Legislatures

What is the primary function of legislative committees in organizing the work of a legislature?

In the United States Senate, what is the procedural practice that allows a legislator to delay or prevent a vote on a piece of legislation by extending debate?

According to the text, how many senators must vote in favor of a cloture motion to end a filibuster in the United States Senate?

Which model of representation involves a legislator acting based on the preferences of their constituents?

What is the key characteristic of a nonprofessional legislature, as exemplified by the Texas Legislature?

What annual salary do members of the nonprofessional Texas Legislature earn, according to the text?

What type of representation is defined as underrepresented minorities receiving better representation from people with similar demographic characteristics?

What is the fundamental difference between a parliamentary system and a presidential system regarding the relationship between the legislative and executive branches?

What does Duverger's law state about the effect of electoral systems?

In the 2020 United States Senate race in Minnesota, what percentage of the vote did the winning candidate, Tina Smith, secure?

What is the primary strength of a unicameral legislature?

In the German parliamentary system, the upper chamber, the Bundesrat, is designed to represent the interests of what entities?

What is the term for the phenomenon where leaders, particularly executives, expand their powers beyond prior limits and justify these expansions as legitimate and acceptable?

What is defined as the phenomenon in which legislatures give power to another branch of government, either by refusing to take action or by approving anything the other branch wants?

Approximately what percentage of countries around the world have bicameral legislatures?

Which of the following is considered a primary weakness of bicameral legislative systems?

What is the term for a challenge threatening legislatures that occurs when people or groups are divided between two extremes on an issue or position?

How many ridings, or federal electoral districts, does the Canadian House of Commons represent?

In the Parliament of the Bahamas, how are members of the 16-person Senate appointed?

What is a key difference between single-member and multimember legislative districts?

In the Danish Parliament, or Folketing, what is the number of seats in the largest constituency?

The politico model of representation is best described as a balance between which two other models?

What is the legislative 'power of the purse'?

What is required to amend the Japanese constitution, according to the text?

Which electoral system combines features of both proportional representation and plurality voting systems?

In the 2020 Irish elections, no single party gained a majority, leading to the formation of a majority coalition by which three parties?

In a semi-presidential system, who typically holds policy-making authority?

What is a major potential weakness of parliamentary systems related to government stability?

What does partisan representation oblige a legislator to do?

What kind of laws concern the relationship between the government and individuals and apply to all people, such as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act?

An electoral system where the relative level of support for political parties in the population is reflected in the legislature is known as what?

In the United States, how is a member of the executive or judicial branch removed from office after being impeached by the House of Representatives?

What is the term for a system of cooperation between members of the same political party where a legislator can rely on the opinions of members on a relevant policy committee when voting on an issue outside their expertise?

Which of the following describes a key role of minority parties in democratic legislatures?

According to the text, which country's legislature represents the country as a whole, without any specific geographic divisions for its members?

What is the primary method of oversight used by minority parties in parliamentary systems to check the power of the majority party?

What is defined as a system where two or more different parties decide to cooperate to form a majority in a legislative chamber?

Why are coalition governments considered potentially more fragile than outright majority governments?

The legislative process in which ideas come freely from all actors, are debated seriously, and can result in changes is most characteristic of which type of regime?

What does a first-past-the-post electoral system require for a candidate to win an election?

Which of the following did President Obama use executive action to create, as an example of executive dominance?

In a plurality voting system used in a multimember district with three open seats, how is the winner determined?

What type of legislature does a professional legislature like the California State Assembly have?

What is the primary purpose of holding hearings in the legislative process?

The idea that a legislator should use their personal judgment to make policy decisions in the best interest of their constituents is central to which model of representation?

What does it mean for a legislature to have a system of parliamentary procedures?

In a bicameral system, what is the term for a situation where different political parties hold the majority in each chamber, potentially leading to policy inaction?

What is the name of the lower chamber of the Irish legislature?

Which of these is NOT a major challenge facing legislatures in the 21st century, as identified in the text?

In the context of the legislative process, who is known as a bill's sponsor?