Deck 13: The Presidency

Question 1

When a president "recognizes" a country it means that the United States

A)formally rejects the legitimacy of that country's government and territorial claims.
B)will deploy military personnel within that country.
C)will impose economic sanctions on that country.
D)acknowledges the legitimacy of that country's government and territorial claims.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

President Abraham Lincoln justified his 1861 decision to suspend the writ of habeas corpus by pointing to which constitutional provision?

A)the "take care clause" of Article II, Section 3
B)the oath of office at the end of Article II, Section 1
C)the "vesting clause" of Article II, Section 1
D)the Tenth Amendment

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Which president was pardoned "for all offenses against the United States which he ...has committed or may have committed"?

A)Gerald Ford
B)Richard Nixon
C)Bill Clinton
D)Andrew Johnson

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Congress has successfully overridden a presidential veto ________ times in American history.

A)2
B)23
C)111
D)563

Question 5

The president's power to "grant Reprieves and Pardons" is an example of a(n) ________ power, while the president's power to remove executive branch appointees is an example
Of a(n) ________ power.

A)expressed; inherent
B)expressed; implied
C)inherent; expressed
D)inherent; implied

Question 6

________ powers are specifically established by the language of the Constitution.

A)Expressed
B)Delegated
C)Implied
D)Inherent

Question 7

A sole executive agreement is a

A)formal contract negotiated by a state governor and the president that requires the Senate's approval.
B)treaty negotiated by the Senate and a foreign state that requires the president's approval.
C)formal contract between the United States and a foreign state that is approved by a vote in the House of Representatives.
D)simple understanding between the president and a foreign state that is not submitted to Congress for approval.

Question 8

All executive agreements differ from formal treaties in that they

A)must be approved by the U.S.Supreme Court but not by Congress.
B)do not have to be approved by the Senate.
C)do not have to be approved by the House.
D)are generally formulated at meetings of the United Nations.

Question 9

The president's delegated powers come from

A)the Constitution.
B)Congress.
C)the president's party.
D)the Supreme Court.

Question 10

Dwight Eisenhower used ________ in 1957 to send troops to Little Rock, Arkansas, to help desegregate Central High School.

A)the national guard
B)presidential emergency power
C)the War Powers Act
D)the elastic clause

Question 11

The Constitution attempts to restrain the president's use of domestic force by

A)stating that a state government must request federal troops before the president can deploy them within that state to provide public order.
B)strictly prohibiting presidents from ever deploying federal troops within the United States.
C)requiring two-thirds of both the House and the Senate to vote in favor of any presidential order to deploy federal troops within the United States.
D)requiring a majority of both the House and the Senate to vote in favor of any presidential order to deploy federal troops within the United States.

Question 12

If a state government makes a formal request that the president deploy federal troops, the president

A)is constitutionally required to send exactly as many federal troops as the state government has requested.
B)is constitutionally required to send some federal troops, but he or she can choose exactly how many will be sent.
C)can only refuse to send federal troops if a majority of Congress votes to reject the state government's request.
D)is not constitutionally obligated to deploy national troops.

Question 13

Which president granted full amnesty in 1868 to all southerners who had participated in the "Late Rebellion"?

A)Abraham Lincoln
B)Andrew Jackson
C)Andrew Johnson
D)Rutherford B.Hayes

Question 14

The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) are

A)independent agencies that answer to neither the president nor Congress.
B)headed by the president.
C)headed by the Senate Intelligence Committee.
D)headed by the House Intelligence Committee.

Question 15

The United States' 2015 accord with Iran is a recent example of a(n)

A)executive-congressional agreement.
B)sole executive agreement.
C)executive order.
D)treaty.

Question 16

In order to get around the need for Senate approval of treaties, many contemporary presidents have made use of ________ in foreign affairs.

A)diplomacy
B)international protocols
C)executive agreements
D)executive immunity

Question 17

After more than four decades, President ________ restored the American diplomatic ties with Cuba that were severed by President ________.

A)Obama; Kennedy
B)George W.Bush; Kennedy
C)Obama; Eisenhower
D)George W.Bush; Eisenhower

Question 18

What is required for Congress to override a presidential veto?

A)a majority of both houses of Congress
B)two-thirds of both houses of Congress
C)three-fourths of both houses of Congress
D)a unanimous vote of both houses of Congress

Question 19

The office of the presidency was established by Article ________ of the Constitution.

