Deck 8: The Chief Executive

Question 1

President George W.Bush's deployment of U.S.troops to Afghanistan in 2001 and Iraq in 2003 represent

A)the president taking military action with a statement of congressional support.
B)Congress issuing formal declarations of war against the two nations.
C)Congress limiting the president's power by terminating funding for the two operations and recalling the troops.
D)the president taking military action without a statement of congressional support.
E)violations of the War Powers Act of 1973 as decided by the U.S.Supreme Court.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

The first president to grant Communist China official recognition was

A)Jimmy Carter.
B)Gerald Ford.
C)Richard Nixon.
D)Lyndon Johnson.
E)Ronald Reagan.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Turning over control of the Panama Canal to Panama is an example of a(n)

A)treaty.
B)executive agreement.
C)joint resolution of Congress.
D)multinational corporation.
E)judicial review.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

In order to build support in Congress for their legislative agenda, presidents have at different times used all of the following, EXCEPT:

A)judicial appointments.
B)monetary incentives.
C)federal construction projects.
D)favors of various kinds.
E)campaign support.

Question 5

How many U.S.presidents have been impeached?

A)none
B)one
C)two
D)five
E)seven

Question 6

What is the difference between an executive agreement and a treaty?

A)Executive agreements require the consent of the Senate, treaties do not.
B)The Senate plays a key party in negotiating executive agreements; presidents tend to negotiate treaties alone.
C)Unlike treaties, the Supreme Court has declared executive agreements unconstitutional.
D)Executive agreements are mentioned in the Constitution; treaties are not.
E)Treaties require the advice and consent of the Senate; executive agreements do not.

Question 7

In addition to the "natural born" requirement under the Constitution, presidents also must

A)be 40 years old and have lived in the United States their whole lives.
B)be 45 years old, be a lawyer, and have lived in the United States for 15 years.
C)be 35 years old, have served as a governor, and have lived in the United States for 30 years.
D)be 35 years old only.
E)be 35 years old and a 14-year resident of the United States.

Question 8

In 2002, when President George W.Bush dismissed both his secretary of the treasury and and director of the National Economic Council, the president acted in the role of

A)chief legislator
B)commander in chief of the military
C)chief of state
D)party leader
E)chief administrator

Question 9

A president greeting a group of students on the White House lawn or meeting the head of a foreign nation is acting in the role of

A)chief of state.
B)commander in chief.
C)chief administrator.
D)chief legislator.
E)party leader.

Question 10

The phrase in Article II, Section 1 of the Constitution states that "no person except a natural born Citizen…shall be eligible to the office of President." Most scholars believe this means:

A)only citizens born in this country can become president.
B)citizens born in this country, as well as citizens born abroad of parents who are U.S.citizens, can become president.
C)citizens born in other countries, no matter if a naturalized citizen, cannot become president.
D)citizens born in the United States who become registered voters may be president.
E)any person born anywhere in the world can become president.

Question 11

Which presidential speech is required under the Employment Act of 1946?

A)State of the Union address
B)Annual Economic Report
C)National Budget message
D)"fireside chats"
E)weekly televised speeches to the American people.

Question 12

When a president's constitutional powers of chief of state, commander in chief, and chief diplomat combine with the political, military, and economic strength of the United States, the American president becomes a spokesman for

A)the democratic world.
B)an anticommunist purveyor.
C)the western hemisphere.
D)African nations.
E)non-governmental organizations.

Question 13

The president's power to send and receive ambassadors illustrates his role as

A)chief legislator.
B)chief diplomat.
C)chief administrator.
D)commander-in-chief.
E)party leader.

Question 14

The "chief legislator" function is NOT illustrated by

A)signing a bill into law.
B)proposing a budget to Congress.
C)giving the State of the Union address.
D)declaring war.
E)informal contacts with legislators.

Question 15

By agreeing to exchange ambassadors with another nation, the president grants that country

A)national recognition.
B)diplomatic recognition.
C)normalized national status.
D)presidential immunity.
E)advice and consent.

Question 16

Almost 70 years of age when elected, the oldest person to become president of the United States was

A)Theodore Roosevelt.
B)Harry Truman.
C)Gerald Ford.
D)Ronald Reagan.
E)George Washington.

Question 17

The United States has diplomatic relations with all of the following countries EXCEPT

A)North Korea.
B)Israel.
C)Vietnam.
D)Russia.
E)Japan.

Question 18

In 1951, President Truman fired General Douglas MacArthur as his commanding general because of MacArthur's public criticism of the president's military policy in Korea. President Truman's authority over MacArthur guarantees

A)defense-in-depth.
B)a strong role for the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
C)civilian control of the military.
D)politics will not enter into military decisions.
E)the power of the secretary of defense.

Question 19

Which one of the following is true with respect to presidential conduct of foreign policy?

A)A president always relies extensively on their secretary of state to help conduct foreign policy.
B)Modern presidents have increasingly become involved in the actual conduct of foreign policy by negotiating with the heads of foreign governments.
C)The vice president and the secretary of defense are the president's primary links with the State department.
D)Presidential foreign policy deals only with military conflicts and sending American troops into war zones.
E)Presidents are rarely called upon to make important foreign policy decisions; most of those decisions are made by Congress.

Question 20

President Richard Nixon's opening of diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China in 1972 is an example of the role of

A)chief of state.
B)chief legislator.
C)chief administrator.
D)commander in chief.
E)chief diplomat.

Question 21

On more than 200 occasions the president has taken military action without an official declaration of war by Congress.

Question 22

The Constitution makes the president the main authority in foreign relations.

Question 23

Impeachment is the power to indict or formally accuse an official of wrongdoing.

