2019-2020 Legislative Branch Practice Exam

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Question 1-4 refer to the passage below

When the legislative and executive powers are united in the same person, or in the same body of magistrates, there can be no liberty; because apprehensions may arise, lest the same monarch or senate should enact tyrannical laws, to execute them in a tyrannical manner.
Again, there is no liberty, if the judiciary power be not separated from the legislative and executive. Were it joined with the legislative, the life and liberty of the subject would be exposed to arbitrary control; for the judge would be then the legislator. Were it joined to executive power, the judge might behave with violence or oppression. There would be an end of everything, were the same man, or the same body, whether of the nobles or of the people, to exercise those three powers, that of enacting laws, that of executing the public resolutions and of the trying the causes of individuals.
Baron de Montesquieu, The Spirit of the Laws, 1748

1.Which of the following statements best summarizes the passage? *

a. The separation of powers helps to ensure liberty

b. The separation of powers ensures domestic tranquility and international peace

c. People, after experiencing a dictator’s oppression, will rise up in protest

d. Governments where one person wields legislative, executive and judicial power are always corrupt

2. How did James Madison expand on Montesquieu’s ideas when he wrote Federalist No. 51? *

a. He argued that three branches of government would best serve the United States

b. He wrote a draft of the Constitution that incorporated Montesquieu’s ideas

c. He proposed clear lines between the branches of government

d. He studies the fates of different governments that had attempted to separate government power

3. Which of the following events best reflects Montesquieu’s ideas in action *

a. The passage of the Affordable Healthcare Act in 2010

b. Vice President Lyndon Johnson becoming president after the assassination of President John Kennedy in 1963

c. Supreme Court justices attending the annual State of the Union address

d. The impeachment of President Bill Clinton in 1998

4. Based on the text, which of the following statements would the author most likely agree with? *

a. Conflict between branches of government slows down the government’s functions

b. The difference branches of government should not know what the other branches are doing

c. Conflict between the branches of government is a sign of a healthy democracy

d. The different branches of government should always cooperate with each other

Question 5-7 refer to the passage below

It appears also, that the prepossessions of the people, on whom both will depend, will be more on the side of the state governments, than of the federal government. So far as the disposition of each towards the other may be influenced by these causes, the State governments must clearly have an advantage. But in a distinct and very important point of view, the advantage will lie on the same side. The prepossessions, which the members themselves will carry into the federal government, will generally be favorable to the States; whilst it will rarely happen, that the members of the State governments will carry into the public councils a bias in favor of the general government. A local spirit will infallibly prevail much more in the members of Congress, than the national spirit will prevail in legislatures of the particular States.
James Madison, Federalist No. 46

5. Which of the following statements best summarizes Madison’s argument *

a. Congress will inevitably adopt a stance that favors the federal government

b. State governments should not fear encroachment on their powers by the federal government

c. Federalism requires that state governments be subservient to the federal government

d. The national government will have to be relied on to protect civil liberties that might otherwise be compromised by state governments

6. Which of the following constitutional provisions most supports Madison’s argument about the relationship between state governments and the federal government *

a. The supremacy clause

b. The necessary and proper clause

c. The Tenth Amendment

d. Enumerated powers in Article I

7. Supporters of Madison’s view about the inclinations of Congress could point to which of the following actions *

a. Members of Congress voting to authorize increased military spending

b. Members of Congress using earmarks to direct federal money to local projects

c. Members of Congress requiring federal oversight for cleanup of toxic waste sites

d. Members of Congress authorizing the use of states’ National Guard units to patrol the country’s borders

Questions 8 and 9 refer to the graph below

8. Which of the following best describes the trend in the graph above? *

a. The number of presidential vetoes rose dramatically in the 1990s

b. Presidents are more likely to veto bills in years when Congress passes fewer bills

c. Presidents issued the the largest number of vetoes between 1945 and 1960

d. The number of vetoes matched the number of bills passed in 1975

9. Which of the following can be inferred from the high number of vetoes issued by Republican presidents between 1953 and 1993 *

a. Republican presidents use the veto to enact their policies

b. Congress was very unproductive during this time period

c. Republican presidents were highly unpopular

d. Congress was controlled by the Democratic Party

Questions 10 and 11 refer to the graph below

10. Which of the following best describes the trend in the line graph above? *

a. The approval rating of Congress was higher in the early 1990s than in the late 1990s

b. Congress was more popular in the mid-1990s than in the late 1980s

c. Americans are usually displeased with the performance of Congress

d. A majority of Americans disapproved of the performance of Congress immediately following September 11, 2001

