Deck 10: The Presidency

Question 1

When presidents use pocket vetoes, they allow unsigned bills to __________.

A) become law after five days
B) become law after ten days
C) become law after twenty days
D) die after ten days

Answer 1

D

Question 2

It is required that presidential signing statements be published in the ______________.

A) Congressional Quarterly
B) National Journal
C) Federal Register
D) New York Times

Answer 2

C

Question 3

__________ was responsible for reorganizing the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, signaling the higher priority his administration intended to place on domestic social programs.

A) George W. Bush
B) Jimmy Carter
C) Ronald Reagan
D) Bill Clinton

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Presidential powers are addressed primarily in __________ of the Constitution.

A) the Full Faith and Credit Clause
B) Article II
C) Article I
D) Article IV

Question 5

The Twenty-second Amendment deals with __________.

A) legislative powers
B) budget-making powers
C) term limits
D) transition of power

Question 6

The Founders feared that presidents would become autocrats without __________ of judicial appointments.

A) House approval
B) Senate confirmation
C) vice-presidential approval
D) federal court confirmation

Question 7

The Constitution requires the president to ____________.

A) report annually to Congress on the state of the union
B) have quarterly press conferences
C) give biennial tours of the White House
D) televise the annual State of the Union address

Question 8

The Succession Act and the Twenty-fifth Amendment deal with __________.

A) income taxes on presidents
B) seditious speech against presidents
C) presidential war powers
D) transition of power, if a president is unable to continue serving

Question 9

The number of executive orders issued is not clearly known because their publication was not standardized until __________.

A) 1895
B) 1917
C) 1935
D) 1957

Question 10

The Twenty-second Amendment __________.

A) rescheduled presidential inaugurations to shorten the lame-duck period of incumbents
B) authorized political parties to name presidential candidates at their nominating conventions
C) determined which government officials succeed presidents who leave office before their terms are finished
D) limited how long individuals can serve as president

Question 11

James A. Baker, former chief of staff under Ronald Reagan, famously said, "There is no such thing as _________ outside of the office itself," when assessing the correlation between presidential effectiveness and practical knowledge of government.

A) executive privilege
B) presidential experience
C) presidential diplomacy
D) White House leadership

Question 12

The most well-known Supreme Court ruling on executive privilege is found in __________.

A) U.S. v. Nixon
B) Marbury v. Madison
C) Brown v. Board of Education
D) Lawrence v. Texas

Question 13

For most of the nineteenth century, the real power at the national level resided in the __________ branch.

A) judicial
B) executive
C) legislative
D) military

Question 14

Congress passed the Succession Act __________.

A) after General Haig demanded it
B) after Lincoln's assassination
C) after the death of Franklin Roosevelt
D) at the Constitutional Convention

Question 15

Which of the following is an eligibility condition specified by the Constitution for the presidency of the United States?

A) being at least 35 years of age
B) residing in the United States at least seven years before taking office
C) holding a college degree from a U.S. university
D) living in the District of Columbia

Question 16

Congress has __________ used its removal powers against presidents.

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

Question 17

Presidents derive their powers from __________,

A) the Supreme Court
B) the U.S. Congress
C) the executive branch
D) the Constitution

Question 18

The Senate decides to remove presidents from office __________.

A) after Congress votes for their impeachment
B) after the courts find them guilty as charged
C) when they have done something criminal
D) after the House votes for their impeachment

Question 19

The __________ is the constitutional power that allows presidents to block congressional legislation.

A) signing barrier
B) veto
C) executive check
D) legislative force

Question 20

A(n) __________ is a unilateral command issued by the president with the full force of law.

A) franking perogative
B) executive privilege
C) executive order
D) presidential prerogative

Question 21

__________ mastered the art of public speaking by acting in theater, movies, and television.

A) Ronald Reagan
B) George H. W. Bush
C) John Kennedy
D) Bill Clinton

Question 22

__________ are a type of presidential authorization not mentioned in the Constitution.

A) legislative vetoes
B) pardon powers
C) appointment powers
D) executive agreements

Question 23

Which president centralized policy decisions in the White House with "czars" coordinating policies across numerous departments and agencies?

A) Ronald Reagan
B) George W. Bush
C) Bill Clinton
D) Barack Obama

Question 24

By designating the president as commander-in-chief, the United States __________.

A) makes the presidency militaristic
B) gives control over the military to a civilian authority
C) gives the military control over civilian-led government
D) gives the president an honorary military position

Question 25

Which of the following presidential actions do not require congressional approval?

