TEST 1 CONGRESS I
True/False
Indicate whether the statement is true or false.
1. If a majority of the Senate votes to impeach a public official, the House acts as jury and decides by a two-thirds vote whether to convict and remove the person from office.
2. Congress has the power to create, maintain, and oversee an army and navy; however, only the president can declare war.
3. In the government’s system of checks and balances, the president can declare laws established by Congress as unconstitutional.
4. The Constitution allows Congress to propose constitutional amendments by a two-thirds vote of both houses.
Multiple Choice
Identify the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.
5. People from a representative’s district are called his or her a. cloture. b. lobbyists. c. constituents. d. representees. e. posse.
6. The most powerful member of the House of Representatives is the a. majority leader. b. President of the House. c. majority whip. d. Speaker of the House. e. Vice President
7. A ____ committee is created to do a special job for a limited period. a. joint b. permanent c. standing d. conference e. select
8. What is the term that is used when an official is formally accused of misconduct in office? a. impeach b. habeas corpus c. cloture d. censure e. none of the above
9. Private groups hire ____ to influence government decision makers. a. lawyers b. filibusters c. clotures d. lobbyists e. political parties
10. ____ try to influence government decisions. a. Private bills b. Constituents c. Public bills d. Special-interest groups e. Foreign Countries
11. The ____ is a population count taken every 10 years. a. constituent b. census c. habeas corpus d. cloture e. counter
12. A ____ is an oddly shaped district designed to increase the voting strength of a particular group. a. cloture b. filibuster c. rider d. gerrymander e. census
13. Who is the person with the most power in the Senate? a. majority whip b. president pro tempore c. majority leader d. filibuster e. speaker
14. What is another name for Clause 18, the “necessary and proper” clause?
15. Having the ____ privilege allows Congress members to send mail without paying postage. a. postal b. rider c. casework d. naming recognition e. franking a. bill of attainder b. filibuster c. elastic clause d. writ of habeas corpus e. there is none

16. How many of the 13 original states had the same number of representatives in 1790. 1850, and 1950? a. one b. two c. three d. six e. ten
17. All but which state gained congressional representation after the 2000 census?

a. Ohio b. Georgia c. Colorado d. California e. North Carolina
18. Which of the following committees is a joint committee of the House of Representatives and Senate? a. Judiciary b. Budget c. Library d. Armed Services e. Veterans Affairs
19. In the area of military and foreign policy power, which is an implied, rather than an expressed, power of Congress? a. the right to institute a draft b. the right to declare war c. the right to provide for a National Guard d. all of the above e. none of the above
20. In the area of money, which is an implied, rather than an expressed, power of Congress? a. borrowing money b. maintaining the Federal Reserve Board c. printing money d. collecting taxes e. none of the above

21. How many women served in the 108th Congress? a. 14 b. 59 c. 74 d. 86 e. 99
22. The occupational background of the largest number of the members of the 108th Congress was ____ a. business b. law c. public service d. agriculture e. education
23. Which standing Senate Committee would be concerned with policies regarding endangered species? a. Energy and Human Resources b. Environment and Public Works c. Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs d. Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions e. Armed Services
24. Each state has the same number of ____ a. members of Congress b. senators c. House members d. citizens per senator e. representatives

25. The number of members belonging to which two groups decreased in Congress between 1995 and 2001? a. women and Asian Americans b. Hispanic Americans and Native Americans c. women and African Americans d. African Americans and Asian Americans e. none of the above
26. Which of the following statements is not suggested by the political cartoon? a. Politicians are too often like cattle--easily led. b. Lobbyists have great influence over politicians. c. Legislators seek input from a wide range of constituents when they must decide public policy. d. The United
States would be better served if politicians were more independent of special interests. e. none of the above

