Deck 13: The Presidency

Question 1

Article II, Section 1, of the Constitution states that the president must be at least 35 years old, a resident of the United States for at least fourteen years, and be

A) a natural-born citizen.
B) a naturalized citizen.
C) an officer in the military.
D) male.
E) a former legislator at either the state or federal level.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

What is it called if the president shortens a federal prison sentence?

A) extreme clemency
B) commutation
C) pardon
D) forgiveness
E) presidential directive

Answer 2

B

Question 3

When President George W. Bush recognized the independence of Kosovo, he was exercising the power of the president to

A) join a league of nations.
B) uphold international law.
C) solely establish foreign policy.
D) serve as commander in chief.
E) recognize the legitimacy of foreign regimes.

Answer 3

E

Question 4

Which president's fourth term in office prompted the Senate to propose the Twenty-Second Amendment that limits the president to two terms?

A) Woodrow Wilson
B) Franklin D. Roosevelt
C) Theodore Roosevelt
D) Dwight D. Eisenhower
E) Grover Cleveland

Question 5

During the course of the nineteenth century, the job of the chief executive grew accordingly but, remained essentially focused on _________and __________.

A) expansion; domestic policy
B) national defense; economic growth
C) economic growth; technological growth
D) social issues; educational opportunities
E) national defense; illegal immigration

Question 6

Because a president in a second term cannot seek reelection, the president is commonly referred to as a

A) yellow dog.
B) cooked duck.
C) cooked goose.
D) lame duck.
E) dead dog.

Question 7

The presidential appointment process has two steps: nomination and approval by

A) popular vote by the people.
B) a majority of the Senate.
C) a majority of the House.
D) two-thirds of both houses of Congress.
E) majority vote of the cabinet.

Question 8

According to the Constitution, who becomes president when the president is removed from office by death, resignation, or inability to perform the duties of the office?

A) Attorney General
B) president pro tempore
C) Secretary of State
D) Speaker of the House
E) vice president

Question 9

_________, the hero of the Revolutionary War, whom the Framers had in mind for the office of the presidency, helped shape the idea of what a president should be.

A) Alexander Hamilton
B) George Washington
C) James Madison
D) John Adams
E) Thomas Jefferson

Question 10

In order for a treaty negotiated by the president to be considered valid, it must

A) be signed by the ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee
B) undergo review by the Joint Chiefs.
C) be approved by two-thirds of the senators present.
D) withstand constitutional challenges in the Supreme Court.
E) be approved by Congress.

Question 11

As ________, the president directs all war efforts and military conflict.

A) chief military officer
B) de facto head of the Joint Chiefs
C) commander in chief
D) chief legislator
E) head of the party

Question 12

The historian and presidential adviser Arthur Schlesinger Jr. used the term "_________" to describe the power of the president to speak for the nation on the world stage and to set the policy agenda at home.

A) bully pulpit
B) imperial presidency
C) regal beagle
D) royal highness
E) special prosecutor

Question 13

In dealings with foreign nations, the president has the power to

A) negotiate and sign treaties.
B) directly order the Senate to ratify treaties.
C) sign and ratify treaties.
D) negotiate environmental regulations, human rights accords and trade policies, but not military alliances.
E) negotiate military alliances and human rights accords, but not trade policies.

Question 14

Instead of providing the president with enumerated powers, the Framers _______ the president with a general grant of "executive power."

A) bestowed
B) rebuked
C) commissioned
D) vested
E) restricted

Question 15

When a president issues full forgiveness for a crime committed, it is called a(n)

A) commutation.
B) absolution.
C) habeas corpus.
D) pardon.
E) writ of certiorari.

Question 16

Which amendment required the president to nominate a replacement vice president, who must be approved by a majority vote of the House and the Senate?

A) Sixteenth
B) Seventeenth
C) Nineteenth
D) Twenty-First
E) Twenty-Fifth

Question 17

Until John Kennedy was elected in 1960, all presidents were from a _________ background.

