AP Congress

the role of a conference committee is to:

• hold hearings on proposed legislation
• oversee the actions fo the executive brnach
• conduct hearings
• reconcile differences in bills passed by the House and Senate

  The committee system is more important in the House than in the Senate because

• a)      the seniority system plays no role in the House and therefore must play a larger role
• a)      the Constitution mandates the type of committee structure in the House
• a)      the House is so large that more work can be accomplished in committees than on the floor
• a)  the majority party in the House prefers to give priority to the work of the committees

Congressional standing committees are best described as

• a)      specially appointed investigative bodies
• a)      joint committees of the two houses of Congress
• a)      committees created for each session
• a)  permanent subject-matter committees

  Which of the following actions can Congress take if the Supreme Court finds a federal law unconstitutional?

• a)      Appeal the Court’s decision to the District of Columbia’s Court of Appeals
• a)  Try to amend the Constitution
• a)      Formally request the President to veto the Court’s decision
• a)      Remove certain members of the Court and replace them with new members

 Which of the following statements about rules of procedure in the House and Senate is correct?

• a)      The House operates more by formal rules, while the Senate operates more on informal understandings.  
• The rules are specified in Article I of the Constitution
• The rules in each chamber are determined by the majority whip
• a)  The rules can be changed by the President during a national emergency.

 The franking privilege refers to the

• a)      Federal Reserve Board’s control over interest rates
• a)      Practice of permitting senators to preview lists of judicial nominees
• a)      Practice whereby legislators with the most seniority select the committees on which they want to serve
• a)  Right of members of Congress to send mail to their constituents at the government’s expense

The congressional power that has been contested most frequently in the federal courts is the power to

•     establish post offices
•    levy taxes
• declare war
• a)      regulate interstate commerce

 Which of the following committees of the House of Representatives sets the conditions for debate and amendment of most legislation?

•     Ways and Means
• Agriculture
• Rules
• Governemnt operations

 Congressional district boundaries are usually redrawn every ten years by the

• State Legislatures
•     Bureau of the Census
• President
• Governer

 Which of the following is generally true of the gerrymandering of congressional districts?

•       It results in more Democrats being elected to the House.
• It results in more Republicans being elected to the House
• It guarantees that all minority parties will be equally represented
• It creates districts that favor one political party over another