Q1. The individuals who live
within the geographical area
represented by an elected
official. More narrowly, the body
of citizens eligible to vote for a
particular representative
A1. constituency
Q2. Legislation whose tangible
benefits are targeted at a
particular legislator’s
constituency
A2. pork-barrel projects
(earmarks)
Q3. Use of personal staff by
members of Congress to perform
services for constituents in order
to gain their support in future
elections
A3. constituency service
(service strategy)
Q4. Activities of members of
Congress that help constituents
as individuals; cutting through
bureaucratic red tape to get
people what they think they
have a right to get
A4. casework
Q5. Those already holding office.
In congressional elections they
usually win
A5. incumbents
Q6. An election in which there is
no incumbent in the race
A6. open seat
Q7. The reallocation of House
seats among states after each
census as a result of population
changes
A7. reapportionment
Q8.The process of altering
election districts in order to make
them as nearly equal in
population as possible. Takes
place every ten years, after
each population census
A8. redistricting
Q9. The process by which the
party in power draws election
district boundaries in a way that
is to the advantage of its
candidates
A9. gerrymandering
Q10. Drawing the boundaries of
legislative districts so that they
are unequal in population
A10. malapportionment
Q11. A group that consists of a
party’s members in the House or
Senate and that serves to elect
the party’s leadership, set policy
goals, and determine party
strategy
A11. party caucus
Q12. party leaders
A12. Members of the House and
Senate who are chosen by the
Democratic or Republican caucus
in each chamber to represent the
party’s interests in that chamber
and who give some central
direction to the chamber’s
deliberation
Q13. An office mandated by the
Constitution. He is chosen in
practice by the majority party, has
both formal and informal powers,
and is second in line (after the
Vice-president) to succeed to the
presidency should that office
become vacant
A13. Speaker of the House
Q14. The legislative leader
elected by party members
holding the majority of seats in
the House or the Senate.
A14. majority leader
Q15. The legislative leader
elected by party members
holding a minority of seats in the
House or the Senate
A15. minority leader
Q16. A senator or representative
who helps the party leader stay
informed about what party
members are thinking and
rounds up members when
important votes are to be taken
A16. whip
Q17. Permanent congressional
committees with responsibility for
a particular area of public
policy.
A17. standing committees
Q18. Temporary joint committees
formed to bargain over the
differences in the House and
Senate versions of a bill. Members
are usually appointed from the
House and Senate standing
committees that originally worked
on the bill
A18. conference committees
Q19. Committees on which both
senators and representatives
serve
A19. joint committees
Q20. select committees
A20. Congressional committees
appointed for a limited time and
purpose
Q21. jurisdiction (of a
congressional committee)
A21. The policy area in which a
particular congressional
committee is authorized to act
Q22. A proposed law (legislative
act) within Congress or another
legislature
A22. bill
Q23. A procedural tactic in the
U.S. Senate whereby a minority
of legislators prevent a bill from
coming to a vote by holding the
floor and talking until the
majority gives in and the bill is
withdrawn from consideration
A23. filibuster
Q24. A parliamentary maneuver
that, if a three-fifths majority
votes for it, limits or ends Senate
debate thus ending a filibuster
A24. cloture
Q25. An amendment to a bill
that deals with an issue
unrelated to the content of the
bill. Permitted in the Senate but
not in the house
A25. rider
Q26. party discipline
A26. The willingness of a party’s
House or Senate members to act
as a unified group and thus exert
collective control over legislative
action
Q27. A legislative proposal, or
bill, that is passed by both the
House and the Senate and is not
vetoed by the president
A27. law (as enacted by
Congress)
Q28. The president’s rejection of
a bill, thereby keeping it from
becoming law unless Congress
overrides it
A28. veto
Q29. lawmaking function
A29. The authority (of a
legislature) to make the laws
necessary to carry out the
government’s powers
Q30. representation function
A30. The responsibility of a
legislature to represent various
interests in society
Q31. The trading of votes
between legislators so that each
get what he or she most wants
A31. logrolling
Q32. A supervisory activity of
Congress that centers on its
constitutional responsibility to see
that the executive branch
carries out the laws faithfully and
spends appropriations properly
A32. oversight function
Q33. The most important
influencers of the congressional
agenda. They play dominant roles
in scheduling hearings, hiring staff,
appointing subcommittees, and
managing committee bills when
they are brought before the full
house. Members of the majority
party.
