1L

 

Who may suggest a bill?

 

Any concerned citizen

 

 

2L

 

When a committee files a bill away for future work, we say that the bill has been __________.

 

Pigeon holed

 

 

3L

 

A bill marked as “SB” began in which house?

 

Senate

 

 

4L

 

How many senators are there?

 

100

 

 

5L

 

How long is a senator’s term of office?

 

6 years

 

 

6L

 

Which house represents the states?

 

Senate

 

 

7L

 

What number is a “quorum” in the Senate?

 

51

 

 

8L

 

How many senators does Minnesota have?

 

2

 

 

9L

 

Who is in charge of the Senate?

 

The Vice President

 

10L

 

Where do most bills die?

 

In committee

 

 

11L

 

What is the minimum number of representatives a state must have in the House of Representatives?

 

1

 

 

12L

 

What rule stops a filibuster?

 

 

Cloture

 

 

13L

 

Can there be a filibuster in the House of Representatives?

 

No

 

 

14L

 

What is the minimum age that a representative must be?

 

25

 

 

15L

 

All bills involving money must begin in which house?

 

House of Representatives

 

 

16L

 

When the V.P. is not available, who is in charge of the Senate?

 

President Pro Tempore

 

 

17L

 

Who succeeds the Speaker of the House as President?

 

President Pro Tempore

 

18L

 

Who succeeds the President Pro Tempore as President of the U.S.?

 

Secretary of State

 

19L

 

Who is the current President of the Senate?

 

Dick Cheney

 

 

20L

 

What does it mean to convene?

 

To assemble

 

 

21L

 

With only a few exceptions, a bill may be started in either house, true or false?

 

True

 

 

22L

 

If a state has 29 electoral votes, how many representatives does the state have  in the House of Representatives?

 

27

 

23L

 

What are the three branches of government?

 

Legislative, Executive, Judicial

 

24L

 

Our government is unique because it is both _____ and _____.

 

Flexible and stable

25L

 

What does the Judicial Branch do?

 

Interprets laws

 

 

26L

 

What is the job of the Legislative Branch of government?

 

To make laws

 

 

27L

 

What is a one-house legislature called?

 

Unicameral

 

 

28L

 

When does Congress convene?

 

January 3rd

 

 

29L

 

How do we decide how many representatives each state will have?

 

By the population

 

 

30L

 

Is there a limit on debate in the Senate?

 

No

 

 

31L

 

According to our founding fathers, if your government isn’t serving your needs you have the duty to ______.

 

Change it

 

 

32L

 

Who is in charge of the House of Representatives?

 

Speaker of the House

 

 

33L

 

Who is the current Speaker of the House?

 

Nancy Pelosi (D) California

 

 

34L

 

Who are the current CA senators?

 

Diane Feinstein (D)

Barbara Boxer (D)

 

35L

 

What number is a quorum in the House of Representatives?

 

218

 

36L

 

Who is the current President Pro Tempore of the Senate?

 

Robert Byrd (D) West Virginia

 

37L

 

When a bill is calendared what is done to it?

 

It is numbered and labeled

 

 

38L

 

How does the President Pro Tempore get his job?

 

Must be the senior senator of

the majority party

 

39L

 

Can the Speaker of the House vote on issues in the House?

 

Yes

 

 

40L

 

What state has a unicameral government?

 

Nebraska

 

 

41L

 

Our government is self-governing so we call this country a _______.

 

Democracy

 

42L

 

What do the initials “P.L.” stand for on a former bill?

 

Public Law

 

43L

 

What is a two-house legislature called?

 

Bicameral

 

44L

 

Can the President Pro Tempore vote on Senate issues?

 

Yes

 

 

45L

 

Who succeeds the Vice President as President of the United States?

 

Speaker of the House

 

 

46L

 

What does the Executive Branch do?

 

Enforces laws

 

47L

 

What is a filibuster?

 

When a senator talks endlessly to delay action on a bill.

 

 

48L

 

What does the rules committee do?

 

1.      Sends a bill to its proper committee

2.      Make specific rules for individual bills

49L

 

Can the Vice President vote on Senate issues?

 

No-unless there is a tie

 

 

50L

 

A senator must be at least _____ years old to be elected.

 

30

 

51L

 

What is a “quorum”?

 

The number necessary to legally do business (in our government 1 more than half)

 

 

52L

 

What does the Senate represent?

 

The states

 

 

53L

 

Is there a limit on debate in the House of Representatives?

 

Yes-1 Hour

 

 

54L

 

How many representatives are in the House of Representatives?

 

435

 

55L

 

What are the two major political parties in the U.S.?

 

Democrats and Republicans

 

 

56L

 

A representative’s term of office is ____ years.

 

2

 

 

57L

 

What are the names of the two houses in our federal government?

 

House of Representatives and Senate

 

58L

 

A representative must have been a U.S. citizen for _____ years.

 

7

 

 

59L

 

How do we decide how many senators a state has?

 

Each state has 2

 

60L

 

The Speaker of the House must always be a member of the ______ party.

 

Majority

61L

 

Which house represents the people?

 

House of Representatives

 

 

62L

 

What does the House of Representatives represent?

 

The people

 

 

63L

 

Does the U.S. Constitution say that we have two political parties?

 

No-there is no mention of political parties in the U.S. Constitution

 

 

64L

 

For a bill to become a law it must   pass both houses, true or false?

 

True

 

 

65L

 

A senator must have been a U.S. citizen for ______ years.

 

9

 

66L

 

Who elects the Speaker of the House?

 

Direct vote of the House

 

67L

 

To keep one branch from gaining too much power, we have a system of ______ and ______.

 

Checks and balances

 

 

68L

 

When a bill starts in the House of Representatives, how is it labeled?

 

“HB”

 

 

69L

 

What fraction of our senators is elected every 2 years?

 

1/3

 

 

70L

 

When the population of the U.S. is officially counted, we call that count a _____.

 

Census

 

 

71L

 

A committee consisting of members from both houses is called a ______ committee.

 

Joint or conference

 

 

 

 

 

72L

 

When a vetoed bill is re-passed by 2/3 of both houses, this is called a veto ________. The bill then becomes a law.

 

Override

 

73L

 

A bill started in the Senate will be labeled _____.

 

“SB”

 

74L

 

If Congress adjourns before the President acts on a bill, he may refuse to sign it. This is called a _____ veto.

 

Pocket

 

75L

 

What majority is required to override the President’s veto?

 

2/3 majority in both houses

 

76L

 

Neither house may adjourn for more than 3 days without what?

 

Permission of the other house

 

77L

 

What is a “caucus”?

 

A meeting of members

 

 

78L

 

What is the supreme law of the land?

 

The U. S. Constitution

 

79L

 

A record of what goes on in Congress is printed in the _____ _____.

 

Congressional Record

 

80L

 

The U.S. Constitution grants all law making powers to whom?

 

Congress

 

81L

 

In our system of government, the U.S. Constitution gets authority from _____.

 

The people

 

82L

 

What is the minimum number of representatives each state must have in Congress?

 

3 (1 representative and 2 senators)

 

83L

 

When are elections held for representatives and senators?

 

The 1st Tuesday after the 1st Monday in November of even numbered years