Chapters: “Elections and Campaigns”, “Political Parties”, “Interest Groups”
and “Mass Media”
All of the following make it difficult for Congress to make
policy EXCEPT
A) Congress must worry about voters’ preferences, so it
engages in arguments on important issues
B) Congress does not choose the President, so there is no
guarantee a bill will become a law
C) CONGRESS OPERATES THROUGH COALITIONS OF
SEVERAL POLITICAL PARTIES, EACH OF WHICH
REPRESENTS DIFFERENT INTERESTS
D) Congress is bicameral, and a bill must pass both houses
E) Each member of Congress faces reelection, and the
interests of the members of his or her district must be
considered.
A congressional committee was created to
investigate any intelligence failures that
might have occurred prior to the terrorist
attacks of 9/11. What kind of committee
does this represent?
A) Standing
B) Joint
C) SELECT
D) Conference
E) Oversight
How does the majority party influence
committees in Congress? (Pick all that apply)
I. COMMITTEE CHAIRS COME FROM THE
MAJORITY PARTY
II. THE MAJORITY IN EACH COMMITTEE WILL
COME FROM THE MAJORITY PARTY IN
CONGRESS
III. The majority party often occupies all of the
seats on important committees
IV. The majority party tries to take extra seats on
key committees
A filibuster in the Senate can be used to talk a bill to death. A
cloture vote can end a filibuster. Taken together, what is the
impact of these practices?
A) NEITHER POLITICAL PARTY CAN CONTROL THE SENATE
UNLESS IT HAS AT LEAST SIXTY VOTES
B) A party with fifty one votes can get most of its legislative
agenda passed
C) The Senate rarely passes legislation on controversial issues
D) Most important decisions are made in committees because it
is difficult to pass a bill in the Senate as a whole
E) The president’s party has a significant advantage because the
vice president of the United States can vote to break a tie in
the Senate
Which of the following statements best describes the impact of divided
government on Congress?
A)
Divided government occurs when the President and Congress disagree
about an issue. Therefore, it is more likely that the president will veto
legislation
B)
DIVIDED GOVERNMENT OCCURS WHEN THE MAJORITY OF ONE OR
BOTH HOUSES OF CONGRESS ARE FROM A PARTY DIFFERENT FROM
THE PRESIDENT’S. THIS SLOWS THE PASSAGE OF THE MOST FARREACHING AND COSTLY LEGISLATION
C)
Divided government has little effect on the ability of Congress to pass
legislation
D)
Divided government occurs when the majority of one or both houses of
Congress are from a party different from the president’s. This makes it very
difficult for any legislation to pass
E)
Divided government rarely occurs. Therefore, it is easy for Congress to pass
a wide variety of new laws, expanding government programs
All of the following are powers of the Senate
EXCEPT
A) Approving the appointment of cabinet
heads
B) INITIATING ALL REVENUE BILLS
C) Approving treaties with foreign nations
D) Holding impeachment trials
E) Approving appointments to the federal
judiciary
All of the following are features of the electoral college
system EXCEPT
A) There is a winner-take-all system in 48 states
B) If no one wins a majority of electoral college votes, the
election is decided in the House of Representatives
C) WHEN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES DECIDES
AN ELECTION, EACH MEMBER HAS ONE VOTE
D) State electoral ballots are opened and counted before of
joint session of Congress
E) On rare occasions an elector will vote for a Presidential
candidate other than the one who carried his or her state
Which of the following statements most accurately describes the
president’s power to get his programs enacted?
A) Presidents often rule by decree and executive order; as a result,
much of their program becomes law
B) President often have a majority of both houses of Congress; as a
result, many of their proposals are adopted
C) THE PRESIDENT MUST RELY HEAVILY ON PERSUASION TO
GET THINGS DONE
D) Because the president can always call a press conference, he
often uses the media to his advantage to get his program passed
E) The president has more power to get things done in the second
half of his term because by then he has established himself in
office.
What happens to a bill that is not signed or
vetoed within ten days while Congress is still in
session?
A) IT BECOMES LAW AUTOMATICALLY,
WITHOUT THE PRESIDENT’S APPROVAL
B) It is “pocket vetoed” and does not become law
C) It becomes law as soon as Congress adjourns;
until then, the President may veto it
D) It is held over to the next session of Congress
E) It becomes law if 60% of both houses of
Congress approve it
All of the following are formal powers of the
President EXCEPT
A) Serve as Commander in Chief of the Armed
Forces
B) DECLARE WAR
C) Make treaties
D) Grant pardons
E) Appoint cabinet heads
Why are signing statements controversial?
