PLS 101 EXAM 3 MISSOURI STATE
ONDETTI UPDATED ACTUAL Questions
and CORRECT Answers
What functions does Congress have in the US political system? - CORRECT ANSWER -
Makes laws/Writes laws, Oversight meaning they make sure the executive branch is doing what
its supposed to, and Representation function meaning they represent the people as the president
can only do so much.
Approximately how old is the average member of Congress? - CORRECT ANSWER - 59
Years old
Roughly what percentage of members are women? - CORRECT ANSWER - 23%
Are racial/ethnic minority groups over- or under-represented in Congress? How about
Christians? - CORRECT ANSWER - Racial/ethnic minority groups are definitely under
represented. Not Christians though they make up 88% of congress.
How big of an advantage do incumbents generally have in congressional elections? What factors
explain this advantage? - CORRECT ANSWER - A very large advantage because
gerrymandering districts in states are determined by the state legislature in a way that benefits
their own party which makes it hard for the opposite party of a district to win over the districts
preferred party.
What are redistricting and gerrymandering, respectively? - CORRECT ANSWER -
Dividing states into districts determined by the state legislature in a way that benefits their own
political party.
What are the key leadership positions in the House of Representatives? - CORRECT
ANSWER - Speaker of the house, Majority & Minority leaders, and the Majority and
Minority whips.
, Who is the presiding officer in the Senate? - CORRECT ANSWER - Vice President
What is the most powerful position in the Senate? - CORRECT ANSWER - The Majority
Leader
What do standing committees do in the US Congress? - CORRECT ANSWER -
Permanent committees that deal with specific issues, there are 20 of them and they deal with
things like agriculture, armed services, budget, homeland security, etc
Roughly what percentage of the bills introduced in Congress die in committee? - CORRECT
ANSWER - 90% of bills die in committee.
How powerful are committees in the US Congress compared to other national legislatures? -
CORRECT ANSWER - The committees have a lot of advantages and tend to get special
interest.
What are the major steps a bill must pass through to become law? - CORRECT
ANSWER - Senate, House, Conference committees, Presidential veto.
What is the key difference in how the House and Senate deliberate on a bill? - CORRECT
ANSWER - The house is more rule bound, opposes more rules because of its size, rules
committee decides how long they're going to talk about a rule before moving on, and you need
60 votes to pass a filibuster.
What is a filibuster and which house uses it? - CORRECT ANSWER - An action used in
the Senate such as a prolonged speech that obstructs progress in a legislative assembly while not
technically contravening the required procedures.
What does it mean when a bill receives closed rule treatment and in which house does this
occur? - CORRECT ANSWER - A "closed rule" sets strict time limits on debate and
forbids the introduction of amendments in the House.
ONDETTI UPDATED ACTUAL Questions
and CORRECT Answers
What functions does Congress have in the US political system? - CORRECT ANSWER -
Makes laws/Writes laws, Oversight meaning they make sure the executive branch is doing what
its supposed to, and Representation function meaning they represent the people as the president
can only do so much.
Approximately how old is the average member of Congress? - CORRECT ANSWER - 59
Years old
Roughly what percentage of members are women? - CORRECT ANSWER - 23%
Are racial/ethnic minority groups over- or under-represented in Congress? How about
Christians? - CORRECT ANSWER - Racial/ethnic minority groups are definitely under
represented. Not Christians though they make up 88% of congress.
How big of an advantage do incumbents generally have in congressional elections? What factors
explain this advantage? - CORRECT ANSWER - A very large advantage because
gerrymandering districts in states are determined by the state legislature in a way that benefits
their own party which makes it hard for the opposite party of a district to win over the districts
preferred party.
What are redistricting and gerrymandering, respectively? - CORRECT ANSWER -
Dividing states into districts determined by the state legislature in a way that benefits their own
political party.
What are the key leadership positions in the House of Representatives? - CORRECT
ANSWER - Speaker of the house, Majority & Minority leaders, and the Majority and
Minority whips.
, Who is the presiding officer in the Senate? - CORRECT ANSWER - Vice President
What is the most powerful position in the Senate? - CORRECT ANSWER - The Majority
Leader
What do standing committees do in the US Congress? - CORRECT ANSWER -
Permanent committees that deal with specific issues, there are 20 of them and they deal with
things like agriculture, armed services, budget, homeland security, etc
Roughly what percentage of the bills introduced in Congress die in committee? - CORRECT
ANSWER - 90% of bills die in committee.
How powerful are committees in the US Congress compared to other national legislatures? -
CORRECT ANSWER - The committees have a lot of advantages and tend to get special
interest.
What are the major steps a bill must pass through to become law? - CORRECT
ANSWER - Senate, House, Conference committees, Presidential veto.
What is the key difference in how the House and Senate deliberate on a bill? - CORRECT
ANSWER - The house is more rule bound, opposes more rules because of its size, rules
committee decides how long they're going to talk about a rule before moving on, and you need
60 votes to pass a filibuster.
What is a filibuster and which house uses it? - CORRECT ANSWER - An action used in
the Senate such as a prolonged speech that obstructs progress in a legislative assembly while not
technically contravening the required procedures.
What does it mean when a bill receives closed rule treatment and in which house does this
occur? - CORRECT ANSWER - A "closed rule" sets strict time limits on debate and
forbids the introduction of amendments in the House.
