Deck 49: US Government

Question 1

Which of the following principles is not part of the responsible party government model?

A)Legislators should be responsive to their constituencies, even if doing so means voting against their party's program.
B)Parties should present clear and coherent programs to voters.
C)The winning party should carry out its program once in office.
D)Hold the governing party responsible at the next election for executing its program voters should.
E)Party members almost always vote with their party.

Answer 1

Legislators should be responsive to their constituencies, even if doing so means voting against their party's program.

Question 2

What is divided government?

A)Another name for separation of powers
B)Another name for federalism.
C)When the executive branch is controlled by one political party and at least one house of the legislature is controlled by another party.
D)The result of recent ideological battles over taxation.
E)When Cabinet members actively seek to undermine or take authority away from each other.

Answer 2

When the executive branch is controlled by one political party and at least one house of the legislature is controlled by another party.

Question 3

When a representative from the Organization for the Advancement of Bad Music (OABM) meets with Senator Knowsome's chief of staff to discuss pending legislation of internet pirating, the OABM is practicing which type of lobbying?

A)Direct lobbying
B)Grassroots lobbying
C)Social media lobbying
D)Information campaigns
E)Coalition building

Answer 3

Direct lobbying

Question 4

Which of the following is a check that Congress has over the federal judiciary?

A)Only Congress can nominate federal judges.
B)Only Congress can confirm federal judges.
C)Congress can overturn judicial decisions.
D)Congress can choose to not enforce judicial rulings.
E)Congress can abolish the Supreme Court.

Question 5

Which of the following is a "check" that the president has over the federal judiciary?

A)Only the president can nominate federal judges.
B)Only the president can confirm federal judges.
C)The president can overturn judicial decisions.
D)The president can choose not to pay judges.
E)The president can abolish the Supreme Court.

Question 6

President Grande's chief of staff and best friend was convicted in the federal courts of stealing campaign funds. What can President Grande do to help his friend out?

A)Abolish the court that convicted his friend.
B)Refuse to pay the judges until they change their mind on the conviction.
C)Utilize his power of judicial review to overturn the judges' decision.
D)Issue a pardon for his friend.
E)Nothing. President Grande is powerless in this situation.

Question 7

Who is in charge of foreign treaties?

A)The generals negotiate treaties. and the president must ratify them.
B)The House of Representatives negotiates the treaties, and the president must ratify them.
C)The Senate negotiates the treaties, and the president must ratify them.
D)The president negotiates the treaties, and the House of Representatives must ratify them.
E)The president negotiates the treaties, and the Senate must ratify them.

Question 8

Although not specifically mentioned in the Constitution, what power does the judicial branch of the government have to check the legislative branch?

A)Legislative coercion
B)Granting pardons
C)Judicial review
D)Impeach members of Congress
E)Vetoing legislation

Question 9

Which of the following is a "check" the federal judiciary can place on the executive branch?

A)Issuing injunctions
B)Judicial review
C)Impeaching the president
D)Confirming executive appointments
E)Rejecting foreign treaties

Question 10

If Congress were trying to remove President Grande from office because he issued a pardon for his best friend, what would be the procedure?

A)The Senate would impeach President Grande and then the House of Representatives would vote for removal.
B)The House of Representatives would impeach President Grande and then the Senate would vote for removal.
C)The Congress could only remove President Grande if the Supreme Court impeached him first.
D)Congress would impeach President Grand and then the Supreme Court would have a trial to determine guilt or innocence.
E)There is no way for the Congress to remove a sitting president from office.

Question 11

President Grande wants to make his wife, Mrs. Grande, secretary of state. Is there any reason he couldn't?

A)No. The president can make whoever he wants secretary of state.
B)No. "secretary of state" isn't a real job and therefore not covered in the Constitution.
C)Yes. The Constitution prohibits appointing your spouse to a public office.
D)Yes. The President can only nominate someone for this position and the Senate must then confirm them.
E)Yes. Mrs. Grande is not a US citizen and the Constitution says that only US citizens can serve as members of the Cabinet.

Question 12

Suppose Congress is upset with recent decision made by the Supreme Court legalizing marijuana. Which of the following is an action they could take to "punish" the Judicial Branch?

A)Revoke the US citizenship of all the justices.
B)Take each justice out behind the woodshed and give them a spanking.
C)Create a new court that outranked the Supreme Court.
D)Fire all of the Supreme Court justices and replace them with justices that won't make decisions like that.
E)Eliminate all of the federal courts except the Supreme Court, thus leaving the Supreme Court to handle all of the cases by themselves.

