Deck 6: The Presidency

Question 1

According to the Constitution, in order for a candidate to be elected president, the candidate

A) must receive a majority of the popular vote.
B) must receive a majority of the popular vote and a majority of votes in the Electoral College.
C) must receive a majority of votes in the Electoral College and a majority of votes in the Senate.
D) must receive two-thirds of the votes in the Electoral College.
E) must receive a majority of votes in the Electoral College.

Answer 1

E

Question 2

According to the text, the Constitution sets up a governmental structure that

A) makes it very difficult for government to bring about major changes in policy.
B) has no effect one way or the other on how easy it is for government to make major policy changes.
C) makes it very easy for government to bring about major changes in policy.
D) makes it very easy for the government to respond to the slightest changes in public opinion.
E) was the very opposite of what the Founders hoped it would be.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

According to the text, the U.S. Constitution divides political power

A) vertically but not horizontally.
B) horizontally but not vertically.
C) neither horizontally nor vertically.
D) both horizontally and vertically.
E) horizontally, vertically, and circularly.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

According to the text, today considerable power has gravitated to the federal government, but for much of U.S. history, the bulk of government power

A) was also exercised by the national government.
B) was exercised by local governments such as those of cities and towns.
C) was exercised by state governments.
D) was exercised by the Supreme Court.
E) was exercised by small businesses.

Question 5

Of the following, which is an independent regulatory commission?

A) the Office of Management and Budget
B) the National Security Council
C) the Federal Reserve Board
D) the Department of State
E) the Bureau of the Census

Question 6

According to the text, at the Constitutional Convention, the Founders rejected a suggestion that the president be directly elected by the people because

A) most wanted the presidency to be weaker than it was under the Articles of Confederation.
B) doing so would make the president responsive to the democratic spirit they wanted to tame.
C) like James Wilson, most wanted the president to be chosen by Congress.
D) like Alexander Hamilton, most wanted the president to serve a life term.
E) most wanted the president to be chosen by the Supreme Court.

Question 7

According to the text, all of the following are key presidential roles except

A) conducting foreign policy.
B) supervising the federal bureaucracy.
C) directing the economy.
D) managing conflict.
E) voting in the U.S. Congress.

Question 8

According to the text, all of the following have contributed to the growth of presidential power in the twentieth century except that

A) corporations outgrew the narrow boundaries of the states.
B) the federal government became responsible for managing the economy.
C) the federal government took on new social responsibilities.
D) the United States became a global power.
E) the Twenty-second Amendment to the Constitution was ratified.

Question 9

In presidential elections, the unit rule most commonly refers to the fact that

A) the unit of government that chooses the president is the Electoral College.
B) each member of the Electoral College has only one vote.
C) each member of the House of Representatives has only one vote.
D) the House of Representatives is the unit of government that elects the president if no majority is reached in the Electoral College.
E) the candidate who gets more popular votes in a state than any other candidate gets all of that state's Electoral College votes.

Question 10

In discussing the consequences of the president being the commander in chief of the armed forces, the text says all of the following except

A) the Constitution gives Congress, not the president, the power to declare war.
B) the Founders intended the president's power as commander in chief to be confined to the limited occasions when hostilities begin.
C) President Reagan ordered the invasion of Grenada without seeking Congressional authorization.
D) President Lincoln was unique among U.S. presidents in that he never undertook military action without first obtaining Congressional approval.
E) President Polk provoked war with Mexico in 1846 by sending U.S. troops into disputed land between Texas and Mexico.

Question 11

A federal system is one in which

A) the states retain full sovereignty.
B) authority is divided between national and state governments.
C) the president is elected by an Electoral College.
D) power is shared among the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of the government.
E) all government officials are elected by the people.

Question 12

According to the text

A) the balance of power among the three branches of the national government has remained constant throughout U.S. history.
B) the Congress, led by the Speaker of the House and Senate majority leader, is now the preeminent branch.
C) the executive, directed by the president, is now the preeminent branch.
D) the Supreme Court, directed by the chief justice, is now the preeminent branch.
E) the federal bureaucracy is now the preeminent institution.

Question 13

According to the text

A) the Electoral College tends to over-represent large states.
B) the Electoral College tends to over-represent medium-size states.
C) the Electoral College tends to over-represent small states.
D) the size of the states that are better represented in the Electoral College depends on whether the president is a Republican or Democrat.
E) the Electoral College represents all states equally.

