POSC 225 Exam 3 UPDATED QUESTIONS
AND CORRECT ANSWERS
Founding and Functions of Congress in Article 1 - CORRECT ANSWER -Only
congress has the power to make laws
-Primary law making institution
-Enumerated and implied powers have made congress the most powerful branch of
government
-Limitations are placed on congress to avoid tyranny
-Approval rating for congress is low
Bicameralism and justification - CORRECT ANSWER -Congress is bicameral, house
and senate
-Justification for bicameral legistlature (Senate 6 years, House 2 years)
-Bicameralism and representation(result of Great Compromise)
Oversight - CORRECT ANSWER (section 11.6) Nominee confirmations and hearings
and investigation and impeachment
-Congressional responsibility for monitoring the actions of the executive branch agencies and
personnel to ensure conformity to federal statutes and congressional intent
Similarities between the House and Senate - CORRECT ANSWER -Both House and
Senate must each pass the same version of a bill for it to become a law, harder to legislate
than in a single chamber parliamentary system.
-They are virtually autonomous chambers
House of Representatives - CORRECT ANSWER -Has frequent elections and small
districts
-more representative body of congress
-Varies by state but a minimum of 1
-435 total
,Senate - CORRECT ANSWER -6 year terms and state constituencies
-Envisioned by the chamber to be more deliberate
-'Cooling saucer' of democracy according to GW
-100 total members
Delegate - CORRECT ANSWER - Act as a mirror for what constituents want
- Members of the House are more likely delegates
Trustee - CORRECT ANSWER - Apply their own knowledge and do things long term
- Might not be exactly what constituents want
- The individual trusts his or her own judgement to do whats best for their constituents
- Senators are more likely to be Trustees because they face the electorate less often than
members of the House and they represent larger and more diverse constituencies, edge
towards the delegate side near the end if their term.
- Burke preferred Trustee approach
- Abe preferred Delegate approach
Race, gender and occupation in Congress - CORRECT ANSWER - Women are
underrepresented in congress
- African American voices would be supported by African American representatives (has
become more equal now)
Descriptive Representation - CORRECT ANSWER - the idea that an elected body
should mirror demographically the population it represents
- wants congress to look like country
- Problematic: Not going to get elected if they don't represent their people, motivates them to
be representative
- Occupations: wealthier, more educated, nearly all held some sort of elective or appointed
office prior to their congressional career
, Reapportionment - CORRECT ANSWER - Reallocation of House seats among the
states, done after each national census (10 years)
-Seats get shifted around
- Ensures that the seats are held by states in proportion to the size of their populations
- States that lose representatives have less influence in congress on issues like securing
federal funds for the state
Redistricting - CORRECT ANSWER The redrawing of congressional district lines
within a state to ensure roughly equal populations within each district
-Drawing by state legislature
- All states, except for those with only a single House member, must redraw their
congressional district borderlines after every census.
Limitations: districts must be of equal population and they must be contiguous (touching of
district borders)
Gerrymandering - CORRECT ANSWER Redrawing electoral district lines to give an
advantage to a particular political party or candidate.
- Using redistricting to further partisan goals
- Not the cause of political polarization
- Controversy: The redistricting process basically ensures that politicians are able to ensure
that one party wins the seat
Cracking - CORRECT ANSWER Spreading one parties votes across multiple districts
so they don't get a seat in any of those districts
- Divides a district where the opposing party has a large majority, making it a minority in
both parts of the redrawn district
Packing - CORRECT ANSWER - Puts all those in the same district but makes all
surrounding districts supporting each other
- Concentrating all of ones party's voters into a single district to dilute their influence in other
districts
AND CORRECT ANSWERS
Founding and Functions of Congress in Article 1 - CORRECT ANSWER -Only
congress has the power to make laws
-Primary law making institution
-Enumerated and implied powers have made congress the most powerful branch of
government
-Limitations are placed on congress to avoid tyranny
-Approval rating for congress is low
Bicameralism and justification - CORRECT ANSWER -Congress is bicameral, house
and senate
-Justification for bicameral legistlature (Senate 6 years, House 2 years)
-Bicameralism and representation(result of Great Compromise)
Oversight - CORRECT ANSWER (section 11.6) Nominee confirmations and hearings
and investigation and impeachment
-Congressional responsibility for monitoring the actions of the executive branch agencies and
personnel to ensure conformity to federal statutes and congressional intent
Similarities between the House and Senate - CORRECT ANSWER -Both House and
Senate must each pass the same version of a bill for it to become a law, harder to legislate
than in a single chamber parliamentary system.
-They are virtually autonomous chambers
House of Representatives - CORRECT ANSWER -Has frequent elections and small
districts
-more representative body of congress
-Varies by state but a minimum of 1
-435 total
,Senate - CORRECT ANSWER -6 year terms and state constituencies
-Envisioned by the chamber to be more deliberate
-'Cooling saucer' of democracy according to GW
-100 total members
Delegate - CORRECT ANSWER - Act as a mirror for what constituents want
- Members of the House are more likely delegates
Trustee - CORRECT ANSWER - Apply their own knowledge and do things long term
- Might not be exactly what constituents want
- The individual trusts his or her own judgement to do whats best for their constituents
- Senators are more likely to be Trustees because they face the electorate less often than
members of the House and they represent larger and more diverse constituencies, edge
towards the delegate side near the end if their term.
- Burke preferred Trustee approach
- Abe preferred Delegate approach
Race, gender and occupation in Congress - CORRECT ANSWER - Women are
underrepresented in congress
- African American voices would be supported by African American representatives (has
become more equal now)
Descriptive Representation - CORRECT ANSWER - the idea that an elected body
should mirror demographically the population it represents
- wants congress to look like country
- Problematic: Not going to get elected if they don't represent their people, motivates them to
be representative
- Occupations: wealthier, more educated, nearly all held some sort of elective or appointed
office prior to their congressional career
, Reapportionment - CORRECT ANSWER - Reallocation of House seats among the
states, done after each national census (10 years)
-Seats get shifted around
- Ensures that the seats are held by states in proportion to the size of their populations
- States that lose representatives have less influence in congress on issues like securing
federal funds for the state
Redistricting - CORRECT ANSWER The redrawing of congressional district lines
within a state to ensure roughly equal populations within each district
-Drawing by state legislature
- All states, except for those with only a single House member, must redraw their
congressional district borderlines after every census.
Limitations: districts must be of equal population and they must be contiguous (touching of
district borders)
Gerrymandering - CORRECT ANSWER Redrawing electoral district lines to give an
advantage to a particular political party or candidate.
- Using redistricting to further partisan goals
- Not the cause of political polarization
- Controversy: The redistricting process basically ensures that politicians are able to ensure
that one party wins the seat
Cracking - CORRECT ANSWER Spreading one parties votes across multiple districts
so they don't get a seat in any of those districts
- Divides a district where the opposing party has a large majority, making it a minority in
both parts of the redrawn district
Packing - CORRECT ANSWER - Puts all those in the same district but makes all
surrounding districts supporting each other
- Concentrating all of ones party's voters into a single district to dilute their influence in other
districts