Question 13

Suppose President Grande decides he wants to show off how impressive the US Navy is and send the fleet on a tour around the world. What could Congress do to prevent him from doing this?

A)Nothing. The President is Commander in Chief and can do whatever he wants with the military.
B)Ensure that the President does not have the money to pay for the tour.
C)Issue an injunction to prevent the action.
D)Fire all of the Navy admirals so there would be no one who could command the fleet.
E)Argue that the tour is an act of war and that only Congress has the power to declare war.

Question 14

Can the president appoint whomever he wants to be secretary of the treasury?

A)Yes.
B)No. The Constitution says that the Cabinet secretaries must be US citizens for a minimum of 14 years.
C)No. Presidential appointments for Cabinet positions (and any other position the Congress decides) must be confirmed by the Senate.
D)No. The secretary of the treasury must at least have a Ph.D. in economics.
E)No. The president has nothing to do with choosing the secretary of the treasury.

Question 15

What can the Congress do after President Grande vetoed their law banning the placing of President Grande posters in bedrooms?

A)Nothing. Once the president vetoes a law, it is dead forever.
B)Order the United States Army to burn all existing posters of President Grande.
C)Pass the same law again because the Constitution says that the president can't veto the same law twice.
D)Overturn the veto with a 2/3 majority in both the House of Representatives and the Senate.
E)Fire President Grande's entire cabinet in retaliation.

Question 16

What is one of the biggest problems in making decisions for members of Congress?

A)Following the wishes of the party
B)Balancing conflicting political goals
C)Following the wishes of the constituents
D)Following the goals of the powerful leaders

Question 17

What must the president's greatest challenge be in order to be effective?

A)Working with Congress
B)Selecting judges and justices with similar political aims
C)Keeping fellow party members in line
D)Keeping a strong and popular image through the media

Question 18

Unwanted and ineffective programs are usually difficult to remove. What is the best explanation for this?

A)Powerful lobby forces support the industries and contracts behind the programs.
B)Federal agencies benefit from their existence.
C)Iron triangles of power benefit from their existence.
D)Local communities usually want the jobs that go with the programs.

Question 19

Which of the following agencies is in charge of monitoring the proper spending of federal money?

A)The General Accounting Office
B)The Office of Budget and Management
C)The Council of Economic Advisors
D)The Congressional Budget Office

Question 20

What is legislation used by members of Congress in order to gain favors for home constituents and pad a Congressman's voting support from local constituents called?

A)De facto legislation
B)Pork barrel legislation
C)Ex post facto legislation
D)De jure legislation

Question 21

What is the international organization that provides loans and subsidies to many countries, especially developing nations?

A)World Bank
B)World Trade Organization
C)UNICEF
D)World Health Organization

Question 22

Which of the following officials are directly elected by registered voters?

A)Members of the House and Senate
B)Members of the Electoral College
C)Justices of the Supreme Court
D)President and vice president

Question 23

In the United States, where are the overwhelming majority of criminal cases held?

A)Federal appellate courts
B)State and local courts
C)Federal judiciary courts
D)Federal district courts

Question 24

What can Congress do if the Supreme Court declares a federal law to be unconstitutional?

A)Congress can request that the executive branch veto the decision with a majority vote.
B)Congress can try to amend the Constitution.
C)Congress can override Supreme Court decisions with a two-thirds vote.
D)Congress can vote to have a writ of certiorari issued by the Supreme Court.

Question 25

In United States history, during which events have bureaucracies grown significantly?

A)Periods of war
B)Periods of depression
C)Periods of recession
D)Periods of prosperity

Question 26

Who is the person who serves as the president's chief civilian advisor on the military?

A)The Secretary of States
B)The National Security Advisor
C)The Secretary of Defense
D)The director of the FBI

Question 27

Which of the following terms refers to the president's ability to hold on to a bill and let it die by not signing or vetoing it when Congress is in the last 10 days of a session?

A)Hidden veto
B)Writ of certiorari
C)Writ of mandamus
D)Pocket veto

Question 28

Bureaucratic agencies are originally created by whom?

A)The Supreme Court
B)The Cabinet
C)The president
D)Congress

Question 29

Which of the following Congressional committees is responsible for reconciling differences in bills passed by the House and the Senate?

A)Conference
B)Ways and means
C)Rules
D)Appropriations

Question 30

What is the correct description for a bill of attainder?

A)It is a bill that forces citizens to pay for their own legal representation in criminal trials.
B)It is a bill that forces citizens to pay to quarter solders in their homes.
C)It is a law that makes something illegal "after the fact."
D)It is a law that declares a person, without a trial, to be guilty of a crime.

