Deck 11: The Presidency

Question 1

Which one of the powers listed below is a constitutional power that the president shares with the Senate?

A)making treaties
B)commissioning officers
C)granting pardons
D)receiving foreign ambassadors

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Why are executive orders less enduring than formal laws?

A)They automatically expire after five years.
B)They can be reversed by future presidents.
C)They can be overturned by state law.
D)They can be vetoed by Congress.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

The use of __________ in foreign matters is an example of the president acting as diplomat in chief.

A)pocket vetoes
B)executive privilege
C)executive agreements
D)executive orders

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Which institutional resource is closest to the president?

A)Executive Office of the President
B)White House staff
C)the cabinet
D)Joint Chiefs of Staff

Question 5

Which president was the first to exercise the veto power?

A)Thomas Jefferson
B)John Adams
C)George Washington
D)Andrew Jackson

Question 6

Who did the Framers expect to be the first president of the United States?

A)Benjamin Franklin
B)George Washington
C)John Adams
D)Thomas Jefferson

Question 7

Franklin Delano Roosevelt's use of the "fireside" radio chats is an example of which role that presidents play?

A)agenda setter
B)president as persuader
C)president as role model
D)morale builder

Question 8

What problem did the 1796 presidential election reveal?

A)The president and vice president could be elected from different parties.
B)A president could win the popular vote,but lose the Electoral College vote.
C)A president could receive fewer Electoral College votes than the vice president.
D)Presidential electors could refuse to cast votes.

Question 9

What has to happen in Congress before the president can be impeached?

A)The House can impeach the president by a simple majority;the Senate does not have a vote.
B)The Senate can impeach the president by a simple majority;the House does not have a vote.
C)The House can impeach the president by a simple majority;the Senate needs a two-thirds majority.
D)The Senate can impeach the president with a two-thirds majority;the House does not have a vote.

Question 10

Which president served four consecutive terms in office,prompting passage the Twenty-Second Amendment?

A)Franklin Delano Roosevelt
B)Herbert Hoover
C)Theodore Roosevelt
D)Woodrow Wilson

Question 11

In which institutional resource are leaders both appointed by the president and approved by the Senate?

A)Executive Office of the President
B)White House staff
C)Supreme Court
D)Council of Economic Advisors

Question 12

The position of __________ is a well-recognized stepping-stone to the presidency.

A)National Security Advisor
B)chief of staff
C)vice president
D)secretary of defense

Question 13

Which of the following is an example of a rally point?

A)George H.W.Bush was reelected after winning the first Gulf War.
B)During the Watergate investigation,Richard Nixon's approval ratings soared.
C)George W.Bush's popularity was boosted following the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
D)Ronald Reagan's approval rating increased sharply during the Iran-Contra scandal.

Question 14

What does the Twenty-Second Amendment do?

A)requires that presidents are natural-born citizens
B)requires that presidents serve no more than two terms
C)requires the president to be a resident of the United States for two years
D)requires the president to be at least 35 years old

Question 15

Based on the Constitution's Take Care clause,__________ direct specific actions by government as a whole or individual departments or agencies,but do not have the force of law.

A)executive memoranda
B)executive agreements
C)signing statements
D)executive orders

Question 16

Who has the role of breaking a tie in the Senate?

A)president
B)Senate majority leader
C)Speaker of the House
D)vice president

Question 17

Which approach did both Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Lyndon Johnson use for managing the White House staff?

A)collegial
B)competitive
C)hierarchical
D)dictatorial

Question 18

Congress can remove a president through __________.

A)override
B)executive order
C)impeachment
D)filibuster

Question 19

Throughout most of its history,the office of ___________ was considered insignificant.

A)attorney general
B)chief of staff
C)secretary of state
D)vice president

Question 20

According to the Constitution,how is the president elected?

A)appointment through Congress
B)appointment through state legislatures
C)direct election by popular vote
D)election through the Electoral College

Question 21

Appointing which group is the first major job for the president-elect?

A)the White House staff
B)the Executive Office of the President
C)the National Security Council
D)the cabinet

Question 22

In which capacity is a modern vice president particularly influential in American politics?