27. What does the figure of the painter represent in the cartoon? a. a member of Congress who has benefited from unusual redistricting b. a political leader responsible for creating an unusual voting district c. the people of a rearranged voting district d. someone who is objecting to redistricting for partisan political purposes. e. all of the above
The leaders who drafted the Constitution during the summer of 1787 compromised on many issues and framed a document that has remained in effect for more than 200 years. Ratified in 1789, it is the oldest written constitution in the world Here is an excerpt from Article 1, Section 2, laying out the composition of the House of
Representatives.
Sect. 2. The House of Representatives shall be composed of Members chosen every second year by all the people of the several States, and the
Electors in each State shall have the qualifications requisite for Electors of the most numerous branch of the State Legislature.
No person shall be a Representative who shall not have attained to the age of twenty-five years, and been seven years a citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an inhabitant of that State in which he shall be chosen.
Representatives...shall be appointed among the several States which may be included within this Union, according to the respective numbers, which shall be determined by adding to the whole number of free persons, including those bound to service for a term of years, and excluding Indians... three fifths of all other persons. The actual enumeration shall be made within three years after the first meeting of the Congress of the United States, and within every subsequent term of ten years, in such manner as they shall by law direct.
28. Which of the following points is NOT made by the excerpt from the Constitution?

a. Members of the House of Representatives must be American- born. b. Members of the House of
Representatives must posses a college degree. c. Eligibility rules on who may vote for House members are linked to voter eligibility for state elections. d. The number of representatives in a state’s delegation is determined by the state’s population. e. Both a and b.
The leaders who drafted the Constitution during the summer of 1787 compromised on many issues and framed a document that has remained in effect for more than 200 years. Ratified in 1789, it is the oldest written constitution in the world. The passage that follows concerns the composition of the Senate.
Sect. 3. The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two
Senators from each State, chosen by the Legislature thereof, for six years; and each Senator shall have one vote.
Immediately after they shall be assembled in consequence of the first election, they shall be divided as equally as may be into three classes. The seats of the Senators of the first class shall be vacated at the expiration of the second year, of the second class at the expiration of the fourth year, and of the third class at the expiration of the sixth year; so that one third may be chosen every second year; and if vacancies happen, by resignation or otherwise, during the recess of the Legislature of any State, the Executive thereof may make temporary appointments until the next meeting of the
Legislature, which shall then fill such vacancies.
No person shall be a Senator who shall not have attained to the age of thirty years, and been nine years a citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an inhabitant of that State for which he shall be chosen.
29. Which of the following points is NOT made in the excerpt from the Constitution? a. Senators must be at least 30 years old. b. Senators are directly elected by the citizens of their states. c. Senators will have six-year terms. d. Senators must be inhabitants of the state that they represent. e. none of the above.
The Radical Republicans replaced President Andrew Johnson’s lenient Reconstruction policies with harsh ones and worked hard to restrict his executive powers. When Johnson defied Congress by dismissing the secretary of war, his opponents accused him of violating the Tenure of Office Act. The House of Representatives voted to impeach Johnson, and the Senate tried him. Senator Charles Sumner of Massachusetts argued for conviction..
This is one of the last great battles with slavery. Driven from these legislative chambers, driven from the field of war, this monstrous power has found a refuge in the Executive Mansion, where, in utter disregard of the
Constitution and laws, it seeks to exercise its ancient far-reaching sway. . . .
Andrew Johnson is the impersonation of the tyrannical slave power. In him it lives again. He is the lineal successor of John C. Calhoun and Jefferson
Davis; and he gathers about him the same supporters. Original partisans of slavery north and south; habitual compromisers of great principles; maligners of the Declaration of Independence; politicians without heart; lawyers, for whom a technicality is everything, and a promiscuous company who at every stage of the battle have set their faces against equal rights; these are his allies. It is the old troop of slavery, with a few recruits, ready as of old for violence... With the President at their head, they are now entrenched in the
Executive Mansion.