Question 31

In the Constitution, which branch of government is given the most formal power?

A)Legislative
B)Executive
C)Judicial
D)Bureaucratic
E)Military

Question 32

The influence of a president, according to Richard Neustadt, depends upon

A)The condition of the economy.
B)The professional reputation and prestige of the officeholder.
C)The management structure adopted by the presidential incumbent.
D)Public perception of the incumbent's ethics.
E)The quality of the office-holder's debate skills.

Question 33

Overall, history has shown that presidents are most able to accomplish the things they want to get done when:

A)The economy is good
B)The economy is bad
C)They are popular
D)A different party controls Congress
E)Their father was also a president

Question 34

When is it most common for the president to be said to have a "mandate?"

A)As the president nears the end of his second term.
B)As the president nears the end of his first term.
C)After winning an election with a strong majority.
D)After barely winning an election.
E)Never

Question 35

What is the most important constitutional duty of the Vice President?

A)Advising the President on foreign affairs.
B)Attending funerals of foreign dignitaries.
C)Pushing legislation through Congress.
D)Taking over the presidential office if something happens to the President.
E)Streamlining the bureaucracy.

Question 36

President Grande is very popular and he wants Congress to pass a law naming a national holiday after him. Congress does not want to. What can President Grande do to try to get his Grande Day?

A)Go public.
B)Create the holiday through executive order.
C)Arrest all the members of Congress until they give in.
D)Order the Labor Department to force all businesses to close that day.
E)There is nothing President Grande can do.

Question 37

If President Grande and Vice President Lovely were both killed in a tragic skiing accident, who would become the new President of the United States?

A)Secretary of State Jones
B)Senate Majority Leader Knowsome
C)Speaker of the House Constantino
D)First Lady Grande
E)Governor Sunbeam of California

Question 38

Which of the following is a formal power of the President of the United States?

A)Commander in Chief of the military
B)Granting executive orders
C)Preparing the federal budget
D)Head of a political party
E)Figurehead for the nation

Question 39

Which of the following is an inherent power of the president?

A)Commander in Chief of the military
B)Granting executive orders
C)Preparing the federal budget
D)Head of a political party
E)Figurehead for the nation

Question 40

Which of the following is a delegated power of the president?

A)Commander in Chief of the military
B)Granting executive orders
C)Preparing the federal budget
D)Head of a political party
E)Figurehead for the nation

Question 41

Which of the following is an informal power of the president?

A)Commander in Chief of the military
B)Granting executive orders
C)Preparing the federal budget
D)Head of a political party
E)Grantor of pardons

Question 42

According to James David Barber, which of the following presidential character types is best?

A)Active-positive
B)Active-negative
C)Passive-positive
D)Passive-negative
E)Phlegmatic

Question 43

President Grande believes he is doing a grand job and wants to be president for another 20 years. Can he?

A)Yes. As long as the people keep electing him, he can continue in office.
B)Yes. The term of office for the president is 20 years, so he will stay in office for that long if he isn't impeached and removed.
C)No. Being president is too stressful and he would die of a heart attack before he got to 20 years.
D)No. The Twenty-Second Amendment limits presidents to two elected terms in office.
E)No. After 20 years, President Grande will be too old to still be eligible to hold office.

Question 44

What is the Cabinet?

A)The most important advisors to the President.
B)The military generals.
C)The President's family members who the President knows he can trust.
D)The leading opponents to the President on policy issues.
E)The heads of the various major bureaucracies.

Question 45

Which of the following is not a Cabinet position?

A)The Secretary of State
B)The Secretary of Defense
C)The Secretary of Education
D)The National Security Advisor
E)The Secretary of Agriculture

Question 46

Which of the following is not a member of the Executive Office of the President (EOP)?

A)The Chief of Staff
B)The National Security Advisor
C)The Director of the Office of Management and Budget
D)The Chair of the Council of Economic Advisors
E)The lead liaison for the Office of Policy Development

Question 47

Which of the following best categorizes the role of the President of the United States?

A)Head of Government
B)Head of State
C)Both Head of Government and Head of State
D)Neither Head of Government nor Head of State
E)Head of the National Football League

Question 48

What does Aaron Wildavsky mean when he refers to "two presidencies?"

A)There are so many responsibilities that the presidency should be split into two offices.
B)There is a difference between "Head of Government" and "Head of State."
C)The role of the Vice President is so important that it could be a "second president."
D)The President has considerably more power in domestic policy than in foreign policy.
E)The President has considerably more power in foreign policy than in domestic policy.

