CONGRESS TEST REVIEW

When members of Congress add special amendments to a routine

bill this is called

• pork barrel politics

Bills originate where?

•in either house except for money bills

Which house is subject to more political pressure?

•House of Representatives

True or false?

• House members are chosen by the people in each congressional district.

• true• Each state is guaranteed at least 1

seat & terms last 2 years.• true• Representation in the House is based

on population.• true

Which amendment requires members of Congress to delay a pay increase until after

the next election?

•27th

The presiding officer of the Senate

• is the Vice President

• votes in case of a tie

• is President of the Senate

• Dick Cheney

Special provisions not expected to pass on their own are sometimes attached to a bill

sure to pass

•riders

This committee made up of members of both houses formed to iron out

differences between 2 versions of the same bill is called

•conference committee

When the Constitution authorizes Congress to spend money, what is that called?

•power of the purse

Examples of checks and balances

• judicial review• Senate approval of

presidential appointments and treaties

• Congressional override of a veto

Incumbents are considered to have the advantage because

• they can raise more funds

• they have better name recognition

• they can use staff members to perform services for constituents

True or false?

• Congress is bicameral.• true• The House is based on population and limited to

435 members.• true• There is equal representation of each state in the

Senate resulting in 100 members.• true• The results of a census are used to reapportion

the seats in the Senate.• false

The presiding officer of the House is

•Nancy Pelosi

When members of Congress gain favor with their constituents by attending to the individual needs of constituents…

•casework

The practice of talking a bill to death is called a

•filibuster

Permanent subject matter committees are called

•standing committees

When members of Congress get federal dollars spent back home in

hopes of getting reelected

•pork barrel politics

Bicameral means•two houses

When members of Congress send newsletters free of charge back home…

•franking privilege

Congress’ main job is to…

•make the law

The practice of reserving the job of committee chair for the

member of the majority party who has served longest on the

committee is called…•seniority

rule

The drawing of congressional district lines to favor the party

or race in power is called…

•gerrymandering

To impeach means to …

•accuse

When members of Congress take trips for investigative purposes they are

sometimes criticized for taking

•junkets

The term of office for the Senate is

• 6 years, three times as long as House members

Number of Republicans in the current House…

•201

Examples of checks and balances

• presidential veto• Congressional

override of that veto

The current Senate has how many Democrats?

• 49

The current Speaker of the House is …

• Nancy Pelosi

Qualifications for becoming a U.S. Representative

• 25 years old• citizen for 7 years• resident of the state

When Congress checks up on how the executive branch (President) is

spending $ and enforcing laws, what function is it exercising?

•oversight

Political arms of special interest groups contribute to

campaign funds of members of Congress

•PACs (political action committees)

The purpose of the Declaration of Independence

•break ties with the British gov’t

In an indirect democracy, which of the following are true?

• The elected representatives make the decisions.

• true• A small group makes the decisions.• false• One person makes the decisions.• false• The people make all the decisions.• false

When the Constitution divides power between a strong central gov’t and 50

state gov’ts, what is that called?

•federalism

The mention of three branches of gov’t automatically calls to your mind what principle of

gov’t?

•separation of powers, of course!

When the Court declares a law unconstitutional, it is exercising

which principle of gov’t?

• judicial review

When amendments are added to the Constitution, how is our

gov’t changed?

•formally

Exclusive powers of the national gov’t?

• coin money?• yes• make treaties?• yes• enforce laws?• no• declare war?• yes

The equal protection clause was added to the Constitution with

which Amendment?

•14th Amendment

The idea of a“wall of separation of church and state” comes from

which Amendment?

•Establishment Clauseof the 1st Amendment

You cannot be punished for something that was not a crime at the time that

you did it. What is this?

•ex post facto law