A) Baptist
B) Catholic
C) Lutheran
D) non-religious
E) Protestant

Question 18

In 1792, Congress passed the _________ Act, which designated the president pro tempore of the Senate as next in line to become president after the vice president and the Speaker of the House.

A) Executive Office of the President
B) Resignation or Death
C) Presidential Power
D) Presidential Succession
E) War Powers

Question 19

The _________ Amendment, ratified in 1804, changed the process so that candidates are elected for president and vice president separately.

A) Ninth
B) Eleventh
C) Twelfth
D) Sixteenth
E) Nineteenth

Question 20

Who was the first vice president to assume office under the provisions of the Twenty-Fifth Amendment?

A) Gerald Ford
B) John Tyler
C) Spiro Agnew
D) George H.W. Bush
E) Harry Truman

Question 21

An automatic veto that occurs when Congress goes out of session within ten days of submitting a bill to the president and then the president has not signed it, is known as a(n)

A) veto.
B) omnibus bill.
C) pocket veto.
D) override.
E) entitlement.

Question 22

President Richard M. Nixon was embroiled in a serious scandal known as _________, after the name of a complex in Washington where the Democratic National Committee had its headquarters.

A) Watergate
B) Stonegate
C) Contragate
D) Teapot Dome
E) Stonewall

Question 23

In _________, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled that executive privilege is not absolute and must give way when the government needs the information for a trial.

A) Brown v. Board of Education
B) Hamdi v. Rumsfeld
C) Jones v. Clinton
D) United States v. Nixon
E) Bush v. Gore

Question 24

After his resignation, President Richard Nixon was succeeded by

A) Spiro Agnew.
B) Ronald Reagan.
C) Jimmy Carter.
D) Lyndon Johnson.
E) Gerald Ford.

Question 25

When President Harry S. Truman integrated the U.S. military, he did so by utilizing

A) a signing statement.
B) an executive order.
C) a general order.
D) the power of commander in chief.
E) a presidential proclamation.

Question 26

How many presidents have been impeached?

A) 0
B) 1
C) 2
D) 3
E) 5

Question 27

Typically, _________ instruct federal employees to take a specific action or implement a policy in a particular way.

A) executive orders
B) military orders
C) presidential platforms
D) proclamations
E) signing statements

Question 28

To counter the power of the veto, the Framers gave Congress the veto _________, the power to overturn a presidential veto with a two-thirds vote in each chamber.

A) approval
B) commutation
C) override
D) proclamation
E) veto

Question 29

A powerful tool that the president can use to influence legislation is

A) executive privilege.
B) omnibus bills.
C) the fireside chat.
D) the State of the Union address.
E) a whistle-stop tour.

Question 30

When a president signs a bill into law, the present can issue _________, written remarks that reflect the president's interpretation of the law, although they are not required or authorized by the Constitution.

A) executive orders
B) military orders
C) presidential directives
D) proclamations
E) signing statements

Question 31

President Theodore Roosevelt (1901-1909) described the office of the president as a(n) _________, where presidents could use the attention associated with the office to make a public argument in favor of or against a policy.

A) bully pulpit
B) dictatorship
C) fireside chat
D) imperial presidency
E) international platform

Question 32

If impeachment proceedings are initiated, who holds the trial?

A) House of Representatives
B) Senate
C) Senate Judiciary Committee
D) Supreme Court
E) Special Prosecutor

Question 33

The president's right to engage in communications with advisers that the president does not have to reveal is referred to as

A) commutation.
B) executive privilege.
C) executive privacy.
D) privacy clause.
E) proclamation.

Question 34

The president has the power to ________, but not to remove judges.

A) replace the Speaker of the House
B) fire federal officers
C) remove members of Congress
D) fire the chief justice
E) impeach the vice-president

Question 35

Federal programs, such as Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, which pay out benefits to individuals based on specified set of eligibility criteria, are known as

A) entitlement programs.
B) political perks.
C) executive orders.
D) signing statements.
E) pork barrel politics.

