CP Parliamentary Procedures & Rules 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: When a motion to Reconsider is made, which condition must be met regarding who makes the motion?
- Any member may make it at any time
- It must be made by a member who voted on the prevailing side (Correct answer)
- It must be seconded by the original mover
- Only the chair may initiate reconsideration
Correct answer: It must be made by a member who voted on the prevailing side
Under RONR, only a member who voted on the prevailing side may move to Reconsider a vote.
Question 2: Which subsidiary motion has the lowest rank in the order of precedence?
- Postpone Indefinitely (Correct answer)
- Lay on the Table
- Refer to Committee
- Limit or Extend Debate
Correct answer: Postpone Indefinitely
Postpone Indefinitely ranks lowest among subsidiary motions and is applied directly to the main motion.
Question 3: A quorum is defined as the minimum number of members that must be present to:
- Elect officers
- Legally transact business (Correct answer)
- Adopt a budget
- Amend the bylaws
Correct answer: Legally transact business
A quorum is the minimum number of members whose presence is required for the body to legally transact business.
Question 4: Under RONR, the motion to Lay on the Table is properly used to:
- Kill a main motion without a direct vote
- Set aside business temporarily for an urgent matter (Correct answer)
- Postpone a motion to a definite time
- Refer a motion to a committee
Correct answer: Set aside business temporarily for an urgent matter
Lay on the Table is intended to temporarily set aside a pending question so an urgent matter can be addressed.
Question 5: Which of the following motions is NOT debatable under RONR?
- Main motion
- Postpone Indefinitely
- Amend
- Previous Question (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Previous Question
The Previous Question (motion to close debate) is undebatable because allowing debate on it would defeat its purpose.
Question 6: When does a 'tie vote' result in defeat of a motion?
- Always, because a tie is not a majority (Correct answer)
- Only when the chair votes to break the tie in the negative
- Only for constitutional amendments
- Never; the chair must always break a tie
Correct answer: Always, because a tie is not a majority
A tie vote means the motion fails because it did not achieve the required majority (more than half the votes cast).
Question 7: The motion to Amend an Amendment (a secondary amendment) may be amended again under RONR?
- Yes, amendments may be made at any level
- No, RONR limits amendments to two degrees (Correct answer)
- Yes, but only with unanimous consent
- No, only the chair can further amend
Correct answer: No, RONR limits amendments to two degrees
RONR permits amendments only to the first and second degree; a secondary amendment cannot itself be amended.
CP Parliamentary Procedures & Rules 2
When a motion to Reconsider is made, which condition must be met regarding who makes the motion?