1. Congress possesses all of the following enumerated powers EXCEPT the power to
A. regulate commerce.
B. appoint federal judges.
C. establish post offices.
D. declare war.
2. Why can the House of Representatives often agree on new legislation faster than the Senate?
A. The Senate is more partisan than the House of Representatives.
B. The Senate’s Debate Committee often makes agreement difficult.
C. The House has stricter limits than the Senate for debate time.
D. The House does not require proposed bills to go to committee first.
3. A filibuster can be used to
A. kill proposed legislation in the Senate by extending debate indefinitely.
B. kill proposed legislation in the House by extending debate indefinitely.
C. prevent a bill from leaving a committee by extending debate indefinitely.
D. override a veto on a new bill by extending debate indefinitely.
4. Which of the following is the BEST description of the trustee view of representation?
A. Representatives are entrusted to vote in accordance with the views of their constituents and therefore should do so.
B. Representatives should vote their consciences and in order to serve the nation as a whole.
C. Representatives are entrusted to bring tangible benefits to their constituents and should work to do so.
D. Representatives should vote in accordance with the principles of the political party to which they belong.
5. The majority party in Congress has the authority to do all of the following EXCEPT
A. choose the Speaker of the House and the Senate majority leader.
B. hold the majority of congressional committee seats.
C. require congresspersons to vote with the party line.
D. choose the chairpersons of all congressional committees.
6. Which of the following is a way in which Congress does NOT exercise its oversight function?
A. Holding hearings
B. Conducting investigations
C. Changing an executive agency’s budget
D. Firing executive branch officials
7. The purpose of a conference committee is to reach an agreement
A. between the House and the Senate.
B. between the executive branch and Congress.
C. between the entire Senate and a committee.
D. between standing committees and party leadership.
8. Logrolling is the practice of
A. attaching riders to a new bill.
B. trading votes between legislators.
C. strategically scheduling votes.
D. benefiting wealthy interest groups.
9. What is the purpose of proposing a new bill under a closed rule?
A. To limit the number of speakers on the floor during debate
B. To prevent amendments from being added to new legislation
C. To impose strict time limits on debate on the floor
D. To overrule a committee’s recommendation about new legislation
10. Why is it easier to add amendments to bills in the Senate than in the House of Representatives?
A. Party leadership in the Senate has more formal power than party leadership in the House of Representatives.
B. Because Representatives often represent more local interests than Senators, the House of Representatives is typically less partisan then the Senate.
C. The Speaker of the House, unlike the Senate majority leader, is free to add amendments to a bill.
D. Riders can be added to bills in the Senate, but not to bills in the House of Representatives.