A)as an adviser in the policy-making process
B)as a leader of the cabinet
C)as a lead negotiator for executive agreements
D)as presiding officer of the Senate

Question 23

Which of the following is a policy office within the White House?

A)the press office
B)the National Economic Council
C)the presidential campaign committee
D)the Environmental Protection Agency

Question 24

The __________ counsels the president on how much money should be distributed to each government agency and reports on each agency's effectiveness.

A)secretary of the treasury
B)Office of Management and Budget
C)secretary of commerce
D)chief of staff

Question 25

What approach did John F.Kennedy,Jimmy Carter,and Bill Clinton use in managing the White House staff?

A)collegial
B)competitive
C)hierarchical
D)persuasive

Question 26

Presidents with high levels of __________ have an easier time influencing Congress,while those with low levels find influencing Congress more difficult.

A)public approval
B)executive privilege
C)impeachment power
D)third-party connections

Question 27

In which way do modern presidents differ from the original intentions of the Framers of the Constitution?

A)Modern presidents are considerably less democratic than the Framers originally intended.
B)Modern presidents are much more influential in the legislative process than the Framers originally intended.
C)Modern presidents are much less partisan than the Framers originally intended.
D)Modern presidents are more subservient to the will of Congress than the Framers originally intended.

Question 28

The Executive Office of the President was created in 1939 to serve what purpose?

A)to supervise the growing federal government
B)to assess legislative proposals for budgetary issues
C)to lobby Congress in defense of the president's budget
D)to prepare the president's budget

Question 29

What did the Framers do to avoid tyranny or monarchy in the executive branch?

A)They made the president directly elected by the people.
B)They included separation of powers in the Constitution.
C)They did not allow the president to have military responsibility.
D)They limited the number of terms a president can serve.

Question 30

Using press conferences to build public support is a primary example of the president's role as __________.

A)diplomat in chief
B)persuader-in-chief
C)agenda-setter-in-chief
D)commander in chief

Question 31

In making the Louisiana Purchase in 1803,Thomas Jefferson drew on the claim of __________.

A)inherent powers
B)a presidential mandate
C)war power
D)executive privilege

Question 32

Which is one of the reasons that power and responsibility of the presidency has grown?

A)The line-item veto has increased the power of the president over Congress.
B)The budget for government agencies has decreased leaving more responsibility to the president.
C)Modern presidents have to exercise powers as commander in chief,while earlier presidents did not.
D)The United States has increased prominence on the world stage.

Question 33

The notion of inherent powers is derived from the __________ clause.

A)war power
B)take care
C)veto power
D)impeachment

Question 34

The president's role as __________ has weakened in recent years.

A)agenda-setter-in-chief
B)commander in chief
C)diplomat in chief
D)morale-builder-in-chief

Question 35

In the legislative process,the mere threat of a(n)__________ can strengthen a president's hand.

A)press conference
B)veto
C)executive agreement
D)mandate

Question 36

How is the presidential support score calculated?

A)by counting the number of presidential vetoes
B)by surveying White House staff members
C)by conducting public opinion polls
D)by counting the times the president wins key votes in Congress

Question 37

Why does Lyndon Johnson's presidential ranking tend to be lower than the rankings of Abraham Lincoln,Woodrow Wilson,and Franklin Delano Roosevelt?

A)He escalated U.S.involvement in Vietnam.
B)He showed a lack of leadership in the Great Depression.
C)He was unable to avoid personal scandal.
D)He was impeached by the House of Representatives.

Question 38

Which of the following is true about President Obama's cabinet?

A)Obama's cabinet includes people of color but does not include any women.
B)Obama's cabinet has fewer minorities than cabinets of some previous presidents.
C)Obama's cabinet is the first one to consist of a majority of women and minorities.
D)Obama's cabinet consists of mostly white males.

Question 39

Presidents often use the __________ clause to argue that they control everything that happens in the executive branch after a bill becomes law.

A)commerce
B)vesting
C)necessary and proper
D)due process

Question 40

Which presidential power gives the president the ability to control what happens inside departments and agencies during their terms and to shape the federal judiciary (including the Supreme Court)far into the future?

