AP Congress Quiz
        Name___________________________________
        MULTIPLE CHOICE.  Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or answers the question.
                1) In 2004, several members of Congress unhappy with Supreme Court decisions began to push for      1)
                  a bill that prevents federal courts from hearing challenges to
                     A) the Defense of Marriage Act.                   B) pro-life laws.
                      C)the Pledge of Allegiance.                      D) all of the above
                2) In general, the House is/has ________ than the Senate.                                           2)
                     A) more centralized and formal                    B) weaker leadership
                      C)emphasized foreign policy more                 D) more personal
                3) Standing committees can                                                                          3)
                     A) kill bills.                                    B) rush bills without meaningful debate.
                      C)amend bills.                                   D) all of the above
                4) The congressional leaders who do vote counts and line up members on partisan issues are called   4)
                     A) Minority Leaders.                              B) whips.
                      C)Majority Leaders.                              D) Sergeants at Arms.
                5) In 2006, Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi became                                                       5)
                     A) the first female to be elected to Congress from California.
                      B) the first female Speaker of the House.
                      C)the first female to be selected as the Democratic whip in the House of Representatives.
                     D) the first female to be impeached from Congress.
                6) A new Congress is seated every ________ years.                                                   6)
                     A) 4                      B) 6                    C)2                     D) 8
                7) Committees to which proposed bills are referred are called ________ committees.                  7)
                     A) ad hoc                 B) conference           C)standing              D) joint
                8) The formal and enumerated powers of Congress are found in                                        8)
                     A) Article I, section 1.                          B) Article II, section 4.
                      C)Article I, section 8.                          D) the Preamble.
                9) Congress is given the authority to establish                                                     9)
                     A) the structure of the federal court system.
                      B) the size of the Supreme Court.
                      C)federal jurisdications.
                     D) all of the above
                                                                  A-1
                10) The Senate has the sole power to                                                                       10)
                       A) advise and consent on major presidential appointments.
                       B) declare war.
                       C)issue patents and copyrights.
                       D) regulate the District of Columbia.
                11) The process of allotting seats in the House of Representatives is called                               11)
                       A) apportionment.                                    B) gerrymandering.
                       C)redistricting.                                    D) census.
                12) A committee that is established on a temporary basis is called a(n) ________ committee.                12)
                       A) select                 B) standing               C)joint                   D) conference
                13) Throughout history, the House of Representatives has impeached how many presidents?                    13)
                       A) seven                  B) five                    C)two                     D) one
                14) Committees are controlled by the                                                                       14)
                       A) party that gains the most seats on a committee, based on seniority.
                       B) whips.
                       C)Committee on Committees.
                       D) majority party.
                15) Inclumbent members of Congress won reelection in about ________ percent of all races.                  15)
                       A) 90                     B) 80                     C)70                      D) 60
                16) The structure of the legislative branch of government is described by ________ of the                  16)
                   Constitution.
                       A) Article I              B) Article III            C)Article IV              D) Article II
                17) State legislatures lost their control over the selection of senators through the ________              17)
                   Amendment in 1913, which provides for the direct election of senators.
                       A) Twenty-first            B) Nineteenth             C)Seventeenth             D) Fifteenth
                18) The War Powers Act                                                                                     18)
                       A) is an example of the use of law-making to force oversight.
                       B) has repeatedly ignored by all sitting presidents since the law was enacted.
                       C)was an attempt to reassert Congressional authority over the executive branch.
                       D) all of the above
                19) Unlimited debate is allowed in the Senate and is called                                                19)
                       A) filibuster.             B) discharge.             C)cloture.                D) rescission.
                20) The Great Compromise resulted in                                                                       20)
                       A) a two-house legislature.
                       B) a weakend executive institution.
                       C)an electoral college based on representation.
                       D) legalized slavery.
                                                                      A-2
               21) Of those bills introduced in Congress, ________ percent are enacted.                                 21)
                      A) 30-35                  B) 20-25                 C)55-60                  D) 5-10
               22) The most important power that Congress has is the power to                                           22)
                      A) lay and collect taxes.                           B) declare war.
                      C)make laws.                                       D) regulate commerce.
               23) The House of Representatives and the Senate combined have ________ members.                          23)
                      A) 535                    B) 475                   C)435                    D) 575
               24) Under the Constitution, members of the House of Representatives are directly elected for a           24)
                   ________ year term.
                      A) 2                      B) 4                     C)8                      D) 6
               25) The current Speaker of the House is                                                                  25)
                      A) Paul Ryan              B) Nancy Pelosi.         C)John Boener.           D) Harry Reid.
               26) The House of Representatives has the sole power to                                                   26)
                      A) initiate revenue bills.                          B) make agreements with the executive.
                      C)try impeached officials.                          D) approve treaties.
               27) The Congress has managed to increase the scope of its enumerated powers through the                  27)
                   interpretation of the
                      A) necessary and proper clause.                     B) inherent powers doctrine.
                      C)grant of exclusive powers.                       D) formal lawmaking powers.
               28) The advantages of incumbency are                                                                     28)
                      A) name recognition.                                B) easier fund raising.
                      C)access to the media.                             D) all of the above
               29) The only officer of House of Representatives specifically mentioned in the Constitution is the         29)
                      A) President Pro Tempore.                           B) Speaker of the House.
                      C)vice president.                                  D) Sergeant at Arms.
               30) The presiding officer of the Senate who can vote only in the case of a tie is                         30)
                      A) Majority Leader.                                 B) Majority Whip.
                      C)the vice president of the United States.         D) President Pro Tempore.
               31) The idea that elected representatives should listen to their constituents' opinions and do what      31)
                   they say is called behaving as a
                      A) Representative                                   B) Delegate
                      C)Politico                                         D) Trustee
               32) Under the Constitution, senators serve a ________ year term.                                         32)
                      A) 6                      B) 4                     C)8                      D) 2
               33) Apportionment and redistricting occurs every                                                         33)
                      A) 2 years.               B) 4 years.              C)10 years.              D) 6 years.
                                                                    A-3
                34) The idea that elected representatives should listen to their constituents' opinions and then use      34)
                   their best judgment to make decisions is called behaving as a
                       A) representative.                                  B) delegate.
                       C)politico.                                         D) trustee.
                35) The leader of the House of Representatives is called the                                              35)
                       A) Majority Leader.                                 B) President of the House.
                       C)President Pro Tempore.                            D) Speaker.
                36) Members of Congress often seek committee assignments based upon                                       36)
                       A) their own interests or expertise.
                       B) opportunities for pork barrel legislation.
                       C)party preference.
                       D) all of the above
                37) Under the original constitutional plan it was absolutely clear that Congress was to:                  37)
                       A) be subordinate to the president.
                       B) exercise primary legislative functions.
                       C)be subject to judicial review by the courts.
                       D) be able to delegate legislative authority to the other branches of the government.
                38) A major difference between the House and the Senate in the Constitution is:                           38)
                       A) the popular election of members of the House.
                       B) House control over the power of the purse.
                       C)Senate control over impeachment.
                       D) House domination over foreign affairs.
                39) According to Madison in Federalist 62, equality of representation for the states in the               39)
                   Senate was:
                       A) an important check upon improper legislative acts.
                       B) a check upon majority rule.
                       C)the result of compromise between the large and small states.
                       D) all of the above
                40) Madison argued in Federalist 63 that the Senate is an important complement to the                     40)
                   House because:
                       A) the Senate will be composed of wiser men.
                       B) the Senate will not be swayed by passion.
                       C)Senators must be older than members of the House.
                       D) the short term of the House reduces its capacity to give continuity to legislation.
                                                                      A-4