Unit Two –
The Legislative Branch
The First Quiz
Review!
What is the main job or
purpose of Congress?
What is the main job or
purpose of Congress?
They’re the legislative
branch, so their main
purpose is to make laws.
How many members in the
House?
How many members in the
House?
435 voting members
How many members in the
Senate?
How many members in the
Senate?
100
How long is a session of
Congress?
How long is a session of
Congress?
1 year, but a congressional
term is two sessions, (and
a term is 2 years long).
How much of the Senate is
up for re-election at a
time?
How much of the Senate is
up for re-election at a
time?
One third
Why does the Federal
government conduct a
decennial census?
Why does the Federal
government conduct a
decennial census?
It’s mandated by the
Constitution, but
representation on several
levels depends on
representation, so we need to
know how many people live
where.
What is the purpose of
Congressional
Committees?
What is the purpose of
Congressional
Committees?
It’s where all the work on
bills happen. Easier to get
work done among smaller
work groups. Debate
happens on the floor of the
House / Senate.
What is a bicameral
legislature?
What is a bicameral
legislature?
A legislative branch of
government that has two
houses. We have two, the
House (population) and
the Senate (equal
representation)
What does the House Rules
Committee do?
What does the House Rules
Committee do?
The most powerful
committee in the House, all
bills to here and then are
assigned to another
committee, then the bill goes
back into this committee
before going back to the
floor for debate and vote.
What is the Speaker of the
House?
What is the Speaker of the
House?
The presiding officer in the
House from the majority
party, lots of power,
influence proceedings by
deciding which members can
speak, and informal power in
just getting things done.
How is redistricting and
reapportionment related?
How is redistricting and
reapportionment related?
They both apply to
representation in Congress,
reapportionment is
determining what states
either gain or lose,
redistricting is drawing up
new lines in the states who’ve
lose seats.
What is a caucus?
What is a caucus?
A meeting, usually closed,
of a small group of people
in Congress of like
interests, like the Black
Caucus, minority caucus.
What is Gerrymandering?
What is Gerrymandering?
When a state legislature
redraws congressional
districts, in interesting
shapes, that benefits the
party in power.
What do Party Whips do?
What do Party Whips do?
Just like the name sounds,
they are party leaders who
serve as assistant floor
leaders and watch how
party members intend to
vote on bills and help keep
people in line.
The End