AP UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS EXAM:
Congress
Part 1: Directions: Each of the questions or incomplete statements below is followed
by five suggested answers or completions. Select the best one.
1. The Great Compromise, also known as the Connecticut Compromise, concerned:
A. The powers of the president
B. Representation in congress
C. Continuation of the slave trade
D. The organization of the federal courts
E. The right to vote
2. The founding fathers designed a system of checks and balances for the national government. Which of
the following best illustrates that concept?
I.
II.
III.
IV.
Congress overrides a president’s veto.
The Supreme Court declares a law unconstitutional.
The president issues an executive order reducing the size of the bureaucracy.
The House and Senate cannot agree on the language of a bill.
(A) I and II
(B) II and IIII
(C) III and IV
(D) II and IV
(E) I and IV
3.Pork barrel legislation helps the reelection chances of a member of Congress because
such legislation
A. gives the member of Congress national standing and coverage on national
television news
B. helps earn the member of Congress a reputation for service to his or her
district
C. Attracts campaign contributions from ideological political action committees.
D. Prevents other candidates from claiming that the member of Congress is too
liberal for his or her district.
E. require the member of Congress to travel extensively.
4. One way Congress can respond to a Supreme Court ruling that declares a law
unconstitutional is to:
A. Appoint new justices
B. Draft a referendum that the voters would approve
C. Pass new legislation that addresses the issues raised by the Court.
D. Hold a press conference.
E. Hold a private meeting with the joint chiefs of staff.
5. The main function of the Congressional Budget Office is to:
A. advise Congress on the consequences of its budget decisions
B. receive reports and recommendations from committees
C. advise the President on Congressional priorities in the budget
D. act as a liaison with interest groups
E. sign the 13 budget appropriations bills into law
6. Compared to members of the House, senators are:
A. more likely to have personal contact with their constituents
B. more likely to face difficult challengers during their re-election
C. less likely to face difficult challengers during their re-election
D. more partisan and willing to stick by their party leaders
E. less likely to receive national news coverage
7. Which is true about the War Powers Act?
A.
It overturned the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
B.
It gave Congress the power to appoint the head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
C.
It gave the President the authority to declare war.
D.
It established procedures when US troops were under the command of the UN
during peacekeeping missions.
E.
It directed the president to be accountable to the Congress if he sent
troops to foreign nations.
8. Most of the bills introduced in the House and the Senate are then
A. passed by one chamber but not the other
B. passed by both chambers but vetoed by the President
C. referred to committee but never sent to the full Congress
D. voted down during the amendment stage of the floor debate
E. killed in the Rules Committee
9. The role of a conference committee in Congress is to
A. hold hearings on proposed legislation
B. oversee the actions of the executive branch of the government
C. decide which bills should be considered by the full Senate
D. conduct hearings that make information available to the public
E. reconcile differences in bills passed by the House and Senate
10.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
The informal organization of common interests within Congress is referred to as a
Subcommitees
Selelct commitees
Issue networks
Caucuses
Iron triangle
11. What happens to representaion in Congress as the population increases?
A. The total number of representaives in Congress goes up
B. The number of people each member represents increases
C. States with a large population will continue to gain seats in Congress
D. States will be forced to abandon single-member districts
E. A constituional amedment providing for term limits will be go into effect
12. A member of the House of Representatives from North Dakota who wished to be
influential within the House
itself would most likely seek a place on which of the following
committees?
(A) Agriculture.
(B) District of Columbia.
(C) Public Works and Transportation.
(D) Rules.
(E) Veterans' Affairs
13. Senatorial courtesy refers to the practice
A. of appointing senators to the committees they wish to sit on
B. of the president consulting with the senators from which the judicial nominee
comes from
C. of relinquishing the floor to a senator who wishes to speak
D. of senators’ supporting pork-barrel legislation for one another
E. of inviting the presdient to deliver the State of the Union address
Part 2: Free Response (15 points each)
You must answer BOTH questions. Do ALL parts of the questions.
26. Both party leadership and committees in Congress play key roles in the legislative
process.
(a) Define two of the following elements of the congressional committee
system and explain how each influences the legislative process.
 Specialization
 Reciprocity/logrolling
 Party representation on committees
(b) Identify two ways party leadership in Congress can influence the
legislative process, and explain how each way influences the process.
27. National interest groups often target national-policymaking institutions to achieve
their policy objectives. Select one of the following interest groups
 American Association of Retired Persons (AARP)
 National Rifle Association (NRA)
 National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
 Sierra Club
For the group you selected, do each of the following:
A. Idenify one major national policymaking institution that this group targets
B. Describe one resource or characteristic of the group you have chosen AND explain
how it influences the choice of the target you have identified in (A)
C. Describe another resource or characteristic of the group you have chosen AND
explain how it influences the choice of the target you have identified in (A)
Free Response Questions:
1. In response to the perceived increase in presidential power since the 1970’s
Congress has increased over the president in both domestic and foreign affairs.
a. Identify and explain two examples of congressional oversight over the
president in the area of domestic policy.
b. Identify and explain two examples of congressional oversight over the
president in the area of foreign policy.
