Which motion is used only by bodies with power to compel attendance to bring unexcused absentees to the meeting?

• A. Call of the Meeting
• B. Call of the House
• C. Call for the Orders of the Day
• D. Call the Roll

Answer: (B)

In Roberts Rules, a motion to call the house is a tool used only by bodies that have the authority to compel attendance. It is meant to bring unexcused absentees to the meeting by enforcing attendance, often allowing the presiding officer (and sometimes the sergeant-at-arms) to take steps to secure members’ presence so the body can proceed. This power to compel attendance isn’t available to every group, so this motion is specifically tied to those with that authority.

Other motions in this set don’t serve that purpose. Calling the meeting would simply address assembling people at a given time, but doesn’t imply the formal power to compel attendance. Calling for the orders of the day is about sticking to the planned agenda, not forcing attendance. Calling the roll is only a record of who is present, not a mechanism to compel absent members to attend.