Making laws
quorum call
A roll call to establish whether enough members are present. In the Senate it is usually a stalling device, a way to pause the floor without adjourning.
In full
The Constitution requires a majority of each chamber to do business, and a quorum call tests for one. In practice the Senate uses quorum calls as neutral dead air while leaders negotiate offstage, and they are almost always ended by unanimous consent before the roll is finished. A genuinely failed quorum call can force absent members to the floor.
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A plain-language explanation for civic education, not legal advice. When in doubt, the official source named above controls.