Question 49

Which of the following is not a foreign policy power held by the president?

A)Declare war
B)Act as commander in chief of the military
C)Serve as the "chief diplomat" for the country
D)Serve as the figurehead in managing a crisis
E)Serve as the symbol of the country to other countries

Question 50

What did the War Powers Act do?

A)It granted the power to declare war to the president.
B)It required presidents to consult Congress before using military force.
C)It limited what type of force could be used in fighting wars.
D)It designated certain countries as part of the "axis of evil", thus justifying war with them.
E)It removed the President from his role as Commander in Chief.

Question 51

Who is the primary liaison between the White House and the media?

A)The Speaker of the House
B)The President
C)The Press Secretary
D)The National Security Advisor
E)The Chief of Staff

Question 52

The United States Congress is:

A)Unicameral
B)Bicameral
C)Tricameral
D)Quadcameral
E)Non-cameral

Question 53

How long are the terms of office for the House of Representatives and the Senate respectively?

A)2 years; 4 years
B)2 years; 6 years
C)4 years; 2 years
D)6 years; 2 years
E)4 years; 4 years

Question 54

Members of the House of Representatives are more likely to mirror which model of representation?

A)Delegate
B)Trustee
C)Politico
D)Bureaucratic
E)Expert

Question 55

Members of the Senate are more likely to mirror which model of representation?

A)Delegate
B)Trustee
C)Politico
D)Bureaucratic
E)Expert

Question 56

If two-thirds of Congress refused to propose an amendment allowing gay marriage, which of the following ways exist to propose such an amendment?

A)Two-thirds vote to approve by state legislatures
B)Supreme Court ruling
C)Presidential executive order
D)Two-thirds of states request a national constitutional convention where the proposal passes
E)The President creates a national constitutional convention

Question 57

How are districts for the House of Representatives chosen?

A)The maps are drawn by the House of Representatives.
B)State legislatures draw the maps.
C)State courts draw the maps.
D)Special non-partisan committees draw the maps.
E)It is done at the state level, but different states do it different ways.

Question 58

What is a gerrymander?

A)When district lines are drawn for partisan advantage.
B)When a senator tries to "talk a bill to death".
C)A mutated salamander.
D)The legislative maneuver that bypasses a vote in one house of the legislature.
E)A bill with lots of "pork".

Question 59

In both the House of Representatives and the Senate, what is the first step for a bill after it is introduced by a member?

A)It is voted on by the entire House and Senate.
B)It is assigned to a committee.
C)The Rules Committee decides what the rules will be for debate on the bill.
D)The President decides whether the legislature can move forward with it.
E)The Senate Conference Committee convenes to decide preemptively whether it will be filibustered.

Question 60

What is the role of the Conference Committee?

A)It ensures that the members of each party are only voting with their own party.
B)It organizes the national political conventions.
C)It deals with any bills that deal with public gatherings.
D)It is responsible for summarizing complex legislation for the President.
E)If the bill has been amended so that the House and Senate have different versions, it is responsible for creating a single version.

Question 61

What happens to a bill after the Conference Committee?

A)It must be passed again by either the House or the Senate.
B)It must be passed again by both the House and the Senate.
C)It goes to the President for his signature or veto.
D)It returns to the original committees for more discussion.
E)It's dead. No bills ever come out of the Conference Committee.

Question 62

The content of a bill can be changed:

A)Only in subcommittee
B)Only in committee
C)Only during floor deliberation
D)Only in conference committee
E)At any time during the legislative process

Question 63

Who is the highest ranking member of the House of Representatives?

A)The Majority Leader
B)The Minority Leader
C)The Majority Whip
D)The Minority Whip
E)The Speaker of the House

Question 64

Who is the highest ranking member of the Senate?

A)The Majority Leader
B)The Minority Leader
C)The Majority Whip
D)The Minority Whip
E)The Speaker of the Senate

Question 65

All bills dealing with taxation issues must:

A)Begin in the Senate
B)Begin in the House of Representatives
C)Be introduced at the same time in both the House and the Senate.
D)Be proposed by the President.
E)Preliminarily cleared by the Supreme Court.

Question 66

Senator Knowsome is really upset about a bill that would remove all federal funding from his alma mater, Elite University. According to Senate rules, what can the senator do to prevent the bill from passing?

A)Refuse to vote
B)Quit
C)Hold a filibuster
D)Appoint an Education Secretary who would refuse to follow that law.
E)Bribe the Speaker of the House to not let the bill come out of committee.