11. Which of the following has been a direct consequence of the trend illustrated in the line graph *

a. Internet websites with political content have become less popular with younger people

b. Increased political polarization in the general public and the decline in the congressional job approval rating continue at this present time

c. Since the 2000s, a greater number of congressional candidates have run as independents rather than as a member of a political party

d. Elected officials and candidates running for congressional office are increasingly using social media to reach out to voters and constituents

Questions 12 and 13 refer to the cartoon below

12. Which of the following best describes the message in the political cartoon? *

a. Although voters may claim to want change in Congress, they often wind up reelecting their local senator and representative

b. Incumbents often win, despite the efforts of their local constituency to vote them out of office

c. Incumbents often lose primary elections, thought they tend to win in general elections

d. Although voters wish to vote their local representatives out of office, they are apathetic about the overall makeup of the US Congress

13. Which of the following general trends in political elections most align with the message of the cartoon *

a. Senate incumbents are more likely to maintain their congressional seats than are incumbents in the House of Representatives

b. Incumbents have a large advantage over challengers, both in party support and campaign finance

c. Since incumbents spend much of their time in Washington DC, voters are often unsuccessful in their attempts to communicate with their congressmen

d. When voters become disgruntled with Congress, they often react by voting incumbents out of office

Questions 14 and 15 refer to the chart below

14. Which of the following statements is reflected in the statement above? *

a. Newly elected members are older than the other members

b. Senators on average are younger than representatives

c. The 115th Congress had the youngest newly elected Senators

d. Newly elected senators were on average older than newly elected House members

15. Which of the following could be an accurate conclusion based on the data in the table above? *

a. Older people vote more frequently and they want older people serving them

b. It takes years to get through law school before one can run for Congress

c. The average age of elected representatives has been steadily increasing

d. The Constitution requires lawmakers to be 50 or older

16. Which of the following is an accurate comparison of the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution

17. Which of the following is an accurate comparison of the House of Representatives and the Senate

18. Which of the following is an accurate comparison of Baker v Carr (1961) and Shaw v Reno (1993)

19. Members of the United States House of Representatives Committee on Veterans Affairs are concerned about the quality of services at hospitals run by the Department of Veterans Affairs. Which of the following is an action the committee can take to address the problem? *

a. Holding a hearing and subpoenaing high-level officials in the Department of Veterans Affairs to testify

b. Impounding funding for veterans hospitals until problems are resolved

c. Placing a referendum on the ballot in each state to increase health-care funding for veterans

d. Appointing a new secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs

20. Which of the following statements about the House of Representatives is true? *

a. All revenue bills must originate in the senate before moving to the House

b. Representation in the House is allocated equally among states, while representation in the Senate is allocated proportional to population

c. The Speaker of the House wields less power than the president pro tempore of the Senate

d. The House has a Committee of ways and means and the Senate does not.

21. Which of the following situations is an example of logrolling *

a. Giving up one’s political position to win a short-term victory

b. Changing the shape of a congressional district to favor one party

c. Gaining federal funding for one’s home district

d. Two congressmen agreeing to vote on each other’s bills

22. Which of the following statements accurately describes the legal impact of United States v Lopez (1996) *

a. Congress gained expanded power over states

b. The Supreme Court completely redefined federalism as a concept

c. There are limitations to Congress using the commerce clause to justify legislation

d. For the first time, states could pass gun control legislation

23. Which of the following would occur if Congress were to pass legislation and declare a recess, and the president took no action on the bill within ten days of its passage *

a. A line-item veto

b. A pocket veto

c. An adjournment

d. A writ of certiorari

24. Which of the following statements best describes the purpose of gerrymandering *

a. To increase the control voters have over their elected officials

b. To divide like-minded voters into several districts to reduce their influence

c. To put all racial minorities into one district

d. To equally divide a state’s congressional districts by size

25. A member of the House of Representatives has introduced a bill to raise the minimum wage, but it has been in committee for 36 days and is unlikely to make it to the floor. Which of the following is the best course of action for the representative to take to get a vote on the bill? *