A33. committee chairs
Q34. A lawmaking body made
up of two chambers or parts
A34. bicameral legislature
Q35. safe districts
A35. Districts in which
incumbents win by margins of 55
percent or more
Q36. marginal districts
A36. Political districts in which
candidates elected to the
House of Representatives win in
close elections, typically by less
than 55 percent of the vote
Q37. A vote in which a majority
of Democratic legislators oppose
a majority of Republican
legislators
A37. party polarization
(partisan)
Q38. An association of Congress
members created to advance a
political ideology or a regional,
ethnic, or economic interest
A38. caucus (Congressional)
Q39. simple resolution
A39. An expression of opinion
either in the House or Senate to
settle procedural matters in
either body
Q40. concurrent resolution
A40. An expression of opinion
without the force of law that
requires the approval of both
the House and the Senate, but
not the president
Q41. joint resolution
A41. A formal expression of
congressional opinion that must
be approved by both houses of
Congress and by the president;
constitutional amendments
need not be signed by the
president
Q42. multiple referral
A42. A congressional process
whereby a bill may be referred
to several committees
Q43. sequential referral
A43. A congressional process by
which a Speaker may send a bill
to a second committee after the
first is finished acting
Q44. A device by which any
member of the House, after a
committee has had the bill for
thirty days, may petition to have
it brought to the floor
A44. discharge petition
Q45. An order from the House
Rules Committee that sets a time
limit on debate; forbids a bill
being amended on the floor
A45. closed rule
Q46. An order from the House
Rules Committee that permits a
bill to be amended on the floor
A46. open rule
Q47. restrictive rule
A47. An order from the House
Rules Committee that permits
certain kinds of amendments but
not others to be made into a bill
on the floor
Q48. quorum
A48. The minimum number of
members who must be present
for business to be conducted in
Congress
Q49. A procedure to keep the
Senate going during a filibuster
in which the disputed bill is
shelved temporarily so that the
Senate can get on with other
business
A49. double-tracking
Q50. An informal practice by
which a Senator informs the floor
leader that he/she does not wish
a particular bill or other measure
to reach the floor for
consideration
A50. hold
Q51. Used in the Senate to ease
the passage of a bill. May limit
the time available for debate,
specifies who controls the time,
and can also permit only a list of
specified amendments
A51. unanimous consent
agreement
Q52. Voice, division, teller, rollcall, and electronic are all types
of
A52. congressional voting
procedure
Q53. The ability of members to
mail letters to their constituents
free of charge by substituting
their facsimile signature for
postage
A53. franking privilege
Q54. An institution unique to the
House of Representatives that
reviews all bills (except revenue,
budget, and appropriations bills)
coming from a House committee
before they go to the full House.
Will also establish rules for the bill
A54. House Rules Committee
Q55. The House of
Representatives committee that,
along with the Senate Finance
Committee, writes the tax codes,
subject to the approval of
Congress as a whole
A55. House Ways and Means
Committee
Q56. An act of Congress that
actually funds programs within
limits established by authorization
bills (legislative permission to
begin or continue a government
program or agency)
A56. appropriations bill
Q57. Congressional Budget
Office (CBO)
A57. Advises Congress on the
probable consequences of
budget decisions and forecasts
revenues
Q58. Modified the role of Congress in the federal
budgetary process. It created standing budget
committees in both the House and Senate,
established the Congressional Budget Office, and
moved the beginning of the fiscal year from July 1
to October 1.