A)I
B)II
C)III
D)V

Question 20

An executive-congressional agreement is a contract between two countries that can be approved with a

A)statement by the Speaker of the House.
B)statement by the Senate majority leader.
C)simple majority vote in both houses.
D)simple majority vote in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Question 21

When Dwight Eisenhower sent federal troops into Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1957, it demonstrated that the

A)president may make unilateral use of the emergency powers to protect states against domestic disorder.
B)president requires the federal court's approval before using troops in domestic disturbances.
C)use of the president's emergency powers against domestic disorder necessitates a request by the governor of the state in question.
D)president needs congressional authorization to use troops in both domestic and international situations.

Question 22

What did professor Jerry L.Nashaw mean when he said, "Most public law is legislative in origin but administrative in content"?

A)Congress tends to draft legislation that provides specific guidelines for implementation, so administrative agencies now have very little discretion to make rules that impact American citizens.
B)Congress tends to draft legislation that offers few clear guidelines for implementation, so administrative agencies now have wide discretion to make rules that impact American citizens.
C)The Executive Office of the President now authors most federal laws, and Congress simply votes "yes" or "no" without any significant debate or amendments.
D)State governments now author most federal laws, and Congress simply votes "yes" or "no" without any significant debate or amendments.

Question 23

The ________ asserted that the president could send American troops into action abroad only in the event of a declaration of war or other statutory authorization by Congress, or if
American troops were attacked or directly endangered.

A)War Powers Resolution of 1973
B)National Security Act of 1947
C)Boland Amendment of 1982
D)USA PATRIOT Act of 2001

Question 24

The number of vetoes issued by a president each year

A)has been relatively constant throughout American history.
B)has never exceeded two.
C)is typically higher when Congress is controlled by the opposite party.
D)is typically lower when Congress is controlled by the opposite party.

Question 25

Which of the following statements about the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is MOST accurate?

A)Congressional tax legislation is specific and detailed, leaving little to the discretion of IRS administrators.
B)Congressional tax legislation is vague and empowers the IRS to employ a great deal of "prosecutorial discretion."
C)Congressional tax legislation is vague and the IRS receives all of its guidance from the president.
D)The IRS is an independent government agency and is not influenced by congressional tax legislation.

Question 26

If a president claimed that he or she possessed the authority to execute acts of Congress according to his or her own understanding of the law and the nation's interests, he or she
Would be operating under the theory of

A)pluralism.
B)the unitary executive.
C)elite pluralism.
D)absolutism.

Question 27

The State of the Union address is

A)required by a law passed by Congress in 1803 and renewed ever since.
B)requested by the president, and comity demands that his or her request is always accepted.
C)based on tradition but was discontinued during the Great Depression and World War II.
D)mandated by the Constitution.

Question 28

The goal of the War Powers Resolution was to

A)compel a congressional declaration of war for every large-scale military operation.
B)limit the ability of Congress to cut off funding for troops when the president sends them overseas without congressional approval.
C)limit the power of the president to commit American troops to military action without authorization from Congress.
D)end the Vietnam War.

Question 29

Which two Supreme Court cases have affirmed the president's power to remove executive branch appointees?

A)Brown v.Board of Education and Plessy v.Ferguson
B)Clinton v.New York and Citizens United v.Federal Election Commission
C)United States v.Nixon and Clinton v.Jones
D)Myers v.United States and Bowsher v.Synar

Question 30

The main difference between inherent and implied powers is that

A)inherent powers can be traced to the powers expressed in the actual language of the Constitution, while implied powers derive from congressional laws and Supreme Court decisions.
B)implied powers can be traced to the powers expressed in the actual language of the Constitution, while inherent powers derive from congressional laws and Supreme Court decisions.
C)implied powers can be traced to the powers expressed in the actual language of the Constitution, while inherent powers derive from national sovereignty.
D)inherent powers can be traced to the powers expressed in the actual language of the Constitution, while implied powers derive from national sovereignty.

Question 31

Richard Nixon claimed ________ when he refused to turn over secret White House tapes to congressional investigators.

A)presidential immunity
B)expressed powers
C)executive privilege
D)the Fifth Amendment

Question 32

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) were established by

A)laws passed in Congress.
B)executive orders from the president.
C)Supreme Court decisions.
D)federal ballot initiatives.

