Deck 12: The Presidency

Question 1

Which of the following is an example of a "rally event" as it relates to public approval of the president?

A)George H.W.Bush's reelection after the Gulf War
B)Richard Nixon's approval ratings during Watergate
C)George W.Bush's surge in popularity after the 9/11 terrorist attacks
D)Ronald Reagan's decision to seek a second term

Answer 1

George W.Bush's surge in popularity after the 9/11 terrorist attacks

Question 2

Which of the following is most likely to constitute an impeachable offense?

A)a president playing a game of poker in the White House
B)a president supporting an unpopular policy
C)a president's decision to invade a country solely to increase his or her public support
D)a president's strategy of encouraging interest groups to pressure Congress to pass a bill

Answer 2

a president's decision to invade a country solely to increase his or her public support

Question 3

Who breaks a tie in the Senate?

A)president of the United States
B)vice president of the United States
C)Speaker of the House
D)Senate majority leader

Answer 3

vice president of the United States

Question 4

The use of __________ in foreign matters is an example of the president acting as a chief diplomat.

A)pocket vetoes
B)executive privilege
C)executive agreements
D)signing statements

Question 5

What is the primary purpose of the Council of Economic Advisers?

A)to advise the president on economic policy
B)to assess budget proposals for Congress
C)to enact the president's budget
D)to suggest programs that should be scaled back or curtailed because they use tax dollars inefficiently

Question 6

What was intended to give Congress a greater voice in the decision to introduce American troops into hostilities?

A)the Twenty-second Amendment
B)executive privilege
C)the legislative veto
D)the War Powers Resolution

Question 7

Congress can remove a president through __________.

A)a veto
B)an executive order
C)a House impeachment vote
D)a Senate impeachment trial

Question 8

What does the Twenty-second Amendment do?

A)requires that presidents be natural-born citizens
B)limits the president's terms of office
C)requires the president to be a resident of the United States
D)requires the president to be at least 35 years old

Question 9

Why do presidents try to gain support for their initiatives instead of simply enacting their policy priorities outright?

A)because Congress cannot debate legislation without approval from the president
B)because the Constitution does not give the president any powers to influence public policy
C)because the Constitution establishes a system of shared powers
D)because the president has diminishing power over the course of his or her administration

Question 10

Which of the following reviews potential legislative proposals suggested by executive agencies and assesses their budgetary implications?

A)secretary of the treasury
B)Office of Management and Budget
C)secretary of commerce
D)chief of staff

Question 11

Historically,vice presidential candidates have often been chosen to __________.

A)help set the president's agenda
B)mentor the president
C)placate a symbolic constituency
D)ensure that the president's party will have a good chance of winning the next presidential election

Question 12

What has to happen in Congress in order for the president to be impeached and removed from office?

A)The House must impeach the president by a simple majority;the Supreme Court must convict with a two-thirds vote.
B)The Senate must impeach the president by a simple majority;the House must convict with a two-thirds vote.
C)The House must impeach the president by a simple majority;the Senate must convict with a two-thirds majority.
D)The Supreme Court must impeach the president with a simple majority;the chief justice presides over a Senate trial that must convict with a two-thirds majority.

Question 13

Which is a constitutional power that the president shares with the Senate?

A)making treaties
B)declaring war
C)granting pardons
D)receiving foreign ambassadors

Question 14

Which citizen is ineligible to become president?

A)a natural-born citizen
B)someone who is 37 years old
C)someone who has lived in the United States for 20 years
D)someone who has already been elected president twice

Question 15

How did the expectations for the vice presidency change starting with Walter Mondale?

A)Presidents are more likely to use their vice presidents as close policy advisers.
B)Vice presidents started to preside over the Senate.
C)Presidents are more likely to select ideologically moderate vice presidents to expand their electoral appeal.
D)Vice presidents started taking the lead in the budgeting process.

Question 16

Which is one reason why the power and responsibility of the presidency has increased?

A)The presidents' use of the line-item veto has increased their power over the Congress.
B)The budgets for government agencies have decreased,leaving more responsibility to the president.
C)Modern presidents have to exercise powers as commander in chief,while earlier presidents did not.
D)The United States has increased its prominence on the world stage.

Question 17

Which presidential power is checked by required approval of the Senate with a two-thirds vote?

A)extending diplomatic recognition to foreign governments
B)terminating relations with other nations
C)negotiating treaties with other nations
D)negotiating executive agreements with foreign heads of state

Question 18

Which best describes a president's constitutional duty to Congress?

A)The president must give Congress an occasional update on the state of the union.
B)The president must have at least one cabinet member of the opposing party.
C)The president must maintain party support in Congress.
D)The president must inform Congress of the reasoning behind a veto.

Question 19

Which presidential role includes the State of the Union address?

A)head of state
B)commander in chief
C)chief executive
D)chief legislator

Question 20

Which institutional resource is closest and most loyal to the president?

A)Executive Office of the President (EOP)
B)White House staff
C)armed forces
D)National Security Council

Question 21

An __________ is the perception that the voters strongly support the president and his or her policies.

A)electoral mandate
B)approval rating
C)executive order
D)executive agreement

Question 22

When might citizens be particularly concerned about an expansion of presidential power?

