Unit 2 Free-Response Questions: Prompt 3 — Unit test
Question 1 • AP US Government and Politics
Refer to the passage below.Quite as important as legislation is vigilant oversight of administration. . . .It is the proper duty of a representative body to look diligently into every affair of government and to talk much about what it sees. It is meant to be the eyes and the voice, and to embody the wisdom and will of its constituents. . . . The informing function of Congress should be preferred even to its legislative function.–Woodrow Wilson, Congressional Government (1885)
Answer
A
Administering the law is an essential part of Congress’s task.
B
Writing and passing legislation is Congress’s primary purpose.
C
Having oversight of the executive branch is an essential function of Congress.
D
Providing constituents a forum to speak on issues is an important duty of Congress.
Explanation
Wilson says a representative body should diligently examine “every affair of government” and act as the eyes and voice of its constituents. He argues that Congress’s informing function should come even before its legislative function. This supports the choice that oversight of the executive branch is an essential function of Congress, rather than making law its primary purpose.
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