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Legislative Branch: Exercise 1 - Structure and functions of Congress


Instructions: Read the passage and click on the correct answer. If wrong, try again. Scroll down if you do not see the Answer box.
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Primary Functions of Congress: Representation

      Members of Congress also have the responsibility to represent various interests in society. Some of the interests they must represent are the interests of their constituencies - residents of the districts and states that elected them to Congress - as well as the interests of the nation as a whole.
  • Constituency representation: Members of Congress must represent the needs of the people who elected them. They do this by passing laws that directly benefit their constituencies and by voting the way their constituency wants them to vote. Another way they represent their constituency is by providing them with services (casework). For example, a representative from a district with many senior citizens might publish information on social security benefits as a service for his constituency. It is very important for members of Congress to represent their constituencies properly because senators and House representatives depend on them to get reelected.
  • National representation: Members of Congress must also represent the interests of the whole nation. Since most members of Congress belong to either the Republican or the Democratic Party, when creating laws that respond to national issues, they tend to act according to their party's beliefs. They may support or vote against a national bill based on their party's ideology (belief), not based on the desires of their constituencies.
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