A)appointment
B)veto
C)pardon
D)impeachment

Question 41

Which of the following statements best characterizes the members of the White House staff?

A)The White House staff is a loose collection of bureaucrats who are loyal to executive agencies.
B)The White House staff is composed of individuals personally and politically close to the president chosen specifically to serve the president's needs.
C)The White House staff is composed of policy specialists who have little personal loyalty to the president.
D)The White House staff is the link between executive agencies in the bureaucracy and Congress.

Question 42

What distinguishes modern presidents from early presidents?

A)Modern presidents are much more liberal than early presidents.
B)Modern presidents are much less active in the formulation of policy than early presidents.
C)Modern presidents are much more active in the formulation of policy than early presidents.
D)Modern presidents are much less prone to engage in international conflicts than early presidents.

Question 43

What was the turning point that gave rise to the modern institutional presidency?

A)the social strife arising from the civil rights movement
B)the economic and social turmoil of the Great Depression
C)the demands of managing a modern army during World War I
D)the rise and importance of television as a mechanism that brought the president into the living rooms of American citizens

Question 44

Which of the following statements best describes contemporary relationships between presidents and Congress?

A)They are always passive,with Congress dominating the executive branch.
B)They are consensual in times of economic growth.
C)They are generally antagonistic.
D)They are generally hostile during periods of unified government.

Question 45

Which factor helps explain the growing resistance that presidents of recent years have faced in all their respective roles?

A)the fact that foreign policy dominates their attention
B)the fact that Americans care only about pocketbook issues,which presidents cannot affect
C)the fact that Americans,who have a persistent sense that Congress should be the center of government,are hostile to presidential leadership
D)the fact that Americans have a persistent sense that politicians can do nothing right,which constrains the ability of presidents to lead

Question 46

What is a possible problem of the War Powers Resolution (1973)as written?

A)It runs counter to the intentions of the Framers by diminishing the separation of powers between the two branches of government in favor of Congress.
B)It gives Congress the power to wage war without the president's consent.
C)It gives the president the power to wage short-term wars without congressional approval.
D)It gives the president too much discretion in allocating how funds are used in war.

Question 47

Why was the War Powers Resolution (1973)adopted by Congress?

A)to expand the powers of the president in the conduct of war
B)to limit the powers of the military-industrial complex in influencing foreign policy
C)to reinvigorate the role of Congress in the conduct of war
D)to empower the president to act unilaterally when American troops are in harm's way

Question 48

How might domestic or international crises affect presidential politics?

A)Crises lead to drops in presidential approval ratings,making passage of their agendas more difficult.
B)Crises make presidents more politically cautious.
C)Crises tend to temporarily increase presidential approval ratings,providing windows of opportunity to press for action on their agendas.
D)Crises permanently increase presidential approval ratings,guaranteeing reelection.

Question 49

You are an adviser to a president who was just elected to her first term in office.She has asked your advice about when to introduce major legislative proposals.Based on what you know about historical patterns of public approval for presidents,what would you suggest?

A)Wait at least six months before suggesting any major legislation.
B)Begin working to persuade Congress right after taking office.
C)Save the most important priorities for the beginning of the second term as president.
D)Save the most important priorities for the end of the first term as president.

Question 50

The Twenty-Fifth Amendment to the Constitution was adopted to clear up ambiguities over the constitutional provisions surrounding __________.

A)presidential powers to conduct war
B)the role of the vice president should the president die or become incapacitated
C)the president's powers to negotiate treaties
D)the separate election of the vice president

Question 51

How has the office of vice president changed over the years?

A)The vice president is no longer trusted as he once was.
B)The vice president,who once was very involved,is now frozen out of the policy-making process.
C)The vice president has been more involved in the policy-making process in recent years than in the past.
D)The vice presidency has become a prerequisite for the presidency.

Question 52

Despite their formal powers,presidents need to exercise which of the following leadership abilities to be successful?

A)the ability to enter into executive agreements
B)the ability to write legislation
C)the ability to persuade members of Congress and the American public
D)the ability to negotiate treaties

Question 53

What was particularly significant about George Washington's presidency?