A) Because it allows the president to express his
attitudes about the law
B) Because it is normally the duty of the Supreme
Court to issue signing statements
C) BECAUSE THESE STATEMENTS GAVE
ADVICE ABOUT HOW THE EXECUTIVE
BRANCH SHOULD ENFORCE THE LAW
D) Because most are written in unclear language
E) Because signing statements block the
enforcement of law, accounting to a line-item
veto
Using the power of judicial review, the Supreme Court
can do all of the following EXCEPT
A) Declare a law passed by Congress unconstitutional
B) Declare a law passes by a state unconstitutional
C) Declare acts of the Executive Branch
unconstitutional
D) Determine the meaning and application of the
Constitution
E) OVERTURN A CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT
AS A VIOLATION OF CIVIL RIGHTS
Justice Antonin Scalia believes that the
Constitution should be interpreted according
to its clear language. This judicial philosophy
can be best described as
A) STRICT CONSTRUCTION
B) Judicial Activism
C) Conservatism
D) Liberalism
E) Constitutionalism
The federal courts have jurisdiction over the
following cases EXCEPT
A) Civil suits between citizens of different states in
which the amount exceeds $50,000
B) Criminal cases involving violations of laws
passed by Congress
C) Bankruptcy cases
D) State appeals cases in which the defendant
alleges his or her constitutional rights were
violated
E) PROSECUTIONS UNDER STATE LAW
The Supreme Court will often grant certiorari
when (PICK ALL THAT APPLY)
I. THERE IS A CIRCUIT COURT CONFLICT
OVER THE SAME ISSUE
II. THE HIGHEST COURT IN A STATE HAS HELD
A FEDERAL LAW TO BE IN VIOLATION OF
THE CONSTITUTION
III. THE HIGHEST COURT IN A STATE HAS HELD
A STATE LAW TO BE IN VIOLATION OF THE
CONSTITUTION
IV. It is a case between citizens of different states
and the amount at issues exceeds $50,000
Congress has all of the following checks on
the judicial branch EXCEPT
A) It can alter the number of judges and courts
B) It can impeach judges
C) It can propose a constitutional amendment
D) It can change the courts’ jurisdiction
E) IT CAN CHANGE THE LENGTH OF
JUDGES’ TERMS
Which of the following statements best describes how the
bureaucracy is controlled?
A) There is very little control over the bureaucracy because
agencies make regulations that have the force of law
B) The executive branch controls the bureaucracy by
appointing all federal employees
C) Congress controls the bureaucracy because it has the
power to fire agency heads after oversight hearings and
for cause
D) The judicial branch controls the bureaucracy by
reviewing regulations before they go into effect
E) BOTH CONGRESS AND THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH
HAVE CONTROLS OVER THE BUREACRACY
From the standpoint of a federal agency, what is the
advantage of an iron triangle
A) IT GIVES THE AGENCY ALLIES IN CONGRESS, AS
WELL AS IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR
B) It allows federal agencies to receive funding directly
from interest groups
C) It provides agency heads with access to the media,
so they can publicize their programs
D) It gives the federal agency a direct link to the White
House staff
E) It prevents Congress from using oversight hearings
as a means of cutting agency budgets
How can Congress check the activities of the
bureaucracy? (PICK ALL THAT APPLY)
I. THROUGH APPROPRIATIONS
II. By appointing new agency heads
III. THROUGH OVERSIGHT HEARINGS
IV. THROUGH ANNUAL AUTHORIZATION
LEGISLATION
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Bicameral
Caucus
Closed rule
Cloture
Committee system
Conference committees
Congressional Budget Office
Discharge Petitions
Filibuster
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Franking privileges
General Accounting Office
House Rules Committee
Incumbency
Joint Committees
Majority Leader
Minority Leader
Open Rules
Pork
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Presidential Veto
President Pro Temp
Safe District
Select Committees
Seniority System
Seventeenth Amendment
Speaker of the House
Standing Committees
Subcommittees
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Term Limits
Whip
Ad Hoc structure
Cabinet
Circular structure
Divided government
Electoral college
Executive Privilege
impeachment
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Impoundment of funds
Independent Agencies
Pocket Veto
Presidential Coattails
Presidential Succession
Pyramid structure
Unified Government
White House Office
Civil Service
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Competitive Service
Congressional Oversight
Discretionary Authority
Iron Triangle
Issue Networks
Merit System
Patronage
Pendleton Act
Red Tape
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Amicus Curiae
Briefs
Concurring Opinion
Courts of Appeals
Dissenting Opinion
District Courts
Judicial Activism
Judicial Review
“Litmus” Test
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Marbury v. Madison
McCulloch v. Maryland
Opinion of the Court
Senatorial Courtesy
Stare Decisis
Strict Construction
Writ of Certiorari