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WorksheetsAP Gov Unit 2 - Congress
Total questions: 65
Worksheet time: 35mins
After a national census has been taken, changes in population distribution cause the changing of congressional seats among the states. This effect is commonly called
Congressional districting
Apportionment
Gerrymandering
Reapportionment
Which of the following is NOT true of the Congress?
Each house determines its own leadership and rules.
Terms of Congress last for two years.
Congress is unicameral in nature.
Only the President may call special sessions of Congress.
Which of the following best describes a non-legislative power of Congress?
Power to declare war
Power to tax
Impeachment power
Power to regulate commerce
Which of the following is an accurate comparison of the House of Representatives and the Senate?
The Speaker of the House may only vote to break a tie in the House, and the President of the Senate may vote on any legislation before the Senate.
In the House members can delay the vote on legislation by filibustering, and in the Senate members must send all legislation through the Rules Committee.
In the House members represent the entire state, and in the Senate members represent districts within the state.
The Speaker of the House is the most powerful position in the House, and the majority leader is the most powerful position in the Senate.
Enumerated powers are the powers that are listed in the _____.
Bill of Rights
Constitution
Declaration of Independence
Magna Carta
What is the key takeaway from Baker v. Carr?
Separate but equal
One man, one vote
Women's voting rights
Bakery owners' rights
What case argued that redistricting in North Carolina was racial gerrymandering?
Shaw v. Reno
Baker v. Carr
McCulloch v. Maryland
Brown v. Board of Education
Gerrymandering means __________.
Drawing distinct boundary lines to benefit a political party.
Changes in population.
Power to stop a bill congress has passed from becoming law.
Both formal and informal powers that influence relations with foreign nations.
Pork barrel spending is known as...
Gov. spending on travel
Spending on farm animals and agriculture
Use of funds to please voters
Money spent by gov. for their own benefit
The practice of exchanging favors in known as...
Logrolling
Interest
Earmark
Caucuses
Which committee is responsible for expanding the passage of bills?
Rules committee
Standing committee
Joint committee
Committee on Committee
If there is a major disagreement about a bill between the House and the Senate, what is assembled?
A Command Committee
A Conference Committee
A Presidential Conference
A Constitutional Convention
What is the intention of a rider on a bill?
Essentially piggyback on an existing bill to make it more desirable and get it passed.
Non-related bill added to a bill that is likely to pass.
An addition to a bill that guarantees its failure in Congress.
An addition that alters the meaning of the bill's initial intentions.
What are sequential referrals?
One committee refers a bill for a review to one other committee
Committees undergo referrals to review and ensure they work in a timely manner and avoid corruption, lobbying, etc.
Process by which a bill may be subject to multiple referrals to different committees in Congress.
Referral of committee's opinions for political tactics and purposes.
What did the 17th Amendment do?
Gave women the right to vote.
Gave all citizens the right to elect their senators.
Senators elected by state legislatures.
Gave African Americans the right to vote.
A committee is considered to be a joint committee when ______.
There are Republican and Democrat members
There are members from the House and Senate.
There are members from the Cabinet and the House.
There are members from Legislative and Judicial Branch.
Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution gives Congress ______.
Enumerated Powers
Enumerated Rights
Hidden Powers
Executive Powers
___________ made racial gerrymandering unconstitutional even with good intentions.
Baker v. Carr
McCuloch v. Maryland
U.S. v. Lopez
Shaw v. Reno
A senator does not want a bill to reach the floor for consideration so he blocks it or __________ the bill.
Gridlocks
Stops
Vetoes
Holds
The US has a __________ legislature.
unicameral
camel ????
bicameral
bicaramel
Strom Thurmond had the longest ______, lasting 24 hours and 18 minutes to oppose the Civil Rights Act of 1957.
speech
filibuster
violent protest
interest
Which of the following best describes a non-legislative power of Congress?