A)His ambitions greatly expanded the powers of the presidency.
B)His early actions served to establish important precedents that greatly increased the political legitimacy of the office.
C)His military leadership as president was critical during the War of 1812.
D)His ambitions set up an early struggle between Congress and the presidency.

Question 54

In crafting the executive branch,what was the motive behind the decisions of the Constitution's Framers?

A)to create an effective national leader directly tied to the citizens
B)to create a strong national leader who would have direct ties to state governors
C)to create a leader with enough authority to protect the nation from domestic and foreign threats but not so strong that he or she would jeopardize liberty
D)to create a weak national leader that could easily be dominated by Congress

Question 55

One factor that has affected presidents' use of signing statements in recent decades is __________.

A)the decline in the number of bills passed by Congress
B)the ban on riders
C)the decline in public approval of Congress
D)the expansion of presidents' inherent powers

Question 56

Which of the following statements best characterizes the nature of the conflict between presidents and Congress?

A)The conflict is a by-product of the weakening of American political parties.
B)The conflict is integral to the design of the Constitution,deliberately intended by its authors.
C)The conflict is a by-product of the recent polarization of the American party system.
D)The conflict is a by-product solely of divided government.

Question 57

How does the United States differ from most other world powers?

A)It is neither a parliamentary democracy,nor an executive-dominated government.
B)It gives more power to the president than most other democracies.
C)It gives less power to the president than most other democracies.
D)Unlike parliamentary systems,it is an executive-dominated government.

Question 58

What was George Washington's most important precedent?

A)His retirement after two terms as president.
B)His refusal to veto a single bill.
C)His extensive use of executive orders.
D)His preference for executive agreements over treaties.

Question 59

How does the White House staff differ from the president's cabinet?

A)The White House staff has greater access to and more influence on the president than does the cabinet.
B)The cabinet has more access to the president than does the White House staff.
C)The president can fire the White House staff but only Congress can dismiss a member of the cabinet.
D)The cabinet is less democratic and less accountable than the White House staff.

Question 60

You are an adviser to the president,who recently revealed to you and other members of the White House staff that he is considering compiling "kill lists" of suspected terrorists.The president is concerned,however,that this action might be overstepping the bounds of presidential power.What constitutional provision could you advise the president to draw upon in justifying this action?

A)the vesting clause
B)the war power
C)the take care clause
D)the head-of-state power

Question 61

Despite his role in Vietnam,President Lyndon Johnson is considered a great president for launching Medicare and for helping secure civil rights for African Americans.

Question 62

The Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act encourages the president's use of impoundment.

Question 63

A parliamentary government elects prime ministers from the parliament.

Question 64

The Framers included a two-term limit to the presidency in the Constitution.

Question 65

The __________ scandal involved Richard Nixon invoking executive privilege.

Question 66

The Framers originally decided that the vice president would be the presidential candidate who received the second most Electoral College votes.

Question 67

When a bill is sent to Congress,the president is not allowed to encourage specific members of Congress to vote for the bill.

Question 68

The Office of Management and Budget is part of the Executive Office of the President.

Question 69

The president can be defeated after serving one term and still return for a second term after a future election.

Question 70

The __________ is the president's loyal assistant who oversees the flow of information in and out of the White House.

Question 71

Historically,presidents begin their terms of office with higher approval ratings and tend to lose popularity over time.

Question 72

The Constitution lists executive privilege as a power granted to the president.

Question 73

Joan O'Leary wants to run for president.She is a natural-born citizen of the United States.She is 45 years old.She has been a resident of the United States for 10 years.Therefore,she meets the requirements to become president.

Question 74

A __________ is a binding and public agreement between the United States and one or more nations,requiring mutual action toward a common goal.

Question 75

Congress has the sole authority to declare war.

Question 76

The idea that the president may be advised by executive branch officials in confidence without the advice becoming public is called __________.

Question 77

The president is in charge of the day-to-day operations of the federal departments and agencies.

Question 78

The __________ address has become one of the most important tools a president can use to call attention to the presidential agenda.

Question 79

If the president wants to disapprove individual items within a spending bill rather than the bill in its entirety,he or she can use the line item veto.

Question 80

The number of presidential press conferences has increased dramatically since Franklin Roosevelt's administration.