NAME:______
Chapter 12 Practice Questions
1. There are ______members of Congress.
a. 50
b. 100
c. 435
d. 535
e. 635
2. Members of the House of Representatives must be ______years old.
a. 18
b. 25
c. 30
d. 35
e. 40
3. What are the dominant prior occupations of members of Congress?
a. Business and law
b. Medicine and academia
c. Medicine and law
d. Business and advertising
e. Business and the military
4. Which of the following helps explain women’s low levels of representation in Congress?
a. Women are less likely than men to become major-party nominees.
b. Women with children display less political ambition when it comes to running for political office.
c. Women without children display less political ambition when it comes to running for political office.
d. Women’s decisions to run are more sensitive than men’s to the perceptions of the odds of winning.
e. All of these help explain women’s low levels of representation in Congress.
5. Which of the following is NOT true about incumbents?
a. They usually win elections.
b. They usually have more money than their challengers.
c. They usually have higher name recognition and visibility than their opponents.
d. They usually face very tough challengers, especially in races for the House.
e. They usually have their party’s endorsement.
6. Compared to members of the House, senators are
a. more likely to have personal contact with their constituents.
b. more likely to face difficult reelection opponents.
c. less likely to face difficult reelection opponents.
d. less likely to use television in their reelection campaigns.
e. None of the above is true.
7. An example of casework by a member of Congress is
a. writing a newsletter to send out to constituents.
b. helping a constituent gain citizenship.
c. voting for a bill desired by constituents.
d. working with a caucus on a public policy that affects his or her constituents.
e. All of the above are true.
8. A bicameral legislature is a legislature
a. with two houses, providing checks and balances on policymaking.
b. in which each state has two senators, providing equal representation of the states.
c. in which incumbents have a better chance of being reelected, providing continuity in policymaking.
d. that must share power with a president, providing more efficient policymaking.
e. in which there are only two political parties.
9. The Constitution gives the House of Representatives the power to
a. initiate all revenue bills.
b. ratify all treaties.
c. confirm presidential nominations.
d. try impeached officials.
e. All of the above are true.
10. House members serve _____ -year terms; Senators serve ______-year terms.
a. 2; 4
b. 2; 6
c. 4; 6
d. 4; 8
e. 6; 8
11. The House Rules Committee
a. has its members appointed by the House majority leader.
b. is similar to the Senate Rules Committee.
c. usually retains independence from the House leadership.
d. reviews most bills coming from committee before they go to the full House.
e. All of the above are true.
12. One of the key differences between the House and Senate is that the Senate
a. is more centralized.
b. is less dependent on seniority for determining power.
c. has a lower turnover rate.
d. has stronger leadership.
e. has more anarchy.
13. Which of the following statements about the filibuster is FALSE?
a. The filibuster is used in both houses.
b. The filibuster can tie up the legislative agenda.
c. The filibuster is used to talk a bill to death.
d. Rules adopted over the years make it easier to close off debate and end a filibuster.
e. All of the above are true.
14. Which of the following is unique to the Senate?
a. The filibuster
b. Committee leaders
c. Majority leader
d. Seniority system
e. Congressional caucus
15. The principal partisan ally of the Speaker of the House, responsible for scheduling bills, influencing committee assignments, and rounding up votes, is the
a. president of the Senate.
b. House clerk.
c. majority leader.
d. minority leader.
e. majority whip.
16. A ______committee is one appointed for a limited, specific purpose, such as that set up to investigate the Watergate scandal.
a. standing
b. select
c. conference
d. joint
e. special
17. The House Committee on Ways and Means is a ______committee.
a. standing
b. select
c. joint
d. caucus
e. conference
18. Which of the following offices is responsible for making economic projections about the performance of the economy, the costs of proposed policies, and the economic effects of taxing and spending alternatives?
a. Congressional Research Service
b. Congressional Budget Office
c. General Accounting Office
d. Ways and Means Committee
e. Federal Reserve
19. Which of the following statements about the policymaking process is FALSE?
a. Individual senators have substantial opportunities for influence through mechanisms such as the filibuster.
b. House leaders frequently refer bills to several committees at the same time.
c. At times, House leaders bypass committees altogether, referring high-priority legislation directly to the floor.
d. Party leaders exercise a great deal of control over the House.
e. Presidents play no role in crafting the congressional agenda.
20. In contrasts to the trustee model of representation, the ______model of representation is based on legislators mirroring the preferences of their constituents.
a. politico
b. instructed-delegates
c. uninstructed-delegates
d. pollster
e. Burkean
21. Committees composed of members of both the House and the Senate, the purpose of which is to meet and iron out differences between bills, are called ______committees.
a. joint
b. select
c. conference
d. standing
e. temporary
22. Presidential leadership of Congress “at the margins” refers to a notion of presidential leadership in which presidents
a. dominate the policymaking process by forcing Congress to adopt the president’s policy agenda.
b. refuse to engage in policymaking, leaving the task entirely to Congress.
c. attempt to build coalitions and create a political climate favorable to the president’s policy agenda.
d. aggressively use the threat of the veto to get what they want.
e. recruit lobbyists and interest groups to pursue the president’s agenda in Congress.
23. If the full House votes on a conference committee version of a bill it is then
a. referred to a joint committee.
b. sent to the president.
c. referred to a committee for hearings, studies, and revisions.
d. sent to the House for debate.
e. sent to the Senate for approval.
24. According to your textbook, the stronger constituency interests are on issues and the weaker partisan ideology is, the
a. more likely members are to deviate form their own positions and adopt those of their constituencies.
b. less likely members are to deviate from their own positions and adopt those of their constituencies.
c. less likely members are to be controlled by their constituencies.
d. more likely members are to be swayed by interest groups and lobbyists in choosing a course of action.
e. more likely members are to be swayed by the policymaking agenda of the presidency.
25. Which of the following summarizes the quintessential dilemma for Congress?
a. Balancing Republicans and Democrats on congressional committees
b. Finding competent staff who possess adequate policymaking knowledge
c. Combining faithful representation while also making effective public policy
d. Negotiating presidential dominance of the policymaking process
e. All of the above are true.
1. D
2. B
3. A
4. E
5. D
6. B
7. B
8. A
9. A
10. B
11. D
12. B
13. A
14. A
15. C
16. B
17. A
18. B
19. E
20. B
21. C
22. C
23. B
24. A
25. C