Deck 8: The Presidency

Question 1

All of the following are roles of the president of the United States EXCEPT ______.

A) commander-in-chief
B) chief administrator
C) chief foreign policy maker
D) head of the EOP and OMB
E) chief justice of the Supreme Court

Answer 1

E

Question 2

Presidents are limited to two full terms in office by ______.

A) an act of Congress
B) a Supreme Court decision that interpreted Article II of the Constitution
C) custom
D) constitutional amendment
E) an executive order issued by President Harry Truman

Answer 2

D

Question 3

The president's power to act as chief executive of the federal government comes from all of the following constitutional provisions EXCEPT the provision ______.

A) stating the executive power will be vested in a president
B) giving the president power to appoint heads of departments
C) stating that the president "shall take care that the laws are faithfully executed"
D) requiring the heads of department to report to the president
E) stating the president is commander-in-chief of the armed forces

Answer 3

E

Question 4

According to the textbook,the framers adopted the Electoral College as a way to ______.

A) override the power of the judiciary
B) insulate the president from the masses
C) control unrestrained presidential power
D) make the president more dependent on Congress
E) imitate foreign democratic systems

Question 5

The official constitutional grounds for presidential impeachment are ______.

A) all crimes, regardless of their severity
B) treason, bribery, and other high crimes and misdemeanors
C) bribery, incompetence, and contempt of Congress
D) not explicitly spelled out in the document
E) treason, abuse of power, and contempt of Congress

Question 6

In the United States,treaties are negotiated by the president and require ______.

A) review by the Supreme Court before they can be implemented
B) no endorsement from any other government agency
C) two-thirds approval from the Senate
D) two-thirds approval from Congress
E) three-quarters approval from the cabinet prior to their submission to Congress

Question 7

Presidents' authority over foreign and defense policy comes from all of the following EXCEPT their power ______.

A) to declare war
B) as commander-in-chief of the armed forces
C) to negotiate treaties
D) to conclude executive agreements
E) to recognize ambassadors from other nations

Question 8

According to the textbook,President George W.Bush's use of signing statements ______.

A) threatened the system of separation of powers
B) was a strictly ceremonial act with no significance
C) helped to clarify for executive agencies how they are to implement laws
D) created agreements between presidents and the heads of foreign governments
E) was a traditional action taken by presidents to signify their agreement with Congress

Question 9

In most advanced industrial democracies,the role of head of government ______.

A) is performed by the prime minister
B) is united with the role of head of state
C) is performed by the president
D) has been eliminated
E) is shared among a set of executive-branch officials

Question 10

Presidents must play their role as ______ in order to solve problems,but that requires them to behave in ways that conflict with their role as ______.

A) head of state; chief administrator
B) head of government; party chief
C) commander-in-chief; head of state
D) head of government; head of state
E) party chief; head of government

Question 11

The presidential impeachment process is intended to remove sitting presidents for ______.

A) loss of support in Congress
B) ineffective leadership
C) waning public popularity
D) immoral behavior
E) treason, bribery, and high crimes and misdemeanors

Question 12

The significance of the president's inherent powers is that they ______.

A) allow the president to fulfill the office of president as the founders intended
B) are unconstitutional according to the Supreme Court
C) have been used to expand the powers of the presidency beyond what is explicitly stated in the Constitution
D) were commonly used by nineteenth-century presidents
E) were more often used in the nineteenth century by weak presidents

Question 13

Presidents have been able to ignore the restrictions on their ability to go to war contained in the War Powers Act because ______.

A) public opinion tends to rally around presidents when they deem military action necessary abroad, and Congress has declined to challenge such presidents
B) Congress has no power under the War Powers Act
C) Congress can never agree on a course of action when it comes to military decisions
D) the provisions of the act are vague and make it easy to ignore
E) everyone agrees the Supreme Court would probably declare the law unconstitutional if Congress ever attempted to enforce it

Question 14

Alexander Hamilton's principal argument about the presidency in Federalist No.70 is that it ______.

A) should be an energetic president
B) should allow the president to act as the civilian head of the military
C) must have a vice president who would be ready to take over in case the president dies
D) must be selected by the "best citizens" of the Electoral College
E) should possess the pardoning power because most state governors have that ability

Question 15

The Iran-contra controversy did not lead to the impeachment of President Ronald Reagan because ______.

A) the public concluded it was a necessary act of foreign policy
B) no laws were broken
C) he had left office before Iran-contra was discovered
D) the Republicans controlled Congress and refused to impeach the president
E) he claimed he knew nothing about Iran-contra, and no evidence was found to contradict him

Question 16

A major assumption that the founders had concerning the Electoral College was that electors would ______.