Reason: Nixon’s refusal to disburse nearly $12
billion of congressionally-appropriated funds
through the executive power of impoundment
Goals:1. strengthen and centralize Congress’
budget authority & 2. reduce the President’s
impoundment authority
A58. 1974 Congressional Budget
and Impoundment Control Act
Q59. A theory that prevailed in
the nineteenth century and held
that the presidency was a
limited or restrained office whose
occupant was confined to
expressly granted constitutional
authority
A59. Whig theory
Q60. A theory that argues for a
strong, assertive presidential role,
with presidential authority limited
only at points specifically
prohibited by law
A60. stewardship theory
Q61. Meetings at which a party’s
candidates for nomination are
voted on and that are open to
all the party’s rank-and-file
voters who want to attend
A61. open party caucuses
Q62. A strong showing by a
candidate in early presidential
nominating contests, which
leads to a buildup of public
support for the candidate
A62. momentum (in
campaigns)
Q63. The rule that grants all of a
state’s electoral votes to the
candidate who receives the
most popular votes in the state
A63. unit rule (winner-take-all)
Q64. cabinet
A64. A group consisting of the
heads of the executive (cabinet)
departments, who are appointed
by the president, subject to
confirmation by the Senate. The
cabinet was once the main
advisory body to the president but
it no longer plays this role
Q65. The president’s first months
in office, a time when Congress,
the press, and the public are
more inclined than usual to
support presidential initiatives
A65. honeymoon period
Q66. A measure of the degree to
which the public approves or
disapproves of the president’s
performance in office
A66. presidential approval
ratings
Q67. One party controls the
White House and another party
controls one or both houses of
Congress
A67. divided government
Q68. The same party controls the
White House and both houses of
Congress
A68. unified government
Q69. The inability of the
government to act because rival
parties control different parts of
the government
A69. gridlock
Q70. The people chosen to cast
each state’s votes in a presidential
election. Each state can cast one
electoral vote for each senator
and representative it has. The
District of Columbia has three
electoral votes, even though it
cannot elect a representative or
senator
A70. electoral college
Q71. A president’s subordinates
report to him through a clear
chain of command headed by
a chief of staff
A71. pyramid structure
Q72. Several of the president’s
assistants report directly to him
A72. circular structure
Q73. ad hoc structure
A73. Several subordinates,
cabinet officers, and
committees report directly to the
president on different matters
Q74. The president’s use of his
prestige and visibility to guide or
enthuse the American public
A74. bully pulpit
Q75. veto message
A75. A message from the
president to Congress stating
that he will not sign a bill it has
passed. Must be produced with
ten days of the bill’ passage
Q76. A bill fails to become law
because the president did not
sign it within ten days before
Congress adjourns
A76. pocket veto
Q77. An executive’s ability to
block a particular provision in a
bill passed by the legislative
A77. line-item-veto
Q78. The authority of Congress to
block a presidential action after
it has taken place. The Supreme
Court has held that Congress
does not have this power
A78. legislative veto
Q79. Charges against a
president approved by a
majority of the House of
Represent
A79. impeachment
Q80. A person still in office after
he or she has lost a bid for
relection
A80. lame duck
Q81. Passed in 1951, the
amendment that limits presidents
to two terms of office
A81. Twenty-second
Amendment
Q82. The events and scandal
surrounding a break-in at the
Democratic National Committee
headquarters in 1972 and the
subsequent cover-up of White
House involvement, leading to the
eventual resignation of President
Nixon under the threat of
impeachment
A82. Watergate
Q83. Passed in 1967, this
amendment permits the vice
president to become acting
president if both the vice president
and the president’s cabinet
determine that the president is
disabled. The amendment also
outlines how a recuperated
president can reclaim the job
A83. Twenty-fifth Amendment
