American Government 100 Part III s1

American Government 100 Part III Patterson, pgs. 307-319 Woll, pgs. 311-320, AG14-17 Congress True/False Questions

1. In 2011, Democrats in Congress were willing to accept some spending cuts if Republicans would compromise on tax increases on the wealthy. True or False

2. The creation of a super committee to resolve the budget impasse in 2011 was a resounding success, forcing members of both parties in Congress to finally compromise on achieving a balanced federal budget. True or False

3. When it comes to their interests, members of Congress will give primacy to supporting the needs of the nation first before individual reelection concerns. True or False

4. No executive departments or lower courts can exist unless authorized by Congress. True or False

5. According to Patterson, the framers’ vision of a preeminent Congress has not fully met the test of time. True or False

6. Because of its fragmented structure, Congress is not well suited to take the lead on major national policies, which has allowed the president to assume this role. True or False

7. In the nation's first century, service in the Congress was a career for most of its members. True or False

8. Although legislators in other Western democracies have much lower reelection rates than members of Congress, they receive many of the same perks of large personal staffs and free travel as their U.S. counterparts. True or False

9. Rarely do incumbents running for reelection in Congress say they had trouble raising enough money to conduct an effective campaign. True or False

10. A congressional race without an incumbent rarely brings out a strong party candidate, especially if the parties are evenly matched in the state or district. True or False

11. States are required by law to make their districts as nearly equal in population as possible. True or False

12. When redistricting, the majority party in the state legislature places enough of its party’s voters in its incumbents’ districts to ensure their reelection. True or False

13. When voters are angry about existing political conditions, they are more likely to believe that 14-1 those in power should be tossed out of office. True or False

14. If a moderate incumbent is confronted with a strong challenger in a midterm primary election from the extreme wing of his/her party, the incumbent stands a better chance of winning. True or False

15. House incumbents have more reason to fear strong challengers compared to senators because of the polarized nature of politics today. True or False

16. Based on a study by Poole and Rosenthal, in both the House and the Senate, the least conservative Republican was more conservative than the most conservative Democrat. True or False

17. As a way to prevent the implementation of the Health Care Reform Act for a year in 2013, all but two Republicans voted in support of shutting down the government by threatening not to pass the federal budget. True or False

18. Women have had more success in gaining election to state legislatures than to Congress, partly because there is more turn-over and less incumbency advantage at the state level. True or False

Multiple Choice Questions

1. In 2011 what did Republicans do to attempt to force steep cuts in federal spending? a) they used the threat of eliminating a transportation bill, b) they threatened not to raise the debt ceiling, c) they threatened to impeach President Obama, d) they refused to reconcile the House version of the budget bill with the Senate’s.

2. In recent decades why has the frequency of legislative deadlock significantly increased? a) because of the composition of a sizeable number of elected officials today are more ideological and partisan, b) because the individual members have learned that drawing attention to themselves rakes in more money, c) because Congress as an institution, has become more corrupt, d) because the media has become more passive, unwilling to challenge politicians.

3. What is the approximate annual salary of members of Congress today? a) $75,000, b) b) $135,000, c) $175,000, d) $200,000

4. Of the 435 House seats in Congress, how many are competitive enough that the weaker party has a realistic chance of victory? a) 75, b) 105, c) 139, c) 210

5. The people residing in the incumbent’s state or district: a) logrolling, b) partisans, c) constituency, d) voters.

6. Legislation that funds a special project for a particular locale, such as a highway or hospital: a) entitlement, b) oversight, c) mandates, d) pork barrel.

14-2 7. When a member of Congress caters to their constituents' needs: a) contract, b) service strategy, c) zero-sum, d) conditional commitment.

8. Congressional staffers spend most of their time on: a) promoting or rejecting proposed legislation, b) investigative research, c) constituency service and public relations, d) public policy.

9. About what amount of money is allocated annually to members of the House for office allowance, which is used to hire permanent staff? a) $500,000, b) $850,000, c) $1,000,000, d) $2,000,000.

10. Each member of Congress is allowed to send free mailings to constituent households: a) the frank, b) general subsidy, c) pager support, d) constituent casework.

11. According to Patterson, a successful House election campaign in a competitive district will cost about how much money? a) about $500,000, b) less than $750,000, c) more than $1 million, d) $3 million or more.

12. What percent of funds raised by congressional candidates are represented by $200 or less for the costs of campaigns? a) 10%, b) 25%, c) 37%, d) 60%.

13. In recent elections, what percent of PAC contributions have gone to incumbents in Congress? a) nearly 30%, b) about 36%, c) less than 57%, d) more than 85 percent.

14. A race without an incumbent: a) primary-sector election, b) open-seat election, c) point-of- contention election, d) all-primary selection.

15. The process of reallocating House seats after each census is called: a) reapportionment, b) gerrymandering, c) voting parameters, d) election boundaries.

16. The redrawing of House seats after a reapportionment by state legislatures is called: a) malapportionment, b) electoral designation, c) redistricting, d) boundary alliances.