Question 24

A newly elected president is inaugurated at noon on January twentieth in the year following the election.

Question 25

Congressional approval is required before the president can sign an executive agreement.

Question 26

Though not mentioned in the Constitution, the candidate who wins the presidential nomination is called upon to act as national spokesman for the group being represented. In such a role the president is the

A)majority leader.
B)opinion leader.
C)party leader.
D)national leader.
E)chief of state.

Question 27

Public approval of the president tends to

A)increase throughout a president's term of office.
B)increase in the honeymoon period during the president's final year in office.
C)be very stable throughout a president's term.
D)have little impact on a president's ability to implement their legislative agenda.
E)decline throughout a president's years in office.

Question 28

The power of a chief executive to cancel specific items in an appropriation or tax bill is called the

A)veto.
B)pocket veto.
C)legislative veto.
D)line item veto.
E)appropriation veto.

Question 29

The strength of a president depends on how much power lies within the executive branch. With this in mind, how would you classify the presidency of William Howard Taft?

A)strong
B)weak
C)moderate
D)excessive
E)negative

Question 30

When does the vice president vote when serving as the president of the Senate?

A)when a conference committee cannot achieve consensus
B)in unanimous votes only
C)only to break a tie
D)never
E)on any bill he or she pleases.

Question 31

The Constitution states that a presidential candidate must have lived in this country at least 14 years and must be at least fifty years old.

Question 32

Ever since passage of the Employment Act of 1946, the president has been formally responsible for

A)managing the economy.
B)diplomatic affairs.
C)affairs of state.
D)international affairs.
E)expanding the federal bureaucracy.

Question 33

In his famous "fireside chats" during the Great Depression of the 1930s, President Franklin D.Roosevelt tried to give hope to radio listeners.This illustrates the presidential role of

A)party leader.
B)chief diplomat.
C)manager of the economy.
D)national opinion leader.
E)chief of state.

Question 34

Which president is said to have invented the White House press conference?

A)Thomas Jefferson
B)Grover Cleveland
C)Warren Harding
D)Theodore Roosevelt
E)Richard Nixon

Question 35

Which of the following is NOT a duty of the president in his role as leader of his political party?

A)appointing party members to various positions
B)helping local party candidates gain support
C)meeting with foreign heads of state
D)officially presenting his party's platform to the nation
E)raising money

Question 36

If the president does not act on a bill within 10 days after Congress adjourns, the bill

A)becomes law but only if the president signs it.
B)becomes law anyway.
C)becomes law but only if the president returns it to Congress.
D)goes to the Supreme Court for judicial review.
E)dies under a pocket veto.

Question 37

An executive agreement is an understanding between the president and the chief executive of a foreign nation.

Question 38

The Supreme Court's decisions in cases involving the policies of the Bush administration against Al Qaeda terrorists have

A)expanded presidential power in combating terrorism.
B)claimed the Court lacks the authority to hear the cases of terrorists.
C)required the Vice President to become more involved in presidential decision-making.
D)limited the president's veto power over Congress.
E)restricted presidential power in combating terrorism.

Question 39

When President Nixon attempted to prevent major newspapers from publishing the Pentagon Papers, a government study of the Vietnam War,

A)the Supreme Court refused to hear the case.
B)the Supreme Court said the government could not prevent the study's publication.
C)he succeeded in preventing the study from being published.
D)the issue was resolved without appeal to or involvement of the Supreme Court.
E)the Court said the study violated Congress's power to declare war.

Question 40

The War Powers Resolution of 1973 proclaims all of the following except

A)the ability to regulate the future use of American military forces by the president when war is not declared by Congress.
B)the ability to prevent the president from waging war simply on the basis of his power as commander in chief.
C)that the president must consult with Congress before American troops are introduced to a hostile environment.
D)that the president must submit a written report to Congress within twenty-four hours of American troops arriving in a hostile environment.
E)Congress can halt the use of troops if certain conditions are met.

Question 41

In addition to veto power, almost all state governors have the right to use line item veto.

Question 42

Public approval of a president tends to decline throughout his years in office.

Question 43

The Supreme Court has never clearly decided the question of whether a president lacks the authority to take military action without a formal declaration of war by Congress.

Question 44

The War Powers Resolution has been an effective restraint on presidential power.

Question 45

Most modern presidents can be considered "strong."

Question 46

The pardon power can be used by a president before an individual is tried and convicted of a crime.

Question 47

The War Powers Resolution requires the president to consult with Congress before American troops are introduced into hostile situations.

Question 48

Explain how the role of the presidency has evolved in the twentieth century.Contrast the contemporary presidency with the vision of the founders.How do you think the founders would react to the American presidency today? Why?

Question 49

If the president does not act on a bill sent to him within fifteen days of the adjournment of Congress, the proposal dies.

Question 50

A president's ability to implement his or her program normally decreases over time.

Question 51

Recess appointments are rare.

Question 52

What roles have the Supreme Court and Congress played with respect to presidential power? Overall, who has gotten the better of political power in the last century, the president or Congress? Explain.

Question 53

The judicial branch of government is one source of control over the president.

Question 54

A pocket veto occurs when a president fails to take action on a bill after ten days and Congress is still in session.

Question 55

The presidential pardon power is subject to congressional control.

Question 56

List and explain some of the various roles (constitutional and extra-constitutional) that a president must play.Of these roles, which role do you believe is most important for a president, and why?

Question 57

A president is faced with opposition in Congress can go over the heads of legislators and talk directly to the American people.

Question 58

Identify the stimulus and characteristics of the USA PATRIOT Act.What are arguments for the USA PATRIOT Act? What are arguments against it?

Question 59

The public has come to expect a high level of service from the national government and holds the president responsible when expectations are not met.