POSC 1010 Exam 2 – Congress with verified solutions already graded a+

1. The short, 2-year terms in the House of Representatives were designed by the Framers of the Constiution to a. make the Senate the more powerful of the two houses. b. keep the House as close to the people as possible. c. keep the House subordinate to the other branches of government. d. ensure that incumbents would always have an advantage. b. keep the House as close to the people as possible. 2. One aspect of the Senate designed to insulate it from transient shifts in public mood is which of the following? a. One third of the Senate's membership stand for reelection every 2 years. b. Senators cannot simultaneously run for other offices. c. The President can veto business on the Senate agenda. d. The Senate elects its own president. A. One third of the Senate's membership stand for reelection every 2 years. 3. James Madison was referring to ______ when he wrote in Federalist No. 62 that its necessity was "indicated by the propensity of all single and numerous assemblies to yield to the impulse of sudden and violent passions, and to be seduced by factious leaders into intemperate and pernicious resolutions." a. the House of Representatives b. the executive veto c. the Senate d. the Supreme Court c. the Senate 4. One major difference between the House of Representatives and the Senate is which of the following?a. The House meets for a longer term each year. b. The members of the House of Representatives were originally chosen by the state legislatures; senators were elected. c. The House allocates seats by population; the Senate is composed of two members from each state. d. The Senate chooses its own leader. c. The House allocates seats by population; the Senate is composed of two members from each state. 5. The qualifications for office for the Senate and the House of Representatives contained in the Constitution differ by which of the following? a. length of residence in the state of representation b. whether a felony conviction disqualifies a candidate c. the limitations on numbers of consecutive terms members may serve d. age and length of citizenship d. age and length of citizenship 6. Proposed qualifications for holding office in the House or the Senate that were explicitly rejected by the Framers include which of the following? a. property holding and religious qualifications and a reelection restriction b. prior service in the military and a minimum education level c. an oath to swear allegiance to the party with which a candidate affiliated during the election d. prior experience in elected office at the state level a. property holding and religious qualifications and a reelection restriction 7. Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution contains a. the specific powers of the U.S. Congress. b. the specific powers of the U.S. House of Representatives. c. the specific powers of the U.S. Senate. d. the specific prohibitions on the U.S. Congress. a. the specific powers of the U.S. Congress. 8. The "necessary and proper clause" a. enables Congress to declare acts of the President unconstitutional. b. limits Congress to only performing the essential acts of government. c. requires Congress to provide a written justification for all of its actions. d. provides lawmakers with the single most expansive grant of power in the Constitution so lawmakers have authority over many different spheres of public policy. d. provides lawmakers with the single most expansive grant of power in the Constitution so lawmakers have authority over many different spheres of public policy. 9. Which of the following is a power explicitly given to Congress? a. the power to coin and borrow money b. the power to override a presidential veto with a simple majority vote c. the power to enact ex post facto laws d. the power to grant noble titles a. the power to coin and borrow money 10. In distributing power between the House and the Senate, the final compromise regarding the authority to raise or spend money required that bills raising revenue originate in which of the following? a. the Senate, with the House having an unrestricted right to amend them b. the House, with the Senate having a very limited right to amend them c. the House, with the Senate having an unrestricted right to amend them d. the Senate, with the House having a very limited right to amend them c. the House, with the Senate having an unrestricted right to amend them 11. Proportional representation gives a party which of the following? a. a share of seats in the legislature matching the share of votes it wins on election day b. a share of seats only equal to the number of districts won by a plurality by one of its candidates c. a greater liklihood of becoming one of two viable parties d. a limited ability to be represented in the legislature, as the party only gets to be involved in a small proportion of the votes cast a. a share of seats in the legislature matching the share of votes it wins on election day What is a key difference between a parliamentary system and that which we have in the United States? a. Parliament is unicameral, which is the case in Britain and Canada. b. The leader of the party with the most seats in parliament becomes prime minister. c. Parties are organized around traditional castes rather than on the basis of issues. d. Most parliaments are elected based on a cumulative voting system. b. The leader of the party with the most seats in parliament becomes prime minister. 13. Which of the following statements about congressional districts in the House of Representatives is accurate? a. The size of the House continues to increase every 10 years since the Constitution requires 1 representative for every 33,000 residents. b. States have only gained seats following the decennial census and never lost them. c. Population movements have meant that states in the south and the west have gained seats at the expense of industrial states in the northeast and Midwest. d. The Constitution requires that the geographic size of each congressional district needs to be substantially similar. c. Population movements have meant that states in the south and the west have gained seats at the expense of industrial states in the northeast and Midwest. 