CYBERLAND UNIVERSITY OF NORTH AMERICA

Dr. Almon Leroy Way, Jr.

University President & Professor of Political Science


POLITICAL SCIENCE 201B:

AMERICAN NATIONAL GOVERNMENT & POLITICS


REVIEW FOR EXAMINATION III


DIRECTIONS: Be knowledgeable about and be able to identify, define, describe, or explain each of the following:

U.S. CONGRESS: 
      U.S. Constitution, Article I, Section 1:  "All legislative
            powers herein granted...."

U.S. SENATE: 
      Total number of seats in the Senate;
      How the total number of Senate seats is determined;
      How and by what Senate seats are allocated;
      Senate members' terms of office;
      Staggered terms;
      Constitutional qualifications of members;
      Method of selection of Senators prior to 1913;
      Method of selection of Senate members since 1913;
      Relevance of the Seventeenth Amendment;
      Motives of the Framers in designing the Senate;
      How the Framers expected the chamber to operate;
      Representation of the "aristocratic" interest;
      How today's Senate differs from the Framers' design;
      Reasons for the difference;
      Impact of the Seventeenth Amendment;

U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES: 
      Total number of seats in the House of Representatives;
      How the total number of House seats is determined;
      Basis of representation of the states in the House;
      How, when, and by what House seats are allocated among the
            states;
      House members' terms of office;
      Non-staggered terms;
      Method of selection of House members;
      Constitutional qualifications of members;
      Motives of the Framers in designing the House of Represen-
            tatives;
      How the Framers expected the House to operate;
      Representation of the "democratic," or "popular," interest.

ENUMERATED (EXPRESSLY GRANTED) POWERS OF CONGRESS: 
      Unit Four website assignment:  "Constitutional Powers of
            Congress:  National Legislative Authority & the
            Enumerated Powers";
      U.S. Constitution, Article I, Section 8, Clauses 1-18;
      U.S. Constitution, Article IV, Paragraph 3;
      U.S. Constitution, Amendment 16;
      U.S. Constitution, enforcement sections of Amendments 13-
            15, 19, 23, 24, and 26.

CONGRESSIONAL POWERS--KEY CLAUSES IN THE U.S. CONSTITUTION: 
      Tax Clause;
      Commerce Clause;
      War Powers Clauses;
      Necessary and Proper Clause (Elastic Clause);
      National Supremacy Clause.

POWER OF CONGRESS TO LEVY TAXES: 
      Purposes;
      Limitations.

POWER OF CONGRESS TO PROVIDE FOR CALLING FORTH THE MILITIA: 
      Purposes.

IMPLIED POWERS OF CONGRESS: 
      Constitutional bases;
      Main constitutional basis;
      Broad construction;
      Important examples of the implied powers;
      Unit Four website assignment:  "Constitutional Powers of
            Congress:  The Implied Powers & the Expansion of
            Congressional Authority."

NECESSARY AND PROPER CLAUSE: 
      Where in the U.S. Constitution the clause is located;
      How the U.S. Supreme Court's interpretation of the clause
            has affected the scope of the legislative power of
            Congress.

NATIONAL SUPREMACY CLAUSE: 
      Where in the U.S. Constitution the clause is located;
      How the U.S. Supreme Court's interpretation of the clause
            has affected the delegated powers of Congress and the
            reserved powers of the states.

EXPANSION OF CONGRESSIONAL POWER THROUGH JUDICIAL CONSTRUCTION: 
      Major constitutional pillars;
      Broad construction.

MONEY BILLS AND THE U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES: 
      Revenue bills;
      Appropriations bills.

SPECIAL POWERS OF THE U.S. SENATE: 
      Impeachments;
      Treaties;
      Presidential Appointments.

SPECIAL POWERS OF THE U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES: 
      Impeachments;
      Revenue bills.

PARTY ORGANIZATION AND LEADERSHIP IN THE SENATE: 
      Party conferences;
      Party leaders;
      Party committees.

SENATE MAJORITY LEADER: 
      Method of selection;
      Positions and functions;
      Political significance and importance.

SENATE MINORITY LEADER: 
      Method of selection;
      Position and functions;
      Political sgnificance and importance.

SENATE MAJORITY WHIP: 
      Method of selection;
      Position and functions.
SENATE PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE: 
      Method of selection;
      Position and function;
      How the function is usually handled.

PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE: 
      How the office is filled;
      Constitutional duties;
      Degree if influence over the Senator's voting behavior, as
            regards proposed legislative bills.

PARTY ORGANIZATION AND LEADERSHIP IN THE U.S. HOUSE: 
      Party conference, or caucus;
      Party leaders;
      Party committees;
      Greater power of the House party leadership.

SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES: 
      Method of selection;
      Position;
      Formal powers and routine duties;
      Degree of influence;
      Political significance and importance.

HOUSE MAJORITY LEADER: 
      Method of selection;
      Position, functions, and influence.

HOUSE MAJORITY WHIP: 
      Method of selection;
      Position and functions.

CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES: 
      Importance;
      Functions;
      Joint committees;
      Select committees, or special committees;
      Standing committees;
      Conference committees.

HOUSE STANDING COMMITTEES: 
      Importance;
      Exclusive committees;
      Major committees;
      Nonmajor committees.

HOUSE AND SENATE STANDING COMMITTEES: 
      Importance;
      Subject matter specialization;
      Party representation;
      Committee chairmen and the seniority rule;
      Term limits for committee chairmen.

HOW A CONGRESSIONAL BILL BECOMES A FEDERAL STATURE: 
      Introducing the bill;
      Referral of the bill to committee;
      Subcommittee hearings;
      Markup of the bill;
      Full committee consideration of the bill;
      Reporting of the bill to the full House;
      Placing the bill on the House calender;
      House Rules Committee and granting the bill a rule;
      Reporting the bill to the full Senate;
      Placing the bill on the Senate calender;
      House floor debate on the bill;
      Senate floor debate on the bill;
      Senate filibuster and cloture;
      Conference committee and the conference committee report;
      Congressional passage of the bill;
      Presidential consideration of the bill;
      Presidential approval;
      Presidential veto;
      Congressional reconsideration of the bill;
      Congressional override of the presidential veto--The vote
            required to override the President's veto.

HOUSE RULES COMMITTEE: 
      Function and contemporary role;
      Granting a rule to a bill;
      Closed rule;
      Open rule.

ROLE OF THE LEGISLATOR AS REPRESENTATIVE: 
      Delegate;
      Trustee.

ROLE OF THE LEGISLATOR AS LAWMAKER: 
      Major influences on the legislator's voting behavior, as
            regards pending legislative bills.
      Attentive public;
      State delegation;
      Log rolling;
      Congressional staff.

CONSTITUTIONAL POWERS AND DUTIES OF THE PRESIDENT: 
      U.S. Constitution, Article II, Section 1--In what or whom
            the executive power of the U.S. national government
            is vested;
      U.S. Constitution, Article II, Sections 2 and 3--The
            enumerated, or expressly delegated, powers and
            functions of the President;
      U.S. Constitution, Article I, Section 7--The President's
            veto power over congressional legislation;
      Executive powers of the President;
      Legislative powers of the President;
      The President's "message power," or "message and recommend-
            ing power";
      Judicial powers of the President.

PRESIDENTIAL APPOINTMENTS: 
      Presidential appointments which the U.S. Constitution makes
            subject to Senate confirmation;
      Presidential appointments which congressional statutes make
            subject to Senate confirmation;
      Presidential appointments which are not subject to Senate
            approval.

UNITED STATES TREATIES: 
      How a treaty is made;
      What is required for a treaty to go into effect as American
            law.

ORGANIZATION OF THE PRESIDENCY--PRESIDENTIAL STAFF: 
      White House Office, or White House Staff;
      Executive Office of the President;
      Office of Management and Budget (OMB);
      Council of Economic Advisers (CEA);
      The Cabinet.

DECISIONMAKING ON ECONOMIC POLICY--THE PRESIDENT'S KEY ECONOMIC ADVISERS: 
      Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB);
      Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers (CEA);
      U.S. Secretary of the Treasury.

FEDERAL JUDICIARY--IMPORTANT TERMS TO KNOW AND UNDERSTAND: 
      Adversary system;
      Justiciable disputes;
      Standing to sue;
      Class action suits;
      Political questions;
      Stare decisis;
      Original jurisdiction;
      Appellate jurisdiction.

UNITED STATES COURTS: 
      U.S. Constitution, Article III, Sections 1 and 2;
      In what the judicial power of the United States is vested;
      Legal cases and controversies coming within the jurisdic-
            tion of the U.S. Courts;
      The original jurisdiction of the U.S. Supreme Court;
      The appellate jurisdiction of the U.S. Supreme Court;
      Jurisdiction and function of the U.S. District Courts;
      The U.S. Courts of Appeals--Importance, function, jurisdic-
            tion, and method of operation;
      Method of selection and terms of office of U.S. Supreme
            Court justices, U.S. Court of Appeals judges, and
            U.S. District Court judges.
      Function, method of selection, and terms of office of
            Federal Magistrate Judges.





Return to Unit Four,
MAJOR POLICYMAKING INSTITUTIONS
IN THE U.S. NATIONAL GOVERNMENT:
LEGISLATIVE, EXECUTIVE, & JUDICIAL