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Runyan DHS Dec Exam
House and Senate Info
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| HoR: What is the term of service (how long do they serve before re-election) in the US House of Representatives? | HoR: Two Years |
| HoR: How many times can a representative be re-elected in the House? | HoR: As many times as they like. |
| HoR: How many representatives are in the House of Representatives? | HoR: 435 members |
| HoR: In what two ways can vacant seats be filled in the House of Representatives? | HoR: 1. State governor can call a special election; 2. The seat can remain vacant (open) for the rest of that term. |
| HoR: What are the three qualifications to serve in the House of Representatives? | HoR: 1. Must be 25 years old; 2. Must be a US citizen for 7 years; 3. Must live in the state from which you are elected. |
| HoR: Is a representative required to be a resident of the specific district within the state that he is representing? | HoR: No. This is a tradition, not a requirement. Districts get redrawn, and sometimes the representative is not a resident of his district anymore after redrawing district lines. |
| HoR: Who is the leader of the House of Representatives? | HoR: Speaker of the House |
| HoR: What are the duties of the Speaker of the House? | HoR: 1. Preside over the House; 2. To maintain order. |
| HoR: Who is the current Speaker of the House? | HoR: Representative John Boehner (pronounced BAY-ner) from Ohio. |
| HoR: How many representative does Kansas send to the US House of Representatives? | HoR: Four |
| HoR: How are seats in the US House of Representatives distributed? | HoR: By population. States with higher population have more representatives (Califonia has 53 seats), while less populated states have fewer seats (Montana has one seat). |
| HoR: What is the first step in distributing seats within the US House of Representatives? | HoR: A NATIONAL CENSUS is conducted by the US Department of Commerce every ten years to accurately count the population of each state. |
| HoR: What is the second step in distributing seats within the US House of Representatives? | HoR: Congress carries out the REAPPORTIONMENT to distribute the number of seats to the states, using suggestions made by the Department of Commerce census data. |
| HoR: What is the third step in distributing seats within the US House of Representatives? | HoR: State Legislatures go through REDISTRICTING, where they draw the boundaries for the state's congressional districts. This creates areas of equal population within the state. |
| HoR: What is "Gerrymandering?" | HoR: Redrawing congressional districts within a state in such a way as to give one specific political party an advantage. Done by "packing" (drawing districts that pull together a party's strong areas) or by "cracking" (separating areas of strength). |
| Senate: How many Senators are elected from each state? | Senate: Two per state. |
| Senate: How many total Senators are there in the US Senate? | Senate: 100 |
| Senate: Who originally chose the Senators from each state, according to the original drafts of the US Constitution? | Senate: They were originally selected by the State Legislatures. |
| Senate: In what year did the election of Senators switch to popular vote in the states? | Senate: 1913, due to the 17th Amendment to the US Constitution. |
| Senate: What is the term of office (time until running for re-election) for a US Senator? | Senate: Six years |
| Senate: How much of the US Senate is up for re-election at any time in one election? | Senate: One third of the Senate is up for re-election every two years. |
| Senate: Why is the US Senate considered to be a "Continuous Body?" | Senate: Two thirds of the US Senate is not running for re-election at any given time, so there is carry over and continuity within the membership. |
| Senate: What are the three qualifications to serve in the US Senate? | Senate: 1. 30 years old; 2. Citizen of the US for 9 years; 3. Must live in the state that you represent. |
| Senate: Why do US Senators not have districts which they come from or represent? | Senate: US Senators are elected from the entire state, therefore do not have districts. |
| Senate: Who is the official leader of the US Senate? | Senate: The President of the Senate. This person is also the Vice President of the United States. |
| Senate: Who is the current President of the US Senate? | Senate: Vice President Joe Biden. |
| Senate: Why does the US Senate also need a President Pro Tempore of the Senate to run things? | Senate: The President of the Senate (the Vice President) is not usually present for the day to day activity of the US Senate. |
| Senate: What are the main responsibilities of the President of the Senate? | Senate: When he is present, the President of the Senate 1. is a presiding officer, and 2. can vote to break ties if the vote is deadlocked at 50 votes yes and 50 votes no. |
| Senate: What are the responsibilities of the President Pro Tempore of the Senate? | Senate: He is the presiding officer when the President of the Senate is not in attendance (which is most of the time). |
| Senate: How is the President Pro Tempore of the Senate chosen? | Senate: The majority party in control of the US Senate chooses who will be President Pro Tempore. |
| Senate: In what two ways can vacant seats be filled in the US Senate? | Senate: 1. The governor of the state can call a special election to choose a new senator; 2. The governor of the state can appoint someone to serve out the remaining term. |
| Congress: What is the meaning of the term BICAMERAL? | Congress: The legislative body of the country has two houses (US Senate, and House of Representatives). |
| Congress: Why do all the states have the same number of senators (2 each)? | Congress: Each senator represents their entire state, and since each state has an equal number of votes it ensures that each state receives equal representation in the US Senate regardless of that state's population. |
| Congress: Why do all the states have different numbers of Representatives in the House? | Congress: They are apportioned according to population, so that they represent the people of their district within a state. |
| Congress: What establishes the details and rules of the legislative branch (Congress)? | Congress: The US Constitution, Article 1. |
| Congress: Why does the US Constitution grant more power to Congress than the other two branches of government? | Congress: The Framers intended that Congress should take the leading role in government within the United States. They were trying to prevent possible government corruption. |
| Congress: What is the current term of Congress? | Congress: Currently we are in the 112th Congress. |
| Congress: What is the meaning of the term BICAMERAL? | Congress: The legislative body of the country has two houses (US Senate, and House of Representatives). |
| Congress: Why do all the states have the same number of senators (2 each)? | Congress: Each senator represents their entire state, and since each state has an equal number of votes it ensures that each state receives equal representation in the US Senate regardless of that state's population. |
| Congress: Why do all the states have different numbers of Representatives in the House? | Congress: They are apportioned according to population, so that they represent the people of their district within a state. |
| Congress: What establishes the details and rules of the legislative branch (Congress)? | Congress: The US Constitution, Article 1. |
| Congress: Why does the US Constitution grant more power to Congress than the other two branches of government? | Congress: The Framers intended that Congress should take the leading role in government within the United States. They were trying to prevent possible government corruption. |
| Congress: What is the current term of Congress? | Congress: Currently we are in the 112th Congress. |
| Congress: How is a Congressional Term organized? | Congress: A term of Congress lasts two years. It is broken into two sessions of one year each. |
| Congress: What political party currently controls the US House of Representatives? | Congress: The Republicans |
| Congress: What political party currently controls the US Senate? | Congress: The Democrats |
| Congress: What is the usual result when political power is split and control is divided between the two chambers of Congress? | Congress: In this case divisions and disagreements tend to result in little progress being made and very little work getting done (laws getting written and passed). |
Created by:
Mr. O'Dell
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