30. Sen. Sumner accused President Andrew Johnson of ____ a. disregarding the Constitution. b. favoring slavery. c. aligning himself with the forces of the defeated
Confederacy. d. all of the above
Representative Thaddeus Stevens of Pennsylvania objected to the lenient Reconstruction policies of Presidents
Lincoln and Johnson. Stevens believed it should be difficult for the states that had seceded from the Union to rejoin it. An excerpt from a speech he delivered on December 18, 1865 appears here.
Nobody, I believe, pretends that with their old constitutions and frames of government they can be permitted to claim their old rights under the
Constitution....Dead men cannot raise themselves. Dead States cannot restore their existence "as it was." Whose especial duty is it to do it? In whom does the Constitution place the power? Not in the judicial branch of
Government, for it only adjudicates and does not prescribe laws. Not in the
Executive, for he only executes and cannot make laws... The future condition of the conquered power depends on the will of the conqueror. They must come in as new States or remain as conquered provinces. Congress . . . is the only power that can act in the matter. . . .
Congress alone can do it. . . . Congress must create States and declare when they are entitled to be represented.
31. According to Stevens, who should control the Reconstruction process? a. the executive branch b. the judicial branch c. the legislative branch d. the military e. the Supreme Court
Blanche K. Bruce, an African American from Mississippi, was elected to the Senate in 1874 for one term. He spoke often in the Senate on election frauds and problems in the South.
The conduct of the late election in Mississippi affected not merely the fortunes of partisans —as the same were necessarily involved in the defeat or success of the respective parties to the contest —but put in question and jeopardy the sacred rights of the citizen....
The evidence in hand and accessible will show beyond peradventure that in many parts of the State corrupt and violent influences were brought to bear upon the registrars of voters, thus materially affecting the character of the voting or poll lists; upon the inspectors of election, prejudicially and unfairly thereby changing the number of votes cast; and, finally, threats and violence were practiced directly upon the masses of voters in such measures and strength as to produce grave apprehensions for their personal safety and as to deter them from the exercise of their political franchises.
32. Sen. Bruce’s subject in the excerpted paragraph is ____ a. how Reconstruction is going in the South. b. how African American voters are being intimidated in
Mississippi. c. how African American leaders are encouraging former slaves to participate in democracy. d. how the Senate should act to give African Americans the vote.
Communist-baiting Senator Joseph McCarthy's undemocratic methods of investigation were revealed to the public during the televised hearings on the United States Army in 1954. Charges of misconduct were brought against
McCarthy, and the Senate voted to "condemn" him. Part of the charges against the senator are reprinted here.
Resolved, that the senator from Wisconsin, Mr. McCarthy, failed to

cooperate with the Subcommittee on Privileges and Elections of the Senate
Committee on Rules and Administration in clearing up matters referred to that subcommittee which concerned his conduct as a senator and affected the honor of the Senate and, instead, repeatedly abused the subcommittee and its members who were trying to carry out assigned duties, thereby obstructing the constitutional processes of the Senate; and that this conduct of the senator from Wisconsin, Mr. McCarthy, is contrary to senatorial traditions and is hereby condemned.
33. The specific charges on which the Senate condemned McCarthy were ____ a. that he did not respect First Amendment rights. b. that he behaved dishonorably. c. that he did not cooperate with a Senate subcommittee. d. that he did not carry out his duties. e. that he was not very responsible.
34. The permanent committees in the House and Senate that continue their work from session to session are called a. conference committees. b. standing committees. c. select committees. d. joint committees. e. sub committees.
35. The person recognized in the Senate as having the longest service a. vice president. b. Speaker of the House. c. party “whip.” d. president pro tempore. e. majority leader.
36. Congress is referred to as a bicameral body because it has a. three branches. b. two parts. c. equal representation. d. delegates from small and large states. e. a lot of members.
37. Committees that are created to help the House and Senate agree on the details of a proposed law are referred to as a. conference committees. b. standing committees. c. select committees. d. joint committees. e. sub committees.
38. The real leaders in the Senate, and the most powerful players in the House of Representatives, are the a. party “whips.” b. presiding officers. c. floor leaders. d. chairpersons. e. none of the above.
39. Laws dealing with railroads, trucking, and air traffic are part of the power of Congress to regulate a. national defense. b. interstate commerce. c. foreign policy. d. federal property. e. foreign trade.
40. Creating appropriation bills falls under which power of Congress? a. taxing and spending b. regulating commerce c. foreign relations and treaties d. oversight and investigation
41. Who was the only other president besides Bill Clinton to be impeached? a. Andrew Jackson b. John Adams c. Benjamin Harrison d. Andrew Johnson
42. Which of the following is a nonlegislative power of Congress? a. foreign relations and treaties b. taxing and spending c. oversight and investigation d. regulating commerce
Matching
Match each item with the correct statement below. a. gerrymander d. seniority b. constituents c. pro tempore e. census
43. means “for the time being”
44. an oddly shaped district designed to increase the voting strength of a particular group
45. years of service
46. population count

47. people represented
Match each item with the correct statement below. a. elastic clause d. bills of attainder b. authorization bills c. ex post facto e. expressed powers
48. laws that create projects and establish how much money can be spent on them
49. abilities of Congress that are specifically listed in the Constitution
50. part of the Constitution that allows Congress to stretch its powers