PAC Study Cards Exam
Questions with Complete
Solutions
What is congressional oversight, and what are the obstacles to effective oversight? -
Answer- Answer: Congressional oversight is the responsibility of Congress to see that
the executive branch carries out laws faithfully and spends money properly. The biggest
obstacle to effective oversight is the sheer magnitude of the task. With its several million
employees and huge budget, the bureaucracy is beyond comprehensive scrutiny. The
other obstacle is that members of Congress normally have stronger incentives to
function as lawmakers (lawmaking can be more a creative task and one for which a
member of Congress gets more credit) and as representatives (representation is vitally
connected to reelection—members of Congress get reelected mainly by representing
the interests of their constituents) than as overseers.
Most contemporary members of Congress are? - Answer- professional politicians
Minimum qualifications for serving in the House of Representatives include being -
Answer- At least 25 years old, being a citizen of the U.S. for seven years and a resident
of the state from which he or she is elected. House members serve two-year terms.
Qualification for a Senate race include being - Answer- at least 30 years old, being a
U.S. citizen for nine years and a resident of the state from which he or she is elected.
Senators serve six year terms.
Pork barelling - Answer- the use of government funds for projects designed to please
voters or legislators and win votes
The pitfalls of incumbency - Answer- Troublesome issues such as social and economic
conditions, personal misconduct including influence peddling, sexual promiscuity and
other scandals, becoming a victim of midterm election losses to those of the party
holding the presidency and finally, losing to a formidable challenger, especially in the
Senate.
Why are there relatively few women in congress? - Answer- Safe incumbency weakens
the public's influence on Congress
Whip - Answer- an official in a political party whose primary purpose is to ensure
discipline in a legislature. They are the party's "enforcers", who typically offer
, inducements and threaten party members to ensure that they participate according to
the official party policy.
The effectiveness of party leaders in both the Senate and House rests on, - Answer-
trust placed in them by members of their party that they can promote ideas and build
coalitions to successfully promote party positions on legislative issues
party leaders are in a stronger position today because - Answer- They are less
deferential to their leaders and are able to pursue individual agendas.
Selecting a Committee chairperson - Answer- They are members of the party with the
most seats in each chamber and are selected by their party members. Seniority can be
important, as seniority often rewards experience and expertise and reduces in-fighting.
The seniority system rewards legislators from districts where competition is minimal.
Standing Committees - Answer- A permanent committee that is responsible for a
particular area of public policy. They are assisted by a staff and has a legislative
authority to draft and rewrite proposed legislation to recommend to the full chamber for
passage or defeat
Select committees - Answer- Created to perform specific tasks
Joint committees - Answer- composed of members of both houses
Conference committees - Answer- when joint committees form temporarily to work out
differences in House and Senate versions of a particular bill
Committee membership is composed of - Answer- Democrats and Republicans with the
majority party holding the majority of seats on each committee and subcommittee
(Congress members are limited to the number of committees they can serve on
When bills pass a committee... - Answer- they are sent to the floor for a vote of
Congress
Filibuster - Answer- unlimited debate that can occur in the Senate
When a bill passes the House and Senate it... - Answer- must be approved by the
president
Congress on national issues - Answer- find it difficult to take the lead. the fragmented
nature of congress enables the president to assume leadership, due to more publicity
Congress on narrow issues - Answer- due to fragmented nature, can focus on multiple
things at once
Questions with Complete
Solutions
What is congressional oversight, and what are the obstacles to effective oversight? -
Answer- Answer: Congressional oversight is the responsibility of Congress to see that
the executive branch carries out laws faithfully and spends money properly. The biggest
obstacle to effective oversight is the sheer magnitude of the task. With its several million
employees and huge budget, the bureaucracy is beyond comprehensive scrutiny. The
other obstacle is that members of Congress normally have stronger incentives to
function as lawmakers (lawmaking can be more a creative task and one for which a
member of Congress gets more credit) and as representatives (representation is vitally
connected to reelection—members of Congress get reelected mainly by representing
the interests of their constituents) than as overseers.
Most contemporary members of Congress are? - Answer- professional politicians
Minimum qualifications for serving in the House of Representatives include being -
Answer- At least 25 years old, being a citizen of the U.S. for seven years and a resident
of the state from which he or she is elected. House members serve two-year terms.
Qualification for a Senate race include being - Answer- at least 30 years old, being a
U.S. citizen for nine years and a resident of the state from which he or she is elected.
Senators serve six year terms.
Pork barelling - Answer- the use of government funds for projects designed to please
voters or legislators and win votes
The pitfalls of incumbency - Answer- Troublesome issues such as social and economic
conditions, personal misconduct including influence peddling, sexual promiscuity and
other scandals, becoming a victim of midterm election losses to those of the party
holding the presidency and finally, losing to a formidable challenger, especially in the
Senate.
Why are there relatively few women in congress? - Answer- Safe incumbency weakens
the public's influence on Congress
Whip - Answer- an official in a political party whose primary purpose is to ensure
discipline in a legislature. They are the party's "enforcers", who typically offer
, inducements and threaten party members to ensure that they participate according to
the official party policy.
The effectiveness of party leaders in both the Senate and House rests on, - Answer-
trust placed in them by members of their party that they can promote ideas and build
coalitions to successfully promote party positions on legislative issues
party leaders are in a stronger position today because - Answer- They are less
deferential to their leaders and are able to pursue individual agendas.
Selecting a Committee chairperson - Answer- They are members of the party with the
most seats in each chamber and are selected by their party members. Seniority can be
important, as seniority often rewards experience and expertise and reduces in-fighting.
The seniority system rewards legislators from districts where competition is minimal.
Standing Committees - Answer- A permanent committee that is responsible for a
particular area of public policy. They are assisted by a staff and has a legislative
authority to draft and rewrite proposed legislation to recommend to the full chamber for
passage or defeat
Select committees - Answer- Created to perform specific tasks
Joint committees - Answer- composed of members of both houses
Conference committees - Answer- when joint committees form temporarily to work out
differences in House and Senate versions of a particular bill
Committee membership is composed of - Answer- Democrats and Republicans with the
majority party holding the majority of seats on each committee and subcommittee
(Congress members are limited to the number of committees they can serve on
When bills pass a committee... - Answer- they are sent to the floor for a vote of
Congress
Filibuster - Answer- unlimited debate that can occur in the Senate
When a bill passes the House and Senate it... - Answer- must be approved by the
president
Congress on national issues - Answer- find it difficult to take the lead. the fragmented
nature of congress enables the president to assume leadership, due to more publicity
Congress on narrow issues - Answer- due to fragmented nature, can focus on multiple
things at once