Q84. National Security Council
(NSC)
A84. An office created in 1947 to
coordinate the president’s foreign
and military policy advisers. Its
formal members are the president,
vice president, secretary of state,
and secretary of defense, and it is
managed by the president’s
national security assistant (advisor)
Q85. Council of Economic
Advisors (CEA)
A85. A three-member body
appointed by the president to
advise the president on
economic policy
Q86. An office that grew out of the
Bureau of the Budget, created in 1921,
consisting of a handful of political
appointees and hundreds of skilled
professionals. The OMB performs both
managerial and budgetary functions,
and although the president is its boss,
the director and staff have
considerable independence in the
budgetary process
A86. Office of Management
and Budget (OMB)
Q87. presidential coattails
A87. The situation occurring
when voters cast their ballots for
congressional candidates of the
president’s party because they
support the president
Q88. A law passed in 1973 in reaction
to American fighting in Vietnam and
Cambodia that requires presidents to
consult with Congress whenever
possible when using military force and
to withdraw forces after 60 days unless
Congress declares war or grants an
extension. President’s view the
resolution as unconstitutional
A88. War Powers Act
(Resolution)
Q89. A system of organization
and control based on the
principles of hierarchical
authority, job specialization, and
formalized rules
A89. bureaucracy
Q90. hierarchical authority
A90. A basic principle of
bureaucracy that refers to the
chain of command within an
organization whereby officials
and units have control over
those below them
Q91. job specialization
A91. A basic principle of
bureaucracy that holds that the
responsibilities of each job position
should be explicitly defined and
that a precise division of labor
within the organization should be
maintained
Q92. formalized rules
A92. A basic principle of
bureaucracy that refers to the
standardized procedures and
established regulations by which
a bureaucracy conducts its
operations
Q93. The major administrative
organizations within the federal
executive bureaucracy, each of
which is headed by a secretary or,
in the case of Justice, the attorney
general. Each department has
responsibility for a major function of
the federal government, such as
defense, agriculture, or justice
A93. cabinet (executive)
departments
Q94. Bureaucratic agencies that
are similar to cabinet departments
but usually have a narrower area
of responsibility. Each such agency
is headed by a presidential
appointee who is not a cabinet
member. An example is the
National Aeronautics and Space
Administration (NASA)
Q94. independent agencies
Q95. Administrative units, such as
the Federal Communications
Commission (FCC) and the
Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA), that have responsibility for
the monitoring and regulation of
ongoing economic activities
A95. regulatory agencies
Q96. Bodies, such as the U.S. Postal
Service and Amtrak, that are
similar to private corporations in
that they charge for their services
but differ in that they receive
federal funding to help defray
expenses. Their directors are
appointed by the president with
Senate approval
A96. government corporations
Q97. presidential commissions
A97. Advisory organizations
within the bureaucracy that are
headed by commissioners
appointed by the president. An
example is the Commission on
Civil Rights
Q98. The primary function of the
bureaucracy; it refers to the
process of carrying out the
authoritative decisions of
Congress, the president, and the
courts
A98. policy implementation
Q99. An approach to managing
the bureaucracy whereby
people are appointed to
important government positions
as a reward for political services
they have rendered and
because of their partisan loyalty
A99. patronage system
Q100. The practice of granting
public office to individuals in
return for political favors they
have rendered
A100. spoils system
Q101. An approach to managing
the bureaucracy whereby people
are appointed to government
positions on the basis of either
competitive examinations or
special qualifications, such as
professional training
A101. merit (civil service)
system
Q102. neutral competence
A102. The administrative objective
of a merit-based bureaucracy.