A) be political party leaders
B) further the democratic goal of popular government
C) be chosen by the state legislatures
D) be leading citizens who could be trusted to exercise good judgment
E) represent the average citizen when picking a president

Question 17

The president's cabinet is composed of the ______.

A) president's party leadership
B) chairs of the congressional standing committees
C) appointees heading each of the fifteen major departments in the executive branch
D) Joint Chiefs of Staff and state-level policy advisors
E) chief justice and several congressional leaders

Question 18

Which of the following statements is true about the modern use of treaties and executive agreements?

A) Executive agreements have been held unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in favor of treaties.
B) The percentage of completed interstate negotiations that end in treaties and executive agreements is about the same each year.
C) Most completed international negotiations (over 90 percent) end in executive agreements rather than treaties.
D) Most completed international negotiations (over 90 percent) end in treaties rather than executive agreements.
E) About the same number of each is completed each year.

Question 19

If there is a disagreement as to whether the president is disabled and should turn his or her duties over to the vice president,the issue is resolved by ______.

A) the Twenty-Fifth Amendment to the Constitution
B) the rules of succession as established by an act of Congress
C) agreement between the president and vice president
D) a ruling of the Supreme Court
E) a vote of the cabinet

Question 20

Many observers have concluded that impeachment is not an effective check on presidents because ______.

A) it is too easy for presidents to rally public opinion against the process
B) members of Congress will not use the process
C) the Supreme Court would probably overturn a president's conviction
D) the process is too crippling for the government because Congress and the president would be consumed with the impeachment and trial
E) presidents are never likely to commit an impeachable offense

Question 21

Divided government occurs when ______.

A) one party controls the presidency while the other party controls at least one house of Congress
B) the vice president must cast the deciding vote as president of the Senate
C) the presidency and the Supreme Court are controlled by different parties
D) the three branches of government are unable to work together to solve problems
E) the president and Congress are unable to agree on a joint political agenda

Question 22

The responsibilities of the solicitor general include all of the following EXCEPT ______.

A) serving as head of the Department of Justice
B) deciding which cases to file with the Supreme Court for the government
C) representing the government before the Supreme Court
D) filing amicus curiae briefs with the Supreme Court
E) serving as a bridge between the judiciary and the executive

Question 23

Inherent powers are the ______.

A) powers not explicitly stated in the Constitution
B) unwritten abilities of judges to issue contempt citations and bench warrants
C) powers granted to Congress by the necessary and proper clause
D) congressional powers to control the budget process
E) constitutional responsibilities of the cabinet members

Question 24

The cycle effect on presidential popularity is caused by the ______.

A) fact that presidents always promise one thing while running but do something different when governing
B) fickle nature of the American public
C) fact that presidents inevitably turn out to be solely politicians
D) fact that almost every decision that presidents make will be unpopular with some people, and the number of people angry with presidents grows over time as they make more decisions
E) fact that presidents can pay off their supporters, and therefore, their popularity almost always increases during their term

Question 25

The response of a certain president to what event led to Americans' belief that government should play a much more active role in helping solve problems beyond their control?

A) the Civil War
B) World War II
C) the September 11 attacks
D) the civil rights movement
E) the Great Depression

Question 26

The Supreme Court has ruled that the president has ______.

A) fewer inherent powers in foreign policy than in domestic policy
B) more inherent powers in foreign policy than in domestic policy
C) the same amount of inherent power in foreign policy as in domestic policy
D) no inherent powers in domestic policy but some in foreign policy
E) no inherent powers

Question 27

According to the textbook,Congress ______.

A) overrides a majority of presidential vetoes
B) does not override presidential vetoes because Congress members do not feel it is worth their time
C) overrides a presidential veto about half of the time
D) is rarely able to override a presidential veto
E) has not overridden a veto in the past fifteen years

Question 28

According to the text,effective heads of government are expected to do all of the following EXCEPT ______.

A) line up votes in the House and the Senate
B) work with their party to pass legislation
C) broker deals with Congress
D) act as a symbol for all Americans
E) convince the public that their policies are good

Question 29

Activist nineteenth-century presidents tended to claim that they were exercising ______.

A) powers granted to them explicitly in the Constitution
B) emergency powers granted by Congress
C) the will of the people
D) superior wisdom
E) inherent powers of the executive implied in the Constitution

Question 30

All of the following statements concerning presidents' judicial power are true EXCEPT this one:

A) Their power is very weak in the short run.
B) They can have a tremendous long-term impact on the judiciary.
C) Senior senators of the president's party have a great deal of power over all of the president's judicial appointments.
D) Presidents can try to influence the judiciary by having the solicitor general argue cases before the court.
E) The pardon power is a check on the judiciary.

Question 31

To pass their legislative agendas,presidents must ______ members of Congress to get Congress to support their proposals.

