WorksheetsCongress Review 1 (Corrected)
Total questions: 21
Worksheet time: 18mins
For each statement indicate whether it best fits the House or Senate.
It was meant to be elitist. - (a)
Its membership has less turnover. - (b)
It has less policy specialization than the other chamber. - (c)
It has more "power of the purse" than the other chamber. - (d)
It confirms presidential appointments and ratifies treaties. - (e)
For each statement indicate whether it best fits the House or Senate.
It is the more hierarchical, disciplined, and centralized chamber - (a)
Each member tends to represent fewer constituents compared to the other chamber. - (b)
It is more influential in foreign policy than the other chamber. - (c)
Seniority has less effect on the power of members in this chamber. - (d)
Party politics is more influential in this chamber than the other. - (e)
For each statement indicate whether it best fits the House or Senate.
This chamber tries impeached officials. - (a)
It is the more prestigious of the two chambers. - (b)
Its members serve 6-year terms. - (c)
Leaders are more influential in this chamber. - (d)
This chamber impeaches federal officials. - (e)
Fill in the blanks. Not all options will be used. No option will be used more than once.
1. President of the Senate with no agenda-setting role but the power to cast tie-breaking votes: (a) .
2. "Captain" who schedules debates, sets the chamber's agenda, and issues committee assignments: (b) .
3. Fills in for Vice President but has no power over the agenda: (c) .
4. Strategist who contributes to their party's policy agenda and issues committee assignments: (d) .
Fill in the blanks. Not all options will be used. No option will be used more than once.
1. Focused committees that may be permanent, but often have a temporary existence: (a) .
2.Committees composed of member from both chambers for the purpose of resolving differences between two versions of a bill: (b) .
3. Committees composed of members from both chambers in key policy areas: (c) .
4. Committees and subcommittees dedicated to specified policy areas: (d) .
Fill in the blanks. Not all options will be used. No option will be used more than once.
1. Oversees the executive branch to ensure proper execution of laws.
(a) .
2.Makes economic projections about fiscal policies and studies economic performance. (b)
3. Answers Congress members' questions and provides publicly available information about legislation.
(c)
Which official holds a constitutionally required legislative office and is second in the order of presidential succession?
President of the Senate
Senate majority leader
President pro Tempore
Speaker of the House
Vice President
Which position is most akin (similar) to a Prime Minister?
Speaker of the House
Senate majority leader
President of the Senate
President Pro Tempore
Which best describes the trajectory of Speaker power over time?
strongest, weaker, stronger
weak, weaker, stronger
strongest, strong, weaker
consistently strong
________________________ are responsible for agenda-setting and shepherding legislation from beginning to final floor vote.
Committees
Whips
Speaker
Majority leaders
Which statement about committees is INCORRECT?
Committee membership is generally divided evenly between the minority and majority party to ensure bills that make it to the floor have bipartisan support.
Chamber leaders use committee assignments partly to reward loyal supporters of themselves and the party agenda.
Getting the "right" committee assignment is important to legislators as a way to serve their constituencies and take credit for legislative achievements.
The chair (presiding member) of a committee is almost always a member of the chamber's majority party.
Which statement about the seniority system is INCORRECT?
Committee chairs are able to cast proxy votes (votes on behalf of absent committee members).
As a customary general rule, committee chairs are still typically the most senior majority party committee member.
Due to a revolt by younger legislators in the 1970s, committee chairs are now subject to votes and chair term limits.
During most of the 1900s the seniority system meant that the longest-tenured committee member from the majority party was committee chair by default.
Which statement about congressional caucuses are INCORRECT?
There are only two caucuses in each chamber, independent legislators choose to caucus either with Republicans or Democrats.
There are hundreds of caucuses organized around various specific interests.
Caucuses are informal means of organizing legislators.
Caucuses are quite similar to interest group lobbies.
Which type of congressional staff is most likely to perform casework?
Personal staff
Committee staff
Agency staff
Auxiliary staff
In which chamber does a bill pass through a Rules Committee before going to the chamber's floor for debate?
House
Senate
House AND Senate
Duodenum
Which type of committee is responsible for studying bills, revising bills, and holding hearings about bills?
Subcommittee
Oversight committee
Standing committee
Select committee
Which statement is INCORRECT?
The Hastert Rule, in effect when Republicans control the Senate, prohibits the Senate from voting on any bill that lacks the support of most Senate Republicans.
In the Senate, leaders of the party caucuses perform the functions of the House Rules Committee.
The House Rules Committee has the power to prohibit amendments to a bill.
The House Rules Committee schedules debate over a bill and sets a fixed amount of time for debate.
What is the term for a revised or rewritten bill sent out of a committee for floor debate?
Marked-up
Pigeonholed
Embossed
Finalized
Who serve as floor managers and cue givers once a bill goes to the floor for debate?
Members of the committee that worked on the bill.
Whips
House Speaker/Senate Majority Leader
Personal staffers
Identify each statement as correct or incorrect.
1. To be effective, legislative oversight requires some bipartisanship.
(a)
2. Threats to cut bureaucracies budgets is an extreme but effective method of oversight. (b)
3. Legislative oversight activity has diminished as the executive branch has grown in size and power. (c)
4. Legislative oversight is weakest when the party of the President also controls one or both chambers of Congress. (d)
5. Committees mainly perform legislative oversight through hearings. (e)
Which of these is NOT a constraint on Congress's oversight functions?
A shortage of expert committee staff with connections in executive bureaucracies.
The low value of routine oversight to Representatives'/Senators' constituents.
Multiple committee jurisdictions leading to turf wars about who has oversight authority in a particular policy area or bureaucracy.
Partisan manipulation of oversight functions.
