Deck 8: Governors and Executives: There Is No Such Thing As Absolute Power

Question 1

Which of the following is true of gubernatorial campaigns?

A) They are attracting more women.
B) They are attracting less attention.
C) They are becoming less expensive.
D) They are becoming less professionalized.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

These days most governors do which of the following?

A) They serve longer terms than in the past.
B) They no longer have the power to appoint agency officials.
C) They can pass bills without the assistance of legislatures.
D) They go on to run for national office.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Voters see governors as which of the following?

A) token figureheads with little influence
B) an extension of the state legislatures
C) having powers equal to the president
D) being responsible for the performance of the economy

Answer 3

D

Question 4

When are the majority of gubernatorial elections held?

A) in odd-numbered years
B) in even-numbered years
C) in the third year of a presidential term (i.e., an off-year)
D) in May

Question 5

State constitutions grant governors which of the following?

A) no powers
B) informal powers
C) formal powers
D) infinite powers

Question 6

As chief spokesperson for a state, a governor is expected to do which of the following?

A) be a strong leader in times of crises
B) deploy the National Guard
C) propose yearly budgets to the legislature
D) serve as the leader for the state party

Question 7

Governors have ______ to appoint top agency officials than they used to.

A) greater authority
B) less power
C) more pressure
D) less help

Question 8

Popular support for a governor can do which of the following?

A) make legislators more willing to listen and deal
B) rise and fall with the fortunes of the state
C) make legislators more willing to listen and deal and rise and fall with the fortunes of the state
D) make legislators less willing to listen and deal and rise and fall with the fortunes of the state

Question 9

Most governors are able to do which of the following?

A) set their own salaries
B) simultaneously serve in the legislature
C) impeach state judges
D) veto legislation

Question 10

Managing state elections generally falls to which of the following?

A) lieutenant governor
B) attorney general
C) secretary of state
D) state comptroller

Question 11

______ power means that a governor can select people to run state departments.

A) Veto
B) Budgetary
C) Appointment
D) Judicial

Question 12

Historically, which of the following is true of most governors?

A) They have been white males with judicial education.
B) They have been white with local government experience
C) They have been white males with previous government experience.
D) They have been white males with limited previous government experience.

Question 13

As party chief for a state, the governor often is expected to do which of the following?

A) select the state party chair
B) raise money for state legislative candidates
C) select the state party chair and raise money for state legislative candidates
D) none of these

Question 14

Which of the following tends to be the dominant issue in gubernatorial elections?

A) the state's economy
B) the state's educational system
C) the state's judicial system
D) the state's lottery

Question 15

The final governor to be granted the power to veto legislation was ______ in 1997.

A) South Dakota's
B) Missouri's
C) Oregon's
D) North Carolina's

Question 16

After the American Revolution, which of the following was true about governors?

A) They were expected to appoint bipartisan legislatures and judiciaries.
B) They wielded considerable influence.
C) They were considered minipresidents.
D) They held almost no power.

Question 17

The National Guard is which of the following?

A) The governor's private army
B) Deployed in times of crisis
C) The governor's private army and deployed in times of crisis
D) To be used exclusively for combat

Question 18

A governor's power to grant pardons recently has been affected by which of the following?

A) legislation signed into law by the President
B) recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings
C) new DNA testing technology
D) improved legal access for convicted individuals

Question 19

The most successful governors are those who have which of the following?

A) a great deal of formal power and little informal power
B) a great deal of formal power and a great deal of informal power
C) a little formal power and a great deal of informal power
D) a little formal power and a little informal power

Question 20

Only ______ states have two-year gubernatorial terms.

A) twelve
B) eight
C) six
D) two

Question 21

Southern governors used their power as ______ in resisting desegregation during the civil rights era.

A) chief spokesperson
B) commander in chief
C) chief lawmaker
D) party chief

Question 22

In which of the following states does the governor have the power of the line-item veto?