Question 33

The power to receive ambassadors is an example of

A)an expressed power.
B)a delegated power.
C)executive privilege.
D)an executive order.

Question 34

The idea that all executive power inheres in the president except as explicitly limited by the Constitution is called the ________ executive theory.

A)unlimited
B)totalitarian
C)unitary
D)dual

Question 35

When members of Congress delegate power to the executive branch, it

A)substantially reduces the power of the federal government compared to state governments.
B)violates the Constitution by violating the separation of powers.
C)substantially reduces the importance of the presidency.
D)substantially enhances the importance of the presidency.

Question 36

Congress's tendency in recent years to give executive agencies fewer clear guidelines for implementing laws is the result of

A)the greater scope and complexity of the tasks that the federal government has undertaken.
B)the reduced scope and complexity of the tasks that the federal government has undertaken.
C)frequent requests made by state governments to transfer more power to the executive branch.
D)numerous initiatives passed by voters that require less legislative specificity.

Question 37

In United States v.Nixon (1974), the Supreme Court justices

A)impeached Nixon.
B)allowed Nixon to withhold secret tapes from Congress.
C)required Nixon to turn over secret tapes to Congress.
D)ruled that Nixon must resign from office in order to avoid criminal charges.

Question 38

A pocket veto is a

A)presidential veto that is automatically triggered if the president does not act on a given piece of legislation passed during the final 30 days of a legislative session.
B)presidential veto that is automatically triggered if the president does not act on a given piece of legislation passed during the final 10 days of a legislative session.
C)veto issued by the Senate against a bill passed in the House of Representatives.
D)veto issued by the states against a law passed by Congress.

Question 39

Which of the following statements about the presidential veto is MOST accurate?

A)Presidents have used the veto only twice in American history.
B)Use of the veto has remained constant across presidential administrations, and vetoes are frequently overridden.
C)Use of the veto varies considerably across presidential administrations, and vetoes are seldom overridden.
D)Use of the veto has remained constant across presidential administrations, and vetoes are seldom overridden.

Question 40

Which of the following statements about Congress and the executive branch is MOST accurate?

A)The Constitution explicitly prohibits Congress from providing specific guidelines to executive agencies for implementing laws.
B)Starting around the time of the New Deal, Congress has tended to draft legislation that offers very specific guidelines for implementation by the executive.
C)Congress has never given executive agencies broad mandates and has always drafted legislation that offers very specific guidelines for implementation by the executive.
D)Starting around the time of the New Deal, Congress has tended to give executive agencies broad mandates and to draft legislation that offers few clear guidelines for implementation by the executive.

Question 41

When President Truman seized the nation's steel mills during the Korean War, it would most likely have been on the basis of the president's ________ powers.

A)implied
B)expressed
C)delegated
D)inherent

Question 42

The president has the power to appoint which of the following positions?

A)state governors who resign before their terms have expired
B)all state Supreme Court justices
C)cabinet secretaries
D)members of the House of Representatives who resign before their terms have expired

Question 43

The president's group of advisers and analysts is collectively called the

A)Cabinet.
B)White House staff.
C)Executive Council of Advisers.
D)Department of State.

Question 44

How many vice presidents have had to replace presidents who died in office over the course of American history?

A)0
B)3
C)8
D)12

Question 45

President Trump's daughter, Ivanka, is part of the

A)National Security Council.
B)White House staff.
C)Cabinet.
D)Office of Management and Budget.

Question 46

After the president and vice president, which office is next in the line of succession?

A)Speaker of the House
B)Senate majority leader
C)secretary of state
D)attorney general

Question 47

Congress

A)can terminate a state of emergency declared by the president only with a joint resolution of the two houses.
B)can terminate a state of emergency only by impeaching the president.
C)can terminate a state of emergency only by convening an "emergency committee" composed of the Speaker of the House, the majority leader of the Senate, and the chief justice of the Supreme Court, as described in Article I of the Constitution.
D)cannot terminate a state of emergency declared by the president.

Question 48

There are ________ federal government departments and each is led by a ________ who is a member of the president's cabinet.

A)5; secretary
B)15; senator
C)15; secretary
D)50; senator

Question 49

________ was the first first lady to seek public office on her own.

A)Dolley Madison
B)Eleanor Roosevelt
C)Hillary Clinton
D)Laura Bush

Question 50

The Council of Economic Advisers

A)negotiates foreign trade treaties on behalf of the federal government.
B)regulates all stock market transactions and enforces federal antitrust laws.
C)sets interest rates for the federal government.
D)analyzes the economy and economic trends in order to help the president anticipate economic events.

