Chapter 7 Quiz

Twelve multiple-choice questions and four short-answer questions. Answer key at the end.

Multiple choice

  1. Article I of the Constitution vests legislative power in: a) The President b) The federal judiciary c) A Congress of the United States, consisting of a Senate and House of Representatives d) The states, individually

  2. The Necessary and Proper Clause has been interpreted broadly since which case? a) Marbury v. Madison (1803) b) McCulloch v. Maryland (1819) c) Wesberry v. Sanders (1964) d) NFIB v. Sebelius (2012)

  3. Since 1929, the size of the U.S. House of Representatives has been fixed at: a) 100 b) 435 c) 538 d) Whatever the most recent Census produces

  4. Equal-population districting within a state was constitutionally required by: a) Article I, Section 2 of the original Constitution b) The Fourteenth Amendment as ratified in 1868 c) Wesberry v. Sanders (1964) d) The Voting Rights Act of 1965

  5. The constitutional clause that, by the terms of Article V, cannot be amended away without a state's consent concerns: a) The presidential term b) Equal Senate suffrage for the states c) The age qualifications for federal office d) The location of the national capital

  6. As of 2026, roughly what fraction of the U.S. population lives in the 25 smallest states (by population)? a) 5% b) 17% c) 33% d) 50%

  7. Which classical theorist argued that representatives should serve as trustees rather than as delegates? a) John Locke b) Edmund Burke c) Thomas Jefferson d) James Madison

  8. The "Fenno paradox" describes: a) The mismatch between presidential approval and economic conditions b) The mismatch between low approval of Congress as an institution and high approval of voters' own representatives c) The fact that incumbents lose more often than challengers d) The fact that the House passes more bills than the Senate

  9. The 1973 statute that attempted to limit presidential war-making by requiring congressional approval after 60 days is: a) The War Powers Resolution b) The National Emergencies Act c) The Reorganization Act d) The Authorization for Use of Military Force

  10. Which of the following is a nonpartisan support agency that serves Congress? a) The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) b) The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) c) The National Security Council (NSC) d) The Federal Reserve

  11. The Hastert Rule is best described as: a) A constitutional amendment governing the Speakership b) A formal Senate procedural rule c) An informal House Republican convention that the Speaker bring to the floor only legislation supported by a majority of the majority d) A federal statute regulating committee assignments

  12. The total number of professional staff supporting Congress (personal, committee, leadership, and support agencies combined) is approximately: a) 5,000 b) 25,000 c) 100,000 d) 500,000

Short answer

  1. In 75–125 words, explain why the Founders chose a bicameral legislature with two chambers built on different bases (population for the House, equal state representation for the Senate). Reference at least one Federalist paper or one constitutional clause.

  2. In 75–125 words, distinguish descriptive from substantive representation as Hanna Pitkin uses the terms. Give an example showing how a single representative could score high on one and low on the other.

  3. In 75–125 words, identify two structural causes of declining congressional productivity that are bipartisan-structural (both parties have contributed) and one cause that is partisan-coded (each side blames the other). Be specific.

  4. In 100–150 words, explain the "imperial presidency / congressional retreat" pattern with reference to at least one specific area in which Congress has delegated significant authority to the executive branch. Was the delegation initially controversial? What would it take for Congress to reclaim the authority?

Answer key

  1. c. Article I, Section 1.

  2. b. McCulloch v. Maryland (1819) read the Clause to authorize any rationally related means.

  3. b. Set by the Reapportionment Act of 1929.

  4. c. Wesberry v. Sanders (1964) for House districts, with Reynolds v. Sims (1964) extending the rule to state legislative districts.

  5. b. Article V's only explicit unamendable provision.

  6. b. Roughly 17%, per the most recent Census Bureau population estimates.

  7. b. Burke, in his 1774 speech to the electors of Bristol.

  8. b. Named for Richard Fenno's 1978 Home Style.

  9. a. Passed over Nixon's veto in 1973.

  10. b. CBO is a congressional agency. OMB and NSC are executive-branch.

  11. c. Informal convention; not a rule, not a statute.

  12. b. Roughly 25,000–30,000 across all categories.

Short-answer guidance.

Q13. Strong answer cites Federalist No. 62 or 63 on the Senate's "cooling saucer" function, contrasts the popular-passion check (House) with the deliberative function (Senate), and notes that the design reflects both functional differences (term length, age) and the federalism compromise (large-state vs. small-state representation).

Q14. Strong answer defines descriptive representation as resemblance (race, gender, class) and substantive as acting in constituents' interests. Example: a Black Republican representative who votes against the policy preferences of most Black voters in the district scores high on descriptive representation but low on substantive (relative to those voters).

Q15. Bipartisan-structural causes include the fundraising treadmill, the decline of regular order, the budget-process breakdown, and the Senate filibuster's interaction with narrow margins. Partisan-coded: "the other party is blocking everything," with each side citing the other's filibusters or messaging votes.

Q16. Specific delegation examples: tariff and trade authority (delegated by 1934 Reciprocal Tariff Act and successor statutes); regulatory authority (broad delegations to agencies); war powers (effectively unconstrained by the 1973 War Powers Resolution); national emergency declarations (under the 1976 National Emergencies Act). Reclaiming requires legislative supermajorities to override likely vetoes; political will has not been there in either party.

Score yourself and review. Anything below 9 of 12 on multiple choice or below "competent" on the short answers warrants a re-read of the relevant chapter sections.