A) Nevada
B) New Hampshire
C) North Carolina
D) North Dakota

Question 23

In nearly every state, the responsibility for creating a state budget lies in the ______.

A) governor's office
B) legislature
C) house of representatives
D) department of the treasury

Question 24

A ______ is a legislative vote of much more than a simple majority.

A) majormajority
B) megamajority
C) ultramajority
D) supermajority

Question 25

When a governor recruits and raises money for candidates for statewide office or the legislature, he or she is acting as a ______.

A) commander in chief
B) chief lawmaker
C) chief spokesperson
D) party chief

Question 26

Governors ______ as members of state legislatures.

A) want to be seen
B) are known as
C) do not sit
D) are not thought of

Question 27

Governors often spend time ______ in Washington, D.C., to try to gain money for their states.

A) vacationing
B) lawmaking
C) lobbying
D) filibustering

Question 28

The ______ is described as the platform from which governors command media attention by virtue of their office.

A) informal power
B) popular pulpit
C) officer privilege
D) bully pulpit

Question 29

______ tend to be based on personality or position.

A) Informal powers
B) Persuasive powers
C) Partisan powers
D) Formal powers

Question 30

Senate elections are ______ to following national trends than are gubernatorial elections.

A) more susceptible to
B) less prone to
C) more insulated from
D) less oblivious about

Question 31

Which of the following states has a particularly strong lieutenant governor (relative to the governor)?

A) Missouri
B) Illinois
C) Texas
D) South Carolina

Question 32

State legislatures ______ override gubernatorial vetoes.

A) always
B) often
C) rarely
D) never

Question 33

A ______ happens when a governor rejects only a portion of a bill.

A) veto
B) line-item veto
C) partial-rejection veto
D) cost-savings veto

Question 34

Most states have ______ the purview of the lieutenant governor's office.

A) limited
B) eliminated
C) ignored
D) expanded

Question 35

Which of the following is the primary reason for limited gubernatorial power following the American Revolution?

A) money
B) distrust
C) incompetence
D) tradition

Question 36

______ powers are those granted to a governor according to state law.

A) Informal
B) Persuasive
C) Partisan
D) Formal

Question 37

The ability to legally forgive crimes or change sentences is referred to as ______.

A) veto
B) pardon
C) commute
D) persuade

Question 38

______ are rules or regulations with the force of law, issued by governors.

A) Commandments
B) Executive orders
C) Signing statements
D) Administrative procedures

Question 39

The process by which a legislature can remove a governor from office is called ______.

A) impeachment
B) recall
C) rejection
D) censure

Question 40

SELECT ALL THAT APPLY. Governors often do which of the following to promote their state?

A) lobby for their state in Washington, D.C.
B) promote tax incentives to businesses and other groups
C) send out press releases touting tourist attractions in their states
D) raise taxes on new businesses

Question 41

Discuss the various roles governors must assume upon taking office.

Question 42

Briefly discuss the roles of lieutenant governors and state attorneys general and how those roles have changed over time.

Question 43

Every lieutenant governor is elected on the same ticket as the governor.

Question 44

Governors, not the federal government, have the final authority over where to deploy the National Guard.

Question 45

Governors can only achieve their agendas through their formal powers.

Question 46

What is the role of the governor in state party politics?

Question 47

The power to prepare the state budget may be a governor's most powerful formal tool.

Question 48

The formal powers of governors have increased over the last 100 years.

Question 49

The upside of appointment power is that the right people are guaranteed to be chosen.

Question 50

The ability to command media attention or persuade party members is an example of formal power.

Question 51

The power to call special legislative sessions is an example of a formal power.

Question 52

Discuss how gubernatorial powers have changed since the beginning of U.S. history.

Question 53

Discuss the importance of informal power in regard to the governor's office.

Question 54

A state that grants many powers to its governor still may elect a weak individual into office.

Question 55

Less work tends to get done during times of divided government.

Question 56

What are five formal powers of most governors?