Such a bureaucracy should be
“competent” in the sense that its
employees are hired and retained
on the basis of their expertise and
“neutral” in the sense that it
operates by objective standards
rather than partisan ones
Q103. executive leadership
system
A103. An approach to
managing the bureaucracy that
is based on presidential
leadership and presidential
management tools, such as the
president’s annual budget
proposal
Q104. The tendency of
bureaucrats to place the
interests of their agency ahead
of other interests and ahead of
the priorities sought by the
president or Congress
A104. agency point of view
Q105. clientele groups
A105. Special interest groups
that benefit directly from the
activities of a particular
bureaucratic agency and
therefore are strong advocates
of the agency
Q106. bureaucratic
accountability
A106. The degree to which
bureaucrats are held
accountable for the power they
exercise
Q107. A law containing a
provision that fixes a date on
which a program will end unless
the program’s life is extended by
Congress
A107. sunset law
Q108. An internal check on the
bureaucracy whereby
employees report instances of
mismanagement that they
observe
A108. whistle-blowing
Q109. demographic
representativeness
A109. The idea that the
bureaucracy will be more
responsive to the public if its
employees at all levels are
demographically representative
of the population as a whole
Q110. discretionary authority
A110. The extent to which
appointed bureaucrats can
choose courses of action and
make policies that are not
spelled out in advance by laws
Q111. competitive service
A111. The government offices to
which people are appointed on
the basis of merit, as ascertained
by a written exam or by applying
certain selection criterial
Q112. trust funds
A112. Funds for government
programs that are collected and
spent outside the regular
government budget
Q113. committee clearance
A113. The ability of a
congressional committee to
review and approve certain
agency decisions in advance
and without passing a law
Q114. Complex bureaucratic
rules and procedures that must
be followed to get something
done
A114. red tape
Q115. Passed in 1883, an Act
that created a federal civil
service so that hiring and
promotion would be based on
merit rather than patronage
A115. Pendleton Civil Service
Act
Q116. Hatch Act
A116. A federal law prohibiting
government employees from
active participation in partisan
politics
Q117. GS (General Schedule)
rating
A117. A schedule for federal
employees, ranging from GS 1 to
GS 18, by which salaries can be
keyed to rating and experience
Q118. An elite cadre of about
11,000 federal government
managers, established by the Civil
Service Reform Act of 1978, who
are mostly career officials but
include some political appointees
who do not require Senate
confirmation
A118. Senior Executive Service
(SES)
Q119. street-level bureaucrats
A119. A phrase coined by
Michael Lipsky, referring to those
bureaucrats who are in constant
contact with the public and
have considerable
administrative discretion
Q120. A given court’s authority
to hear cases of a particular
kind. May be original or
appellate
A120. jurisdiction (of a court)
Q121. The authority of a given
court to be the first court to hear
a case
A121. original jurisdiction
Q122. A judicial decision that
serves as a rule for settling
subsequent cases of a similar
nature
A122. precedent
Q123. The authority of a given
court to review cases that have
already been tried in lower
courts and are appealed to it by
the losing party
A123. appellate jurisdiction
Q124. An order by a higher
directing a lower court to send
up a case for review
A124. writ of certiorari
Q125. The high-ranking Justice
Department official who serves
as the government’s lawyer in
Supreme Court cases
A125. solicitor general
Q126. A written statement by a
party in a court case that details
its argument
A126. brief
Q127. A closed meeting of the
justices of the U.S. Supreme
Court to discuss and vote on the
cases before them; the justices
are not supposed to discuss
these proceedings with outsiders
A127. judicial conference
Q128. A vote of the Supreme
Court in a particular case that
indicates which party the justices
side with and by how large a
margin
A128. decision
Q129. A court’s written
explanation of its decision, which
serves to inform others of the
legal basis for the decision. They
are expected to guide the
decisions of other courts
A129. opinion (of a court)
Q130. A court opinion that results
when a majority of the justices
are in agreement on the legal
basis of the decision
A130. majority opinion
Q131. A separate opinion written
by one or more Supreme Court
justices who vote with the
majority in the decision on a
case but who disagree with their
reasoning
A131. concurring opinion
Q132. The opinion of a justice in
a Supreme Court case that
explains his or her reasons for
disagreeing with the majority’s
decision
A132. dissenting opinion
Q133. The tradition that a U.S.
senator from the state in which a
federal judicial vacancy has
arisen should have a say in the
president’s nomination of the
new judge if the senator is of the
same party as the president
A133. senatorial courtesy
Q134. facts (of a court case)
A134. The relevant
circumstances of a legal dispute
or offense as determined by a
trial court. The facts of a case
are crucial because they help
determine which law or laws are
applicable in the case
Q135. laws (of a court case)
A135. The constitutional
provisions, legislative statutes, or
judicial precedents that apply to
a court case
Q136. Laws governing relations
between private parties where
no criminal act is alleged and
where the parties are making
conflicting claims or are seeking
to establish a legal relationship
A136. civil law
Q137. Laws governing acts
deemed illegal and punishable
by government, such as robbery.
