Chapter Ten (Congress)
Reading Guide
Name________________
Date________ Per______
Complete this review sheet in preparation for the unit test. (Twenty Points)
1. Elected assemblies of some kind are found in nearly all __________________ in the world.
2. Congress in our system of government is the __________________ branch of the
government.
3. Congress's primary function then is to _________ the laws.
4. The first Article of the Constitution is concerned with the (President or Congress).
5. The Constitution established a ___________________ Congress, that is one made up of
_______ houses.
6. The two houses of Congress are the ___________ and ________________.
7. The Congress was created as a result of an important compromise made at the Philadelphia
Convention. This compromise is known as the __________________ or
Great _____________________.
8. Today in the Senate all States are ______________________ represented, while in the House
representation is based on ___________________.
9. The term of office or Congressmen is _____ years and the length of a Congressional term is
also ______ years.
10. Both Congressional terms and sessions begin on _____________ 3rd at noon.
11. There are _______ sessions of Congress per term. Congress is required by law to meet at
least (once a year or once every two years).
12. Special sessions of Congress can be called by the __________________.
13. Today with Congress meeting during much of the year special sessions are
(common or rare).
14. Of the two Congressional chambers the (House or Senate) is the larger. The House has a
total of ________, while the Senate has a total of _______.
15. House seats are apportioned on the basis of ________________________.
16. Each state no matter their size is guaranteed at least (one or two) representative(s), plus a
minimum of __________ Senators. No state may therefore have less then ________ total
representatives in Congress.
17. The term of office for a representative is ____ years. This is rather short because the
founding fathers wanted representatives responsive to the ____________________.
18. Congressional seats are reapportioned after each ________________.
19. The decennial census is taken every ______ years.
20. The Reapportionment Act of _______ set the size of the House at ________ members.
Why?
21. Today, each seat in the House represents about _________________ people.
22. Congressional elections take place on the first _________________ following the first
_________________ in November of each even numbered years.
23. Today each representative is chosen from a ______________-____________ district.
24. When statewide elections are held for congressional seats, we call this now illegal
procedure election at ________________.
25. When a state's congressional districts are drawn in such a way as to benefit one political
party, we say they are _____________________________.
26. State congressional districts are drawn by a ______________ legislature.
27. The Supreme Court case of Westberry vs. Sanders called for the size of a state's
congressional districts to uniform in terms of their _______________________.
28. The court said that one-man's vote should be as nearly as possible equal to that of the next
man's. This is _____ man, _____ vote.
29. To be elected to the House one must be _______ years old or older, a citizen for ______
years, and an inhabitant of the _________ from which he or she is chosen.
30. Although the House may refuse to seat certain members, censure others, and even expel
some, the best check on the activities of House members has been the American
________________.
31. In all there are _______ Senators that is ___ per state. Their term of office is _____ years.
According to the 17th Amendment they are to be chosen in statewide
________________- at-large.
32. The Senate is a "___________________ body" with only 33 or 34 Senators standing for
election every ______years.
33. (Senators or Representatives) are less subject to pressures of public opinion.
34. To be elected a Senator one must be _________ years old or older, a citizen for at least
_______ years, and an inhabitant of the __________ electing you.
35. An average member of Congress is likely to:
a. have graduated from _______________
b. be ______________ and have _________ children
c. attend _________________ d. have been a ______________
36. The major jobs of members of the Congress include:
a. legislators that is __________ making b. __________________ membership*******
c. representatives of their _______________________.
37. A constituent is a _________________ back home. The_______________ of their state or
district.
38. Congress set its own _______________. Today, members of both houses are paid
______________________. The Speaker and the Vice President receive
_____________________, while the president pro temp and the floor leaders receive
________________________.
39. Beside their salaries members of both houses receive allowances for such things as
___________________ assistants, ___________________ space, airline tickets, postage,
phones, paper, and even plants.
40. Our Congressmen is ___________________________. Our district number is the
_______________________. Our senior Senator is ____________________.
Our junior Senator is ___________________________.