Name____________________________ Hour___________________
Complete the following review for Chapter 5: The Organization of Congress
Section I: Congressional Membership
I.
Objectives a.
I will be able to explain why the Constitution provides for a bicameral Congress. b.
I will be able to discuss the qualifications and terms of office for Congress.
II.
Key Terms a.
Bicameral: b.
Session: c.
Census d.
Reapportionment e.
Redistrict f.
Gerrymander: g.
At-large h.
Censure i.
Incumbent

Today
III.
Using information from this section, complete the chart below.
Characteristic
Size
House Senate
Term Length
Date of Elections
Qualifications
Age
Length of Citizenship
Residence
How Chosen
Originally

IV.
Answer the following questions
1.
How does Congress reapportion House seats among the states every 10 years?
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2.
When does each term of Congress begin, and how long does it run?
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3.
Members of Congress spend part of their time working for reelection.
Which house has a greater percentage of its time remaining for legislative work? Why?
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4.
What is the current salary for a member of Congress?
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5.
What are some benefits members of Congress enjoy?
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II. Section II - The House of Representatives a.
Objectives
1.
I will be able to identify the structure of the House leadership. b.
Key Terms
1.
Constituent
2.
Caucus
3.
Majority Leader
4.
Whip
5.
Bill

6.
Quorum c.
Answer the following questions
1.
What is the role of House committees?
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2.
How does a representative introduce a bill?
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3.
What is the primary function of the House Rules committee?
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4.
Who is the Speaker of the House? ___________________________________
III. Section III: The Senate a.
Objectives
1.
I will be able to identify the structure of the Senate leadership b.
Key Terms
1.
President Pro Tempore
2.
Filibuster
3.
Cloture c. Answer the following questions
1.
How does the Senate bring bill to the floor?
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2.
Compare the rules and procedures of the House with those of the Senate.
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IV. Section IV: Congressional Committees a.
Objectives
1.
I will be able to identify the different Congressional committees.

b.
Key Terms
1.
Subcommittee
2.
Seniority system c.
Complete the graphic organizer below by answering the questions about congressional committees.
Standing Committees
1.
What is a standing committee?
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2.
What are the committees’ functions?
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3.
Give 3 examples of such committees.
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Joint Committees
1.
What is a joint committee?
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2.
What does a joint committee do?
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3.
Give 3 examples of a joint committee.
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Select Committees
4.
What is a select committee?
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5.
What does a select committee do?
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6.
Give 2 examples of a select committee from 1987.
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4.
Conference Committees
What is a conference committee?
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5.
What does a conference committee do?
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d.
Answer the following questions.
1.
List the four important powers of a committee chairman.
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2.
Why did the Republicans, when they won control of Congress in 1995, institute many rule changes?
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V. Section IV: Staff and Support Agencies a. Objectives
1.
I will be able to identify different Congressional support agencies and describe their functions. b. Key Terms
1.
Personal Staff
2.
Committee Staff
3.
Administrative assistant
4.
Legislative assistant
5.
caseworker

c. In the table below, describe the functions of the different support staff and support agencies.
d. Answer the following questions
1.
Why did the numbers of the congressional staff increase rapidly after 1900?
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2.
Why do you think the comptroller general who oversees the Government
Accountability Office is appointed for a 15 year term?
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