a. Presenting a cloture motion

b. Placing a hold on the bill

d. Introducing a concurrent resolution

d. Filing for a discharge petition

26. Senator Smith votes her conscience on bills that her constituents care little about, but she votes according to the wishes of the majority of her constituents on other bills.Which model of representation do her actions embody? *

a. The politico model

b. The trustee model

c. The majoritarian model

d. The delegate model

27. Which of the following types of committee deals with broad areas of public policy and can be found in both houses of Congress? *

a. Rules

b. Joint

c. Conference

d. Standing

28. If Congress wanted to effect a change in the Social Security payroll tax, to what congressional committee would that task initially be assigned? *

a. House Ways and Means

b. House Rules Committee

c. Senate Finance Committee

d. Senate Judiciary Committee

29. Which of the following concepts did the ratification of the Constitution in 1788 clearly commit to *

a. The idea of direct democracy

b. The principle of limited government

c. The abolition of slavery

d. The need to protect the rights of the accused

30. Which of the following most accurately describes The Federalist Papers *

a. The Federalist party platform during the presidency of John Adams, the first Federalist president

b. A popular anti-British booklet of the pre-revolutionary era

c. A collection of essays arguing the merits of the Constitution

d. A series of congressional acts defining the relationship between the federal and state governments

31. Which of the following statements about Congress is true *

a. Congress cannot override a presidential veto

b. A proposed constitutional amendment must be approved by two-thirds of both houses of Congress

c. Congress can establish an official Church of the United States

d. Congressional power over the bureaucracy is less than that of the president

32. Which of the following demonstrates why the House Rules Committee is considered one of the most powerful groups in the House of Representatives *

a. It supervises the ethical conduct of House members

b. It oversees the selection of federal judges

c. It determines the number of subcommittees that a standing committee may establish at a given time

d. It determines the scheduling of votes and the conditions under which bills are debated and amended

33. What is the primary reason that the committees in the House of Representatives are more influential than they are in the Senate *

a. The difference in size between the two chambers means that more work is done on the floor of the Senate and more work is done in committees in the House

b. The Senate as a whole has confirmation powers that the House doesn’t have

c. Members are appointed to the committee in the House but are elected to committees in the Senate

d. A member of any party can serve on a committee in the House, but only major party members can serve on committees in the Senate

34. According to The Federalist Papers, federalism has which of the following effects on political factions *

a. It provides a structured environment in which factions can flourish

b. It limits the dangers of factionalism by diluting political power

c. It allows factions to dominate on the national level while limiting their influence on the state level

d. It eliminates any opportunity for factions to form

35. Which of the following best describes congressional committees *

a. Select committees are the most common type of congressional committee

b. Committees cannot be composed of members from both chambers

c. It is only expertise about issues, and not political party considerations, that determine committee assignments

d. Serving on certain committees can benefit a member of Congress during elections

36. Which of the following best describes the function of a motion for cloture *

a. To overcome a filibuster

b. To take roll call and establish whether a quorum is present

c. To permanently kill a pending matter and halt further debate on it

d. To bring up a bill of other legislation for consideration

37. In the 1990s, President Bill Clinton encouraged a transfer of power over welfare implementation from the federal government to individual states. This is an example of *

a. Devolution

b. Checks and Balances

c. Political Socialization

d. Libertarianism

38. Which of the following statements is most accurate about the congressional power to regulate interstate commerce *

a. It decreased with the ruling in Gibbons v Ogden (1824)

b. It does not include the power to regulate interstate navigation

c. It includes the power to regulate non-commercial transactions

d. It is a power that is often challenged in federal courts

39. Which of the following statements about congressional reapportionment and redistricting is true? *

a. The federal government redraws district maps every ten years after each census

b. Districts must be drawn so that, within a state, every person’s vote is roughly equal to every other person’s vote

c. The Senate, unlike the House, is apportioned every 20 years

d. States that have no major increase or decrease in population do not draw new district lines every ten years

40. A senator realizes a Senate vote on an immigration bill is coming up. The senator examines public opinion polls on the issue and carefully reads her inbox for constituents’ views on the bill and the issues and the issue. This senator is following which model of representation? *

a. Trustee

b. Politico

c. Delegate

d. Partisan

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