Power to declare war
Power to tax
Impeachment power
Power to regulate commerce
Congressional power to monitor and fund regulatory or bureaucratic agencies
power of the purse
power
oversight
advice and consent
A phrase that refers to the Senate's power to confirm appointments
Unanimous Consent
Advice and consent
Cloture
Committee of the Whole
This term is sometimes used to describe the Article I powers provided to Congress relating to financing and budgeting the government.
Committee of the Whole
Advice and Consent
Oversight
Power of the purse
A major difference on debate between the House of Representatives and the Senate is that:
House debate is limited / Senate is not
Senate debate is limited / House debate is not
Senate and House rules are identical on debate
The nuclear option is only used by the House
Representatives and senators are the most political in this model, utilizing both the trustee and delegate models to make decisions
Representative
Politico
Trustee
Delegate
Representatives and senators are the most political in this model, utilizing both the trustee and delegate models to make decisions
Representative
Politico
Trustee
Delegate
Tactic used in the Senate whereby a vote on legislation can be delayed through debate.
filibuster
Hold
cloture
joint session
Why do we have 435 voting members in the House?
That's the number dictated by the constitution
That number was (limited) set by statute (law)
that's 8.7 per state (do the math)
Who can propose a bill?
The President
House members
Senate members
Any member of congress
Any elected official
Congressional leadership: _______________ is largely an honorary position and is usually given to the most senior member of the majority party
President of the Senate
Speaker of the House
President Pro Tempore
Senate Majority leader
House Majority Whip
Holding this position is the only constitutionally delegated responsibility of the Vice President
President of the Senate
President Pro Tempore of the Senate
Break ties in the House of Representatives
Speaker of the House
Members of Congress are generally more... _______ than the general population
less partisan
more educated
wealthy
more partisan
A temporary committee - appointed for a specific purpose
select committee
temporary committee
joint committee
sub committee
To force a vote on a bill and get it out of committee in this manner, you need 218 lawmakers to agree, even if the leadership doesn't.
hold
caucus
cloture
discharge petition
To force a vote on a bill and get it out of committee in this manner, you need 218 lawmakers to agree, even if the leadership doesn't.
hold
caucus
cloture
discharge petition
When does apportionment happen?
every 5 years based on the census
every year based on the census
every 2 years based on the census
every 10 years based on state size
every 10 years based on the decennial census
In 1974, the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act created the OMB. What is the job of the Office of Management and Budget?
The president's budgeting arm
The president's discretionary spending advisor
The president's legislative liason
The legislature's budgeting arm
In 1974, the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act created the OMB. What is the job of the Office of Management and Budget?
The president's budgeting arm
The president's discretionary spending advisor
The president's legislative liason
The legislature's budgeting arm
Expenditures by the legislature (funding) that are required by law
Government spending
discretionary spending
mandatory spending
deficit spending
Expenditures by the legislature (funding) that are required by law
Government spending
discretionary spending
mandatory spending
deficit spending
One phenomenon that affects House membership is the reshaping of congressional districts every ten years to reflect population changes. This is known as what?
apportionment
redistricting
gerrymandering
gridlock
Does a congressional district, designed for the purposes of assuring a majority black population violate the 14th Amendment's equal protection clause?
Shaw v. Reno
Baker v. Carr
Tinker v. Des Moines
Schenck v. United States
McDonald v. Chicago
Can the Supreme Court render judgment on the constitutionality of legislative districts?
Shaw v. Reno
Baker v. Carr
Schenck v. United States
Gideon v. Wainwright
Gerry v. Massachussets
Who is the current Speaker of the House?
Mitch McConnell
Chuck Schumer
Nancy Pelosi
Chuck Grassley
How many votes are required for cloture
65
50
55
60
Nominations to the Supreme Court must be approved by siample majority vote in the ______ only
Senate
House
Spending on appropriated bills in which the levels of funding can change every fiscal year
Conference Committee
Gridlock
Filibuster
Discretionary Spending
What happens when one party controls the executive branch while another party controls one or both chambers of Congress
Congressional Override
Filibuster
Pocket Veto
Divided Government
A veto of a bill brought about by the president's failure to sign it within ten days of the adjournment of Congress.
Filibuster
Gridlock
Pocket Veto
Rider