Question 51

Cabinet members must

A)not be approved by the Senate and are not responsible to the Senate or to Congress at large.
B)not be approved by the Senate but are responsible to the Senate and to Congress at large.
C)be approved by the Senate and are responsible to the Senate and to Congress at large.
D)be approved by the Senate but are not responsible to the Senate or to Congress at large.

Question 52

An emergency declaration relating to foreign threats allows the president to

A)embargo trade, seize foreign assets, and prohibit transactions with whatever foreign nations are involved.
B)hold elections for an entirely new Congress regardless of whether congressional elections are scheduled.
C)issue a formal declaration of war without congressional approval.
D)add amendments to the Constitution without congressional or state government approval.

Question 53

A presidential emergency declaration remains in force

A)for only one month unless it is renewed by the president.
B)for only one year unless it is renewed by the president.
C)until the Senate votes to rescind it.
D)until the president chooses to rescind it.

Question 54

The ________ is the informal designation for the heads of the major federal government departments.

A)White House staff
B)Presidential Advisory Committee
C)Cabinet
D)Executive Office of the President

Question 55

Presidential spouses are an important resource for the president in order to carry out the duty of

A)head of government.
B)head of state.
C)commander in chief.
D)chief diplomat.

Question 56

The Office of Management and Budget is important because

A)it has the power to veto any legislation passed by Congress that negatively impacts the federal budget.
B)the Constitution requires that the president receive its approval for every administrative rule change and tax increase that he or she proposes.
C)it is granted the authority under the Constitution to pass the federal budget.
D)its personnel are an integral part of virtually every conceivable presidential responsibility, such as overseeing regulatory proposals, reporting on agency activities, and preparing the national budget.

Question 57

________ states that the vice president assumes the presidency in the event of the chief executive's death or incapacity.

A)Article I of the Constitution
B)The Twenty-Fifth Amendment
C)The Presidential Succession Act of 1947
D)United States v.Nixon

Question 58

The Office of Management and Budget and the Council of Economic Advisers are both parts of the

A)Cabinet.
B)White House staff.
C)Executive Office of the President.
D)Department of the Interior.

Question 59

If Vice President Pence were to resign from office

A)President Trump could select any replacement he desired and that person would immediately take office.
B)a new, national election would be held in which both the Democratic and Republican parties could select a single candidate to run.
C)the Senate would select a replacement.
D)President Trump could nominate a replacement, but that replacement would have to be confirmed by a majority vote of both houses of Congress before taking office.

Question 60

Approximately ________ people work for the various agencies within the Executive Office of the President.

A)25 to 50
B)500 to 750
C)1,500 to 2,000
D)5,000 to 7,500

Question 61

When President Obama prohibited federal agencies and contractors from discriminating against transgender employees, it was an example of a(n)

A)exercise of executive privilege.
B)signing statement.
C)executive order.
D)executive agreement.

Question 62

When President Clinton ordered the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to develop rules designed to restrict the marketing of tobacco products to children, it was an example of how
Presidents

A)now attempt to exert influence over independent agencies within the federal government by "going public."
B)now seek control over state government agencies as well as federal government agencies.
C)now use the rule-making process as a quasi-legislative mechanism through which they can engage in lawmaking without the interference of the legislature.
D)have recently used the so-called takings clause of the Fifth Amendment to achieve their policy goals without judicial approval.

Question 63

The main political value of the vice president is to

A)bring the president votes in the election from a group or region that would not otherwise be a likely source of support.
B)draw negative attention away from the president during times of crisis.
C)give the president an institutional link to Congress.
D)promote bipartisanship with members of the opposing political party.

Question 64

In general, presidents

A)must state the constitutional or statutory basis for their use of executive orders.
B)are not required to explain the constitutional or statutory basis for their use of executive orders.
C)must secure preclearance from the federal judiciary for their use of executive orders.
D)must obtain a so-called consent decree from the Senate before they use executive orders.

Question 65

The three components of presidents' "administrative strategy" have been enhancing the power of the ________, increasing White House control over the federal ________, and
Expanding the role of ________ and other instruments of direct presidential governance.

