4. Despite Americans’ frustration with Congress, however, it is likely that
America, which has its roots in Western European philosophy and culture,
would poll in the same range as Western Europeans in their preference for
legislative rule over a stronger, and perhaps more dictatorial, executive.
5. An endorsement of this perspective came, arguably, via the reelection of
Barack Obama.
Topic: Congressional Leadership and Committees
Learning Objective: LO 10.3: Compare and contrast the leadership systems used
in the House and Senate, and explain how work is done through congressional
committees.
Page Reference: 305
Skill Level: Analyze It
Difficulty Level: Difficult
103. In 2009, a member of the House introduced a bill to force a national college
football playoff. The bill failed, but the push for a national football playoff system
was ultimately successful. Was it appropriate for Congress to take on this issue?
Present arguments from both sides.
1. Take a stand for or against congressional action.
2. Arguments against: Congress had more important issues to address, for
example, the economy, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the debt ceiling,
unemployment, and climate change. It was not the appropriate venue to
push for the change. Other types of pressure would have been sufficient.
3. Arguments for: There was widespread support for the playoff system
from the public, the press, various athletic conferences, members of
Congress, and the president. Where else could those in favor of the playoff
turn to pressure the powers behind college football to act?
Topic: How a Bill Becomes a Law
Learning Objective: LO 10.4: Identify the steps by which a bill becomes a law
and the ways a bill can be stopped at each step.
Page Reference: 313
Skill Level: Analyze It
Difficulty Level: Difficult
104. In 2010, the Department of Homeland Security provided Wyoming with over
twice the funding per capita to combat terrorism than more populous and
vulnerable states like New York. Despite the seeming misappropriation of
PATRIOT Act funding, attempts to correct the distribution formula have
floundered, as representatives from smaller states blocked amendments. Analyze
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this issue by considering the trustee model versus the delegate model of
representation.
1. Define the trustee model as one where representatives are elected to do
what they think is best for their constituents, taking into consideration a
longer timeframe and broader national picture.
2. Define the delegate model as one where representatives are elected to
do the bidding of the people who elected them.
3. Relate these models to the issue explaining that representatives in the
smaller states are taking a delegate position to ensure the immediate needs
of their constituents are met by providing money for jobs and extra
security. Representatives in the smaller states do not have an incentive to
take a trustee position, which might cause them to sacrifice the immediate
gratification of their districts for the good of the nation.
Topic: The Job of the Legislator
Learning Objective: LO 10.5: Characterize the two ways legislators represent
their constituents, and identify the various influences on their votes.
Page Reference: 315
Skill Level: Analyze It
Difficulty Level: Difficult
105. Assess the Super Committee of 2012 in light of what we know about the
intentions of the Framers. Has partisanship gone too far, at the cost of efficiency?
1. Discuss the origin and reason for the Super Committee.
2. Analyze the constitutional basis for partisanship, noting that the Framers
preferred a stalemate in government when a consensus could not be
reached.
3. Argue whether it is beneficial to sacrifice efficiency to prevent a
concentration of power.
Topic: Introduction
Learning Objective: Introduction
Page Reference: 296
Skill Level: Analyze It
Difficulty Level: Difficult
Essay Questions
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106. Thousands of bills are introduced in the House and Senate every two years, but
only a few make it through the legislative process. Various interests influence how
members of the two chambers vote. Discuss these interests and what kind of pull
they have. Which of these do you think is most critical when members make
decisions about how to act? Why?
1. Describe the various influence groups and take a stand about which are
(is) most influential.
2. Colleagues: Members depend on voting advice from like-minded
members; this includes logrolling.
3. Congressional staff: The large numbers of bills and their complexity
increase the reliance of members on their staff for information and
opinions.
4. Constituents: Members of Congress usually do not vote against the
wishes of their constituents because they risk being ousted from office.
5. Ideology: Ideology is closely related to a member’s party as a predictor
of congressional voting, but political party is not a perfect predictor of
ideology.
6. Interest groups: These groups, which include lobbyists, put substantial
pressure on members of Congress; but they often cancel themselves out by
taking opposing views on issues.
7. Party: Most members stick with their party on votes, a trend that has
intensified in recent decades. Since 2000, members voted with their party
90 percent of the time; that compares with less than 70 percent of the time
on average in the 1970s.
8. President: The president uses a number of tools to influence Congress,
including distribution of government resources to friends, setting the
agenda in the State of the Union Address, submitting budget proposals,
and lobbying.
Topic: The Job of the Legislator
Learning Objective: LO 10.5: Characterize the two ways legislators represent
their constituents, and identify the various influences on their votes.
