Today we studied for the Legislative Branch Exam using the Quiz-Quiz-Trade strategy. The questions are below. Study them and be ready for tomorrow's exam.
- How
long is a term of Congress? A. 2 years
- How
many sessions are in one term? A. 2 sessions
- On
what date does a new Congressional term begin? A. January 3rd of
odd years.
- What
does the term Bicameral mean? A. a legislative institution with two
chambers/houses.
- What
are the qualifications for a HOR member? A. 25 years old, 7 years as
a U.S. citizen, resident of represented state.
- How
many representative make up the HOR? A. 435
- What
is representation based on in the HOR? A. population
- What
is reapportionment? A. process of re-dividing the 435 seats of the HOR
based upon each state's proportion of the national population.
- Every
how often is a census taken in the United States and when is the next
census? A. Every 10 years, next census: 2020
- What
is the minimum representation per state? A. 1 seat
- What
is redistricting? A. process of redrawing legislative district
boundaries every 10 years based upon changes in population.
- Who
determines district boundaries? A. State legislatures
- What
is gerrymandering? A. drawing boundaries of
legislative district to benefit one party or handicap another
party.
- In
gerrymandering, what is packing? A. Drawing district lines so they
include as many of a political party's voters as possible.
- In
gerrymandering, what is cracking? A. Dividing an opponent's voters into
other districs, to weaken the opponent.
- What
are the qualifications for a Senate member? A. 30 years old, 9 years a
citizen of the U.S., resident of their represented state.
- How
many senators are there in total? A. 100
- What
is representation based on in the Senate? A. equal representation, 2 per
state.
- Name three powers of
Congress. A. Levy Taxes, borrow money, regulate commerce,
set laws for naturalization and bankruptcy, coin money, post office,
copyrights and patents, set up courts, declare war, establish the military
and national guard, set budget for the military, punish pirates, elastic
clause / implied powers.
- What is the elastic clause? The
necessary and proper clause gives Congress the power to make laws
“necessary and proper” to carry out the delegated dutiesAlso
known as the ‘elastic clause’ it stretches the power given Congress.
- Name two powers denied to Congress.
A. Congress cannot make laws concerning slave trade until 1808. Cannot
suspend the writ of Habeas Corpus- must show cause for holding
a suspect except in wartime No ex post
facto laws- cannot punish a person for an act committed before
there was a law against it.
No bills of attainder-laws that punish people without a
trial. No titles of nobility. No tax on exports.
22. What laws are denied to state legislatures? A. coin money, cannot
have an army, no import or export taxes, cannot pass any law that the federal
government is not allowed to pass.
23. In Congress, what is the majority party? A. the political party
that holds the most seats in each house.
24. In Congress, what is the minority party? A. the political party
that holds fewer seats in each house.
25. Why is it important to be in the majority? A. It makes it easier to
pass laws that favor the majority party.
26. Who is the leader of the HoR and what does he/she do? A. Speaker of
the House and he/she governs the debate in the HoR.
27. Who are below Speaker of the House? A. Floor leaders and Whips
28. Who is the leader of the Senate? A. The Vice-President of the U.S.,
then the President Pro Tempore.
29. Who is below the President Pro Tempore? A. Same as the HOR: Floor
leaders and Whips.
30. Why is Congress broken down into committees? A. To make the
legislative process more efficient.
31. What are the two goals of committees? A. Go over each bill before
they are voted on, and to oversee performances of agencies.
32. Who works below Congress members?
A. They have a personal staff to do it for them.