Government is always a
participant in the case; the other
party is the individual accused of
breaking the law
A137. criminal law
Q138. procedural law
A138. Laws governing the legal
process that define proper
courses of action by government
or private parties
Q139. The power of courts to
decide whether a governmental
institution has acted within its
constitutional powers and, if not,
to declare its actions null and
void
A139. judicial review
Q140. The issue of the proper
limits of judicial authority in a
political system based in part on
the principle of majority rule
A140. legitimacy (of judicial
power)
Q141. The doctrine that the
judiciary should closely follow the
wording of the law, be highly
respectful of precedent, and defer
to the judgment of legislatures. The
doctrine claims that the job of
judges is to work within the
confines of laws set down by
tradition and lawmaking majorities
A141. judicial restraint
Q142. The issue of whether
judicial decisions will be
respected and obeyed
A142. compliance
Q143. The doctrine that the
courts should develop new legal
principles when judges see a
compelling need, even if this
action places them in conflict
with the policy decisions of
elected officials
A143. judicial activism
Q144. strict-constructionist
approach
A144. The view that judges
should decide cases strictly on
the basis of the language of the
laws and the Constitution
Q145. activist approach
A145. The view that judges
should discern the general
principles underlying laws or the
Constitution and apply them to
modern circumstances
Q146. constitutional court
A146. A federal court authorized
by Article III of the Constitution that
keeps judges in office during good
behavior and prevents their
salaries from being reduced. They
are the Supreme Court (created
by the Constitution) and appellate
and district courts created by
Congress
Q147. The lowest federal courts;
federal trials can be held only
here; original jurisdiction
A147. district courts
Q148. Federal courts that hear
appeals from district courts; no
trials
A148. courts of appeals
Q149. legislative courts
A149. Courts created by
Congress for specialized
purposes whose judges do not
enjoy the protections of Article III
of the Constitution. (e.g. Court of
Military Appeals)
Q150. An examination of the
political ideology of a
nominated judge
A150. litmus test
Q151. federal-question cases
A151. Cases concerning the
Constitution, federal laws, or
treaties
Q152. diversity cases
A152. Cases involving citizens of
different states who can bring
suit in federal courts
Q153. in forma pauperis
A153. A method whereby a poor
person can have his or her case
heard in federal court without
charge
Q154. fee shifting
A154. A rule that allows a plaintiff
to recover costs from the
defendant if the plaintiff wins
Q155. Plaintiff v. Defendant
A155. Former brings some
charge against the latter
Q156. The requirement that
plaintiffs (party that initiates the
lawsuit) have a serious interest in
the case, which depends on
whether they have sustained or are
likely to sustain a direct and
substantial injury from a party or an
action of government
A156. standing to sue
Q157. sovereign immunity
A157. The rule that a citizen
cannot sue the government
without the government’s
consent
Q158. A case brought by
someone to help him or her and
all others who are similarly
situated
A158. class-action suit
Q159. Legal briefs submitted by a
“friend of the court” (outside
parties) for the purpose of raising
additional points of view and
presenting information not
contained in the briefs of the
formal parties. These briefs attempt
to influence a court’s decision
A159. amicus curiae briefs
Q160. per curiam opinion
A160. A brief, unsigned court
opinion
Q161. opinion of the court
A161. A signed opinion of a
majority of the Supreme Court
Q162. “Let the decision stand” or
allowing prior rulings to control
the current case
A162. stare decisis
Q163. political question
A163. An issue the Supreme
Court will allow the executive
and legislative branches decide
Q164. remedy
A164. A judicial order enforcing
a right or redressing a wrong
Q165. The pinnacle of the American
judicial system. The Court ensures
uniformity in interpreting national laws,
resolves conflicts among states, and
maintains national supremacy in law. It
has both original jurisdiction and
appellate jurisdiction, but unlike other
federal courts, it controls its own
agenda
A165. Supreme Court
Q166. original intent
A166. A view that the
Constitution should be
interpreted according to the
original intent of the framers.
Q167. judicial implementation
A167. How and whether court
decisions are translated into
actual policy, affecting the
behavior of others. The courts
rely on other units of government
to enforce their decisions