Name _________________________________________________
Period __________
Choose the one best answer for each question.
1. ______ privileges refer to the free use of the mails
enjoyed by Congress.
A) Franking
B) Conmail
C) Junket
D) Procurement
E) E-mail
9. An example of casework by a member of Congress
is
A) writing a newsletter to send out to other members of
Congress.
B) helping a constituent gain citizenship.
C) voting for a bill proposed by
D) working with a party caucus on a public policy that
affects his or her constituents.
E) all of the above
2. The United States House of Representatives has
________ members.
A) 638
B) 100
C) 435
D) 80
E) 535
10. Pork barrel spending and casework are examples of
A) opportunities for credit-claiming by members of
Congress.
B) advertising techniques.
C) descriptive representation.
D) position-taking.
E) congressional continuity.
3. The United States Senate has ________ members.
A) 50
B) 100
C) 435
D) 438
E) 535
4. How many senators are elected from each state?
A) one
B) two
C) four
D) it depends on a stateʹs population
E) the same number as it has electors in the electoral
college
5. Incumbents are those
A) already holding office.
B) running for office for the first time.
C) who have been defeated in an election.
D) retired members of Congress.
E) running for an office.
6. In most congressional elections, challengers
A) outspend an incumbent.
B) win.
C) are better known than incumbents.
D) lose.
E) spend roughly as much money as incumbents.
7. The single most important advantage to someone
trying to get elected to Congress is
A) being an incumbent.
B) having more money to spend on campaigning.
C) being charismatic and photogenic.
D) having a clean record.
E) winning the endorsement of the top leaders of their
party.
8. Which of the following is NOT one of the three
primary activities that members of Congress engage
in to increase the probability of their reelection?
A) advertising
B) credit-claiming
C) position-taking
D) oversight
E) committee leadership
11. Federal grants and contracts that members of
Congress try to obtain for their constituents are
typically referred to as
A) the pork barrel.
B) casework.
C) public service.
D) perquisites.
E) affirmative action.
12. After each federal census,
A) the office of the Speaker of the House changes hands.
B) the size of Congress increases.
C) the membership of the House is reapportioned
D) the Senate reapportions its membership.
E) all of the above
13. Occasionally, a major political tidal wave rolls
across the country and throws large numbers of
incumbents of a given party out of office. When did
this last occur?
A) 2010
B) 1980
C) 1974
D) 1964
E) 1994
14. Bicameralism means that a legislative body is one
A) with two houses, providing checks and balances on
policymaking.
B) in which each state has two senators, providing equal
representation of the states.
C) in which incumbents have a better chance of being
reelected, providing continuity in
policymaking.
D) that must share power with a president, providing
more efficient policymaking.
E) in which there are only two political parties.
15. To be sent to the president, a bill must be passed by
A) the House.
B) the Senate.
C) either the House or the Senate.
D) both the House and the Senate.
E) a majority vote of Congress, regardless of which
house the votes come from.
16. The House ________ Committee reviews most bills
coming from other committees before they go on to
the full House, thus performing a traffic cop
function.
A) Appropriations
B) Ways and Means
C) Rules
D) Authorization
E) Review
17. Articles of impeachment must be passed by
A) either the House or the Senate.
B) both the House and the Senate.
C) the Senate.
D) the House.
E) the Supreme Court.
18. House seats are up for election every
A) two years.
B) four years.
C) six years.
D) eight years.
E) five years.
19. A Senate seat is up for election every
A) two years.
B) four years.
C) six years.
D) eight years.
E) five years.
20. Which of the following is TRUE about the Senate as
compared to the House?
A) more centralized with stronger leadership
B) seniority more important in determining power
C) more influential on the budget
D) more influential in foreign affairs
E) smaller in number, less powerful and less prestigious
21. According to the Constitution, revenue bills must
originate in the
A) Internal Revenue Service.
B) Federal Reserve System.
C) House.
D) Senate.
E) Treasury Department.
22. Nominees to the United States Supreme Court must
be confirmed by
A) the Senate.
B) the House.
C) either the House or the Senate.
D) both the House and the Senate.
E) the president.
23. According to the Constitution, once impeached,
federal officials are then tried in the
A) Supreme Court.
B) House.
C) Senate.
D) Department of Justice.
E) United States District Court for the District of
Columbia.
24. The House Rules Committee
A) has its members appointed by the House majority
leader.
B) is similar to the Senate Rules Committee.
C) usually retains independence from the House
leadership.
D) reviews most bills coming from committee before
they go to the full House.
E) all of the above
25. The filibuster
A) is unique to the Senate.
B) is unique to the House.
C) is allowed in both the House and the Senate.
D) has been ruled unconstitutional.
E) has been prohibited in both the House and Senate.
26. The filibuster is a technique used in the
A) House to delay legislation until a full House can
convene.
B) Senate to prolong debate in order to kill a bill.
C) Senate to bypass committees in voting on
controversial issues.
D) House to allow more time to debate controversial
policies.
E) House and Senate to prevent a vote on a bill.
27. To cut off debate and end a filibuster is known as
A) franking.
B) coattails.
C) cloture.
D) overriding.
E) hushing.
28. To end a filibuster requires ________ members
present and voting to cut off debate.
A) 50
B) 60
C) 75
D) 99
E) 218
29. Which of the following congressional offices is
mandated by the Constitution?
A) Speaker of the House
B) House and Senate Majority Leader
C) President of the House
D) President of the United States
E) all of the above
30. A ________ committee is one appointed for a
limited, specific purpose, such as that set up like the
House Unamerican Activities Committee or the
committee which investigated Watergate.
A) standing
B) select
C) conference
D) joint
E) special
31. When the House and the Senate pass different
versions of the same bill
A) the House bill is changed to conform with the Senate
bill.
B) the Senate bill is changed to conform with the House
bill.
C) a conference committee is appointed to resolve
differences.
D) a joint committee is appointed to resolve differences.
E) the president may select which bill to enact into law.
32. 84) When members of Congress hold a hearing to
question a cabinet member on the ethics of one of
their actions, Congress members are engaging in
A) agenda-setting.
B) filibustering.
C) legislative oversight.
D) casework.
E) congressional administration.
33. Traditionally, Congressional committee chairpersons
have been chosen through
A) the seniority system.
B) party rank.
C) popularity with majority leaders.
D) a majority vote by committee members.
E) the merit system.
34. Members of Congress who informally band together
in groups to promote and protect mutual
interests (e.g., mushroom growers) form what are called
A) subcommittees.
B) committees.
C) caucuses.
D) junkets.
E) interest groups.
35. Most bills formally submitted for consideration in
Congress
A) are passed and signed into law.
B) are passed, but vetoed by the president.
C) are defeated in close final votes on the floors of one
chamber.
D) are quietly killed off early in the process.
E) pass one house, but are killed in the other house.
Answer the following question below and on the reverse
1. Members of Congress are charged with three primary duties—writing laws, overseeing the implementation of laws,
and serving the needs of their constituents.
(a) Describe the role of each of the following in lawmaking.



Senate filibuster
House Rules Committee
Conference committee
(b) Describe one method by which Congress exercises oversight of the federal bureaucracy.
(c) Explain how casework affects members’ attention to legislation.