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

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

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