve Board’s control over interest rates

b)

Practice of permitting senators to preview lists of judicial nominees

c)

Practice whereby legislators with the most seniority select the committees on which they want to serve

d)

Right of members of Congress to send mail to their constituents at the government’s expense

18.

What do we call a person who is up for reelection?

a)

the challenger

b)

the lame duck

c)

the whip

d)

the incumbent

19.

Voters elect their senator and representatives and expect them to vote on the basis of what their constituents believe

a)

delegate model

b)

representative model

c)

politico model

d)

trustee model

20.

Which of the following scenarios is an example of the trustee model of representation?

a)

The NAACP leadership sends representatives to Washington to lobby for changes to the Voting Rights Act.

b)

Congress passes a bill allocating money to clean up nuclear waste sites after a wave of large-scale peaceful protests.

c)

A member of Congress votes to close a popular tax loophole based on the belief that the money would be better spent paying down the national debt.

d)

A presidential candidate advocates using an executive order to increase the minimum wage for federal contractors.