A)in times of relative peace and prosperity
B)in times of economic crisis
C)during presidential election years
D)when they oppose the president's agenda

Question 23

In which way do modern presidents differ from the original intentions of the Framers?

A)Modern presidents are considerably less democratic than the Framers originally intended.
B)Modern presidents have considerably less power as leaders of their political parties than the Framers originally intended.
C)Modern presidents are much more influential in the legislative process than the Framers originally intended.
D)Modern presidents are more subservient to the will of Congress than the Framers originally intended.

Question 24

How has the office of vice president changed over the years?

A)The vice president is no longer trusted as he once was.
B)The vice president recently has been locked out of the policymaking process.
C)The vice president has been more involved in the policymaking process in recent years than in the past.
D)The vice presidency has become a prerequisite for the presidency.

Question 25

What distinguishes the contemporary presidency from the institution originally envisioned by the Framers of the Constitution?

A)The contemporary presidency is much more powerful.
B)The contemporary presidency is less involved in the development of foreign policy.
C)The contemporary presidency exhibits a greater level of deference to Congress in budgetary matters.
D)Contemporary presidents are more cautious in advocating for their legislative agendas.

Question 26

Which statement about the news is generally true?

A)The news is often framed in themes that simplify the issues and provide continuity from story to story.
B)There is a focus on the positive when covering the president and a focus on the negative when covering Congress and the Supreme Court.
C)The broadcast media relies solely on facts and avoids speculation,even if it means sitting on a major story until the information can be verified.
D)Cable news programs present in-depth coverage of political events from a balanced ideological perspective so as to attract the most viewers.

Question 27

Which describes something that Barack Obama did that caused his critics to charge that he has become too powerful?

A)He established the Department of Homeland Security.
B)He proposed reforming Social Security and immigration policy.
C)He used drones to kill terrorist suspects,some of whom were American citizens.
D)He used his veto power more than any other president.

Question 28

Which of the following statements provides the best characterization of the members of the White House staff?

A)The White House staff is a loose collection of bureaucrats who are loyal to executive agencies.
B)The White House staff is composed of advisers who do whatever is in the best interest of the president.
C)The White House staff is composed of policy specialists who have little personal loyalty to the president.
D)The White House staff is the link between executive agencies in the bureaucracy and Congress.

Question 29

What is the role of the National Security Council?

A)to link the president's foreign and military policy advisers
B)to keep the president and first family secure
C)to administer the armed forces
D)to provide the president with national security policy advice from the opposing party's perspective

Question 30

In which capacity have recent vice presidents been particularly influential in American politics?

A)as an adviser in the policymaking process
B)as a leader of the cabinet
C)as a lead negotiator for executive agreements
D)as presiding officer of the Senate

Question 31

The president's chief of staff and press secretary are members of which group?

A)White House staff
B)Office of Administration
C)the cabinet
D)Executive Office of the President

Question 32

Which of the following statements about presidential approval is accurate?

A)George W.Bush maintained a high approval rating throughout his presidency.
B)Bill Clinton's approval rating was well over 90 percent during his first term.
C)Barack Obama's approval rating was lower in 2012 than when he took office.
D)Ronald Reagan's approval rating was never higher than 50 percent.

Question 33

How might rally events affect presidential politics?

A)Rally events lead to drops in presidential approval ratings,making passage of their agendas more difficult.
B)Rally events cause a long-term increase in presidential approval ratings,practically guaranteeing reelection.
C)Rally events make presidents more politically cautious.
D)Rally events tend to temporarily increase presidential approval ratings,providing presidents with a window of opportunity to press their agenda.

Question 34

Many assume that presidents with high __________ are more effective leaders.

A)approval ratings
B)levels of executive privilege
C)debts and deficits
D)campaign spending

Question 35

Which of the following is a judicial power given to the president?

A)determining the Supreme Court's docket
B)nominating federal judges
C)establishing the jurisdiction of the federal courts including the Supreme Court
D)determining the constitutionality of judicial acts

Question 36

The Twenty-fifth Amendment was enacted in order to clear up uncertainties over the constitutional provisions surrounding __________.

A)presidential powers to conduct war
B)presidential and vice presidential succession and disability
C)the president's powers to negotiate treaties
D)the Electoral College

Question 37

Which of the following is a collection of executive branch officials who assist the president,but who also fulfill duties required by law and are therefore limited in the extent of their loyalty to the president?

A)the White House staff
B)the Executive Office of the President
C)the chiefs of staff
D)the Court of Executive Assistants

Question 38

Why does the perception of an electoral mandate matter in presidential politics?

A)It helps to increase the president's legislative acumen.
B)It makes it harder for presidents to get their legislative agenda enacted by Congress.
C)It offers legitimacy and credibility to a recently elected president's proposals.
D)It enables the president to manage the bureaucracy.

Question 39

Which of the following is a group of 15 presidential advisers that is too large,diverse,and concerned with individual fiefdoms to effectively serve as a collective board of directors,leaving ultimate decision-making authority with the president?

A)the White House staff
B)the Executive Office of the President
C)the chiefs of staff
D)the cabinet