Question 67

Suppose that Speaker of the House Hardstone is really mad at Representative Meekly. Which of the following can't she do to "punish" Rep. Meekly?

A)Appoint him to the Post Office committee
B)Make sure any bill he proposes is put at the bottom of the pile.
C)Have any bill he supports put into a committee run by her allies.
D)Redistrict him so that it is nearly impossible for him to win reelection.
E)Remove him from the chairmanship of the Ways and Means Committee.

Question 68

Which of the following committees in the House of Representatives is generally considered to be the most powerful?

A)Small Business
B)Judiciary
C)Intelligence
D)Foreign Affairs

Question 69

Every two years, _________ of the seats in the US Senate are up for reelection?

A)One-fourth
B)One-third
C)One-half
D)All of them.
E)The Senate works on a 4-year cycle, not a 2-year cycle.

Question 70

Which side of the US Congress has more power regarding foreign affairs?

A)The House of Representatives because it must confirm all nominations for major foreign affairs positions.
B)The House of Representatives because it more closely follows the will of the People.
C)The Senate because it is responsible for ratifying all treaties.
D)The Senate because it more closely follows the will of the People.
E)Neither. The House and the Senate have equal power in foreign affairs.

Question 71

Which of the following is not a way in which government bureaucracies in the US fail to live up to the ideals described by Max Weber?

A)Being answerable to both the president and to Congress, bureaucracies do not always have a clear hierarchy of command.
B)Bureaucrats are almost always selected as a political favor to some politician.
C)Bureaucrats have incentive to not be as productive as they could be.
D)Bureaucracies cannot always implement the most efficient solution to a problem if that solution would not be politically popular.
E)A lot of bureaucracies have overlapping jurisdiction with each other.

Question 72

The ideal of rule-based decision making in bureaucracies is intended to:

A)Provide service that will bring a smile to the customer's face.
B)Allow local officials leeway to address local problems.
C)Make sure that everyone is treated exactly the same.
D)Purposely make the completion of easy tasks as time-consuming as possible.
E)Help norms incorporate into the specific situation the bureaucracy faces.

Question 73

Suppose President Grande order Bureaucrat Bob, who works for the EPA to do one thing and Senator Knowsome, who is head of the committee overseeing the EPA, wants Bureaucrat Bob to do something else. What is Bureaucrat Bob most likely to do?

A)Do what President Grande wants because the president can fire him.
B)Do what Senator Knowsome wants because Senator Knowsome can take away his paycheck.
C)Try to get them both into a meeting to come to an agreement about what he should do.
D)Make it look like he is doing what they both want and keep a low profile.
E)Run away.

Question 74

Among the types of bureaucratic entities, the Federal Trade Commission is an example of a(n):

A)Cabinet department
B)Government corporation
C)Legislatively-controlled monopoly
D)Independent regulatory commission
E)Final appeal commission

Question 75

Which of the following best describes government corporations?

A)Businesses that have gone bankrupt and have been taken over by the government.
B)Business enterprises that the government has seized because of failure to pay taxes.
C)Government agencies that provide services that could be provided by the private sector.
D)Government partnerships with private industry.
E)The board of directors for a corporation that is responsible for government oversight.

Question 76

Which of the following best describes the relationship between the president and the bureaucracy?

A)The president demands and receives total loyalty and obedience.
B)Each new president redefines the relationship.
C)Bureaucrats are openly hostile toward the new president because they were hired by the previous one.
D)The bureaucrats don't care what the president thinks because they are entirely independent.
E)The President sets the general tone, but he can't make every decision.

Question 77

If a bureaucratic agency goes too far away from what elected politicians (such as Congress and the president) want:

A)The president can disband it.
B)Congress can provide executive orders to fix the problem.
C)The president will pass laws invalidating certain practices.
D)The Congress will pass laws invalidating certain practices.
E)There is nothing the president or Congress can do about it.

Question 78

Bureaucrats "go by the book" because:

A)"The book" contains the laws and regulations it is their job to enforce.
B)Bureaucrats aren't that smart and can't think of other ways of doing things.
C)Bureaucrats only operate within their narrow field of specialization.
D)Bureaucrats can hide behind "the book" if their actions are unpopular.
E)Bureaucrats would get fired by the president if they didn't follow "the book".

Question 79

Which of the following is not part of the "iron triangle" that captures bureaucracies?

A)Dissident political groups
B)Public officials
C)Congressional committee members
D)Bureaucracies
E)Interest groups

Question 80

When the government uses its authority to change or control a practice in the private sector, it is called:

A)Oversight
B)Financing
C)Laissez faire economics
D)Regulation
E)Law-making