A)Government Accountability Office; bureaucracy; earmarks
B)Executive Office of the President; bureaucracy; executive orders
C)Executive Office of the President; judiciary; executive orders
D)Government Accountability Office; judiciary; earmarks

Question 66

President Clinton was unusual among modern presidents because he left the White House

A)less popular than when he entered.
B)more popular than when he entered.
C)without issuing a single signing statement.
D)without issuing a single executive order.

Question 67

The primary constitutional task of the vice president, besides succeeding the president in case of death, resignation, or incapacitation, is to

A)serve as Speaker of the House of Representatives.
B)cast tie-breaking votes in the Senate.
C)represent the president overseas.
D)run the day-to-day operations of the Executive Office of the President.

Question 68

The wartime internment of Japanese Americans was the result of a(n)

A)executive order.
B)signing statement.
C)negotiated treaty.
D)presidential pardon.

Question 69

During the nineteenth century, ________ was America's dominant institution of government.

A)the presidency
B)the Supreme Court
C)Congress
D)the executive bureaucracy

Question 70

Which of the following is true?

A)The Cabinet has no legal status under the Constitution.
B)The Cabinet does not meet as a group, except during the State of the Union address.
C)Cabinet secretaries do not have to be confirmed by the U.S.Senate.
D)The Cabinet has no responsibility to Congress.

Question 71

After the Civil War, why was it considered inappropriate for President Andrew Johnson to make a series of speeches seeking public support for his policies?

A)President Johnson traveled with his own press secretary, the first time a president had used public relations officials.
B)During the nineteenth century, it was perceived to be undignified for a president to campaign on his own behalf.
C)President Johnson did not speak to the general public but instead spoke only to handpicked audiences where he knew he would be favorably received.
D)President Johnson's speeches were delivered only in the former Confederate states and ignored the North, where he most needed support.

Question 72

Under President Bill Clinton, the White House Communications Office

A)was renamed the Executive Office of the President.
B)was placed under the direct control of the vice president.
C)became responsible for developing and implementing a coordinated communications strategy on behalf of the president's agenda.
D)became responsible for managing all negotiations between the executive and legislative branches of government.

Question 73

Under President Obama, online petitions submitted to the White House had to receive ________ signatures to be reviewed and commented on by the administration.

A)1,000
B)10,000
C)100,000
D)1 million

Question 74

In the last few decades, executive orders have

A)become increasingly rare due to the limitations Congress has imposed on unilateral presidential action.
B)become focused almost exclusively on emergency wartime measures rather than on domestic policy matters.
C)become routine instruments of presidential governance rather than emergency wartime measures.
D)ended entirely due to a series of Supreme Court decisions outlawing most forms of unilateral presidential action.

Question 75

During the Civil War, President Lincoln

A)relied heavily on executive orders to mobilize troops, purchase warships, and obtain funds from the U.S.Treasury.
B)attempted to issue executive orders to mobilize troops, purchase warships, and obtain funds from the U.S.Treasury but was blocked by the federal judiciary.
C)attempted to issue executive orders to mobilize troops, purchase warships, and obtain funds from the U.S.Treasury but was blocked by Congress.
D)did not use executive orders and relied, instead, on laws passed by Congress to mobilize troops, purchase warships, and obtain funds from the U.S.Treasury.

Question 76

A signing statement is an announcement

A)the president makes about his or her interpretation of a congressional enactment he or she is signing into law.
B)made by a presidential candidate when formally accepting his or her party's nomination.
C)made by the president and the leader of a foreign country immediately following an executive agreement.
D)the president is required to make any time he or she issues an executive order.

Question 77

Which of the following statements about presidential orders is MOST accurate?

A)Congress cannot rescind a presidential order.
B)Only a tiny percentage of presidential orders have ever been rescinded by congressional legislation.
C)About half of all presidential orders end up being rescinded by congressional legislation.
D)Nearly 90 percent of all presidential orders end up being rescinded by congressional legislation.

Question 78

How many presidents have been impeached throughout American history?

A)zero
B)one
C)two
D)three

Question 79

________ occurs when the president directs administrative agencies to promulgate specific rules and regulations.

A)Regulatory review
B)Administrative oversight
C)Delegation
D)An executive agreement

Question 80

When presidents use popular appeals in an attempt to create a mass base of support that will allow them to accomplish their goals, it is referred to as

A)going rogue.
B)going public.
C)selling out.
D)propagandizing the public.