14. The term gerrymander refers to which of the following? a. the exclusion of reelection as a consideration in congressional redistricting b. establishing randomly drawn districts to ensure that no party has an unfair advantage c. the electoral strategy used by Gerald "Gerry" Ford d. the manipulation of the shape of a legislative district to benefit a certain incumbent or party d. the manipulation of the shape of a legislative district to benefit a certain incumbent or party 15. Since the 1964 Supreme Court case Wesberry v. Sanders, congressional districts must have which of the following? a. symmetric shapes b. proportional representation of minorities c. equal populations d. no built-in incumbency advantage c. equal populations 16. Which of the following statements about gerrymandering today is accurate? a. Democrats have a significant advantage because their irregular voters can easily be mobilized so that makes Republican House members more vulnerable. b. The adoption of nonpartisan commissions has wiped out any partisan advantage so every congressional district is competitive. c. Even with gerrymandering, House election results generally do not follow partisan leanings of the district because of ticket splitting. d. Republicans have an advantage because their regular voters are distributed more efficiently across House districts so fewer votes are wasted in highly skewed districts. d. Republicans have an advantage because their regular voters are distributed more efficiently across House districts so fewer votes are wasted in highly skewed districts. 17. Which of the following is true about the way U.S. senators are now chosen? a. They continue to be chosen by state legislatures today, although many states hold elections that guide the legislatures regarding the people's choice. b. Since 1913, senators have been elected by the people because of the Seventeenth Amendment. c. Senators are now elected but subject to confirmation hearings in the House. d. Since 1913, senators have been elected by the people because of the Fourteenth Amendment and the gerrymander. b. Since 1913, senators have been elected by the people because of the Seventeenth Amendment. 18. In the time since senators have been popularly elected rather than appointed, which of the following is true? a. Fewer senators seek reelection than sought reappointment. b. They have been far more successful at winning reelection than they were at winning reappointment. c. They have been far less successful at winning reelection than they were at winning reappointment. d. They have been about as successful at winning reelection as they had been in persuading state legislatures to return them to office. d. They have been about as successful at winning reelection as they had been in persuading state legislatures to return them to office. 19. Which of the following statements about congressional elections is most accurate? a. Reelection only matters for members of the majority party. b. Reelection matters very little since there is frequent turnover in Congress. c. Winning reelection is essential to everything members want to achieve in office as is the party winning the majority. d. Reelection matters in the House since its members are popularly elected, but does not matter much in the Senate because its members are appointed c. Winning reelection is essential to everything members want to achieve in office as is the party winning the majority. 20. The incumbency advantage in the House of Representatives a. rose from 1 or 2 points in the 1960s to almost 8 points by 2002, but has since declined to the levels seen in the 1950s. b. continues to increase every decade as mapmakers draw districts that perfectly fit the needs of lawmakers. c. was eliminated when the House of Representatives adopted a system of proportional representation. d. decreased from an average of 8 points in 2002, but has started rising again in recent elections as national forces play little role in congressional elections a. rose from 1 or 2 points in the 1960s to almost 8 points by 2002, but has since declined to the levels seen in the 1950s. 21. The influence of national forces in congressional elections a. only matters in Senate elections since senators are elected statewide. b. matters because the correlation between the vote share of congressional candidates and presidential candidates at the state and district levels has increased and so congressional elections are treated as national events. c. has declined in recent years as incumbents have gotten much better at separating themselves from the collective fate of their parties. d. does not really matter because House and Senate candidates have developed sophisticated campaign strategies that allow them to win seats in the other party's presidential territory. b. matters because the correlation between the vote share of congressional candidates and presidential candidates at the state and district levels has increased and so congressional elections are treated as national events. 22. In midterm elections, a. the President's party often gains seats because supporters of the other party are demoralized and do not turn out to the polls. b. the President runs for reelection so it provides a boost to all of the candidates from his party running for reelection. c. the President's party often loses seats, but the size of the losses depends on the performance of the economy and the President. d. the President's performance or that of the economy has little effect on explaining the outcome of midterm elections. c. the President's party often loses seats, but the size of the losses depends on the performance of the economy and the President. 23. The relationship between members of Congress and their districts a. demands that members remain absolutely loyal to the policy considerations of their constituents. b. involves a great deal of responsiveness on issues as well as soliciting and processing casework, which enables them to keep in touch and stay visible. c. has little effect on members because the 2-year term demands that their only focus is on legislating. d. varies depending on how confortable members feel about their chances of deterring a primary challenger. b. involves a great deal of responsiveness on issues as well as soliciting and processing casework, which enables them to keep in touch and stay visible. 