Question 36

Where does the process of removal begin for the president, vice president, and all civil officers (including cabinet secretaries and federal judges)?

A) House of Representatives
B) Senate
C) executive branch
D) Supreme Court
E) federal district court

Question 37

The president has the power to _________ bills passed by Congress before they become law by refusing to sign them and sending them back to the chamber in which they originated with his objections.

A) approve
B) commute
C) override
D) proclaim
E) veto

Question 38

At the highest level of federal office, two presidents-_________ and _________-have been impeached, but neither was convicted by the Senate, and both remained in office.

A) Bill Clinton; Andrew Jackson
B) Andrew Johnson; Bill Clinton
C) Thomas Jefferson; Andrew Johnson
D) Richard Nixon; Bill Clinton
E) Lyndon Johnson; Richard Nixon

Question 39

Presidents have been able to expand the power of the executive branch through the __________ provision in the Constitution.

A) "necessary and proper clause"
B) "general vestment of executive authority"
C) "take Care that Laws be faithfully executed"
D) "appointment of federal officials and judges"
E) "presidential powers"

Question 40

Which president used a combination of executive orders, proclamations and military orders to enforce the Brown v. Board of Education ruling in Little Rock, Arkansas?

A) Harry S Truman
B) Richard M. Nixon
C) Dwight D. Eisenhower
D) John F. Kennedy
E) Lyndon B. Johnson

Question 41

How did President Eisenhower treat the office of vice president during his administration?

A) He increased its responsibilities.
B) He decreased its visibility.
C) He ignored the vice president most of the time.
D) He believed the office should not be involved in foreign affairs.
E) He maintained the status quo.

Question 42

To combat the effects of the Great Depression, Franklin Delano Roosevelt had a clear policy vision, which he called the _________, and in the first three years of his presidency he succeeded in getting Congress to pass legislation that radically altered the size and shape of the federal government.

A) Cold War
B) Great Society
C) New Deal
D) New Frontier
E) Reconstruction

Question 43

Which president mounted an aggressive campaign to scale back federal programs that provided benefits to individuals?

A) Franklin Delano Roosevelt
B) George W. Bush
C) Lyndon Johnson
D) Richard Nixon
E) Ronald Reagan

Question 44

The loosely knit unit of key organizations that report directly to the president is known as the

A) Executive Policy Organization.
B) Congressional Budget Office.
C) Executive Organizations of the President.
D) Executive Office of the President.
E) Congressional Reporting Office.

Question 45

Although necessary, ________ are risky for presidents because they do not control the content or the process.

A) radio addresses
B) fireside chats
C) press conferences
D) whistle stop tours
E) state of the union addresses

Question 46

Under authorization given to ________, the United States entered into war against ________ in 2003.

A) President George H.W. Bush; Libya
B) President George W. Bush; Iraq
C) Congress; Iran
D) Congress; Syria
E) President Barack Obama; Afghanistan

Question 47

Although the office of first lady has no formal responsibilities, Eleanor Roosevelt was seen as a strong advocate for

A) civil rights.
B) temperance.
C) mental health.
D) nature conservation.
E) literacy.

Question 48

State the constitutional qualifications and succession requirements for the presidency.

Question 49

In October 1973, Congress passed the _________ stating that the president cannot send troops into military conflict for more than sixty days without seeking a formal declaration of war from Congress.

A) National Security Act
B) Omnibus Act
C) Paris Peace Accords
D) Tonkin Gulf Resolution
E) War Powers Act

Question 50

In the twenty-first century, the United States has been involved in major military conflicts in

A) Russia and China.
B) Iran and Syria.
C) Iraq and Afghanistan.
D) Libya and Egypt.
E) Crimea and Madagascar.