Question 14

In the realm of foreign policy, the Constitution sets up a structure of government in which

A) the Congress and the president share power.
B) the Congress, the president, and the United States's twenty largest cities share power.
C) only the Congress has power.
D) only the president has power.
E) only ambassadors and the military's top generals have power.

Question 15

Currently, the unit rule in presidential elections is used

A) in all states because the Constitution requires that it be used.
B) in all states even though the Constitution doesn't require that it be used.
C) in the vast majority of states.
D) in about half the states.
E) in only a few states.

Question 16

According to the Constitution, the number of Electoral College votes assigned to each state is determined by

A) the state's population.
B) the number of members that state has in the House of Representatives.
C) the number of counties in the state.
D) by adding together the number of members the state has in the House of Representatives plus its two senators.
E) the number of active political parties in the state.

Question 17

Which of the amendments to the Constitution indicates that powers not delegated to the national government nor prohibited to the states are reserved to the states or the people?

A) First
B) Third
C) Fifth
D) Eighth
E) Tenth

Question 18

The power of the president to reject a bill passed by Congress is called a(n)

A) pardon.
B) veto.
C) presidential privilege.
D) discretionary power.
E) executive order.

Question 19

According to the text, the Founders

A) all secretly wanted the United States to be a monarchy.
B) wanted to make it easy for government to respond to the wishes of the majority of citizens.
C) were not concerned with protecting property rights.
D) feared that democracy could endanger the rights of property owners.
E) were following the examples of dozens of other countries in trying to establish government in which political authority would be in the hands of the people, not a king.

Question 20

The text says the U.S. system of political power incorporates all of the following elements except

A) a system of separation of powers.
B) a system of shared powers.
C) a system of checks and balances.
D) a system where the executive and legislative branches are fused.
E) a system of federalism.

Question 21

The U.S. Constitution grants the power to declare war to

A) the people.
B) Congress.
C) the Secretary of Defense.
D) the House of Representatives.
E) the President.

Question 22

According to the text, which president has claimed the right of the president to order-without judicial review-targeted killings not only of foreigners but of American citizens regarded as security threats?

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

Question 23

The president's powers are enumerated in ______________ of the U.S. Constitution.

A) the Bill of Rights
B) Article I
C) Article II
D) the Preamble
E) the Amendments

Question 24

According to the text, the executive branch of government consists of a series of concentric circles surrounding the president. The circle which is the closest to the president is

A) the president's cabinet.
B) the Executive Office of the President.
C) the independent agencies.
D) the Office of Presidential Appointees.
E) the White House Office of Presidential Advisors.

Question 25

In discussing the sources of presidential power, the text says presidents can make skillful use of patronage. Of the following, which is the best example of patronage?

A) modifying proposed legislation in ways that benefit particular members of Congress
B) nominating federal judges
C) delivering speeches in carefully selected locations
D) refusing to meet with particular members of Congress
E) raising money for particular candidates

Question 26

According to the text, contemporary presidents exercise power for all of the following purposes except

A) making capitalism work at home.
B) maintaining political stability.
C) defending the United States at home.
D) defending the United States abroad.
E) promoting moral values.

Question 27

In discussing what it terms "the Imperial Presidency," the text identifies all of the following as sources of presidential power except

A) the president's unlimited access to the media.
B) the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution.
C) the president's power to manage the federal bureaucracy.
D) the president's ability to raise money and make appearances for other candidates for public office.
E) Article II of the Constitution.

Question 28

According to the text, all of the following have served to weaken presidential power in the past half-century except

A) the decrease in the number of interest groups.
B) President Johnson's lying about the progress of the Vietnam War.
C) President Nixon's attempted cover-up of the Watergate burglary.
D) the end of the golden age of capitalism.
E) the increase in divided government.

Question 29

The ______________ is a group of key administrative officials appointed by the president to direct major departments of government.

A) Executive Office of the President
B) Cabinet
C) Independent Regulatory Commission
D) Conference Committee
E) Chiefs of Staff

Question 30

The U.S. Constitution makes the ______________ commander in chief of the military.

