Conference committees are
temporary, invoke members from both houses of Congress, and are charged with reaching a compromise on legislation once it has been passed by both the House and the Senate.
temporary and are created to take up an issue that falls between the jurisdiction of existing committees, to highlight an issue, or to investigate a particular problem.
permanent and involves members from both the House and the Senate
permanent and have the power to write and propose legislation.
A U.S. senator has a _______ year term.
eight
six
two
four
The concept of oversight refers to the effort made by
Congress to make executive agencies accountable for their actions.
the president to make Congress accountable for its actions
the states to make the federal government responsible for its actions.
the courts to make the legislative and executive branches responsible for their actions.
When President Lincoln issued a series of executive orders for which he had no clear legal authority during the start of the Civil War, it illustrated the
delegated powers of the presidency
inherent powers of the presidency
expressed powers of the presidency
"going public" strategy
The expansion of the Executive Office of the President, the development of regulatory review, and the use of executive orders have been important because they
make it very difficult for challengers to defeat incumbent presidents in elections
have dramatically limited the power of the president and made it easier for Congress to dominate the American political system.
have given presidents substantial capacity to achieve significant policy results despite congressional opposition to their legislative agendas.
are deeply unpopular with the public and have led to the declining trust in American government
Gerrymandering refers to the
investigations of the executive branch by members of Congress.
tactic used by members of the Senate to prevent action in legislation they oppose by continuously holding the floor and speaking until the majority backs down.
practice whereby legislators trade their support or opposition on one bill to get the support of another legislator on a different bill.
manipulation of electoral districts to serve the interests of a particular group.
Congress is a _____ legislature with _______ members.
bicameral; 275
unicameral; 342
bicameral; 535
bicameral; 100
Under the original Constitution, senators
were selected by the federal judiciary
were appointed by state legislatures
could serve only two terms
served four-year terms
The use of taxing and spending powers to shape the economy is part of _______ policy.
distributive
redistributive
fiscal
monetary
______ powers are specifically established by the language of the Constitution.
Expressed
Delegated
Implied
Inherent
The last time Congress exercised its constitutional power to declare war was during
the Korean War
the Iraq War
World War II
the Vietnam War
An informal group of advisers to the president is often called the
round table
Kitchen Cabinet
plumbers
inner cabinet
The Civil Service Act of 1883 attempted to pattern government hiring after practices found in
business
the Catholic Church
Congress
local government
A filibuster allows members of the Senate to
add amendments to any bill at any time
prevent a vote on a bill by speaking continuously on the floor
refer a bill to multiple committees
avoid a conference committee
Members of interest groups in the United States are typically people
from the lower socioeconomic levels
who identify as Democrats
with higher levels of income and education
who work in manual labor and unskilled occupations
What is the primary function of a PAC?
to build better networks between interest groups and political parties.
to produce and carry out an institutional advertising campaign
to raise grassroots support for a particular interest
to raise and distribute money to election campaigns
Which of the following is the best description of an iron triangle?
the domination of a few large companies in the regulation of iron mining and smelting.
the sable relationship between a bureaucratic agency, a clientele group, and a legislative committee.
the breakdown in the separation of powers between Congress, the federal judiciary, and the president.
the inability to reform federal rules without help from the House of Representatives, the Senate, ant he president.
Which of the following groups is most likely to belong to the New Politics movement?
recent immigrants to the United States
upper-middle-class professionals, for whom the civil rights and antiwar movements of the 1960s were key experiences.
blue-collar workers whose formative experience was the Great Depression.
conservative evangelical southerners, reacting to the cultural changes of the 1960s.
Oversight can best be described as the
approval that the Senate must give to all president appointments to the federal judiciary.
organizational control exercised by party whips over members of Congress.
efforts of Congress to supervise the manner in which its laws are implemented by the executive branch.
authority of committee chairs over the hearings and investigations conducted by the subcommittees.
