Deck 13: The Presidency

Question 1

How many electors must a presidential candidate secure in the Electoral College to be elected president?

A) 270
B) 288
C) 435
D) 438
E) 538

Answer 1

A

Question 2

In which of the following years did the presidential candidate who won the popular vote lose the Electoral College vote?

A) 2008
B) 2004
C) 2000
D) 1992
E) 1976

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Which of the following is NOT a party role performed by the president?

A) serves as national party leader
B) serves as the party's premier fund-raiser
C) acts as party head in day-to-day operations of the executive branch
D) campaigns in support of the party nominee at the end of his or her term
E) acts as national party chair

Answer 3

E

Question 4

Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama both widely used presidential ________, written messages issued upon signing a bill into law, as a way of influencing how policies were to be administered.

A) executive agreements
B) vetoes
C) pocket vetoes
D) line-item vetoes
E) signing statements

Question 5

Which of the following is NOT a power vested in the president by the Constitution?

A) serve as supreme military commander in times of war
B) the power to declare war
C) power over troop deployments in military campaigns
D) control over military strategy
E) act as commander in chief over the four military services

Question 6

Which of the following vice presidents succeeded in becoming president?

A) George H. W. Bush and Lyndon B. Johnson
B) George H. W. Bush and Al Gore
C) Al Gore and Richard Nixon
D) Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford
E) Lyndon B. Johnson and Walter Mondale

Question 7

In which month do general presidential election campaigns typically begin?

A) June
B) July
C) August
D) September
E) October

Question 8

Which of the following pairs of presidential functions and roles often overlap?

A) commander in chief and chief executive
B) commander in chief and chief diplomat
C) chief diplomat and chief of state
D) chief executive and chief of state
E) chief executive and chief diplomat

Question 9

What majority is needed for Congress to check presidential power by overriding a presidential veto?

A) majority
B) three-fifths
C) two-thirds
D) three-quarters
E) four-fifths

Question 10

Which of the following presidential roles is mostly ceremonial and symbolic?

A) chief executive
B) commander in chief
C) chief of state
D) chief diplomat
E) party leader

Question 11

Which of the following is NOT an example of the legislative powers of the president?

A) exerting influence through lobbying Congress on pending legislation
B) defining the congressional agenda through the State of the Union address
C) submitting the budget for the federal government
D) creating laws relating to the federal budget
E) signing or vetoing legislation passed by Congress

Question 12

As chief diplomat, the president performs all of the following functions, EXCEPT

A) entering into executive agreements with other nations.
B) approving treaties with other nations.
C) appointing ambassadors.
D) hosting state dinners at the White House.
E) formally receiving the ambassadors of other nations.

Question 13

Who was appointed Fed chair by President Obama but not renominated by President Trump?

A) Robert Rubin
B) Robert Reich
C) Alan Greenspan
D) Ben Bernanke
E) Janet Yellen

Question 14

Executive agreements are considered to be in force for how long?

A) forever-they are the same as treaties
B) for 100 years
C) for as long as that political party retains presidential power
D) for 8 years
E) for the term of the administration that negotiates them

Question 15

Many vice presidents have served a largely ________ role.

A) political
B) ideological
C) ceremonial
D) informal
E) bureaucratic

Question 16

What is the date of presidential inauguration ceremonies?

A) January 4
B) January 10
C) January 20
D) January 31
E) February 4

Question 17

Modern presidents are generally ________ to issue vetoes than their predecessors.

A) much more likely
B) somewhat more likely
C) neither more nor less likely
D) somewhat less likely
E) much less likely

Question 18

Which position, appointed by the president, plays a significant role in managing and supervising the national economy?

A) comptroller of the currency
B) chair of the Federal Reserve Board
C) adjutant-general
D) secretary of the Treasury
E) secretary of state

Question 19

Which president issued more vetoes than any other during his tenure?

A) Franklin Roosevelt
B) Bill Clinton
C) Lyndon Johnson
D) Harry Truman
E) George W. Bush

Question 20

Which of the following best describes presidential use of the line-item veto?

A) It has not been as effective as hoped, because it cannot be used on appropriations bills.
B) It has become a common tool among modern presidents.
C) It is virtually unused by modern presidents, because they fear encroaching on congressional power.
D) It is no longer in use because the Supreme Court ruled it unconstitutional.
E) Is tends to be used mostly by presidents during the election cycle.

Question 21

Which of the following presidential powers have been granted by decisions of the Supreme Court?

A) expressed powers
B) inherent powers
C) statutory powers
D) emergency powers
E) expressed powers and inherent powers

Question 22

Which of the following presidential powers are granted by the Constitution?