A) executive agreements
B) treaties
C) appointments of ambassadors
D) judicial appointments

Question 26

Presidents may "exercise leniency toward persons who have committed federal crimes" through their __________.

A) diplomatic power
B) pardon power
C) power of attorney
D) executive power

Question 27

Presidents from both political parties have been known to use __________ to achieve legislative priorities in face of congressional resistance.

A) presidential proxies
B) executive privilege
C) budget-making powers
D) signing statements

Question 28

President George H. W. Bush controversially used his presidential powers to pardon officials involved in the __________.

A) Iran hostage crisis
B) Watergate scandal
C) Iran-Contra scandal
D) Burrell affair

Question 29

By virtually everyone's judgment, __________ is deemed to have been the most powerful vice president in U.S. history.

A) Donald Rumsfeld
B) Walter Mondale
C) Al Gore
D) Dick Cheney

Question 30

Which unit within the Executive Office of the President "extends the president's reach" and "magnifies the president's voice?"

A) White House Office
B) National Security Council
C) Department of Homeland Security
D) Homeless Council

Question 31

Not "receiving" the ambassador of the Communist government of mainland China until years after the founding of the People's Republic of China is an example of the president's __________.

A) recognition powers
B) franking privileges
C) executive privileges
D) partisan self-interest

Question 32

Although the president has the power to negotiate treaties, they must be approved by the __________.

A) Congress
B) Senate
C) people
D) military

Question 33

__________ is credited with doing more than any other president to develop and institutionalize the one-on-one relationship between the American people and the presidency.

A) Franklin Roosevelt
B) Theodore Roosevelt
C) John Kennedy
D) Barack Obama

Question 34

Congress considers the Office of the First Lady to be a(n) __________.

A) de facto public office
B) insignificant policy-making adjunct
C) fully authorized and fully appropriated post
D) extension of the legislative branch

Question 35

Historically, vice presidents were chosen to __________.

A) contribute financial resources to the election campaign
B) balance the ticket geographically or ideologically
C) keep presidents honest
D) prepare for succession

Question 36

Which of the following presidential leadership roles is not defined in the Constitution, because political parties did not exist at the time?

A) chief diplomat
B) chief executive
C) party leader
D) commander-in-chief

Question 37

The president's powers to recognize or reject foreign ambassadors __________.

A) are largely ceremonial
B) have little impact on foreign policy
C) are highly symbolic and profoundly significant
D) were established with the Twenty-second Amendment

Question 38

To gauge the public's views, Franklin Roosevelt made use of __________,

A) radio
B) fireside chats
C) straw polls
D) opinion polls

Question 39

Franklin Roosevelt used his power as commander-in-chief to _________.

A) declare war on Germany
B) control consumption and rationing
C) relieve General MacArthur of his command
D) veto, in 1941, the congressional declaration of war against Japan

Question 40

Which recent president issued most of his pardons (218 of 396 pardons) in the final days of his presidency?

A) Ronald Reagan
B) George W. Bush
C) Bill Clinton
D) George H. W. Bush

Question 41

While his party was in the majority in Congress, George W. Bush's legislative success rate remained above __________.

A) 90 percent
B) 70 percent
C) 50 percent
D) 40 percent

Question 42

What is executive privilege?

Question 43

What are executive orders and upon what they are based?

Question 44

What is the "One Percent Doctrine?"

Question 45

Why is the president the dominant force in foreign policy making? What has Congress done to assert its own role in this policy area? Do you think Congress should have an important role in foreign policy?

Question 46

How is the pocket veto different from the regular presidential veto?

Question 47

The purported goal of going public is __________.

A) to raise reelection campaign funds
B) to broadcast cabinet meetings
C) to secure favorable media coverage
D) to give interviews to Washington insiders

Question 48

What is the Presidential Succession Act?

Question 49

Name three offices of the Executive Office of the President and describe their responsibilities.

Question 50

How have presidential powers increased relative to congressional powers?

Question 51

Explain how the War Powers Resolution limits the president's authority as commander-in-chief.

Question 52

What are the formal qualifications to be president?

Question 53

Explain two of the president's legislative powers.

Question 54

Under which president did the presidency seem to be imploding, as the personal presidency reached a new level?

A) Richard Nixon
B) Abraham Lincoln
C) Franklin Roosevelt
D) Bill Clinton

Question 55

Briefly describe the impeachment process.

Question 56

What is the rationale for executive orders?

Question 57

Explain how the president does or does not accomplish his legislative agenda?

Question 58

Briefly describe an example of an "imperial presidency."