A) highest-ranking U.S. Army General
B) Secretary of Defense
C) President
D) Joint Chiefs of Staff
E) highest-ranking U.S. Navy Officer

Question 31

Which presidential role is illustrated by the presidential authority to negotiate treaties, appoint ambassadors, and receive ambassadors from foreign countries?

A) commander in chief
B) chief diplomat
C) manager of the bureaucracy
D) head of government
E) party leader

Question 32

The official who directs the day-to-day work of government is called

A) the head of state.
B) the head of government.
C) a U.S. Senator.
D) a member of the U.S. House of Representatives.
E) Supreme Court Justice.

Question 33

The set of key executive institutions that are close advisers to the president on major policy areas, including the budget, social and economic issues, intelligence, and security is the ______________.

A) Executive Office of the President
B) Cabinet
C) Independent Regulatory Commission
D) military-industrial complex
E) Conference Committee

Question 34

The text points out that for years after the 9/11 attacks, seven out of ten U.S. citizens believed that Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein was linked to the attacks despite there being no credible evidence of this connection. The book makes this point primarily to support its claim that

A) U.S. citizens know less about foreign affairs than do citizens in other countries.
B) the media is filled with lies, half-truths, and meaningless propaganda.
C) the George W. Bush administration lied to the public more than any other administration.
D) the president has an unparalleled advantage in defining political reality for most U.S. citizens.
E) Hussein's U.S. supporters failed to make effective arguments on his behalf.

Question 35

Unlike the situation in parliamentary regimes, the president is

A) head of state and head of government.
B) neither the head of state nor the head of government.
C) the head of state but not the head of government.
D) the head of government but not the head of state.
E) there is no difference between being the head of state and being the head of government in a parliamentary regime.

Question 36

In the United States, the president serves as

A) the head of state only.
B) the head of government only.
C) both the head of state and the head of government.
D) head of state, while the vice president serves as head of government.
E) head of government, while the vice president serves as head of state.

Question 37

According to the text, the most powerful vice president ever is/was

A) Joseph Biden
B) Richard Cheney
C) Al Gore
D) Dan Quayle
E) George H.W. Bush

Question 38

According to the Constitution, the president has all of the following powers except

A) she or he is commander in chief of the armed forces.
B) she or he can veto legislation.
C) she or he can appoint government officials.
D) she or he can make treaties.
E) she or he can declare war.

Question 39

A(n) ______________ is a binding directive issued by the president, within areas in which the president has constitutional authority, to members of the executive branch and private citizens or groups.

A) veto
B) makeup
C) discharge petition
D) pardon
E) executive order

Question 40

The National Labor Relations Board, the Federal Trade Commission, and the Federal Reserve Board are all examples of

A) the Cabinet.
B) Congressional Committees.
C) Special Presidential Committees.
D) Independent Regulatory Commissions.
E) Executive Departments.

Question 41

Summarize the ways that presidents try to make capitalism work at home.

Question 42

What does the text mean when it says that the Constitution fragments government authority in two ways?

Question 43

Summarize the organization of the executive branch, making sure to include what the text says about the concentric rings around the president.

Question 44

Explain why, according to the text, the Founders designed the U.S. government as they did.

Question 45

Summarize the ways that presidents try to defend the United States at home and abroad.

Question 46

Summarize the Constitutional, historical, and political factors that result in limited presidential power.

Question 47

Summarize the reasons for the existence of the Electoral College, the Constitutional provisions and the political practices governing its operation, and the consequences of these provisions and practices.

Question 48

Summarize the Constitutional, historical, and political factors that are sources of presidential power.

Question 49

The text suggests that in order to manage conflict, presidents use the media to shape public opinion. Explain how presidents use the media and provide examples of instances when you think presidents have used the media most effectively.

Question 50

According to the text, presidential power depends "not only upon the specific powers enumerated in the Constitution but on such subtle grounds as the president's reputation among citizens and legislators." Evaluate the validity of this statement. Be sure to provide examples to illustrate your point.

Question 51

According to the text, crises "permit presidents to overcome blockages that would normally compromise presidential power." Evaluate this statement by providing examples of presidents' effective use of crises to overcome obstacles to their agendas.

Question 52

Summarize what presidents do to try to maintain political stability.

Question 53

Summarize the events and developments that led to an increase in presidential power in the twentieth century.

Question 54

Explain why, according to the text, "the design of government in the Constitution . . . has highly conservative implications."