24. Regarding the difference in incumbency advantage between the House of Representatives and the Senate, it is safe to say that a. overall, Senate election outcomes are no more variable than House election outcomes. b. overall, Senate election outcomes are more variable than House election outcomes. c. overall, House election outcomes are more variable than Senate election outcomes. d. while the House has a substantial incumbency advantage, there is no incumbency advantage in the Senate. b. overall, Senate election outcomes are more variable than House election outcomes. 25. Because candidate-centered electoral processes give members of Congress far more incentive to be individually responsive than collectively responsible, which of the following is also true? a. The pursuit of reelection makes logrolling an attractive strategy. b. Over time, revenues tend to rise while spending tends to drop. c. Individual irresponsibility leads to collective responsiveness. d. Candidates present themselves as agents of the party rather than as individuals. a. The pursuit of reelection makes logrolling an attractive strategy. 26. Each member of Congress pursues a strategy that makes him or her succeed individually, but Congress as an institution becomes shackled with collective blame for the overall consequences. What is this an example of? a. agency loss b. coordination problem c. free-rider problem d. prisoners dilemma d. prisoners dilemma 27. Despite a sharp increase in diversity in the 1990s, Congress remains overwhelmingly White and male because of which of the following? a. The incumbency advantage can never be overcome. b. The Voting Rights Act has not lived up to its promise. c. White males still dominate the most common stepping-stones to Congress. d. Women and minorities seem less interested in working in politics. c. White males still dominate the most common stepping-stones to Congress. 28. The challenges that spurred members to develop the modern Congress fall into two classes: problems besetting the House and Senate as organizations and problems arising from a. reducing the scope of areas in which Congress passes laws or sets policies. b. the competing individual and collective needs of members. c. allocating more complex policy issues solely to the more experienced Senate for resolution. d. abdicating responsibility for policy to the bureaucracy and letting the states take over. b. the competing individual and collective needs of members. 29. How has Congress responded to the problem of performing complex social tasks efficiently? a. coordination and agenda control b. command authority and division of labor c. agenda control and specialization d. division of labor and specialization d. division of labor and specialization 30. The rules, customs, and procedures in Congress are designed to a. make it very difficult to pass bills and resolve differences between the chambers. b. empower members to pursue their policy and electoral goals. c. resolve or deflect conflicts so members can get on with the business of legislating. d. ease the passage of bills so that Congress can get more work done in a short period of time. c. resolve or deflect conflicts so members can get on with the business of legislating. 31. The seniority rule routinely allocates first choice in committee assignments to majority party members who a. have served the longest time in Congress. b. have served the longest time in government, regardless of the branch. c. are from the oldest states. d. are the most senior in age. a. have served the longest time in Congress. 32. Which of the following statements about parties in Congress is accurate? a. Strong political parties exist in the House, but party is weak in the Senate because there are few members. b. Article I of the Constitution dictates the establishment of political parties to make it easier to resolve differences between the chambers. c. Party leaders assemble and maintain party coalitions, but they need tools to encourage cooperation, and members have to sacrifice some independence. d. Organizational reforms have reduced the pressures on Congress so the parties do not play a very important role any more. c. Party leaders assemble and maintain party coalitions, but they need tools to encourage cooperation, and members have to sacrifice some independence. 33. The Speaker of the House a. is elected by majority vote and serves as the majority party's leader and agent with the power to appoint committees, make rules, and manage the legislative process. b. is the seniormost member of the chamber and is primarily responsible for presiding over floor debates. c. has the ability to exercise command authority through powers specified in Article II of the Constitution in order to reduce transaction costs. d. is largely a ceremonial position. a. is elected by majority vote and serves as the majority party's leader and agent with the power to appoint committees, make rules, and manage the legislative process. 34. The 1910 House revolt that weakened the office of Speaker and stripped Republican Speaker Joe Cannon of much of his power is an example of House members choosing to do which of the following? a. tolerate higher conformity costs to reduce their transaction costs b. avoid higher conformity costs by increasing their transaction costs c. create higher transaction costs by increasing their conformity costs d. tolerate higher transaction costs to reduce their conformity costs d. tolerate higher transaction costs to reduce their conformity costs 35. Political parties in Congress a. have grown less unified over time, and there is less agreement on major votes and the ideological gap between the parties has shrunk. b. have grown more unified with higher levels of support on party unity votes as well as becoming more polarized along ideological lines. c. have witnessed the Democratic Party become more unified and more ideologically homoegeneous while Republicans remain fractured into competing coalitions. d. have gotten much stronger in the House of Representatives while growing weaker and less ideologically polarized in the Senate. b. have grown more unified with higher levels of support on party unity votes as well as becoming more polarized along ideological lines.