Study/Discussion Questions
1. Why did the Founding Fathers choose a bicameral legislative system rather than a more traditional and
widely used system such as the unicameral system it had under the Articles of Confederation?
2. What are some of the major differences between the way members of the House of Representatives
originally selected vs. that of the Senate?
3. How did the 17th Amendment change the way members of the Senate were selected?
4. What impact did this have on the type of representation a Senator must provide his/her constituents
5. How are territories such as the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the U. S. Virgin Islands
represented in the House? What type of representation do they have in the Senate? Explain your answer
6. What is Gerrymandering and why is it commonly used?
7. What provisions did laws such as the Voting Rights Act of 1964 provide for states that had the reputation of
gerrymandering? How did this change after 2012?
8. How should senators accommodate the diverse population they represent in a state like Texas or California?