Question 51

As vice president under President Obama, Joe Biden

A) kept his personal policy agenda to himself.
B) was mostly relegated to a ceremonial role.
C) was the key figure in overseeing U.S. involvement in the Gulf War.
D) did not appear to play a substantial role.
E) was given significant responsibility for foreign affairs.

Question 52

In the role of ________, a president is the public face and authority behind U.S. foreign policy decisions.

A) head of state
B) judicial nominator
C) constitutional monarch
D) chief legislator
E) commander in chief

Question 53

One of the measurements of presidential leadership is whether or not they can have their ________ passed by Congress and enacted into law.

A) economic theories
B) preferred policies
C) cabinet appointees
D) negotiated treaties
E) executive orders

Question 54

Dwight D. Eisenhower instituted a more formal staff structure in the White House, starting with the appointment of the first _________, Sherman Adams.

A) cabinet secretary
B) chief of staff
C) foreign policy adviser
D) political director
E) special prosecutor

Question 55

Following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, President Bush claimed exemption from the _________ rules on the treatment and detainment of prisoners.

A) Geneva Convention
B) Paris Peace Accords
C) Tonkin Gulf Resolution
D) Vienna Convention
E) War Powers Act

Question 56

Who does the Constitution give the power to declare war?

A) Congress
B) president
C) states
D) Supreme Court
E) Secretary of Defense

Question 57

A presidential _________ is usually expressed as the percentage of the American public who say the president is doing a good job.

A) poll
B) directive
C) election
D) approval rating
E) policy proposal

Question 58

In 2004, the Supreme Court's _________ decision rejected attempts to deny habeas corpus protections to an enemy combatant who was a U.S. citizen because federal law prohibits such denial to U.S. citizens.

A) Boumediene v. Bush
B) Hamdan v. Rumsfeld
C) Hamdi v. Rumsfeld
D) United States v. Nixon
E) Youngstown Sheet and Tube Co. v. Sawyer

Question 59

Who created the formal position of White House press secretary, in part because of his media savvy?

A) Ronald Reagan
B) Harry S. Truman
C) Woodrow Wilson
D) John F. Kennedy
E) Franklin Delano Roosevelt

Question 60

President Lyndon Johnson's programs, which he called the _________, focused on improving race relations and ending poverty because he believed they stood in the way of social, political, and economic progress.

A) Cold War
B) Great Society
C) New Deal
D) New Frontier
E) Reconstruction

Question 61

Characterize the presidential power of commander in chief.

Question 62

Provide an analysis of Watergate, including a discussion of how the scandal impacted the relationship between the president and the American people.

Question 63

What do Americans expect from the spouse of the president?

Question 64

Discuss the types of veto power the president has, and what checks Congress has if the president exercises the veto.

Question 65

Explain the pardoning power of the president.

Question 66

Provide a detailed explanation of the case for presidential term limits. Include a discussion of the history that led up to the passage of the Twenty-Second Amendment.

Question 67

Explain how the president can use what Theodore Roosevelt called "the bully pulpit. "

Question 68

Detail the differences between executive orders and signing statements.

Question 69

What's the purpose of having a State of the Union address? Has it evolved over time?

Question 70

Explain the current order of succession when the president is removed from office by death, resignation, or inability to perform the duties of the office.

Question 71

Explain the War Powers Act and the restrictions it puts on presidents. Do you think this act is necessary today?

Question 72

Recall the different types of presidential directives.

Question 73

Provide a detailed discussion of the organization of the modern White House .

Question 74

Explain how the State of the Union address has evolved as a tool for the president.

Question 75

Detail the impeachment process from start to finish. Make sure to include historical examples  from the text.

Question 76

What characterizes an imperial presidency?

Question 77

What role did Vietnam play in the passage of the War Powers Act?

Question 78

What constitutional responsibilities does the vice president have?

Question 79

Describe the "two presidencies" that are suggested by the scholar Aaron Wildavsky.

Question 80

Discuss the struggle between the president and Congress over the military conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.