A) intimidate
B) threaten
C) bribe
D) persuade
E) punish

Question 32

All of the following statements concerning the president's veto power are true EXCEPT this one:

A) Presidents have had the power of the line-item veto since 1995.
B) Congress is generally unsuccessful at overturning presidential vetoes.
C) Presidents use the veto more frequently when their party does not control Congress.
D) George W. Bush was the third president not to veto a bill in his first term.
E) The threat of a veto is a powerful tool in presidential negotiations with Congress.

Question 33

Pacts made by the president with another head of state that do not require Senate approval are called ______.

A) executive orders
B) treaties
C) executive agreements
D) international memos of understanding
E) interstate protocols

Question 34

The cycle effect refers to the tendency for presidents to ______.

A) undergo rapid changes in their popularity regardless of conditions in the nation
B) depend heavily on national emergencies to push their legislative agenda through Congress
C) experience predictable shifts in their popularity over the course of their presidency
D) start their first term with low popularity, which then increases as their legislative program is enacted
E) have periods of very high and very low popularity at random intervals throughout their presidency

Question 35

The term legislative liaison refers to ______.

A) congressional leaders who have a close relationship with the president
B) lobbyists who have an especially good relationship with Congress
C) the congressional party leadership who work closely with the committee chairs
D) reporters who have a close working relationship with leading members of Congress
E) executive personnel who seek congressional support for the president's agenda

Question 36

Which of the following strategies do presidents NOT use to influence Congress?

A) ignoring the "ratings game" and paying no heed to polls
B) going public
C) keeping the economy healthy
D) using the power to persuade
E) building coalitions with members of Congress

Question 37

Which of the following is NOT among the president's legislative powers?

A) the line-item veto
B) the State of the Union address
C) executive orders
D) the vice president's role as presiding officer of the Senate
E) the presidential veto

Question 38

Most of the strength of the modern presidency is based on the ______.

A) inherent powers of the president
B) increased media pressures on the president
C) special powers delegated to the president by Congress
D) explicit constitutional roles assigned to the president
E) "rally around the flag" effect during times of national crisis

Question 39

The president's public approval rating tends to be affected by all of the following EXCEPT ______.

A) the popularity of the first spouse
B) the predictable rise and fall of a president's popularity over a term in office
C) the state of the economy
D) divisive events, such as a conflict with Congress
E) unifying events, such as the beginning of a war

Question 40

All of the following statements concerning the cycle effect are true EXCEPT this one:

A) It creates pressure for presidents to introduce their most important legislative proposals early in their terms.
B) It results from the inevitable alienation of public support that accompanies the need for presidents to make divisive decisions.
C) It affects only presidents whose party does not control Congress.
D) It can cause presidents with little experience in Washington politics to lose an opportunity for maximum influence on the legislative process.
E) Its effects are modified by the state of the economy and major events.

Question 41

In most advanced industrial democracies,the role of head of government is performed by the prime minister.

Question 42

The major reason presidents are not as successful in a divided government is ______.

A) Republicans and Democrats stand for different approaches and solutions to the nation's problems
B) members of one party simply want to defeat a president of the other party
C) Congress has less control over its members
D) presidents do not try to do as much for fear that what will pass will represent the other party's priorities
E) Congress takes control of the legislative agenda

Question 43

The rise of public expectations of the president dates from the administration of ______.

A) Franklin D. Roosevelt.
B) George Washington
C) Ulysses S. Grant
D) Gerald Ford

Question 44

Most completed international negotiations (over 90 percent)end in ______ rather than treaties.

A) stalemates
B) executive agreements
C) compromises
D) cessation of talks

Question 45

The chief of staff ______.

A) coordinates the president's commander-in-chief duties
B) oversees operations of all White House staff and controls access to the president
C) coordinates the activities of the entire federal bureaucracy
D) plans the first spouse's activities
E) presides over the cabinet

Question 46

According to James David Barber's typology of presidential personalities,which type of president is likely to perform best in office?

A) active-positive presidents
B) active-negative presidents
C) passive-positive presidents
D) passive-negative presidents
E) active-passive presidents

Question 47

The different public assessments of President George W.Bush's and President Bill Clinton's characters show us that ______.

A) although these presidents are of different parties, the public has assessed them nearly identically
B) Bush ranked higher on all traits than did Clinton
C) Bush and Clinton share the same presidential character
D) presidents have different styles and project different images to the public
E) Clinton ranked higher on all traits than did Bush

Question 48

James David Barber classified presidents ______.

A) by region and party to predict how they would succeed as president
B) by their nationality and ethnic background
C) by the office they held previous to the presidency
D) based on their morals and whether or not they would be positive leaders
E) based on their energy level and their orientation toward life

Question 49

The Executive Office of the President was formed to ______.

