Name ____________________________    Date ______________

Chapter 8: Study Guide

Section 3: How Congress Is Organized

Key Vocabulary:

1)       Define each term or phrase.

a)                 Speaker of the House

b)                President Pro Tempore

c)                 Majority Party

d)                Minority Party

e)                 Floor Leaders

f)                  Whips

g)                 Pocket Veto

Leadership in Congress:

2)                 Who is the presiding officer over the House of Representatives and who is the presiding officer over the Senate?

3)                 How are the Speaker of the House and the President Pro Tempore selected in Congress?

Speaker of the House:

4)                 What does the Speaker of the House do as part of his/her job?

President of the Senate:

5)                 What does the President of the Senate do as part of his/her job?

Floor Leaders:

6)                 What is the responsibility of floor leaders?

7)                 What is the responsibility of whips?

Working in Committees:

8)                 Why is it necessary to have a system of committees deciding on bills rather than each member of Congress?

Introducing Bills:

9)                 What are the different ways that a bill can begin in Congress?

10)            How are bills formally and officially introduced in Congress?

11)            How are bills assigned a number and title in Congress?

Standing Committees:

12)            How many permanent or standing committees are there in the Senate and the House of Representatives?

13)            How do committees “control the fate of a bill”?

14)            How is the leadership and membership of each committee decided?

Select Committees:

15)            What is the purpose of a select committee?

Joint Committees:

16)           What is the purpose of a joint committee?

Conference Committees:

17)           What is the purpose of a conference committee and what must happen after the members agree on the bill?

The Presidents Role:

18)            What are the two ways that a bill can become a law?

19)            What happens if the president vetoes, or rejects a bill?