Political Science 1 - Government of the United States and California » Summer 2020 » Congress Quiz

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Question #1
A filibuster is
A.   a technique that is unique to the House
B.   a method used by the Speaker of the House to promote the majority party’s legislation.
C.   the use of unlimited debate as a delaying tactic to block a bill.
D.   an attempt to persuade others to vote for a particular bill in return for a favor at a later date.
E.   used in the House to force a standing committee to release a bill.
Question #2
A representative who is performing the role of a trustee is
A.   mirroring the views of the majority of the constituents who elected him or her.
B.   representing other members of Congress.
C.   acting according to the broad interests of the entire society.
D.   supporting his or her political party.
E.   supporting the president on all of his or her legislative programs.
Question #3
A representative who is performing the role of an instructed delegate is
A.   mirroring the views of the majority of the constituents who elected him or her.
B.   representing other members of Congress.
C.   acting according to the broad interests of the entire society.
D.   supporting his or her political party.
E.   supporting the president on all of his legislative programs.
Question #4
A special provision in legislation to set aside funds for projects that have not passed an impartial evaluation by agencies in the executive branch is called a(n)
A.   earmark.
B.   backdoor clause.
C.   unfunded mandate.
D.   rider.
E.   amendment.
Question #5
Congress’s main function is to
A.   make laws.
B.   use its oversight power.
C.   impeach high government officials.
D.   decide whether or not laws are constitutional.
E.   enforce the laws.
Question #6
Enumerated powers are
A.   powers that are specifically granted to the national government by the Constitution.
B.   spelled out in the Necessary and Proper Clause of the Constitution.
C.   Supreme Court decisions.
D.   powers that allow the president to do whatever he likes, as long as it carries out the Constitution.
E.   powers that the executive branch has.
Question #7
Most of the actual work of legislating is
A.   performed on the floor of the House of Representatives.
B.   performed by the committees and subcommittees within Congress.
C.   performed by interest groups and then acted on by Congress.
D.   done in the Rules Committee of the Senate.
E.   done when the president signs it.
Question #8
Oversight is
A.   the process by which Congress follows up on the laws it has enacted.
B.   when Congress passes legislation.
C.   the process by which Congress reviews the actions of subcommittees.
D.   the time of the year that Congress chooses its leadership.
E.   when the President supervises the activity of the judicial branch.
Question #9
Standing committees are
A.   committees that reconcile differences in an action.
B.   committees that handle issues that the most important committees in Congress do not consider.
C.   committees that work with counterparts in the other house of Congress.
D.   committees inside committees, which handle tasks that the main committee has no time for.
E.   permanent bodies that are established by the rules of each chamber and that continue from session to session.
Question #10
The concept of cloture refers to
A.   a method used to defeat legislation in Congress.
B.   a process that shuts off discussion on a bill in the Senate.
C.   closed meetings held by both parties to elect their leadership or resolve other important issues.
D.   action taken by the House Rules Committee that must be approved by the Speaker.
E.   the resolution that adjourns Congress.
Question #11
The de facto power in the Senate belongs to
A.   the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
B.   Senator designate selected by the president.
C.   President pro tempore of the Senate.
D.   Senate majority and minority leaders and their respective whips.
E.   President of the Senate.
Question #12
The job of a conference committee is to
A.   override a presidential veto.
B.   write a compromise bill, if the House and Senate bills contain different provisions.
C.   determine the committee path of a bill.
D.   originate appropriations bills.
E.   set the rules of debate for a bill.
Question #13
The largest occupational group among members of Congress is
A.   educators.
B.   clergy.
C.   lawyers.
D.   businesspersons.
E.   lobbyists.
Question #14
The necessary and proper clause
A.   has served to limit the expansion of national authority.
B.   was in the original Constitution, but was eliminated as a consequence of the Twenty-Seventh Amendment.
C.   has provided the basis for an expanded role of the national government.
D.   is located in the Constitution in the text of the Tenth Amendment.
E.   has greatly expanded the presidential powers.
Question #15
The practice of logrolling is
A.   when members of Congress undermine the personal credibility of their opponents.
B.   when members of Congress use unlimited debate as a delaying tactic to block a bill.
C.   an arrangement in which members of Congress agree in advance to support each others’ bills.
D.   when members of Congress attach amendments to bills.
E.   the process of putting together a budget.
Question #16
The president of the Senate is
A.   the vice president of the United States.
B.   the leader of the majority party in the Senate.
C.   always a member of the majority party in the Senate.
D.   the senator with the most seniority, regardless of party.
E.   the fourth person in line to succeed the president.
Question #17
The rights to collect taxes, to spend, and to regulate commerce are
A.   the most important domestic powers of Congress.
B.   powers reserved exclusively for the states.
C.   powers that have only recently been granted to Congress.
D.   powers reserved for the president.
E.   the most important foreign policy powers of Congress.
Question #18
The whips assist the party leaders by
A.   attempting to convince the general public that congresspersons should vote the party line.
B.   pressuring them to take positions popular among the party rank-and-file.
C.   passing information down from the leadership to party members and ensuring that members cast their votes on important issues.
D.   voting to support the party platform at the national convention.
E.   gathering research information.
Question #19
The ______ of the Senate is mostly a ceremonial position.
A.   minority leader
B.   majority whip
C.   minority whip
D.   president pro tempore
E.   majority leader
Question #20
Reapportionment is
A.   the allocation of seats in the House to each state after each census.
B.   altering a legislative formula that apportions spending among the states.
C.   a court order to hold new elections because of voting irregularities.
D.   the redrawing of district boundaries within each state.
E.   a budget procedure used in the House.

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