Name: ____________________________
Parris
Date: ______________
Period: ____
Congress Unit Test Review
Complete the review and turn it in with your test for 5 bonus points.
Main Ideas:
Analyze the structure of the legislative branch of government including the bicameral structure of Congress and
the role of the Committees.
The bicameral structure of the Government consists of two Houses. (House of Representatives
and Senate) One is represented by the population (House) and one is based on equal
representation (Senate). The House has 435 members and the Senate has 100. Each state has
at least 3 representatives, 1 in the House and 2 in the Senate. Each House has checks and
balances that they can do. The Senate gets to approves Judges and the House gets to pass
legislation first.
The roles of Committees are vital. The Committees are where legislation starts in the first
place in Congress. Each department is broken into Committees to deal with information in
America. Examples of committees are Homeland Security, Budget, Education and Finance.
Each committee is led by a Congressman and every congressman resides on at least one
committee.
Analyze the impact of the 17th Amendment.
The 17th Amendment impacted Congress greatly and the power of State legislators. Before the
17th amendment, the people would elect their House members and then the State legislators
would elect the US Senate members. This did not always show the people’s voice. Once the 17th
amendment was passed, the people got a voice and now they directly elect their US Senators
each term.
How does population shift affect voting patterns?
The population shift affects voting patterns because of the census. Every ten years the census
is reported and therefore the positions in the House change. If a state grows in population
then they receive more seats in the House, if they lose population then they lose seats. Seats in
the House are reapportioned based on population. This can affect the Swing states and the
outcome of elections.
How does the US Constitutional protections such as patents foster competition and entrepreneurship?
Patents foster competition and entrepreneurship because they allow for people’s ideas to
grow and for them to be compensated for their time and ideas. When a person has an idea
they can get a patent which means that no one else can make money off of the idea. This
ensures that we can get the best product and that the person who had the idea is
compensated. It pushes people to use their ideas and not be afraid that people will steal their
ideas.
Explain the Formal, Informal Qualifications and Term length for the House of Representatives.
Formal Qualifications:
25 years
7 years of citizenship
Live in the state and district that you are running for
Informal Qualifications:
They vary state by state
Help candidates get votes
Term Length:
2 years
Explain the Formal and Term length for the Senate.
Formal Qualifications:
30 years
9 years of citizenship
Live in the state that you are running for
Term Length:
6 years
Explain the purpose of Committees.
The purposes of Committees are to slow the workload of Congress as a whole. In committees,
members do most of the legislative process through screening bills. Once they prepare bills,
they will present them in front of the House floor or the Senate floor. They also oversee
federal agencies and departments of the other 2 branches of government.
What is the Legislative Process of “How a Bill becomes a Law”?
A Bill is normally introduced by the Executive branch or private citizens. It then is read, given
a number and title. It is referred to a committee where congressman discuss it. There are five
actions they can decide to use on a bill. If it makes it past this stage, the Majority floor leader
will then call it up and debate the bill. Once this stage is done, they take a vote. If it passes
then it goes on to the opposing side (House or Senate) for a vote. If it passes there then it
continues on to the President. The President then has four options he can take. If for some
reason when the bill is in the House or Senate and it goes back to the opposing side changed, it
then has to go back to committee to discuss the revisions.
Vocabulary
Special Session-A session of a legislative body called to deal with an emergency situation.
Continuous Body- Governing unit, like the U.S. Senate, whose seats are never all up for election
at the same time
Gerrymander- The drawing of electoral district lines to the advantage of a party or group.
Single-Member District- Electoral district from which only one person is chosen by the voters for
each elected office.
Term- The two-year period of time during which Congress meets
Bankruptcy- The legal proceedings by which a person’s assets are distributed among those to
whom he or she owes money.
Eminent Domain- Power of a government to take private property for public use.
Direct Tax- A charge levied by the government, to be paid only by the person on whom it is
imposed
Liberal Constructionist- Someone who argues a broad interpretation of the provisions of the
constitution.
Strict Constructionist- Someone seeking to limit the powers of Congress to its expressed powers
and only the most vital implied powers