17. The process by which one party draws district boundaries to its advantage is called: a) malapportionment, b) mal-districting, c) partisan designing, d) gerrymandering.

18. Why were there an unusually high number of incumbents, nearly all of them Democrats, tossed out of office during the 2010 congressional elections? a) public anger over the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, b) public anger over the economy and federal deficits, c) a public furor over corruption in the White House, d) the media inventing news stories about the congressional Democrats.

19. In the last twenty-five midterm elections, how often has the president’s party lost House seats? a) 13, b) 17, c) 21, d) all 25.

14-3 20. Elections that occur in the House when the president is not running: a) midterm, b) interim term, c) neutral term, d) secondary term.

21. Why are U.S. senators more vulnerable to reelection compared to their House counterparts? a) Senate seats lure a variety of personalities, especially from the average person on the street, b) Senators traditionally face the challenges of much stronger politicians with resources, c) Senators have to deal with more controversial legislation compared to House members, d) Senators tend to live further away from most of their constituents, so party loyalty is weaker.

22. Lawyers make up less than 1% of the population but make up a fourth of the House and about how many Senators? a) slightly more than 10 percent, b) less than 20 percent, c) about one-third, d) more than half.

23. Party members in Congress meet periodically in closed session to plan strategy, develop issues, and resolve policy differences referred to as: a) party caucus, b) party strategy session, c) ad hoc conference, d) conference coordinating meetings.

24. What is the greatest source of unity and division in Congress? a) political parties, b) congressional committees, c) lobbyists, d) money from special interests.

25. Each member’s vote is officially recorded: a) voice votes, b) partisan votes, c) mark-up votes, d) roll-call votes.

26. Why do the northeastern and western regions of the U.S. have the most women legislators? a) The northeastern and western regions have a higher proportion of college-educated women in the workforce than do other regions, b) The culture of northeastern and western regions is more paternalistic toward white women but not people of color, c) The income distribution in the northeastern and western regions is less egalitarian, d) Religious affiliation, especially among Baptists, is less so in the northeastern and western regions.

Fill-in Questions

1. What is the dual nature of Congress? a) It is both a ______institution for the ______and b) a ______assembly for ______and ______.

2. Congress’s policymaking role is based on which of the following three major functions: a) ______, b) ______, c) ______.

3. How are House seats distributed in the United States? a) Every ____ years, b) after each population ______,

14-4 c) the ____ seats in the House are d) reallocated among the states in ______to their ______.

4. Historically, why does the party holding the presidency lose seats in the midterm congressional elections? a) There is a _____-____ in turnout that accompanies a midterm election, b) People who vote only in the presidential election tend to have ______party ties and are more responsive to the issues of the ______. c) As the president’s support ______, so does voters’ inclination to support congressional candidates from the president’s party.

5. What are the minimum requirements to run for federal office?

Age Citizenship Residency

House: ___ yrs __ yrs naturalized ______

Senate: ___ yrs __ yrs naturalized ______

President: ___ yrs ______years in U.S.

Congress Woll, pgs. 311-320

1. According to Woll, in the beginning of the nineteenth century the most powerful political institution in the national government was: a) the executive, b) the legislature, c) the judiciary, d) the military.

2. The purpose of creating a bicameral legislature was to: a) make it easier to pass legislation, b) assure that all interests would be represented, c) secure an effective and efficient lawmaking body, d) limit the abuse of power by requiring agreement of both chambers of legislation.

Federalist 56

1. Madison states that taxation will primarily affect: a) the income of individuals, b) the regulation of commerce, c) the property of land owners, d) the sale of goods and services in the open market. Federalist 58

1. In Federalist 58, Madison discusses the negative effects that would result if the House of Representatives were too large a body (responding to Fed 56 earlier) a) the more numerous the legislative body, the ______the men directing its ______b) the more numerous any assembly, the greater the ascendancy of ______superseding ______.

14-5 c) the larger the number, the less ______will be made available to individual members d) the larger the body, based on ancient republics, the more likelihood that a single ______, or ______, will sway control into his single hands e) what ultimately will result is more ______, increasing the level of secrecy.

Federalist 62

1. Based on Federalist 62, who would select members of the Senate? a) the President, b) the people of each state, c) state legislatures, d) the Congress.

Answers Patterson, pgs. 307-319

True or False Questions

1. True 3. False 5. True 7. False 9. True 11. True 13. True 15. False 17. True

Multiple Choice Questions

1. b 3. c 5. c 7. b 9. c 11. c 13. d 15. a 17. d 19. c 21. b 23. a 25. d

Fill-In Questions

1. a) lawmaking, country, b) representative, states, districts 14-6 3. a) ten, b) census, c) 435, d) proportion, population 5. House: 25, 7, state, Senate: 30, 9, state, President/V.P:35, Natural Born, 14

Woll, pgs. 311-320

Federalist 56

Federalist 58

1. a) fewer, proceedings, b) passion, reason, c) information, d) orator, artful statesman, e) oligarchic

Federalist 62