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

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