A) control the president
B) provide expert advice, serve the interests of the president, and supply information
C) control the cabinet
D) replace the cabinet
E) serve the cabinet

Question 50

The role of the vice president ______.

A) is not mentioned in the Constitution
B) is, with the exception of presiding over the Senate, determined by the president
C) has been significantly reduced in the modern age
D) has generally been stronger under Republican presidents than under Democratic presidents
E) is limited to presiding over the Senate and exercising ceremonial duties

Question 51

In the United States,treaties are negotiated by the president and require two-thirds approval from the ______.

A) Senate
B) House
C) population
D) Congressional Committee on Foreign Relations

Question 52

The White House staff and the president's cabinet often conflict because ______.

A) cabinet members usually have less political experience
B) the staff serves the president's interests whereas cabinet members seek support for their policy initiatives
C) cabinet members' loyalties are divided between the president and Congress
D) cabinet members are unlikely to have the same party affiliations as the staff
E) staff members are often holdovers from previous administrations

Question 53

The importance of a president's relationship with voters was well illustrated by the support ______.

A) Richard Nixon discovered during Watergate
B) Harry Truman received during his struggle with General MacArthur
C) Ronald Reagan exploited during the Iran-contra scandal
D) Jimmy Carter tried to use during the Iranian hostage crisis
E) Bill Clinton relied on during his impeachment trial

Question 54

Presidents must play their role as head of government in order to solve problems,but that requires them to behave in ways that conflict with their role as ______.

A) commander-in-chief
B) chief diplomat
C) finance minister
D) head of state

Question 55

Pacts made by the president with another head of state that do not require Senate approval are called ______.

A) "handshake deals"
B) mutual understandings
C) executive agreements
D) treaties

Question 56

The significance of the president's inherent powers is that they have been used to expand the powers of the presidency beyond what is explicitly stated in the ______.

A) Articles of Confederation
B) Declaration of Independence
C) Constitution
D) Presidential Address

Question 57

According to the text,presidents take into account all of the following when selecting their cabinets EXCEPT ______.

A) pleasing relevant interests
B) ideological agreement with the president
C) personal loyalty to the president
D) ethnic and gender balance
E) independence of stature and reputation

Question 58

One effect of the Twelfth Amendment on the selection of the president and vice president has been ______.

A) greater interparty rivalry
B) to encourage ticket balancing
C) an increased emphasis on attracting minority-party voters
D) to encourage former presidents to run as vice presidential candidates
E) an improvement in status for the vice president

Question 59

The second most important factor that consistently influences presidential approval is the ______.

A) state of the economy
B) public's opinion of the first spouse
C) size of the defense budget
D) president's relationship with Congress
E) none of the above

Question 60

The text authors classify Obama as a(n)______ type of president.

A) passive-negative
B) passive-positive
C) active-negative
D) active-positive
E) none of the above

Question 61

Fully discuss the double expectations gap.What does each of the gaps mean for the power of the presidency?

Question 62

What is the impact of divided government on the president's legislative agenda?

Question 63

What are the different roles of the cabinet and the Executive Office of the President? Why is the Executive Office of the President,especially the White House Office,considered to be closer to the president both personally and politically? What are the effects of the tension between the cabinet and the Executive Office of the President and the White House Office on presidential decision making?

Question 64

Explain the qualifications and conditions of office for the presidency.

Question 65

According to the text,effective heads of state are expected to act as a ______ for all Americans.

Question 66

The solicitor general argues cases for the executive branch before the U.S.Supreme Court.

Question 67

The ______ controls access to the president.

Question 68

The term ______ refers to executive personnel who seek congressional support for the president's agenda.

Question 69

The ______ can cause presidents with little experience in Washington politics to lose an opportunity for maximum influence on the legislative process.

Question 70

Presidents can try to influence the judiciary by having the Speaker of the House argue cases before the court.

Question 71

Discuss the power to persuade,going public,presidential character,and presidential style.Why are these personal features so important to presidential success? How do they help us to understand the presidency in ways that just studying the constitutional powers of the presidency does not?

Question 72

According to the textbook,Congress is rarely able to override a presidential veto.

Question 73

Compare presidential eras through time.How does the modern presidency today differ from the modern presidency under Franklin D.Roosevelt? How has the presidency changed compared to the era of the traditional presidency? What does it mean for expectations of the president these days?

Question 74

How has the role of the vice president changed over the past two decades?

Question 75

Optimal powers are the powers not explicitly stated in the Constitution

Question 76

Barack Obama used signing statements much less than did George W.Bush.

Question 77

An executive demonstration is a clarification of congressional policy issued by the president and having the full force of law.

Question 78

There is a gap between the powers of the presidency and what the public expects the president to do.

Question 79

To pass their legislative agendas,presidents must ______ members of Congress to support their proposals.