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LEGISLATIVE ADVOCACY PRE-TEST
Below is a short quiz about our system of government here in the United States.
Discover what you do (and don't) know about how it works.......
1. There are three branches of the federal government.
They are:
a) House, Senate, and Congress
b) President, Vice President, Secretary
c) executive, legislative, judicial
d) Mo, Larry, and Curley
2. Congress is made up of:
a) the President and his cabinet
b) the House of Representatives and the Senate
c) the House of Representatives
d) Democrats and Republicans
3. How many Senators are there in the U.S. Senate?
a) one per state or 50
b) two per state or 100
c) 535
d) too many
4. What is the total number of representatives
in the U.S. House of Representatives?
a) five per state or 250
b) one for every 350,000 persons or 715
c) not more than 435
d) three
5. "Gerrymandering" is:
a) creating an election district to cluster groups
of voters to some advantage
b) the first step in impeachment
c) a Gaelic term used to describe persons who
do not vote
d) a tribute to Jerry Mathers for the work he did on
"Leave It to Beaver"
6. The President is elected "at large." This means
that the President is:
a) overweight
b) limited to two terms
c) missing
d) elected by members of the Senate
e) chosen through a nationwide election
7. Representatives’ and Senators’ term lengths are:
a) two years for both Senators and Representatives
b) six years for Senators and four years for
Representatives
c) two years for Representatives and six years
for Senators
d) four years for Representatives and Senators
e) five to ten years, with time off for good behavior
8. The Speaker of the House:
a) is the leader of the majority party
b) is, by tradition, the only person who may use a
microphone in the House
c) must be named after a lizard
d) may never debate an issue or vote
9. The President of the Senate:
a) is the leader of the majority party
b) must give a brief presentation on each piece of
legislation
c) is always the Vice President or his/her designee
d) lives in the Naval Observatory
10. "Sunshine Laws" are:
a) laws which require open legislative meetings
b) laws which are introduced during the spring session
c) laws which deal with environmental issues
d) laws which require review by the Ethics Committee
11. A "Joint Resolution" is:
a) when an amendment is proposed to the Constitution
requiring action by both Houses of Congress
b) anti-marijuana legislation passed in 1968
c) an agreement signed by the leaders of the
House and Senate at the beginning of each session
d) a bill which is passed by both the House and the
Senate and sent to the President for action
12. A "Conference Committee" is:
a) a meeting of Senators or Representatives which
is not held in Washington
b) a private meeting between Senate and House
leadership
c) an honorary committee which arranges tours,
junkets, etc.
d) an appointed committee of House and Senate
members who will meet to resolve differences
between two similar pieces of legislation
13. A "Constitutional Majority" is:
a) a committee dominated by either Democrats
or Republicans
b) always the House of Representatives
c) 218 members of the House and 51 members
of the Senate
d) in the United States’ case, white males
14. "Germaneness" of debate means that:
a) speakers in the House and Senate must
make short, succinct presentations
b) the debate must be relevant to the matter
under consideration
c) only persons of German ancestry may speak
d) nobody may speak for more than three hours
Answers: 1) c 2) b 3) b 4) c 5) a 6) e 7) c 8) a 9) d
10) a 11) a 12) d 13) c 14) b
12 TIPS FOR MEETING WITH YOUR LEGISLATOR
1. Set an appointment
2. Prepare
3. Arrive on time
4. Establish common ground
5. State your case succinctly
6. Listen
7. Identify factors impinging on decision
8. Identify friends/foes
9. Share only accurate information
10. Offer assistance
11. Thank them
12. Follow through with promises
Permission is granted by the author for use of this material.
Credit/ acknowledgment is required. Bob Michaels,
65 E. Kelly Lane, Tempe, AZ85284-4066
(480) 961-0553 [V/TTY] (480) 961-0533 [FAX]