1. Is Congress truly representative? Do you think that it really represents citizen needs and demands? Why or why not?

2. Americans seem to love their members of Congress but not Congress as a whole. What is the evidence for this? How can we explain this?

3. What does Congress do? What are its three main functions?

4. How do the dynamics of Committee government negatively impact the budgeting process?

5. Two nearly identical bills-both with bipartisan support-are introduced in the House and the Senate. Briefly describe their path to law.

6. What is the role of the speaker of the House? The Senate's president pro-tempore? The majority and minority leaders? Which tend to be more powerful? Why?

7. What are the mechanisms of Congressional oversight? Are they effective or not?