A) expressed powers
B) inherent powers
C) statutory powers
D) expressed powers and inherent powers
E) expressed powers and statutory powers

Question 23

Which clause has been cited by presidents as the basis for the assertion of inherent powers?

A) the take care clause
B) the commerce clause
C) the establishment clause
D) the necessary and proper clause
E) the supremacy clause

Question 24

Who was the first black secretary of state?

A) Clarence Thomas
B) Thurgood Marshall
C) Colin Powell
D) Eric Holder
E) Lisa Jackson

Question 25

All of the following are presidential powers codified in Article II of the Constitution EXCEPT the power to

A) serve as commander in chief.
B) issue executive orders.
C) pardon crimes.
D) convene the Congress.
E) commission all officers of the United States.

Question 26

How many departments serve under the cabinet, the group of experts chosen as advisers by the president?

A) 10
B) 12
C) 15
D) 24
E) 28

Question 27

Which of the following presidential powers are granted by Congress?

A) expressed powers
B) inherent powers
C) statutory powers
D) expressed powers and inherent powers
E) expressed powers and statutory powers

Question 28

Which constitutional amendment, passed in 1967, determines the course of action in the case of a president being incapacitated?

A) Twenty-Third
B) Twenty-Fourth
C) Twenty-Fifth
D) Twenty-Sixth
E) Twenty-Seventh

Question 29

The National Security Council (NSC) is a group of top foreign policy advisors and relevant cabinet officials that advise the president on foreign policy and national security issues. Who is the official chair of the NSC?

A) vice president
B) president
C) head of the Central Intelligence Agency
D) secretary of state
E) secretary of defense

Question 30

Which of the following qualities is/are most important in White House staff members?

A) efficiency and discretion
B) trustworthiness and loyalty
C) a graduate education
D) business and economics experience
E) previous White House experience

Question 31

Which president began the practice of using a cabinet to assist in executive governance?

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

Question 32

Which of these offices acts as the launch pad for the implementation of presidential policy?

A) Executive Office of the President (EOP)
B) Council of Economic Advisors
C) National Security Council
D) Office of Management and Budget
E) White House counsel

Question 33

Which is the most recently created cabinet department?

A) Finance
B) Energy
C) Veterans Affairs
D) Homeland Security
E) Health and Human Services

Question 34

The illness of which president led to his wife assuming some of his responsibilities and decision making?

A) John F. Kennedy
B) Lyndon Johnson
C) Bill Clinton
D) George H. W. Bush
E) Woodrow Wilson

Question 35

Which event prompted codified procedures for dealing with an incapacitated president?

A) the shooting of President James Garfield
B) the assassination of President William McKinley
C) the illness of President Woodrow Wilson
D) the assassination of President John Kennedy
E) the shooting of President Ronald Reagan

Question 36

If both the president and vice president die or are unable to govern, which of the following accurately describes the line of succession?

A) secretary of state; Speaker of the House; attorney general; Senate president pro tem
B) Speaker of the House; Senate president pro tem; secretary of state; secretary of the treasury
C) Senate president pro tem; Speaker of the House; secretary of state; secretary of defense
D) secretary of state; attorney general; Speaker of the House; secretary of defense
E) Speaker of the House; secretary of state, Senate president pro tem; secretary of the treasury

Question 37

Janet Reno, the first woman to be appointed to a "big four" cabinet position, was appointed by which president?

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

Question 38

Which office within the Executive Office of the President is responsible for the creation of the president's annual budget?

A) Bureau of the Budget
B) Office of Management and Budget
C) Department of the Treasury
D) Office of the Chief of Staff
E) Federal Reserve

Question 39

Most would-be presidents choose their vice presidential running mate based on their desire for a "________" approach that provides diversity and maximizes electoral appeal.

A) balanced ticket
B) solid foundation
C) equal partnership
D) complementary duo
E) party first

Question 40

The head of the Department of Justice is called the

A) secretary of justice.
B) chief attorney.
C) solicitor general.
D) head lawyer.
E) attorney general.

Question 41

Thomas Jefferson's decision to initiate the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 was an early example of the exercising of ________ presidential powers.

A) expressed
B) statutory
C) inherent
D) emergency
E) declaratory

Question 42

Which president came closest to being formally removed from office by the impeachment process?

A) Richard Nixon
B) Andrew Johnson
C) Herbert Hoover
D) George W. Bush
E) Ulysses S. Grant

Question 43

Which president initiated the New Deal, a series of social programs that dramatically transformed people's views of the role of the federal government?

