CJUS 300 Quiz 5 - Understanding Congressional Leadership &
Apportionment | Questions And Answers, Latest Update | 100%
Correct Answers | Graded
1. Congressional leadership
Article I of the Constitution establishes the Congress, which serves as the legislative branch of the
federal government. Only one member of the House of Representatives has a position listed by name
in that document, the speaker of the House. The speaker’s job is established in Article I, Section 2,
which also calls on Congress to select “other OfÏcers.” While technically the speaker of the House does
not need to be a member of the House, every speaker to date has been an elected representative in
Congress.
The speaker of the House is the leader of the majority party. He or she is assisted by a majority leader,
a number of whips, and committee chairs. The minority party has an equivalent structure, with the
minority leader assisted by whips and ranking members on the various committees. A key component
of the speakership is maintaining party unity and party discipline; past Speakers have resigned as a
result of intraparty discord. The decision to run for speaker of the House requires significant
consideration and can be a major challenge. In the aftermath of speaker John Boehner’s 2015
resignation from the House, the Republicans struggled to find a candidate who could unify the
disparate factions of the party. Paul Ryan (R-WI) was elected speaker after a long negotiating period.
The Senate has a slightly different structure, as the vice president serves as the president of that
chamber. The Senate selects a president pro tempore to act in the absence of the vice president; since
1890 that person has been the senior member of the majority party. The Senate president pro
tempore may preside over the chamber, but it does not have the same administrative powers as the
speaker of the House. The Senate also elects majority and minority leaders who handle much of the
legislative process on the floor.
Watch the video and answer the questions that follow.
Transcript
CNN; POOL; House TV
Indicate whether each of the following statements is true or false.
Statement True False
Kevin McCarthy withdrew from consideration for the speaker’s race.
, Statement True False
Paul Ryan was pressured by other members of the GOP caucus to run for
speaker.
Paul Ryan was the chair of the Ways and Means committee.
Becoming speaker of the House is seen as a positive stepping stone to
running for president.
Paul Ryan declared his intention for running for the Senate seat from
Wisconsin.
Paul Ryan was the only person to run for speaker after John Boehner’s
resignation.
2. Members of Congress
House members must be at least 25 years old and have been U.S. citizens for at least seven years,
while senators must be at least 30 years old and have been U.S. citizens for at least nine years.
Members of Congress must live in the state that they represent, although House members need not
live in the district that they represent.
The U.S. Congress was created to represent the people and the states. It was the framers’ intent that
members of Congress advocate on their constituents’ behalf. As the notion of “who is represented” has
broadened to include women and racial and ethnic minorities, so too has the number of women and
racial and ethnic minorities who are elected to Congress increased. However, the Constitution does not
establish requirements for members of Congress beyond age, citizenship, and residency. In contrast,
some nations have quotas for women and other groups in their legislatures.
Apportionment | Questions And Answers, Latest Update | 100%
Correct Answers | Graded
1. Congressional leadership
Article I of the Constitution establishes the Congress, which serves as the legislative branch of the
federal government. Only one member of the House of Representatives has a position listed by name
in that document, the speaker of the House. The speaker’s job is established in Article I, Section 2,
which also calls on Congress to select “other OfÏcers.” While technically the speaker of the House does
not need to be a member of the House, every speaker to date has been an elected representative in
Congress.
The speaker of the House is the leader of the majority party. He or she is assisted by a majority leader,
a number of whips, and committee chairs. The minority party has an equivalent structure, with the
minority leader assisted by whips and ranking members on the various committees. A key component
of the speakership is maintaining party unity and party discipline; past Speakers have resigned as a
result of intraparty discord. The decision to run for speaker of the House requires significant
consideration and can be a major challenge. In the aftermath of speaker John Boehner’s 2015
resignation from the House, the Republicans struggled to find a candidate who could unify the
disparate factions of the party. Paul Ryan (R-WI) was elected speaker after a long negotiating period.
The Senate has a slightly different structure, as the vice president serves as the president of that
chamber. The Senate selects a president pro tempore to act in the absence of the vice president; since
1890 that person has been the senior member of the majority party. The Senate president pro
tempore may preside over the chamber, but it does not have the same administrative powers as the
speaker of the House. The Senate also elects majority and minority leaders who handle much of the
legislative process on the floor.
Watch the video and answer the questions that follow.
Transcript
CNN; POOL; House TV
Indicate whether each of the following statements is true or false.
Statement True False
Kevin McCarthy withdrew from consideration for the speaker’s race.
, Statement True False
Paul Ryan was pressured by other members of the GOP caucus to run for
speaker.
Paul Ryan was the chair of the Ways and Means committee.
Becoming speaker of the House is seen as a positive stepping stone to
running for president.
Paul Ryan declared his intention for running for the Senate seat from
Wisconsin.
Paul Ryan was the only person to run for speaker after John Boehner’s
resignation.
2. Members of Congress
House members must be at least 25 years old and have been U.S. citizens for at least seven years,
while senators must be at least 30 years old and have been U.S. citizens for at least nine years.
Members of Congress must live in the state that they represent, although House members need not
live in the district that they represent.
The U.S. Congress was created to represent the people and the states. It was the framers’ intent that
members of Congress advocate on their constituents’ behalf. As the notion of “who is represented” has
broadened to include women and racial and ethnic minorities, so too has the number of women and
racial and ethnic minorities who are elected to Congress increased. However, the Constitution does not
establish requirements for members of Congress beyond age, citizenship, and residency. In contrast,
some nations have quotas for women and other groups in their legislatures.