In order to get around the need for Senate approval of treaties, many contemporary presidents made use of ____ in foreign affairs.
international protocols
diplomacy
executive agreements
executive immunity
What is the primary constitutional task of the vice president, besides succeeding the president in case of death, resignation, or incapacitation?
to serve as Speaker of the House of Representatives
to cast tie-breaking votes in the Senate
to run the day-to-day operations of the Executive Office of the President
to represent the president overseas
The solidary benefits of interest groups include
friendship and consciousness-raising
special services and goods
information and money
identification with the purpose or ideology of the group
The term "pork barrel" refers to
bills that grant a special privilege to a person named in the bill
appropriations made by legislative bodies for local projects that are often not needed but that are created so that local representatives can win reelection in their home districts.
the collective set of law hat regulates America's meat exports.
any piece of legislation that changes the number of agricultural subsidies provided to farmers by the federal government.
What is it called when two members of Congress share no common interests but agree to support each other's bill?
filibustering
delegating
logrolling
bargaining
_____ is a strategy that attempts to mobilize the widest and most favorable climate of opinion.
Creating a "war room"
Going public
Litigation
Creating an iron triangle
_____ occurs when the federal government passes authority to administer a program to state or local governments.
Privatization
Deregulation
Implementation
Devolution
The best description of the ideal of pluralism is that
the public good should always trump individual interests.
interest groups should be free to compere for governmental influence.
interest groups are factions that endanger liberty.
democracy is best served by legalizing but regulating the influence of interest groups.
Which of the following groups has had he greatest success with a strategy of litigation?
the National Rifle Association
the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
the National Chamber of Commerce
the Southern Christian Leadership Conference
The goal of the War Powers Resolution was to
end the Vietnam War.
limit the ability of Congress to cut off funding for troops when the president send them overseas without congressional approval.
compel a congressional declaration of war for every large-scale military operation.
limit the power of the president to commit American troops to military action authorization from Congress.
When membership in an organization allows for a reduction in the price of museum tickets, it is called a
promotion offer
purposive benefit
material benefit
solidary benefit
______ is the primary mission of the State Department.
Military protection
International aid
National security
Diplomacy
A senator or representative running for reelection is called the
constituent
incumbent
trustee
delegate
The Freedom of Information Act is designed to
lead to a quicker filing of habeas corpus petitions.
make more national security documents available to the public.
prevent inefficiency and waste in government management
expand the freedom of speech granted to government employees.
When presidents use popular appeals in an attempt to create a mass base of support that will allow them to accomplish their goals, it is referred to as
"selling out"
"propagandizing the public"
"going rogue"
"going public"
Which of the following best describes a way in which the House differs from the Senate?
The House is more centralized and organized than the Senate.
The House is a looser and more deliberative body than the Senate
The members of the House are much less specialized then the members of the Senate.
The House has a much greater level of turnover in its membership than the Senate.
President Clinton was unusual among modern presidents because he left the White House
more popular than when he entered.
less popular than when he entered.
without issuing a single signing statement.
without issuing a single executive order.
How do interest groups use litigation as a strategy of influence?
They engage in institutional advertising, activate issue networks, and directly lobby judges.
They file amicus curiae briefs, finance lawsuits, and bring a suit on behalf of the group.
They work with 527 committees, directly lobby judges, and engage in institutional advertising.
They directly lobby judges, use direct-mail solicitations, and make campaign contributions to members of Congress.
What is required for Congress to override a presidential veto?
two-thirds of both houses of Congress
a majority of both houses of Congress
a unanimous vote of both houses of Congress
three-fourths of both houses of Congress
Why is it important for interest groups to offer selective benefits?
It is necessary to limit the extent of the free-rider problem
If they do not, people will join political partied instead
Selective benefits are the only way to measure the success of an interest group.
If they do not, people will accuse the groups of being antidemocratic
_____ is when bureaucrats attempt to translate laws into specific rules and actions.
Adjudication
Regulation
