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Terms in this set (84)
______ refers to a practice whereby members of Congress respond to constituents' individual requests for information or help with a federal benefit or service.
An open-seat election is one in which
no incumbent is running.
Redistricting consists of
redrawing congressional district boundaries within a state.
Most members of Congress are
career politicians who want to stay in Congress and put themselves in position for reelection.
Which of the following is a major reason why incumbents are reelected?
Many congressional districts and some states are lopsidedly Democratic or Republican.
In terms of the budget to hire office staff,
House members receive identical amounts of money.
senators receive varying amounts of money, depending on the population of their state.
When major disruptive issues occur, incumbents are
more likely to lose.
Polls indicate that voters' opinions of Donald Trump's performance had what effect in the 2018 midterms?
Those who were discontented with Trump helped Democrats retake control of the House.
Why are incumbents at risk when elections are being waged in the context of disruptive issues?
Voters are more likely to believe those in power should be removed from office.
In order to be a member of the House of Representatives, a person must be ______ years of age.
Elections held in the years between presidential elections are called ______ elections.
In order to become a member of the Senate, a person must be at least _____ years of age and have been a citizen for at least_____
To plan strategy and resolve policy issues, party members in Congress typically meet behind closed doors in a session called a party
Which of the following statements about midterm elections are generally true?
Voter turnout is lower than for presidential elections.
The president's party usually loses seats.
There is less media coverage of candidates and issues than in a presidential election.
Which of the following are true concerning women and minorities who run for congressional office?
Women and minorities are less likely to run for Congress than white males.
There are more women than there are minorities in Congress.
Partisan voting is most apparent when members are voting on major ______ issues.
The party that controls the rules and has the most powerful leadership position in the House is the
A permanent committee in Congress is known as
A committee that is composed of members of both chambers of Congress is known as a ______ committee.
The trend toward party unity in Congress can clearly be seen in voting records of members of Congress when their votes are officially recorded during a
If a "turf war" erupts as different committees vie for jurisdiction over a bill, who or what decides the committee assignment?
Who helps the Speaker set the party's legislative agenda in the House?
the majority leader
Members of the House of Representatives typically serve on ______ committees, while members of the Senate serve on ______.
Select committees are
designed to address a specific issue or problem.
Which of the following methods is most often used to select committee chairs?
the seniority system
One reason why standing committees are powerful is that they have by law
jurisdiction over bills in their designated policy area.
The term that describes the minority party's committee and subcommittee leaders is
What are conference committees?
temporary joint committees that are formed to work out differences
Hearings are an effective way for committees to
In the House of Representatives, debate is limited on the congressional floor by
the rules committee
A limit of ______ exists for how long a Republican member can chair a particular committee.
If the majority of the members of the House of Representatives are Republican, then every committee and subcommittee in the House will
have a majority of Republican members.
Which of the following are true of joint committees?
They perform advisory functions.
They are composed of members of both houses.
If the Rules Committee places a "closed rule" on a piece of legislation, ______ amendments are permitted.
How do committees and subcommittees serve to decentralize power in Congress?
They allow more members to hold leadership positions.
Why is the Rules Committee considered one of the most important committees in the House?
because it decides the length of debate that will occur on a bill and whether amendments will be allowed
Whether or not Congress takes the lead in the making of laws usually depends on
the type of policy at issue.
An example of Congress's ______ is when Congress passes legislation that creates incentives for the development of alternative energy sources.
Members of Congress usually serve on congressional committees that concentrate on policy areas that affect the members'
Congress's structure makes it easier to
block legislation than enact it.
The framers of the Constitution intended that lawmakers ______, something that has become increasingly difficult in today's partisan Congress.
act in the spirit of compromise
Article I of the Constitution lists the powers of Congress and Article II lists the powers of the presidency. Compared to Article I, the wording of Article II is more
Who is constitutionally required to see that the laws passed by Congress are faithfully executed?
The office within the Executive Office of the President that works most closely with the president in developing policy and communicating the president's agenda is known as the
white house office
Which institution has the power to formally declare war?
The president appoints approximately how many ambassadors?
The president performs all of the following EXCEPT
having the final say in interpreting the U.S. Constitution.
Since the Truman administration, the number of bureaucratic agencies has
President Ronald Reagan was viewed as
more powerful than President Jimmy Carter.
How many votes does it take to remove the president from office?
two-thirds of the Senate
Why have modern presidents increasingly relied on the mass media?
to convey their message to the public in a favorable manner
Among the reasons that presidents are less powerful than many Americans assume is that they
face uncontrollable circumstances that can hurt their ability to lead.
ultimately derive their power from the American public itself.
In relation to Congress, the president's power
-Is more effective in setting the national agenda
-Is limited by the willingness of Congress to act on the president's agenda
As compared to previous presidents, how does Donald Trump use the bully pulpit?
He has taken it to unprecedented levels.
Alexander Hamilton said that of all the branches of government, the Supreme Court was the
The written brief in a court case
is an argument by a party to the case as to why its position should be upheld by the court.
Which of the following are issued by the Supreme Court after hearing a case?
one or more opinions
The Constitution establishes the Supreme Court. Which entity is empowered by the Constitution to establish the lower federal courts?
The authority to be the first court to hear a case is known as
What unique and vital power does the chief justice enjoy once the Supreme Court has reached a decision in a case?
The chief justice chooses who writes the Court's opinion, provided the chief justice is a member of the majority.
The U.S. district courts
are the lowest federal courts.
Following oral argument, the Supreme Court justices meet in complete privacy and secrecy to discuss and vote on the case. This meeting of the justices is called
a judicial conference.
A Supreme Court ______ explains the justices' legal basis for their decision.
Members of the Supreme Court who disagree with the decision of the Court's majority have the option of writing a
Which of the following statements correctly describe U.S. district courts?
They are the only federal courts where cases are decided by a jury.
They are the chief trial courts of the federal court system.
Which of the following circuit courts has jurisdiction over appeals involving patents and international trade?
Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
When a majority of the Supreme Court justices agree on a decision but not the legal reasoning behind it, the Court issues a ______, which is the opinion having the most justices in support of it.
Within the Senate, what is the key body in scrutinizing a Supreme Court nominee?
the Judiciary Committee
An opinion in a case that is agreed upon by at least five of the nine members of the Supreme Court who participated in the decision is called the
To whom or what does the president typically delegate the task of identifying nominees to lower-court positions?
the deputy attorney general
How many women currently serve on the Supreme Court, as of December 2018?
Why do justices write concurring opinions?
They agree with the Court's decision but disagree with some of the legal arguments made by the justices in the majority.
By tradition, if the president fails to consult with the senator from the state where a judicial appointment is made, the senator can request that confirmation be denied. This request is referred to as
Amicus curiae briefs have what impact on the American legal system?
They help the court to understand how interested parties feel about the case in question.
Judicial review is a term that refers to the power the Supreme Court has to
invalidate a law or action on constitutional grounds.
The doctrine of judicial restraint implies that it is the duty of judges to
apply the law.
The United States' defense budget is ______ times that of China's.
The United States' defense budget is ______ times the defense budget for Russia.
A greater fear today than nuclear war with Russia is
the possibility of a terrorist group gaining nuclear capability.
One important characteristic of unconventional warfare is that it
relies heavily on winning the support of the local people.
Defense spending in the United States accounts for roughly ______ percent of all military spending worldwide.
Who ultimately has the most power to influence U.S. war policy?
Transnational terrorists have become adept at waging ______, so-called because they lack the strength to directly engage opposing military forces.
The most notable role the U.S. plays in protecting international commerce if found in its efforts to
strengthen global financial markets.
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