Page Reference: 315
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Difficulty Level: Moderate
107. Congressional approval ratings have never been lower than they are now. Public
confidence in the ability of Congress to solve important problems has waned.
Discuss the reasons why politicians appear at loggerheads with one another, why
solutions to substantive issues are either not addressed or given short-term
solutions, and what some potential remedies might be.
1. Recount one or more examples of policy shortfalls due to lack of
cooperation between parties, such as the 2011 debt ceiling crisis, or
attempts to deal with the so-called fiscal cliff.
2. Explain why some issues are more untenable than others. Address the
immediate needs of pleasing one’s constituency to be reelected, with
campaign fund-raising and other such concerns (the permanent campaign)
taking time at the expense of running the government.
3. Note that it is often in the legislator’s best interest to delay or “pass the
buck” on decisions that would be seen as harming or ignoring a district.
4. Answer may allude to the rise in party polarization and the need for
politicians to demonstrate loyalty to party leadership. Students may also
argue that the recent economic recession has added stress to an already
overburdened Congress.
5. Offer potential remedies that could include institutional changes,
political awareness raising, social activism, and so on.
6. Conclude with a short summation.
Topic: An Assessment of Congress
Learning Objective: LO 10.6: Evaluate the influence of citizens in the legislative
process.
Page Reference: 319 – 320
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
Difficulty Level: Difficult
108. You are a freshman member of the House of Representatives and want to
represent your district to the best of your ability. You know that being on the right
committee is crucial. What committee(s) would you most like to be on and why?
When and how might you become chair? What advantages will being on a
committee offer you and your constituents? With what obstacles will you have to
contend? Be sure to consider how your particular district affects your choices.
1. Relate that committees are the most important influencers of the
congressional agenda, and that committee chairs are the most important
influencers of the committee agenda.
2. Make a committee choice with direct relevance to the economy or
dynamics of the student’s home state. A student may also aspire to the
House Rules or Ways and Means Committees, both of which possess
inherent power.
3. Committee chairs in the House are traditionally selected based on the
seniority system, so it may take a while to get there. This forces the
legislator to toe the party line on key decisions so as not to alienate the
party leadership. However, straying too far from the will of one’s
constituency could prove disastrous for reelection.
4. Answer should include information on the benefits of chairmanship,
such as control over legislation, deference from other legislators, and
preferential treatment by lobbyists.
Topic: Congressional Leadership and Committees
Learning Objective: LO 10.3: Compare and contrast the leadership systems used
in the House and Senate, and explain how work is done through congressional
committees.
Page Reference: 307 – 308
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
Difficulty Level: Difficult
109. Is Congress really the “people’s branch”? Compare the two chambers of Congress
in terms of how responsive they are to the will of the people.
1. Recount the intent of the Framers in balancing the will of the people
against cool, collected consideration of policy issues. Terms of office in
the House and Senate reflect this goal, to make House members more
responsive to constituents and to provide members of the Senate with
more insulation from factions.
2. Discuss how the power of incumbency is seen as less powerful in the
Senate than in the House. And yet the majority of senators are reelected,
some for decades.
3. Describe how the Seventeenth Amendment made the Senate more
accountable by establishing direct election of senators. And yet governors
appoint new senators for vacant seats, while in the House, a special
election is held.
4. Examine the current demographics of the Senate in contrast to the
public, noting senators tend to be wealthier, more educated, racially
homogenous (white), and male, compared to the public and even the
House of Representatives.
5. Mount an argument about how American democracy is or is not served
by this design.
Topic: Congressional Elections
Learning Objective: LO 10.1: Describe the congressional election process and
the advantages it gives incumbents.
Page Reference: 296 – 299
Skill Level: Analyze It
Difficulty Level: Difficult
110. Discuss the validity of outside influences on congressional decision making. How
do outside influences shape legislative decisions? Where do outside interests
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stand in the models of representation? What institutional constraints enforce
congressional ethics? Include a discussion of social media.
1. Describe the major influences on legislators, including constituents,
parties, ideologies, presidents, colleagues, congressional staff, and interest
groups.
2. Frame the choices legislators make within models of representation,
describing when a legislator might act as a delegate or as a trustee, for
instance.
3. Use the By the People article to assess social networking effects.
4. Assess the impact of various congressional scandals (e.g., Abramoff) in
5. Provide a thoughtful argument and concise summary.
Topic: The Job of the Legislator
Learning Objective: LO 10.5: Characterize the two ways legislators represent
their constituents, and identify the various influences on their votes.
Page Reference: 314 – 319
Skill Level: Analyze It
Difficulty Level: Difficult
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