A) Herbert Hoover
B) Franklin Roosevelt
C) Harry Truman
D) Dwight Eisenhower
E) Lyndon Johnson

Question 44

Which two presidents were formally impeached by the House of Representatives?

A) Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton
B) Bill Clinton and George W. Bush
C) Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton
D) Andrew Johnson and Richard Nixon
E) Richard Nixon and Warren Harding

Question 45

Modern presidents use the bully pulpit to persuade the public on a(n) ________ basis.

A) extremely rare
B) rare
C) sporadic
D) consistent
E) virtually continuous

Question 46

On occasion, which of the following special presidential powers has/have been successfully challenged by the judiciary, such as in the Watergate-era case United States v. Richard M. Nixon?

A) emergency powers
B) statutory powers
C) inherent powers
D) executive privilege
E) executive orders

Question 47

Of the following first ladies, which exercised the LEAST amount of political power?

A) Nancy Reagan
B) Hillary Clinton
C) Michelle Obama
D) Edith Wilson
E) Eleanor Roosevelt

Question 48

Which president first emphasized the doctrine of populism, a political philosophy that emphasizes the needs of the common person?

A) Thomas Jefferson
B) Andrew Jackson
C) Martin Van Buren
D) Abraham Lincoln
E) Ulysses Grant

Question 49

In 2013, what percentage of those polled said they would vote for a female presidential candidate?

A) 38 percent
B) 49 percent
C) 65 percent
D) 89 percent
E) 95 percent

Question 50

The president can exert all the following powers through the use of executive order EXCEPT

A) directing enforcement of congressional statutes or Supreme Court rulings.
B) enforcing specific provisions of the Constitution.
C) creating new taxes and laws.
D) creating or adjusting regulatory guidelines or practices of executive departments and agencies.
E) guiding the administration of treaties with foreign governments.

Question 51

Which first lady was appointed by her husband to head a task force on health care reform?

A) Hillary Clinton
B) Michelle Obama
C) Laura Bush
D) Eleanor Roosevelt
E) Barbara Bush

Question 52

George W. Bush's approval ratings spiked most dramatically

A) after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
B) just prior to the initiation of the war against Iraq.
C) during the height of the war against Iraq.
D) just prior to the 2004 presidential election.
E) shortly before leaving office.

Question 53

How often do modern presidents sustain continuously high public approval ratings?

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

Question 54

During impeachment, which federal body formally accuses the president?

A) House of Representatives
B) Senate
C) Supreme Court
D) National Security Council
E) White House Office

Question 55

President Bush's high approval ratings after his response to the September 11 attacks are an example of the ________ effect.

A) signing statement
B) balanced ticket
C) commander in chief
D) honeymoon period
E) rally round the flag

Question 56

What event led to a deep decline in popular perceptions of the presidency?

A) the assassination of President John F. Kennedy
B) the end of the Vietnam War
C) publication of the Pentagon Papers by The New York Times
D) the Watergate scandal
E) the Iran-Contra scandal

Question 57

During the Civil War, President Lincoln suspended the civil liberties of alleged agitators and drafted state militias into national service. He did this using what set of powers that are used during times of national crisis?

A) emergency powers
B) statutory powers
C) inherent powers
D) executive privilege
E) executive orders

Question 58

During impeachment, which federal body conducts the trial of the president?

A) House of Representatives
B) Senate
C) Supreme Court
D) National Security Council
E) White House Office

Question 59

The Supreme Court has granted the president the broadest latitude to use emergency powers in cases involving

A) the collection of taxes.
B) foreign affairs.
C) the opening and closing of prisons.
D) immigration policy.
E) members of Congress.

Question 60

Generally, executive orders have ________ limitations and stipulations.

A) no
B) very few
C) some
D) many
E) many clearly defined

Question 61

Define signing statement, and discuss the use of signing statements by both George W. Bush and Barack Obama.

Question 62

Discuss the importance and key powers of the president's role as chief economist.

Question 63

Outline the chief roles and functions of the vice president in a presidential administration.

Question 64

Describe and discuss the process of presidential impeachment.

Question 65

Identify the members and composition of the National Security Council (NSC).

Question 66

Describe the structure and primary functions of the Executive Office of the President.

Question 67

Compare and contrast the presidential functions and responsibilities as chief executive and chief of state.

Question 68

Outline the origins and passage of the Twenty-Fifth Amendment.

Question 69

Discuss the role played by approval ratings in shaping presidential agency.

Question 70

Explain the rise and fall of the line-item veto as a presidential power.