Answer 8 Point Rubric
A. Answers could include: Emergencies: President must inform Congress in advance
of powers to be used in emergencies. State of emergency automatically ends after 6
months. President can declare another 6 months of emergency, subject to
congressional review. Legislative vetoes (until 1983) In the past: Congress passed a
law and then the relevant executive agency issued regulations to enforce the law.
Congress could then analyze those regulations and veto them if it so desired. The
legislative veto was a way of forcing the bureaucracy to conform to congressional
intent. Impoundment: Budget Impoundment and Control Act 1974 If President
impounds funds temporarily, either house can override.
If President impounds funds permanently, that act is automatically voided unless
both
houses of Congress approve within 45 days. Establishment of Congressional
Budget Office
(CBO) as a check on the OMB. Congress is given three additional months to
consider the
President’s proposed budget. Establishment of Budget Committees in each
house.
B. Answers could include: War Powers Act of 1973. Or various examples: Congress has
used its appropriations power to influence foreign policy. Iran-Contra hearings in the
1980s. Extensive debate over U.S. involvement in the 1991 Gulf War. Although Bush did
not use the War Powers Act, he did go to Congress to get its approval for U.S. action.
Although some in Congress grumbled over U.S. intervention in Kosovo in 1999,
Congress funded the operation anyway. Congress gave strong support to Bush’s war on
terrorism.
2. Discuss how Congressional committees function in making and implementing public policy
in the two following areas.
A. Legislation
B. Confirmation of Presidential appointees.
Answer: 6 Point Rubric
A. Legislation (three points for A and B each)
 Committees specialize in specific policy areas
 Further specialization in subcommittees
 Committees/Subcommittees investigate, debate, and recommend the fate of bills to vote
in respective houses.
B. Confirmation of Appointees (six points for each bullet point)
 Senate Judiciary Committee investigates backgrounds, qualifications, and questions
appointees
 Recommends passage to entire Senate
3. In the last twenty years, new challenges have emerged that has affected the job of being a
representative in Congress.
A. Identify and explain two ways the campaign process has affected the job of
Congressional representatives.
B. Identify and explain two ways how the media has affected the job of Congressional
representatives.
Answer: 8 points
A. 4 Points (ID and Explanation count for one point each)
Possible answers: increased travel time (to stay in contact with constituents); fund
raising (more time spent raising money for war chest); candidate-centered campaigns
B. 4 Points (ID and Explanation count for one point each)
Possible answers: increased coverage (CSPAN and 24 hours news) leads to less
privacy and more scrutiny; increased use of media has led to increased partisan
bickering because Representatives play for cameras or bash opponents through radio
and TV
Part 2: Free Response (15 points each)
You must answer BOTH questions. Do ALL parts of the questions.
26. Both party leadership and committees in Congress play key roles in the legislative
process.
(c) Define two of the following elements of the congressional committee
system and explain how each influences the legislative process.
 Specialization
 Reciprocity/logrolling
 Party representation on committees
(d) Identify two ways party leadership in Congress can influence the
legislative process, and explain how each way influences the process.
27. National interest groups often target national-policymaking institutions to achieve
their policy objectives.
Select one of the following interest groups
 American Association of Retired Persons (AARP)
 National Rifle Association (NRA)
 National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
 Sierra Club
For the group you selected, do each of the following:
D. Idenify one major national policymaking institution that this group targets
E. Describe one resource or characteristic of the group you have chosen AND explain
how it influences the choice of the target you have identified in (A)
Describe another resource or characteristic of the group you have chosen AND
explain how it influences the choice
36.
The writers of the Constitution sought to establish a government strong enough to
enforce national interests but not so strong that it would destroy liberty.
a.
b.
c.
Identify and explain two ways the Constitution increased the
powers of the national government.
Identify and explain two ways the Constitution limited the
powers of the national government.
Explain how the Federalists and Anti-Federalists differed in
their conception of governmental power- be specific.
37.
In The Federalist # 10, James Madison expressed concern over the possibility that both majority and
minority factions would have too much power over government, and he presented ways of
minimizing that danger. The United States Constitution established a democratic government but
also contained several provisions that limited majority rule. Throughout the next two centuries, the
role of majority rule in the United States government and politics continued to change.
(a) Identify the part of the national government that was originally most closely tied to
citizens and explain how it was tied to citizens.
(b) Explain two ways the United States Constitution limited majority rule.
(c) Choose two of the following formal or informal change to the constitution and explain
how each moved the United States from a less democratic system to a more
democratic system.
• Judicial Review
• Expansion of Voting Rights
• Amending the Constitution
“While the Declaration of Independence was a radical document, heating the bonfire of the
American revolution, the Constitution was a conservative document, solidifying power to a new
elite.”
61. Assess the statement above, answering all of the following.
(a) Describe the philosophical influences and practical reasons surrounding the
creation of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.
(b). Explain why some have referred to the Declaration as being “radical” and the
Constitution as “conservative”
(c) Describe the impact of each of the documents on America.